[directinjection]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

This is also why until quite recently, aspirational brands used to use "Foreign" Models. Then suddenly it got turned on its head with the adage, Think Global and Act Local, which caused even International Brands to start using local faces.

In the print media at least, most of the ads still feature either whites/Europeans or Indian models who look like them.

Originally Posted by thoma

Not to forget the Shaktiman trucks which have served us indirectly. Apart, I don't see much sense in 'why not desi names', when the majority of us are after foreign cars and other things foreign.

SHAKTIMAN was a composite/derivative name as it incorporated the name of the foreign collaborator MAN.

Originally Posted by Sanjunair5

Slightly OT - Tata Safari was sold in Europe (or UK alone?) as Tata Gurkha. Indian names outside India?

Tata Safari was sold there as Tata Safari only. It was Tata Sierra that was sold as Tata Gurkha. It was sold as a CV (delivery van), not as SUV!

Originally Posted by chaudh2s

Tata sumo as Tata Pehalwan

Sumo doesn't refer to Japanese wrestler but is an acronym for Sumant Moolgaonkar, TM's architect and MD for three decades.

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

However we do have some vehicles with Indian names in the past/present

• Premier Padmini
• Mahindra Thar
• Force Toofan
• Force Gurkha

Other than cars

• Ashok Leyland Dost
• Ashok Leyland Cheetah Bus
• Bajaj Chetak

A few more:

Rajdoot Motorcycles
Rajhans Scooters
Chamundi mopeds
Ashok Leyland Cheetal ICV

[noopster]

The simple fact is that Indian names have a largely downmarket connotation. Brand names like Agni, Shakti, Toofan are so prevalent among the low end/generic products on sale in the great Indian marketplace that it would be career suicide for any brand manager to suggest them for a new car launch.

Then there is the global acceptability angle. Some Indian words like yoga, Kamasutra, nirvana, karma have slipped into the Western lexicon but what would Trishul (for example) convey to an international consumer? Better then to stick with the tried and trusted even at the risk of making your new car sound like a crunchy vegetable (case in point: Celerio!!)

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by noopster

en at the risk of making your new car sound like a crunchy vegetable (case in point: Celerio!!)

Ha ha ha!
Exactly what I thought of when the Celerio campaign hit the internet and the media!
Cant stop laughing!

[black_rider]

Wikipedia says the term, "Foreign Branding", is used to describe implied cachet or superiority of products and services.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_branding

Do go through examples mentioned in the link.

The product itself may not have anything superior, but then this is how marketing is done. Not only in India but all over the world. It doesn't mean this trend is here to say, it could be reversed.

[BeantownThinker]

Originally Posted by noopster

The simple fact is that Indian names have a largely downmarket connotation.

noopster, I would not agree to this generic statement. When we look across the board there are some beautiful Indian names that project a sense of class, style and upmarket connotation. Look at brands like Asmi, Gili, Nakshatra and Geetanjali in the jewellery industry. All Indian names and all very classy sounding.

Most of the defence names are Indian as it portrays a fierce sense of patriotism.

Am of the view that the language of the name is immaterial. Any name that is selected is done so after a lot of consideration. Things like meaning, what it represents, etc are major concerns especially for the bigger brands. Yes, exotic sounding names do get a preference by the buyer, but what is exotic changes from place to place.

Any good brand guy can put together a campaign to make any name sound classy and upmarket.

[Cartman]

Because the cars aren't really Indian in the first place?

Just a few examples:

1) Why are more than half the handles on TBHP in English? (Why not Indian?)
2) Why does TBHP promote the use of proper English for posting? (Why not any Indian language?)
3) Why do we have our reports, assignments, projects, presentations et all in English? (Why not any Indian language?)

The answers to all the above is acceptability. The only language, that more or less the whole world speaks / understands is English.

Case in point: You travel to a country that doesn't speak English. Do you try to communicate in their language first or ask if someone knows English? I'm pretty sure it's the later.

As far as car nomenclature goes, didn't some English poet say "What's in a name?". It's not about being attracted to all things phoren, it's about acceptability.


Cheers!
Cartman

[avishar]

I find it all very hypocritical.Look at the teambhp owners reviews and their 'grandiose' naming of their cars/threads.French,Japanese,German its all their.I will ask some of these guys to name their car "Sheru" instead and see how they turn up their noses.Its so very easy to take the patriotic high ground and be condescending.

Other than that,i believe names like Padmini to be beautiful.What a lovely and elegant name!

[AstonMartin]

The same logic applies to the linguistic jingoism that you see in many Indian states today. I believe languages are just methods to communicate. Nothing more nothing less. So, name a car in any language and if the car is good, people will buy it and if not it will be rejected.

[Mpower]

Simple answer..because Indians are obsessed with Western culture.

Forget cars, even apartment buildings are given names like SouthWind, Legacy, La Casa etc etc

Only government/military still persist with names like Aakash/Vayu etc etc

[invidious]

Reminded me of Chevrolet introducing the Chevy Nova in Latin America not realizing that "Nova" in Spanish means "doesn't go".

[Ashkait Kapoor]

Originally Posted by invidious

Reminded me of Chevrolet introducing the Chevy Nova in Latin America not realizing that "Nova" in Spanish means "doesn't go".

And that reminds me of what Skoda launched in India few years ago. If you know what I mean.

[Hayek]

Other than the Tata cars and a few sub 4 m cut price sedans, there are no India specific cars. So it's unreasonable to expect Indian brands on them unless the name would have a global cachet. Unfortunately, India does not connote excellence in mechanical engineering to buyers anywhere - it can stand for culture, beauty or cheapness. Hence Indian brands will work for natural beauty products, jewellery, hotels etc. but not for cars.

BTW, some of the premier apartments in India have purely Indian names - think Samudra Mahal (at Worli) for example.

[shankar.balan]

Malaysian Car maker Proton has names like Saga, Satria Neo, Persona, Exora, Preve, Inspira etc.

Whats wrong with a name like Tata Vista or Bolt or Storme or whatever?

Would Tata Aandhi or Toofan or whatever, sound as aspirational as Storme does, for their SUV type vehicle?

The answer lies in the general public's perception of a car or vehicle as a luxury or aspirational item. A part of that luxury or aspirational perception is linked to the name.

[bhagathgowda]

Its so funny to expect the vehicles or even apartment buildings to be named in Indian Languages. When the Manufacturer / Builder is trying to cash in from everyone and not just from one particular set of people.

Most of the people here dont even have any respect to their neigbouring state's language.

Forget speaking in a non native language most dont even know the names of the language.

Being from Bangalore, I have heard 80% of outsiders call Kannada as kannad. Most have spent around 5-6 or more years here but dont even know to speak basic Kannada. The most popular statement that these guys know is "kannad gothila" (I dont understand Kannada).

Why dont people try learning the language of the soil that they earn their bread from.

Also, The problem in naming in Indian languages is that a name in one langauge may have really good meaning but may be in an other language mean something nasty or completely different. Forget about different lanaguages, Kannada has so many dialects that the same word in different dialects mean different. For example: 'Hogi' in southern Karnataka means wash and in North Karnataka means throw.

These names sound good in Kannada, Can anyone in the non-Kannada speaking crowd find them good compared to the English names that have been used

Tata Bolt == Tata Minchu / Tata Baana

Tata Strome == Tata Birugaalli

[wilful]

Originally Posted by bhagathgowda

Its so funny to expect the vehicles or even apartment buildings to be named in Indian Languages. When the Manufacturer / Builder is trying to cash in from everyone and not just from one particular set of people.

Most of the people here dont even have any respect to their neigbouring state's language.

Forget speaking in a non native language most dont even know the names of the language.

Being from Bangalore, I have heard 80% of outsiders call Kannada as kannad. Most have spent around 5-6 or more years here but dont even know to speak basic Kannada. The most popular statement that these guys know is "kannad gothila" (I dont understand Kannada).

Why dont people try learning the language of the soil that they earn their bread from.

Also, The problem in naming in Indian languages is that a name in one langauge may have really good meaning but may be in an other language mean something nasty or completely different. Forget about different lanaguages, Kannada has so many dialects that the same word in different dialects mean different. For example: 'Hogi' in southern Karnataka means wash and in North Karnataka means throw.

These names sound good in Kannada, Can anyone in the non-Kannada speaking crowd find them good compared to the English names that have been used

Tata Bolt == Tata Minchu / Tata Baana

Tata Strome == Tata Birugaalli

Slightly OT - to expand a bit on words in one Indian language meaning something completely different in another - Kundi in Hindi I believe means lock. In Malayalam & Tamil, it means buttocks.
I completely agree with you about (Indian) folk not bothering to learn the local language of the (Indian) soil they earn their bread from. Forget about learning, a lot of folk have contempt for other (different) Indian languages - I have heard educated people deriding the language/twang/intonation of a different Indian language.
That being the case, small wonder that English/international names are by far more accepted across regions in this bewilderingly diverse country.