Among the more insufferable things that the internet likes to do is to become indignant about dumb issues and then champion them as some sort of lame ass cause. Take for example the recent discovery that the turbocharged four banger 2015 Mustang model will be called the Mustang EcoBoost. You would have thought that Ford announced each time one of these cars was sold a baby seal was going to get clubbed by the way people have reacted. NEWSFLASH: the name of a car or option group on a car has historically had little to no effect on its sales, outside of a few outlying examples. More on those in a minute. Can you remember how the world went nuts when Chrysler announced that they were reviving the Charger as a four door sedan? We remember it plain as day because everyone was screaming about how dumb it was, how it was bound to fail, and how it somehow violated some sacred trust between Chrysler and the universe. The car has been on sale for like 10 years now and showing no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. That’s some kind of a failure.
The same story can be told with Chevrolet bringing back the Malibu and Impala names a few years ago. Both of those models have gone on to be huge sellers for General Motors despite the crying of people who believe that unless they were offered with a W-motor or a big block, those names should had forever lived in the shadows. The Mustang EcoBoost name makes the most freaking sense, kids. Being that there is no more SVO, it would be pointless to call the thing an SVO Mustang. Being that no Mustang owner in their right mind wants a direct tie to the Fiesta or Focus, calling the thing a Mustang ST is a dumb idea, and since giving it a name that sounds like it was stolen from Porsche and/or Mercedes doesn’t make any sense, EcoBoost was the best choice. Why the hell can we just no call things what they are, right?
If there has been one car in American automotive history that suffered for its name it was probably the 1955 and 1956 Dodge La Femme which was a version of the Royal Lacer specifically designed and marketed towards women. Despite some marketing effort, the company only sold a couple thousand of them and stopped making them after 1957. The name immediately alienated male buyers and obviously female buyers weren’t all that into it either. The project was scrapped at the close of 1957 operations.
So bottom line. Stop crying about the name. If you want one bad enough buy the car, get your heat gun out and remove the current badges and glue some 1990s Mustang SVO badges on the car and then tell all the guys at the cruise night that you own a one of one car. Meanwhile the rest of the world will be out pounding on their light, 300hp, nimble EcoBoost Mustangs. Put a sock in it already!
“NEWSFLASH: the name of a car or option group on a car has historically had little to no effect on its sales, outside of a few outlying examples.”
I guess one of those was when Female buyers resisted the Ford Probe.
Could be worse… they could have called that car a Mustang IV. I’m not sure it sold any better when they called it an MX6.
Seriously, a good name for a car is a name that’s attached to a good car.
Actually names have a huge impact on sales. Ford spent years deciding on what to call the Mustang (almost called it the Cougar!), and the name had a huge part in appealing to car fans, at least according to many marketing experts.
My fiance decided against buying a Ford Fiesta because of the name. “All I can think of when I hear that is sombreros” is what she said. Instead, she went with the Chevy Sonic, which rolls off the tongue better, and also reminds both of us of a certain blue hedgehog from our childhood.
I think the name “Mustang EcoBoost” is silly, and so does most of the rest of the Internet. People have found far worse things to complain about, and I think it is rather disingenuous for you to tell people to not complain about something silly, when you do so on an almost weekly basis on these very pages.
Chris, please stop complaining about my complaints. 🙂
That’s so META lol
“My fiance decided against buying a Ford Fiesta because of the name. “All I can think of when I hear that is sombreros” is what she said. Instead, she went with the Chevy Sonic, which rolls off the tongue better, and also reminds both of us of a certain blue hedgehog from our childhood. ”
I’m sorry but that is one of the dumbest reason I’ve ever heard for buying one car over another. And now she’s stuck with an inferior car.
Inferior how? The Sonic has a longer warranty, a more powerful engine (TURBO!), and a better transmission (none of that herky-jerky junk).
Honestly, all I cared about was a the warranty. I’m a Ford man, through and through, but when buying a new car, I want some kind of guarantee it won’t die before I’m done paying for it. 5 year/100,000 miles for the Sonic vs. 3 years/36,000 miles for the Ford. 2 years in and we’re already almost to 40,000 miles.
Quite happy with the Sonic. All I’m saying is a name absolutely can affect a person’s buying decisions.
Did some quick research. The turbo gives you 18 more hp for less mpg. But if you wanted a Turbo you could have gotten the ST with 60 more hp and slightly better mpg than the Sonic for the same price. Which is one of the best reviewed cars of the past year.
You don’t sound like much of a “Ford” man if you buy a Korean Chevy of a powertrain warranty? Does sound like you believe in the product all that much.
Just saying.
I don’t get it… What’s supposed to be wrong with Mustang EgoBoost?
🙂
I’m with you. I don’t see a problem with it. The Eco-boost system is much more about boost than eco, as my former boss’ F-150 eco boost has proven. Its a good system.
Why does it need a name to go along with the engine? Isn’t it just a Mustang with a 4-banger? Do we need to talk to Chevy about selling the Camaro as the Camaro High Feature V6…?
And no, I don’t care that it’s the Mustang Ecoboost.
I agree. What twentysomething (the target demo for this car) was alive back in 1985-86 when SVO’s were new or even remember that car?
Just be glad they didn’t call it a Ford Probe.
I think a lot of folks are hesitant about the name and buying one because they think the car comes with Al Gore in the hatch area.
As one of those who bought a new SVO, I’m glad they’re not calling it an SVO. The SVO was essentially a as much a car of the future as the bean-counters and production realities would allow. Charge air cooled turbocharging, EFI, OHC, plus-size wheels, Recaro-type seats, four-wheel disc brakes, Koni dampers, and that bi-plane wing . . . the specs were fairly heady back then . . . and far removed from Iacocca’s weak, rubbery Mustang II.
The SVO also was a production embodiment of the rebirth of motorsports at Ford. A niche halo model that deserves to be remembered independently both for what it was . . . and was not (i.e. a sales success).
While the Mustang EcoBoost is certainly advanced and arguably timely, it hardly resets and advances the pony-car bar as much as the SVO did. And it’s not even close to the “halo” model that the SVO was. Fleeting nostalgia is hardly sufficient justification to degrade the SVO nameplate on a mid-level economy performance model.
Besides, the vast majority of potential EcoBoost customers probably have zero affinity for the SVO nameplate. Outside the discrete and insular world of automotive journalists and uber car history geeks, “SVO” has little current marketing resonance.
I agree that this is not worth the critical attention that some are paying to it.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I agree, the SVO name does not belong on the new Mustang EcoBoost. It would make no sense call it SVO since there is no Special Vehicle Operations group at Ford anymore. The new Mustang EcoBoost is an economy based version meant to boost mpg numbers not a top of the line performance package like the SVO was in the 80’s.
SVO doesn’t really mean anything to most people anyway. I just bought an 84 SVO and it means a lot to me but Most people look at it like it’s a regular fox body with a funny looking wing. EcoBoost is Ford’s new buzz word for turbo so it is a no brainer to call it the new Mustang Turbo GT sounds cooler though.
I agree.
Looks like a 2 door Charger. I’d ride it.
It is a RWD, turbocharged coupe with potential to make big power economically, and it looks good. I don’t care what they call the thing, but you can bet that I’ll be test driving one when the time arrives for me to replace my current daily driver!
I think they should call it the ‘king cobra’ in honor of the 1978 mustang of the same name.
Tell me how successful the new Dodge “DART” has been this year.
The marketing gurus killed that new car with the old name.
1990’s SVO badges? They were produced from 84-86! GEEZ!
I see no problem with Ecoboost but why not bring back the SVO badge? Unless they will later when the sell a Tuner version 🙂
I get your point but I still don’t like it. Legend has it that Carol Shelby called the GT 350 the GT 350 because it was 350 feet from his office to his shop, so I see no reason why they couldn’t call this thing SVO for no reason other than it sounds cooler the ECO. I know it wouldn’t mean anything to the average person buying the thing but damn it we’re car guys and we’re supposed to be completely irrational about stuff like this! I think you guys are going soft… I’m just kidding, sort of… LOL