Car names making a comeback in unexpected avatars: Yay or Nay?

Over the years, many car names appear and disappear. Some make a comeback after a sabbatical. In recent years, we have seen the Safari name make a comeback and Bajaj brought back the Chetak name after a long break

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Car names that have made comebacks in unexpected avtaars

Over the years, many car names appear and disappear. Some make a comeback after a sabbatical. In recent years, we have seen the Safari name make a comeback and Bajaj brought back the Chetak name after a long break. Very soon, in India, we expect to see Mahindra bringing back the Armada name (4-door Thar) and Tata might bring back the Sierra name (electric SUV). In global markets we have seen the BMW 6-Series and 8-Series coming back after an absence of many years. All these vehicles have stuck to their original character, whether it is the body style or performance.

However, in some cases, carmakers have brought back names with something you least expect. Here are some examples.

Dodge Charger

The Dodge Charger was a large 2-door muscle car that first made an appearance in 1966. Not just that, it was the baddest of the bad boys and one of my favourite cars in the world. It had a nice run till 1978 after which the Charger name was discontinued.

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Dodge brought the charger name back on a much smaller and milder coupe in 1981. It was nowhere as sharp-looking or fast as the previous generations and had front-wheel drive. It just did not live up to the Charger name. Dodge discontinued the car in 1987.

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 After an absence of nearly 20 years, Dodge reintroduced the Charger name, this time on a 4-door sedan. This was unexpected. However, Dodge did two things right - first, it made the Charger very good-looking and second, along with smaller engines, it gave the car some nice V8 options and all-wheel drive. All in all, this was a good attempt by Dodge.

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Ford Puma

The Puma was a small sports car that Ford produced between 1997 and 2002. Based on the Fiesta hatchback and built in Germany, it was regarded as a great driver's car. There was also a rally version that had me drooling. Ford discontinued the Puma nameplate after it stopped production of the little coupe.

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The Puma name made a comeback in 2019 but this time on a Romanian-built 5-door crossover - totally unexpected. While it's got some competent engines, I am not sure it will be as fun to drive as the old low coupe.

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Maruti Suzuki Baleno

The Baleno name was introduced in 1996. Under this name you could have a hatchback, sedan and estate. In India, the sedan and estate body styles were introduced. It came with a strong 1.6-litre petrol engine that made it a competitor for the Honda City and Mitsubishi Lancer, which were among the more exciting cars of that time. The Baleno sedan had a good run till 2007, when Maruti replaced it with the SX4 which was larger and more powerful.

The Baleno name returned to India in 2015 in something that left me in a bit of a shock. Maruti had stuck the Baleno badge on a sub-4 m hatchback that had just adequate power and was far from exciting to drive. Instead, it was a rather sedate family hatchback. I had never in my wildest dreams imagined this.

Ford Capri

Just as I was compiling this thread, Ford brought back one of its most iconic nameplates ever - Capri. Built by Ford Europe, the Capri was first introduced in 1968. It was a great-looking fastback coupe that came with a variety of 4-cylinder, 6-cyinder and 8-cylinder engines. With names like Cosworth and Tickford attached to it, this car was very much an enthusiasts' delight. Back in the 80s, I remember seeing a Capri regularly parked at Worli. As an Indian boy who had been brought up on a diet of 4-door sedans, the 2-door fastback instantly caught my eye. The Capri's production ended in 1986.

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The Capri name made a comeback in 1989 on a small roadster in Australia. Based on the Mazda 3, it was available with much smaller engines than the original Capri. It had front-wheel drive and didn't do well in terms of numbers sold. Ford Australia discontinued the Capri in 1994.

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Now, the Capri nameplate is back and this time it's on something unexpected - a crossover. Ford has revealed an electric 4-door crossover with a coupe-like roofline. While it does share some design elements with the original Capri, it is too SUVish and rather boring.

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