William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet famously posed the question “What’s in a name?” way back in 1595, with many of the world’s automakers still pondering that question today. Following Ford’s shift back to the Taurus nameplate, Volkswagen has announced that it will be bringing back the Golf moniker for the North American market.
Volkswagen branded the Golf as the Rabbit when it was first sold in the North American market during the 1970s and 80s, but, amid some reliability and quality concerns, decided to name the next-generation of the car the Golf to bolster the hatch’s image.
The Golf name soldiered on until 2006 when VW decided to revert back to the Rabbit nameplate. Needless to say, the Rabbit name didn’t exactly spur on sales, leading VW to once again rename its new model the Golf in North America. “The car will be called the Golf again in North America,” Jochen Sengpiehl, executive director of Volkswagen marketing, told Car and Driver.
The decision to ditch the Rabbit name seems like a smart one as the Golf still has plenty of name recognition. The move also gives VW one global name, which seems to make things easier for everyone.
03/25, 9:20 AM
posted by:
Madcapp
Its about time. I’m tired of stripped out, dumbed down cars from Volkswagen compared to the
Euro counterparts. And I’m tired of dumbed down marketing gimmicks like dredging up some silly name from the past specifically for the N.A. market.
03/25, 10:16 AM
posted by:
need more oil for my bunghole
Call it a golf, rabbit, whatever but it’s still gonna go through tail light bulbs every 2 months and plastic water pumps every 4…
03/25, 10:18 AM
posted by:
gehrhardt
I think most people still called it a “Golf” anyway.
03/25, 10:18 AM
posted by:
ayrtonJ
They shouldn’t have switched the name in the first place back in 2006. The Golf name was already household to everyone. Just because it was named Rabbit, it didn’t mean the public didn’t know it was the Golf. The Rabbit wasn’t a completely new and different car like how the Ford Five Hundred was. The Five Hundred had no predecessor. And when the Taurus name replaced the Five Hundred name, we all still knew it was the Five Hundred. Anyways, the Five Hundred is an after-thought as the new Taurus is the car they should have built, as Ford claims.
03/25, 10:25 AM
posted by:
MercMark
Gobbit
03/25, 10:41 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Ralph or Barf. As a tribute to the ownership experience if nothing else.
03/25, 10:45 AM
posted by:
Borat
Is it because Mexican drug wars? They killed Mexican Rabbit………
03/25, 10:48 AM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
GOLF is a 4-letter-word for POS.
03/25, 11:02 AM
posted by:
hummah
I was liking the little rabbit badge on these cars. My folks had a diesel rabbit in the early 80’s, and it was a total piece of crap, but that was over 20 years ago.
03/25, 11:36 AM
posted by:
TomF
The Rabbit redux was idiotic all along. Why evoke memories of rusty little junkboxes with hideous electrics and plaid interiors? And today’s Golf target buyer wasn’t even born when the first Rabbits came out.
03/25, 12:11 PM
posted by:
scratchy
need more oil for my bunghole , lol !
03/25, 12:21 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
I guess they couldn’t learn from Ford. The car makes the name, not the other way around. You could call it der Shnitzelmobile and it would still sell the same.
03/25, 12:22 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
Oh… and while they’re at it they should rename the Routan… “Chryslervan” is much more fitting.
03/25, 12:34 PM
posted by:
HoosierHero
TomF- I like the plaid interiors on the new vehicles. It’s something you don’t see everyday. Some of the standard interiors of other cars are completely boring and a little ugly if you take time to look at the material. At least these plaid interiors were a little more upscale. Farfegnugen!
03/25, 12:34 PM
posted by:
shaver
German Engineering, dont swallow the worm!
03/25, 12:49 PM
posted by:
Borat
Shnitzelmobile probably would sell well, it’s a taco box that having troubles.
03/25, 1:14 PM
posted by:
ricky_b
sorry, but i thought the little rabbit emblem on the tail of these cars was cute.
03/25, 1:57 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
Just pick a name and stick with it.
Lube?
Is this the appropriate forum to discuss that?
RaineMan, Borat: my wife makes a terrific Shnitzel
03/25, 2:07 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Mine too. However she still makes me pound the meat. Like that’s never happened before.
03/25, 2:41 PM
posted by:
No More Oil For Toyota
LOL……johnny……
03/25, 3:38 PM
posted by:
save saab
Note to VW:
Good, Golf is a better name.
Cancel the Routan and bring the Touran and Sharan. It’s just a fancy T & C.
Axe the planes for the NMS (New Midsize Sedan) as we have the Passat and Passat CC already. NO GERMAN CAMRY!
Forget the NCS (New Compact Sedan) We have the Jetta already.
Put the Jetta TDi diesel in the Golf. Simple right?
Bring the Caddy, Crossgolf, Fox. I WANT THOSE! Fox would make a great regular car to compete with the Smart.
Bring the Geneva Polo, NO BIG AMERICAN POLO!
03/25, 7:10 PM
posted by:
rodgerdodger
I had a feeling this would happen sooner or later.. they didn’t even bother to create a proper “RABBIT” badge. Hope VW plans to stock several aftermarket “Golf” badges to retrofit the 2007-2009 models!
03/25, 9:08 PM
posted by:
A4
I told all of you this would happen as soon as they announced the “rabbit” name.
03/27, 4:36 PM
posted by:
obsessedwithautos
I don’t care what they call it, build the US spec version in Deutschland!