I stumbled upon this piece today and after giving it a thorough read, it makes a lot of sense.
There is something inherently wrong about rebadging a car, and most of the time it is insensible. For instance, every brand has its own aura or vibe and it proliferates throughout their products. When I take a seat behind the wheel of an Audi, there is no question that I am driving something other than a car with four rings.
This is what CAR's Gavin Green is getting at AND this is why rebadging simply does not work.
Do you agree with us? Can you name a couple of successful rebadge attempts? I am pretty sure I cannot...
CAR Magazine reports:
"One of the most talked-about cars of the recent Detroit Show was a Chrysler Delta. It sounds like an elite US military unit. In fact it is an idiosyncratic little Italian hatch (a Lancia Delta) with a beaver-like American (Chrysler) grille.
Now there will be those who salute Chrysler’s boldness, by grabbing attention at a motor show in which it had absolutely nothing new (the ‘Chrysler’ Delta is just a concept). They grabbed headlines, certainly. Sergio Marchionne, boss of Fiat, new controller of Chrysler, and one of the boldest and most intelligent leaders in the car industry – Fiat now rocks – reckons that there are some parallels between Lancia and Chrysler (which may be true). Some journalists, whose opinions I normally covet, were nodding sagely, explaining that this is a clever and inexpensive way for cash-strapped Chrysler to launch new cars. (I always worry when car journalists sound more like accountants than enthusiasts.)..."
2011 BMW 335iS Photo Gallery
2011 BMW 5-Series Photo Gallery
2010 Detroit Auto Show Photo Gallery
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