Why dont car manufacturers adopt standard naming conventions for variants

[anujmishra]

Every year car manufacturers launching variants of their existing cars or completely new model in the Indian market. To name variants of a particular model, manufacturer uses some combination of alphabets. These alphabets are for denoting higher end variant to lower or economy variant of car.

But this naming itself is very confusing (Not for TeamBHPians but for common man), you can see below

Swift Petrol:

Zxi -- Higher end variant of Swift
Vxi -- Mid level variant
Lxi -- Economy variant

NHC: It itself used Zx in their name of City

Honda City Zx (Some novice feel that Zx is some high end variant of City)

VTEC -- High end Variant
Gxi -- Mid level variant
Exi -- Economy level variant

Tata Safari:

LX -- Economy variant
EX -- Mid variant
VX -- High end variant

Tata Indigo itself used CS in one of the variant of Indigo that means Compact Sedan. But If you go to ask many people are not aware of CS as a model but thet know CS as variant.

Tata Indigo CS (Petrol):
GLE -- Economy Petrol Variant
GLS -- Mid Petrol Variant
GLX -- High Petrol Variant

Tata Indigo CS Diesel:

LE -- Economy level Variant
LS -- Mid level Variant
LX -- High End Variant

I believe in the world Tata Indigo must have higher numbers of variants. You name it they have it .

Here comes the confusion:

LX is very low level variant of Maruti Suzuki Alto as well as similar LXi Maruti Suzuki Swift but, Tata Indigo LX is high level variant in Diesel. Also LX in Maruti denotes Petrol car but in Tata it is Diesel car.

In Safari EX is mid variant but Exi is low level variant in NHC City ZX. VX is High end variant of Safari but in Maruti Suzuki Swift VXi is mid level variant.

Maruti Suzuki denotes Diesel as XDi (where X = L, V, Z), but Tata Motors they denotes diesels with LX, LE, LS, VX, EX etc.

Is there any standard being followed in naming variants of car? Car gurus please throw some light. If there is some standard then it would be easy for common man to recognize car by looking into variant alphabets. There are many other confusions in other manufacturers as well. Please mention some more in this thread.

[CtrlAltDel]

also SXI is above ZXI in Logan...

but there cant be standards in naming a car variant. a manufacturer can name it anything he/she wants. its upto the consumer to do proper research.

[ritz830]

Very good thread. The naming is becoming very stupid these days.

Also, giving new names for International cars are even more stupid. Splash,ritz,verna, accent. HMMM....

[Fountainheader]

Great thread. But it is indeed very tough to expect standardized naming of variants.

Customers not aware of the variants gives sales guys a free hand to fool them.

The difference between LX and LXi in Maruti variants is just about Power Steering I guess.

[Maverick1977]

The recently launched Indica Vista has broken away from this tradition completely. It does not use any of the Lx, Zx etc. The base is called Safire, Mid range is Aqua & Top end is Aura. I will not be surprised if the same nomenclature is carried forward to the about to be launched Indigo also.

[greenhorn]

LX is very low level variant of Maruti Suzuki Alto as well as similar LXi Maruti Suzuki Swift but, Tata Indigo LX is high level variant in Diesel. Also LX in Maruti denotes Petrol car but in Tata it is Diesel car.

thats because for tata, a car is diesel by default, while for maruti, its the other way round

even for tata , the naming convention has remained the same for the diesel indica's (DLE, DLS , DLG, DLX)
while it has varied considerably . I've seen the LEi,LSi,LGi series, GVS, GVG ets series, and now the GLS, GLG, GLX etc series

[lynx]

Well, why should they, really? Do you suggest they should all meet together and set up guidelines as to how to name each other's cars? Should it be just India or should it be standardized throughout the world? Where do you draw the line?

It is the duty of everyone purchasing to do their own research rather than get misguided by the sales personnel. So, other than the poser value, I don't see how the argument could not be redundant.

[Thad E Ginathom]

The 'variant' is all part of the branding exercise, just as is the model name. There wouldn't be any marketing value in "Mid-size saloon with basic equipment" even if they did shorten it to MSSBE

Even if it was to happen, there would always be different levels of equipment . You know how it is now: Fully Loaded with Steering Wheel! How could they ever agree?

No... It would never happen

(My favourite variant, seen a few years back, was RSI --- suggesting that one would get repetitive strain injury from driving it? )

[aseem]

Its not practical at all. As this would entail that if Maruti Zxi comes with Airbags and ABS than all manfacturers Zxi should have Airbags and ABS. Not only that, all manfacturers would be forced to offer exactly the same features as others if they follow standard naming convention. If AHNC S variant is named as Zxi, than it wont have Climate Control or alloys vis a vis SX4. Which again would make this whole excersize confusing and pointless.

[hrishig]

What about hyundai? The santro have GL GLS etc etc, but i10 , i20 have something different.

And verna has xi xii etc etc.

So for different cars they have different things , Maruti at least has unique scheme across all the models

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by CtrlAltDel

also SXI is above ZXI in Logan...

but there cant be standards in naming a car variant. a manufacturer can name it anything he/she wants. its upto the consumer to do proper research.

Same story with Ford Fiesta. The base model is EXI, mid-range one is ZXI and the top-end is SXI.

[diabloo]

Precisely. The question is who must call such a meeting?

If you ask me, I would say that being biggest in India, Maruti should call TATA, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Benz, Audi, VW, etc to the table and urge them to follow Maruti's convention.

Originally Posted by lynx

Well, why should they, really? Do you suggest they should all meet together and set up guidelines as to how to name each other's cars? Should it be just India or should it be standardized throughout the world? Where do you draw the line?

[nanopano]

I think diablo is right. Who is going to decide on all this and which car manufacturer has enough time to conduct such meetings and think about the naming conventions. Different car manufacturers follow different strategies for naming their cars.

[anujmishra]

Not exactly similar, but naming of variants should have some common.

Like in all international flight there is Business Class, First Class, Economy Class but the service and content may differ from each other. Some serves continental food some serves other etc.

As of now Maruti's naming of variants would look like appropriate as of now.

[Fountainheader]

Or atleast in increasing alphabet counts..

Axi would be the base.. and Zxi the best :P Put any letter with an Xi in between!