If you buy a cheap car and the image of its brand is not very good, you do not usually care since it is not an exclusive automobile. These attributes are more likely to be connected with premium and luxury cars – that is the segment where brand image is taken the most seriously.
There have been a few branding own goals in the history of premium cars…
But are all the premium cars branded right? Of course not! In the history of automotive industry there have been a few total own goals where the brand of car products did not correspond with the philosophy of the company’s brand. There is my TOP 5 list of the worst branded premium cars in the recent history.
5. Bentley Bentayaga
(image: forbes.com)
This car has just been unveiled to the market so we still cannot say from any tangible data if it is successful or not, however there has never been a car made by this aristocratic British manufacturer that stirred up the waters like this one. Bentley is long known as a very conservative producer of big luxury limos with hardly any attention to new technology and new trends. And that is why their customers (for instance Jay Leno or Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II.) like them – they hadn’t changed their car philosophy for decades – unlike their German rivals. When couple of years ago, under the new ownership of VW, Bentley introduced the Continental model, which was basically a Volkswagen with a Bentley badge on it, their diehard fans did not like it much, but still, it was a big luxury car with a couple cows on its seats and half the Sherwood Forest as the door trim. With the new Bentayaga though, it is already over the top. The car is not only hideously ugly, but also it completely does not fit to the Bentley brand. It is an SUV – and that is enough. This relatively new segment might be appropriate for brands like BMW or Mercedes and in the early 2000’s it saved Porsche from bankruptcy with their new Cayenne. But as a Bentley it is seriously uncool. It is like going for a hike with tailored suit and spats. Yes, Bentley might attract new customers from China or Middle East but, more importantly, it can dilute its brand.
4. Jaguar X-Type
(image: honestjohn.co.uk)
To see the other example, we will stay in Great Britain. And we don’t have to go that far, we will take a look at another premium car manufacturer which supplies the Buckingham palace – Jaguar. But unlike the Bentley, which wanted to expand in luxury segment with an off-road SUV, the “Jag” in 2001 was trying to put its brand on an entry-level car. That time, Jaguar was owned by Ford – a company which honestly has never been very successful in managing other car manufacturers under their ownership. Jaguar was not an exception and it is no surprise that today it has a new owner (Tata from India) and it is doing much better. The Jaguar X-Type was supposed to bring new customers to the brand – especially younger drivers. The reason why this model was so unsuccessful was that it was not a real Jaguar. The engine, electronics, dashboard…it all came from Ford Mondeo (Ford Fusion in the US) – a car which was a lot cheaper. The other problem was that the design was too old fashioned – yes, as a traditional English producer it is good to maintain the looks but still it looked way to obsolete to attract younger customers. If you take a look at the brand new cheapest Jaguar- the XE – it is both modern and classic design. Many of the old X-types are now in the used car lots with a very low price tag – simple reason why – nobody wants them.
3. 2002 BMW 7 Series
(image: motortrend.com)
When it comes to the BMW brand, the pulse of many car lovers speeds up – the mix of luxury and performance is just hard to dislike. In the 80´s and the 90´s, the 7-series was the flagship of the brand – with slightly sportier characteristics than their too comfortable and lazy Mercedes rivals. With the sleek looks with sharply designed front grill it was one of the best looking premium cars on the market. So many BMW fans could just not believe their eyes when the successor was released back in 2002. Sharp elegant lines were gone and replaced by futuristic bubble-looking shape, the interior looked like it was transformed from a star ship of 23rd century and with more weight it lost its sporty appeal. Suddenly, all the Third world dictators, mobsters, politicians and sportsmen stopped buying the 7-series and switched to the competition. The face-lifted version was introduced quite early, in less than three years, and the old designer was fired. Now, the new 7 series looks quite better and promises BMW even better tomorrows. Nice job!
2. Ferrari Mondial
(image: boitierrouge.com)
There is probably no premium car manufacturer in the market which gives such attention to passion, history and tradition like Ferrari. This little Italian sports car company produces couple of thousands of cars a year, all handmade, and does not want to hear a word about things like emissions, economy, electromobiles and so on. Their aim is to produce beautiful and fast cars. In the 1980’s though, there was one model that did not really fit it – the Mondial – it was neither beautiful nor fast. Ferrari wanted to put its precious logo on a more affordable car which its owners could drive it more on a daily basis and with more passengers and luggage and also give the driver the performance feeling of an Italian exotic car. Ferrari failed in both of these goals. Firstly, the car was very uncomfortable – it was very small inside and for a daily driver’s car not very reliable. And because it was quite big for a Ferrari, it was not fast either. Basically it was an overpriced 4-seater Fiat coupe with a prancing horse logo, which was slower than way cheaper Volkswagen Golf GTI. Ferrari now produces a car for 4 people – ironically called “for four – FF” – but it is spacious, fast, exciting and desirable – it somehow blends in to the whole Ferrari brand philosophy. So although the Mondial was a terrible effort, Ferrari learned a lesson.
1. Volkswagen Phaeton
(image: autocar.co.uk)
The Germans like their cars and from the technical point of view they all are usually a masterpiece. The VW Phaeton as a flagship of the brand was no exception. Big powerful engine, nicely crafted luxurious interior with a lot of hi-tech bells and whistles and very good performance figures. On paper, it sounds like this car is one of the all-time greats. So why did I choose it as the worst example of automotive branding? Despite the recent emission scandal, VW is considered as a respected German producer of quality-made cars for middle class. But it was just not clear to anyone why VW wanted to expand to the luxury segment. There were couple of reasons – VW already owned Audi and it could have been a rival to some of its products. Secondly, VW has never made a premium car and it might not have experience with making such products. But the main reason was simpler – VW is Volkswagen – which in German means “People’s car”. Hitler wanted to make car in 1930’s which could be affordable for anyone – that is why it is called Volkswagen. And it sounds so weird owning a premium luxury car with a name which refers to affordability and simplicity. The price of a used model now is even 15 times lower than its original showroom price tag.
As a product, a car can be excellent, but the brand can change it all…
And that is the power of brand. The performance can be excellent, even the looks is not that bad, from every tangible way it looks perfect and the marketing department just expects profits. But at the end it is a massive failure. A lot of car manufacturers do not realize that all their new models represent their company and their brand – and if the marketing director does not take this problem seriously, not only can he lose with the brand of the car but also as a brand of the company.
What do you think is the worst example of automotive brand? Which car should be on the list according to you?
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