Some manufacturers are not very careful in naming their new electrics. Like, for example, Ford, which has just introduced its new Explorer. The 100% electric model adds to the confusion with the brand’s historic thermal model. For the uninitiated, it is difficult to distinguish and can be confusing…

Confusion of manufacturers

If manufacturers can complain about the lack of clarity on the part of politicians on the issue of the future of thermal energy, as evidenced by the difficulty of approving the future Euro-7 standard, they themselves contribute to the vagueness of the issue.

This trend is evidenced, for example, by constant changes in the names of electric cars. For example, at Mercedes we are already hiding the sub-brand EQ in 2024, launched in 2018, when the generation of electric cars had not even seen the light of day. And the future name of electric cars has not yet been determined.

Audi also participates in this confusion. For example, for e-tron, the manufacturer decided to keep this suffix for all its electric models. Then the brand developed an electric SUV, which it called simply E-Tron. And for the future, we will learn that the brand will change everything again. All series with odd numbers, such as A5, will indicate cars with an internal combustion engine. Thus, the A4 will be a purely electric car in the future, and its counterpart with an internal combustion engine will be the A5. Audi dealers must already be tearing their hair out to know how to communicate about this upcoming range…

Current brand names confuse customers

Genesis, for example, sometimes mentions “electrified” before the names of its electric cars: G80 or GV70 – and sometimes not. The Hyundai brand launched the Ioniq line with great fanfare in order not to include the new Kona, also purely electric, in its lineup.

At Renault, the brand has attached the abbreviation “ZE” to all of its electric vehicles, only to now move to the extended and disappointing name “E-Tech electric”. Ford has gone one step further by naming its all-new electric SUV the same name as the Ford Explorer, which is sold in a hybrid or hybrid version.

With the move to 100% electric, the question is how brands will make a clear and unique name change for all their future models…