IF they had a different name - would it have made a difference?!

[CanadaCraig]

Hi Guys!! :)

Some have said that the 300C really should have been the 300N. And some have said that the V6 versions should have been called something else. [New Yorker, Newport, something]

First off.... what's your opinion on this?!

AND then - IF the names of the Chrysler LX's were different - would it have effected sales much?! [If at all?!] Would those of you who bought a V6 300 - still have bought your car IF it was called the 'New Yorker'?! [Or whatever]

And would those of you who bought a 300C - would it have made any difference at all if it was called the 300N?!

Part of me can't help but think that the 300C SRT8 should have just been the 300N. And all of the other 300's be called the 'New Yorker'. [In both V6 and V8 versions]

What do you think!?

Craig!! :)

[DMAG]

Interesting...the 300 was originally going to be called 300N. (I have some documentation to that effect). I always wondered if the Charger would have been a good Coronet or "Enforcer" (ying to Avenger's yang).

[chasb]

I had a 1999 300M when they first came out 3.5l V6. I liked the styling.

My theory is that since it was supposed to be a 2005 intro, they were playing off the 50th Anniversary of the first 300 hemi , the C300 in 1955 and the name was homage to it.

Just my theory.

[jaak]

Wow, that sounds like a good discussion to go with "The new Charger isn't one because it's a four door." Of course we know the old Charger isn't really one, because the Charger was supposed to be a four door from the beginning and they messed up. The new one is the correct Charger.

So the current 300 should have actually been a 300O 'cause N sounds too much like M... Actually the M is wrong too, what happened to all the letters in between?

Oh wait... Who cares!!!!

I'll be at another table talking about something else...

[gn300]

Base should have been a New yorker very historic firmilier nameplate.

300 was always based on a model and upgraded (except the m)

Charger would have made a great newport or fury but not diplomat.

[momsrockinride]

I think if they had gone with the name New Yorker or Newport they might not have sold as well because the first thing you think of beind the wheel of a New Yorker is grandma/grandpa with the white hair. New Yorkers seemed to appeal to more of the older crowd. However - the way the 300C looks and performs I'd have probably bought anyway even it if they called it "the K car". LOL

[BlkHemiMag]

The people who actually care about this represent a very small fraction of potential customers.
Frankly I think it's pretty silly to personally boycott something that otherwise is a good product, just because of a name.

[pir8magnum]

I think the 'C' represented the heritage better given that it was going back to a V8/rear drive platform. I never really liked the idea of attaching the '300' name to a front drive V6 vehicle, even though it was regarded by many to be a nice car.

As far as less trimmed out versions having different names, I suppose that would have been ok, but I'm sure Chryslers take on it was that its easier to establish identity for a single model than for several. Look at GM and all their variations of the exact same vehicle. I don't think it helps them, really. By using a single nameplate for the entire line, chrysler only had to create buzz for the top of the line model that trickled down to the 'lesser' models (not trying to undermine the V6'es). People may not have gotten the Hemi, but they got the name badge and a lot of people dont know the difference. Also when sales numbers are reported it looks more impressive that xxx,000 300's were sold instead of xx,000 300's - xx,000 new yorkers, xx,000 newports, etc.

I personally think the current charger should have been a coronet. The Charger nameplate should have been reserved for a 2-door vehicle that had some kind of visual connection to the original (the '68, particularly..my personal favorite).

And whoever said the original Charger was supposed to be a 4 door, I don't think thats true. The original Charger II concept car (that eventually resulted in the 66 model) was a 2-door (see picture). I've been geeking out on Chrysler history for a long time and I never read anything that indicated it was supposed to be a 4-door. Even the very early roofless '64 Charger concept was a 2 door.

http://video.tampabayrealtor.com/ima/charger2.jpg

I'm not saying I can't be wrong, but if you've read that it was supposed to be, I'd be curious to know where.

[gn300]

The people who actually care about this represent a very small fraction of potential customers.
Frankly I think it's pretty silly to personally boycott something that otherwise is a good product, just because of a name.

Case in piont would you but a Chrysler Aspin?

Does that name call you to see what it is if you didn't know?

I think not!

I think if they had gone with the name New Yorker or Newport they might not have sold as well because the first thing you think of beind the wheel of a New Yorker is grandma/grandpa with the white hair. New Yorkers seemed to appeal to more of the older crowd. However - the way the 300C looks and performs I'd have probably bought anyway even it if they called it "the K car". LOL

300c yes is a special model .

I don't think anyone would be renaming that! Its the base and touring models they are talking about !

Historicly speaking, the eagle line of 4x4s coupe, sedan and wagon were all eagles!

But that was pre chrysler, so its all right!

[boggart]

Should have called it Magnum Sedan.

[jaak]

Should have called it Magnum Sedan.

LOL, the Magnum was a sedan, so they should both be Magnums. One's a sedan, the other's a wagon.

The Chrysler should have been a LeBaron. Or Cordova.

[BlkHemiMag]

Case in piont would you but a Chrysler Aspin?

Does that name call you to see what it is if you didn't know?

I think not!





No, but neither would a Chrysler 300 if I didn't know. That's my point; being a DCX rookie myself, for the "masses" the new 300 made a buzz for it's unique styling, visual appeal, etc, not it's heritage. Only a small minority are concerned about that one letter. And that was the original question, would it have affected sales and my opinion is I highly doubt it.

[Leadfootluke]

I remember the 300N name from like 2002. A concept car that had the same hood design like the 300C.

[Dr Teeth]

Actually the 300 letter series was joined in the 60s by the "non-letter" 300s. The non-letter cars were still sporty but lacked the very high horse engines of the letter series cars, much same as what we have now, so it's really historically correct, as far as the non-letter cars go. As far as the "C" designation, at first I felt it should have been "N" but I've since mellowed. After all, the original letter cars changed letter designations yearly, so we should have had a 300N, then 300O, and now 300P by now. That's fine if the cars change significantly year to year, as they did in the 60s, but now it'd just be confusing. So I think DC did it right as far as the 300 goes.

As far as the Charger, sorry but I still can't get over the name. It's a great car, and I like it, but I bought a Magnum instead, partially because of the name. In the end I suppose it doesn't matter, because most people would probably either buy the Charger despite the name, or but a 300 or Magnum if it bothered them enough. And anyway, DC got the hint, as evidenced by the Challenger, so it's all good.

[jaak]

As long as this hideous thing exists with the name "Charger" I think people have a lot of nerve whining about the current one!

http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/p-d/ct8387.jpg

[CanadaCraig]

Hi Guys!! :)

I appreciate all of the responses.

I'm curious... should the LY version of the 300C still be called a 300C - or should it be called the 300D?!

Craig!! :)

[pir8magnum]

Well, they exist, but they arent being MADE anymore. The "Chargers" they made in the late 70's (cordoba based) were worse, IMO, and they were 2-doors.

But nothing Chrysler made in that era was particularly good. The thing now is, they have a great powerplant and a great platform, so some people thought maybe they would finally do right by their heritage nameplates, like they did with the 300.

And I will 'whine' about whatever I like. This is still America last time I checked.


As long as this hideous thing exists with the name "Charger" I think people have a lot of nerve whining about the current one!

http://www.phoenixgraphix.com/p-d/ct8387.jpg

[Displaced Hokie]

Trust me, the people in companies that name things usually have no regard for the past usage of that model. I see the regurgitation of model names/numbers all the time in my business by new folks that have no idea what was built 10-20 years ago. It makes it very tough on customers and people at the parts counter.

[Spiffywerks]

If they just came out with a Manual version of all these cars (Magnum, 300, Charger) I'd be very happy - no matter the name.

But I'm sure with the Challenger coming, we'll be seeing a retrofitted Manual tranny in some of the current LX cars.

And manufactures just use names as selling points. Even if they do change the style of the car completely. But I think making a car like the "Charger" into a 4 door was aiming at those people who had a Sporty Charger when they were younger and wanted to have that same kind of performance excitement with their family.

At least each of the models, despite being the same platform, does have unique styling cues that set each other apart.

[boggart]

Spiffy, this just came to me. When was the last time you saw a parking spot big enough for a fullsize 2 door car? Tiny Spot+5 ft. door = bad news.

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

"a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.."

on a side note, I was at the LA Auto Show last weekend and I heard a couple of guys arguing that the new Challenger is the Charger (even though it said Challenger across the back) and the other guy was saying no it's a 'Cuda.... and it's only a concept and Plymouth won't be producing it cause no one drives muscle cars anymore.... funny chit to listen too..

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

Hi Guys!! :)

I appreciate all of the responses.

I'm curious... should the LY version of the 300C still be called a 300C - or should it be called the 300D?!

Craig!! :)


No it should be called the 36DDD------

[gn300]

LY 300c? what is this, please inlighten me!

New smaller 300?

[Mr. iNCREDIBLE]

LY 300c? what is this, please inlighten me!

New smaller 300?


Next Generation of DCX cars is the LY series, starting with the Challenger I believe, just DCX's natural progression of ground up rebuilds....

2009 seems to be the year of the new LY platform if I am not mistaken... check www.allpar.com (http://www.allpar.com), the info is there.

[formerice]

The fact of the matter is, the new 300C is the first worthy car that Chrysler has built that should wear that name. IMHO the 55 300C was one of the most beautiful American cars ever built, and now the new 300C's are freaking stunning cars. Just can't get my 2x4's in the back!

[vc22348]

The first time I saw a 300c, I wanted one. Didn't know the name and I didn't care. It was the three-box-car drawing I'd been doodling since I was in 5th grade only better. WAY BETTER. When the SRT8 came out I knew I had to have it. Didn't care about the name. Still hard to talk about it to people that are not in the know. It would be easier to say New Yorker or whatever (more name recognition) but people who don't know don't get it anyway. To them I just call it "my car."

[Plain Old Dave]

The Chrysler 300 was so named due to the HP rating. There was not a 300 than had less than 300hp intil 1979. 1955 C-300, 1956 300B, 1957 300C etc. on through 1965's 300L. There were 4 door 300s after 1962, so a 300 Sedan isn't as much as an issue as the "Charger" is.

V6 300= New Yorker
V8 300= Three Hundred (as on the 1962+ sedans)
SRT-8 300= Continue the Letter Series. This the true descendent of the Letter Cars.

[Bus Rydr]

The fact of the matter is, the new 300C is the first worthy car that Chrysler has built that should wear that name. IMHO the 55 300C was one of the most beautiful American cars ever built, and now the new 300C's are freaking stunning cars. Just can't get my 2x4's in the back!

The 1955 introduction was a C300. 1956 the 300B. Then 1957 was the 300C and most popular of the 300 series as judged by many. The 300C made a statement and set records at the races back in the day.

I believe it is for that reason and no other that the redesigned 300 came back as C with the Hemi under the hood.

I have a 1:18 scale 1957 C and 2006 C. If you compare the front grill and the head lights you can see some traces of styling that at least makes me believe there was some intentional retro design sharing.

For me, while I had read about the 300M when it was released, I had not follow the 300 series Chrysler until I first laid eyes on the pre-production release 300C at the 2003 Las Vegas Sema show. So it was not the name that did it for me. It was that totally cool, big V-8 sedan look with both a luxury and sporty style that attracted me. Next it was the under $40K sticker for a fully loaded totally cool, big V-8 sedan with a splash of luxury and sport styling that made me even more interested.

IMO, Chrysler gave the car a name with a meaning. It fit with the current popularity of BMW, Mercedes and Lexus naming. And what better why to say "That thang got a Hemi in it" than with the name of a former name taker and ass kicker like the 1957 300C.

[OoTLink]

Nope, the name never really occurred to me except when I found out of the strange one known as the 300M that shared name (and badge) with the 300C lol.

I was like WTF? Looked it up, and found out about the history of the 300. Too bad they soiled the rep with a jellybean mobile! I always though those were redesigned intrepids and the trep had gone into being an old people car!

*shrug*

We got the 300C because it looked FRIGGIN AWESOME! The car itself is a great car, but the looks are well, there's no other car with that kinda look under 100k. Shoot, even the Rolls Royces and Bentleys that are bragged about and said to be the car that the 300C was a ripoff of don't compare - A Bentley has a similar shape of the front end, but not much else at all - they're either too boxy or too rounded, and Rolls Royces are UGLY - nothing at ALL like a 300c.

Call me nuts, but yeah, I wish more cars made such a statement! I think the whole LX line is pretty cool because the Charger, 300C, and Magnum are very unique cars even though they share similar parts (the magnum is the only one that hints at being a 300c).

The next gen 300 might be called a 300C, it might be called a 300D (that'd be silly) - and it might be called a 300N. In a way, I feel as if it'll be a tough act to follow (strange one being say, how apple made the iMac G4 - after I saw that I had a hard time believing they could follow up with anything as awesome and the G5 was a disappointment in comparison even though it still looks great).

I just hope they don't get rid of the bulkiness or the ****ing huge grille. If they made an angular jellybean 300 (think TL on crack) with a smaller grille I'd cry.