Cars named after places where they were never sold

[Madman]

Here's an interesting topic that recently crossed my mind.  Often, when a car maker will want to give one of their products a little bit of exotic allure, they will name it after some distant, far-off locale.  I always find it a little funny to see a car named after a place where it was never intended to be sold, sometimes for obvious reasons.  So, let's explore some of these uniquely named cars...




Part 1: Volkswagen California

This one really upsets me on a personal level.  I once briefly owned a 1975 Type II, a passenger model, not a camper.  VW Campers, and vans in general, were once massively popular in America.  Yet Volkswagen of America, idiots that they are, threw away all it away.

They completely missed out on America's minivan boom in the 1990s by failing to import the Sharan.  More recently, they ignored America's renewed interest in cargo vans, both small and large.  Why aren't the Caddy, Transporter, and Crafter available here?  We have Mercedes Benz and Fiat (ProMaster) vans in America despite the chicken tax.  Talk about missing out on a golden opportunity!

Sadly, you will never see a Volkswagen California in California or anywhere else in America.  We may eventually get a California version of the all-electric I.D. Buzz.  Good luck finding a fast-charging plug anywhere near your wilderness campsite to recharge it to get you back home!

[Madman]

Part 2: Dodge Monaco


Were it not for the lack of a Dodge dealership on the Côte d'Azur, I am certain Prince Rainier would have been chauffeured in the namesake car of his principality.  Dodge built Monacos from 1965-78, with the name being briefly revived from 1990-92 on a rebadged Eagle Premier in a futile attempt to help shift more units of that slow-selling heap.  Considering the malaise era's Monacos size and it's profligate thirst for fuel, you are very unlikely to see a Dodge Monaco in Monaco.

Such a pity.  I'd love to see the car above try to navigate the Casino Hairpin!

[giant_mtb]

Ford Edge.

I don't think Ford has ever taken one to the Edge of our beloved flat disc we call home. In fact, I don't think any vehicle has been there.

You cannot view this attachment.

[Madman]

Part 3: Renault Alaskan


It's a rebadged Nissan Navarra sold in Europe and South America since 2017.  What else do you really need to know?

Unless you were to drive one up the Pan American Highway, you'll never see a Renault Alaskan in Alaska.

[CaminoRacer]

Ford Edge.

I don't think Ford has ever taken one to the Edge of our beloved flat disc we call home. In fact, I don't think any vehicle has been there.

[Madman]

Part 4: Lincoln Versailles


The 1977-80 Lincoln Versailles was a hastily thrown-together response to the 1976 Cadillac Seville.  Being obviously little more than a dressed-up Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch, the Versailles never achieved the sales volume of the Seville it sought to emulate.  Like it's more humble Ford and Mercury stablemates, the Versailles rode on a chassis that dated all the way back to the 1960 Ford Falcon.  Something tells me building a luxury sedan on the bones of an old economy car is not the best of ideas!

Both the Versailles and Seville (the subject for a future installment of this series) were intended to compete against the wave of imported European luxury cars that were rapidly gaining in popularity in America during the 1970s, Mercedes Benz in particular.  Although these cars were closer in size to their imported rivals, they still offered the traditional American attributes of glitzy chrome, overstuffed plushness, and a wallowy driving experience.  The short-lived Versailles was ostensibly replaced by the downsized 1982 Lincoln Continental sedan.

This car's gauche, ostentatious styling would somehow look right at home parked in front of the palace built by Louis XIV, despite the fact it was never sold in France.  I think there should be a Lincoln Versailles displayed inside the palace's Hall of Mirrors!

[FoMoJo]

Did Pontiac ever race at Le Mans?



Not that the '63 wasn't a lovely car...

But I Still prefer the Parisienne,



It's those taillights. 

[Madman]

Part 5: Mercury Milan


The northern Italian city of Milan is the home of Alfa Romeo, so one has to wonder why Ford chose this name for what was to become Mercury's final mid-sized sedan?  I guess the name Mercury Milan does sort of have a nice ring to it?

The Milan was Mercury's take on Ford's CD3 platform, sharing most of its structure with the first generation Ford Fusion and Lincoln Zephyr/MKZ.  Production of the Milan began in 2006 and ended when the entire Mercury division was put out to pasture in 2011.

I think it's pretty safe to say no Milanese resident has ever even heard of a Mercury, let alone seen one.  And it's even more unlikely they would be familiar with a model from the marque's final dying days like this Milan sedan.

[Madman]

Part 6: Chevrolet Orlando


General Motors' acquisition of Daewoo brought with it a slew of new models that were under development, including a compact people carrier intended to replace the Daewoo Rezzo/Tacuma.  Based on the concurrent Chevrolet Cruze, this new model would become known as the Chevrolet Orlando.

The Orlando was sold in almost every market where Chevrolet did business, with one oddly notable exception; it's home market, the United States.

However, there is a chance you may actually spot a Chevrolet Orlando in the Floridian city from which it took it's name.  Although the Orlando was not sold in the US, it was sold in Canada from 2012-14.  So, if you see an Orlando being driven anywhere near the Magic Kingdom, it will be wearing Canadian plates and will be driven by snowbird tourists from The Great White North.

[Madman]

Part 7: Chrysler Cordoba


There seems to have been a trend for naming 1970s American land yachts after European cities where driving such a car would be ludacrisly impractical.  Can you imagine trying to thread this barge through the narrow ancient streets of the Spanish city of Cordoba?  It's like trying to put a whale inside a fish tank!

Impractical it may be but let's not forget this is the car that introduced the world to Corinthian Leather!  That, combined with suave spokesman Ricardo Montalbán's silky-smooth sales pitch in Chrysler's TV commercials made the Cordoba a desperately needed sales success during a time when the Chrysler Corporation was circling the drain.

Fun fact: During the filming of the first Cordoba commercial, the director had to "correct" Montalbán's pronunciation of Cordoba.  Montalbán was pronouncing the name the proper Spanish way, with the emphasis on the first syllable.  The director had to teach Montalbán to pronounce this Spanish word the "American" way, emphasizing the second syllable.  This reportedly somewhat annoyed Montalbán!

The Cordoba was introduced in 1975 to much fanfare.  A second generation model, with more square-set styling, debuted for 1980.  Changing market conditions, however, meant the second generation car was nowhere near as successful as it's predecessor.  The Cordoba ended production in 1983.

Needless to say, Chrysler never sold the Cordoba in Spain or anywhere else outside North America.  If they had, maybe Chrysler would have needed to rerecord the TV commercial with Ricardo Montalbán pronouncing the name properly?

[veeman]

Part 4: Lincoln Versailles


The 1977-80 Lincoln Versailles was a hastily thrown-together response to the 1976 Cadillac Seville.  Being obviously little more than a dressed-up Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch, the Versailles never achieved the sales volume of the Seville it sought to emulate.  Like it's more humble Ford and Mercury stablemates, the Versailles rode on a chassis that dated all the way back to the 1960 Ford Falcon.  Something tells me building a luxury sedan on the bones of an old economy car is not the best of ideas!

Both the Versailles and Seville (the subject for a future installment of this series) were intended to compete against the wave of imported European luxury cars that were rapidly gaining in popularity in America during the 1970s, Mercedes Benz in particular.  Although these cars were closer in size to their imported rivals, they still offered the traditional American attributes of glitzy chrome, overstuffed plushness, and a wallowy driving experience.  The short-lived Versailles was ostensibly replaced by the downsized 1982 Lincoln Continental sedan.

This car's gauche, ostentatious styling would somehow look right at home parked in front of the palace built by Louis XIV, despite the fact it was never sold in France.  I think there should be a Lincoln Versailles displayed inside the palace's Hall of Mirrors!

The Ford Granada had an American version and a European version (two completely different cars). The European version may have been imported into Spain for a few years and therefore perhaps a few were seen in Granada, Spain. But likely very few and maybe none in the small city of Granada, Spain.

[565]

Any Saturn

[Madman]

Part 8: Alfa Romeo Montreal


Alfa Romeo unveiled a 2+2 coupe concept designed by Bertone's Marcello Gandini at Expo '67 in Montreal.  The car didn't officially have a name but everyone called it the Montreal since that's where it was first shown.  Someone at Alfa must have liked the sound of the name because, by the time the car went into production in 1970, the Montreal name was official.

By the time production ended in 1977, some 3,925 Montreals had been produced, including 180 right-hand-drive cars, most of which were bound for the UK.  The front-mounted DOHC 2.6 litre V8 produced 200 horsepower, a more than respectable figure for it's day.  Power was sent to the rear wheels through a five speed ZF gearbox.

Production was hindered by a convoluted assembly process whereby the cars were shuttled between a number of different facilities, with chassis, body, drivetrain and paint all being done in different locations.  Of course, only the Italians!  This drove up the price, making the Montreal more expensive than rivals such as the Porsche 911 or the Jaguar E-Type.

When new, you couldn't buy a Montreal in Montreal because Alfa never certified the 2.6 V8 for emissions in Canada or the USA.  However, in the years since, a number of Montreals have found their way to North America, so there is a chance you can spot a Montreal driving around its namesake city today.

[Madman]

Part 9: Lincoln Capri


The Isle of Capri is more than just an old Frank Sinatra song.  Capri is also a resort destination in the Bay of Naples and the name of this rather swanky-looking Lincoln shown above, this one a 1956 model.  Capris spanned three generations from 1952-59 but the car's place in Lincoln's range changed over that time.

When introduced in 1952, the Capri was Lincoln's upper model, placed above the Lincoln Cosmopolitan.  A redesigned, second generation Capri debuted for 1956 but was now the lower model in Lincoln's lineup, with the newly introduced Lincoln Premiere taking over the top spot.  Continental became an entirely separate division, placed above Lincoln, from 1956-59.

A third generation Capri ran from 1958 to 1959, still filling the role as Lincoln's lower model with the Premiere remaining as the upper model.

Needless to say, selling a behemoth like this in 1950s postwar Italy would have been all but impossible, so you'll probably never see a vintage Lincoln Capri on the Isle of Capri.  The Capri name, however, lived on elsewhere in Ford's global empire.

Ford of Britain built the Ford Consul Capri Coupe from 1962-64.  Then, Ford of Europe scored a huge hit with the Ford Capri, made from 1969-86.  It was even exported to North America, where it was sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealers from 1970-78.  Then there was the North American 1979-86 Mercury Capri, a clone of the Fox-body Ford Mustang.  And finally there was the 1989-94 Australian Ford Capri, a front-drive convertible roadster based on the locally built Ford Laser.  This car was also sold in North America as a Mercury Capri from 1991-94.

[giant_mtb]

Any Saturn

[Laconian]

Chevrolet Orlando. A Daewoo designed MPV that never sold in the US.

[Madman]

Part 10: Chevrolet Monte Carlo


As a teenager in the 1980s, rusted-out Chevy Monte Carlos were a common sight in my High School student parking lot.  But do you know where you won't see one?  In Monte Carlo itself!

Named after the largest "City" or Ward in the Principality of Monaco, I can think of nothing that would look less at home among the posh, elegant Monégasque citizens of the Principality than this chintzy, bloated, vulgar looking embarrassment masquerading as a car.

Chevy Monte Carlos look more at home in run-down trailer parks, up on concrete blocks, next to discarded refrigerators and washing machines.  With a pit-bull on a chain outside the trailer, guarding the meth lab inside.  This is the Chevy Monte Carlo's natural environment!

[Madman]

Part 11: Buick Lucerne


The short-lived Buick Lucerne was one-and-done in just a single generation, lasting from 2006-11.  It replaced both the LeSabre and Park Avenue and was Buick's last "Full Size" sedan.  It was indirectly replaced by the slightly smaller Buick LaCrosse.

Upon it's debut in 2006, you could have your Lucerne powered by the legendarily reliable Buick 3800 V6 or the legendarily unreliable 4.6 litre Cadillac Northstar V8.  By 2009, the 3800 V6 was replaced by GM's 3.9 litre LZ9 "High Value" V6.  I suspect most fans of these cars would value the 3800 more than the other two choices.

Buick sold over 100,000 2006 model year Lucernes but sales declined every year and Buick only shifted around 20,000 in it's final year of production.  Blame Buick's traditional customer base dying off and the relentless onslaught of SUVs and crossovers for the Lucerne's dwindling sales.

But do you know who else weren't buying Buick Lucernes?  The Swiss.  The Buick Lucerne may have been named after the picturesque town in central Switzerland but GM never sold any there.  So don't expect to see any on your next skiing vacation to the Swiss Alps.

[Madman]

Part 12: Ford Torino


The Ford Torino began in 1968 as an upscale variant of Ford's mid-sized Fairlane.  By 1970, the names were flipped, with Torino becoming the primary model and the Fairlane being relegated to a sub-series.  Torinos remained in production through 1976, after which it was superseded by the 1977 Ford LTD II, which rode on the same chassis as the Torino it replaced.

The most famous Torino was, of course, the red and white two-door from the ABC police detective series "Starsky & Hutch."  Fans of the show have noted how, as the series progressed, the small fleet of Torinos the production company used gradually became shabbier looking over time and were pretty decrepit by the end of the show's run!

The car was named after the Italian city of Turin or Torino in Italian.  Turin happens to be the home of Fiat so, in a way, you could call it Italy's version of Detroit.  Unlike Detroit, however, you're unlikely to find a Ford Torino anywhere near Torino.  A gas guzzling, malaise era heap like this would have looked very strange swimming in a sea of Fiats and Lancias in 1970s Italy!

[Madman]

Part 13: Škoda Kodiaq


If there is one brand absent from North America that, I believe, has the potential to be wildly successful on this continent, that brand is Škoda.  Škodas have many qualities American consumers find appealing in a car; high material quality, conservative styling, aggressive pricing, European pedigree, and an emphasis on size and practicality with each model typically being a half-size larger than it's class rivals.

However, Volkswagen of America will never let Škoda come to these shores.  That's because the idea makes perfect sense and there's also the fact Volkswagen of America is ran by complete idiots!  They'd rather give us bloated shitheaps like the Atlas and third-world trash like the Mexican-built Jetta.  No wonder Volkswagen's US sales last year was a mediocre 329,029 units, well below the 569,696 units they sold at their peak way back in 1970 and a far-cry off the 800,000 units they once predicted they'd be selling here by 2018.

One of Škoda's models that would undoubtedly go down a storm in the US is the Škoda Kodiaq.  It's based on the long-wheelbase Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, the only version of the Tiguan currently marketed in North America.  Offering three rows of seating and the same 2.0 TSI engine as the Tiguan, the Kodiaq would certainly hit the sweet spot of the US crossover market.

Despite this almost guaranteed success, you will never see a Kodiaq on Alaska's Kodiak Island, the place from which this crossover derives it's name.  The fact we are denied such an appealing and compelling range of cars as today's Škodas is a tragically missed opportunity for both the Volkswagen Group and for American consumers already suffering from a lack of choice in the automotive marketplace.  Compared to other developed countries, the US car market is severely limited when it comes to choice.

[Raza]

You know, when I clicked on this thread, I didn't think there would be this many. This has been a fun read, thanks Madman.

[Madman]

Chevrolet Montana Mk I



Chevrolet Montana Mk II



Chevrolet Montana Mk III


Part 14: Chevrolet Montana


You're not seeing things.  You've read that correctly.  The three generations of small, front-wheel-drive trucklets you see above really are Chevrolets.  Meet the Chevrolet Montana.

Not the Pontiac Montana.  That was Pontiac's plastic-cladded minivan pretending to be an SUV.  The Chevrolet Montana, on the other hand, is a front-drive, monococque body pickup truck built in Brazil.  Think of it as GM's answer to the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, and Hyundai Santa Fe.  Funny thing is GM had to change the name of this truck  to Chevrolet Tornado in Mexico to avoid confusion with Pontiac's Montana minivan, which was also sold there.

Introduced in 2003, the Chevrolet Montana was based on the Opel Corsa and was also built in South Africa as the Opel Corsa Utility.  The truck came as a two-door only.  Looking at this thing, I get the impression this is what a modern-day Subaru BRAT would look like if only Subaru had the balls to make one!

A second generation Montana rolled out of GM's Brazilian factory in 2010, still with only two doors.  Two years later, GM South Africa started building the second generation truck.  This time, it was badged there as the Chevrolet Utility.

An all-new, larger, 4-door Montana broke cover in 2023.  Still built with monococque construction and still front drive, the third generation Montana is powered by GM's turbocharged 1.2 litre L4H Ecotec inline 3-cylinder.  It's the same engine that powers the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Trax and the Buick Encore GX.

So here we have a potential Ford Maverick rival with an engine that's already US emissions certified that could, in theory, undercut all of it's competitors in price and still make a handsome profit.  So why the hell is GM not selling this Montana in Big Sky Country or any of the other 49 states which comprise the US of A?

Two words.  Chicken.  Tax.

Yep, it all goes back to that 60-year-old pissing contest between the United States and Germany over frozen chickens, of all things!  Germany slapped a tariff on American chicken because it was putting the squeeze on German chicken farmers so of course it made perfect sense to retaliate by imposing a tariff on imported "commercial" vehicles, meaning pickups and cargo vans.  Wait, did I say perfect sense?  I meant to say it made no sense at all.  And it still doesn't.  Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.

[Madman]

Part 15: Pontiac LeMans


The 24 Heures du Mans  or 24 Hours of LeMans is a legendary motor race, held annually near the northwest French city of LeMans since 1923.  There were a few interruptions over the years.  The 1936 race was cancelled due to general strikes across France, and we all know how much the French love a strike!  Also, no races were held from 1940-48 due to some uninvited German tourists unexpectedly turning up and making a fair old mess of the place! 

Pontiac first introduced the LeMans name as a trim package on the Pontiac Tempest in 1961.  By 1963 it was being marketed as a model in it's own right.  The LeMans remained as a mainstay model in Pontiac's mid-sized range all the way into 1981 in the US, 1983 in Canada.  On a personal note, even though my parents mostly gravitated towards Fords, my mother had a 1972 Pontiac LeMans like the one in the photo above for a few years in the 1970s.  Hers was gold but was otherwise identical.

As popular as the LeMans may have been among Americans who don't know French cuisine from French fries, I'm pretty sure you will be hard-pressed to find one anywhere near the Circuit de la Sarthe.

An odd postscript to the story is the fact Pontiac revived the LeMans name from 1988-93 and, weirdly, stuck it on a Daewoo-built Opel Kadett E.  The Kadett was sold in France and was, by all accounts, a pretty decent car.  Daewoo's version, on the other hand, had a much less stellar reputation.  I think we would all rather forget that car ever existed!

[giant_mtb]

Not the Pontiac Montana.  That was Pontiac's plastic-cladded minivan pretending to be an SUV.  The Chevrolet Montana, on the other hand, is a front-drive, monococque body pickup truck built in Brazil.  Think of it as GM's answer to the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, and Hyundai Santa Fe.  Funny thing is GM had to change the name of this truck  to Chevrolet Tornado in Mexico to avoid confusion with Pontiac's Montana minivan, which was also sold there.

The Ridgeline is bigger, it's a mid-sizer comparable to a Taco or Frontier or Ranger.  It may be based on unibody FWD architecture, but its size puts it above things like the Maverick or Santa Fe.

I'd probably consider a Ridgeline if I never needed/wanted (real) 4WD...one of the sole reasons "trucklets" will never replace BOF trucks out in the sticks.

[Madman]

Part 16: Mercury Montego


The Mercury Montego was a mid-sized car introduced in 1968 as a replacement for the Mercury Comet, which had grown from a compact to an intermediate in 1966.  As Mercury's counterpart to the Ford Torino, The first-generation Montego was offered as a four-door sedan, two-door hardtop, four-door station wagon, and two-door convertible. The model line was offered in base and in upscale MX trim.

For 1970, the Montego underwent a mid-cycle exterior redesign to add a forward-thrusting hood and grille design. The convertible was withdrawn, replaced by a four-door hardtop. For all sedans, an MX Brougham trim was added (with a woodgrained MX Villager station wagon), distinguished by concealed headlamps.

For 1972, the second-generation Montego was introduced alongside the redesigned Ford Torino.  In a major design shift, the intermediate Ford and Mercury model lines shifted from monococque to body-on-frame construction.  True four-door hardtops were replaced by "pillared hardtops" (frameless door glass remained, supported by a thin B-pillar), while two-door Montegos retained hardtop roofs, though with much wider C-pillars.

Montego production ended in 1976.  The redesigned 1977 car was built on the same chassis and Mercury decided to capitalize on the popularity of the Cougar name by applying it to all of their mid-sized cars; sedans, coupes and station wagons.

But Mercury wasn't quite finished with the Montego name just yet.  29 years later, a new Montego was unleashed onto the North American market in 2005, a companion to the Ford Five Hundred.  This new Montego was a large sedan, loosely based on the Volvo P2 platform, and a more modern alternative to the geriatric Grand Marquis.  The new car was not terribly well received, however, and the name was dropped by 2007.  The car itself was thoroughly reworked for 2008, with an enlarged engine, and rebranded with the resurrected Sable nameplate.

Although Mercury Montegos were a somewhat common sight in North America, they were nonexistent just a few hundred miles away on the island of Jamaica, where Montego Bay is it's fourth largest city.  Being a former British colony, Jamaican drivers drive on the left.  So naturally, all the cars on the island are right-hand-drive.  Since Ford never built any right-hand-drive Mercury Montegos, the car would have been a very tough sell in Jamaica even if Ford had tried to sell it there.  You might, however, find a few Austin Montegos there, as I believe Austin-Rover Group were present on the island during the 1980s.

[Soup DeVille]

Ford Edge.

I don't think Ford has ever taken one to the Edge of our beloved flat disc we call home. In fact, I don't think any vehicle has been there.

You cannot view this attachment.

I hate you.

[Soup DeVille]

What? No Jowett Jupiter? Or the entire line of Mercury cars?

[Soup DeVille]

Also, Cadillac Calais. Or fot that matter, Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais.

[Madman]

What? No Jowett Jupiter? Or the entire line of Mercury cars?

Also, Cadillac Calais. Or fot that matter, Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais.

Have patience.  I'll get to those, eventually.

[Madman]

Part 17: Yugo (Zastava) Florida/Miami


The Yugo Florida, also known as Zastava Florida, Yugo Sana or Yugo Miami, was a five-door hatchback which was introduced by Yugoslav automaker Zastava in 1987, and remained in production until 2008.  Unlike previous Yugos, which were largely derived from obsolete Fiats, the Florida was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and engineered entirely in-house by Zastava.  Only engines were supplied by Fiat until 2002, after which Peugeot became be engine supplier for the Florida.

In 2001, Zastava licensed the design to Egyptian state-owned car maker Nasr, where it was built as the Nasr Florida.

Supposedly, Yugo's US distributor considered importing the Florida/Miami/Sana as a larger companion model to the GV series (the American version of the Zastava Koral) already on sale in the USA.  However, by this point, Yugo's fortunes in America and at home, were already on the decline.  The car had become the butt of jokes and other low-cost rivals such as Hyundai offered better value and reliability.  By the early 1990s, the Yugoslav Civil War put and end to car exports to North America and Western Europe.

The Yugo Florida/Miami never got to see the state/city it was named after.  Perhaps if it did, and were it not for political unrest at home, Yugo could have endured as the value-oriented brand it set out to be.