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Will Sonata's new name reduce resale value of old name?

25 messages,  Last post on Nov 11, 2010 at 3:33 PM

You are in the Hyundai Sonata Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Sonata, Car Values, Sedan

Messages Page 3 of 3

#16 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [kauri] by backy

Oct 04, 2010 (4:07 pm)

Replying to: kauri (Oct 04, 2010 4:11 pm)
i45 reminds me of a freeway in Texas. Not a car. What does "45" mean, anyway? At least when other automakers use letters and numbers, they tend to have a meaning, e.g. a letter designating the type of car, and a number that is at least somewhat related to the engine size. i45 has no such meaning.
 
Maybe the question you should be asking is, will a name change cause a reduction in sales because the new name sucks?
 
Judging by the rate at which consumers are snapping up Sonatas in the U.S., I really don't think you need to fear: 1) a name change, and 2) any drop in resale value of the Sonata should the name be changed. Which won't happen. Hyundai is run by smart people, who tend to make logical, rational decisions. Changing the name of the Sonata in the U.S. is neither logical nor rational.

#17 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [backy] by kauri

Oct 04, 2010 (4:48 pm)

Replying to: backy (Oct 04, 2010 4:07 pm)
Well, some people including ME think "i45" is cool. And the people in some other cuntoriesse do think like me. I like the name "i45" better than "Sonata". Cna you tell me what is Sonata mean? Well. 1st) I dont think that when Sonata moves up, the name change would boost sales. 2nd) The name change would reduce the resale value. If the Sonota is called "i45" at the same price, I would buy it today.

#18 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [kauri] by Kirstie@Edmunds HOST

Oct 04, 2010 (5:00 pm)

Replying to: kauri (Oct 04, 2010 4:48 pm)
But see, you're writing from a different perspective - you're not writing from the perspective of the U.S. market. You're writing from the perspective of another country, insisting that a name change is beneficial for the U.S. market.
 
Yes, we all know what "sonata" means. It is a particular piece of music, generally written in 3 movements. I've known this since the age of 5, when I started music.
 
As to your question about whether a name change would HURT the brand in the U.S., I don't know. No one does. But if you're looking at the pure numbers indicating that the Sonata has increased sales, what incentive does the manufacturer have to change the name? What potential benefit, apart from the fact that you, personally, think it is cool, do they have? OK, they have one consumer now on record.
 
What if I post that I think they should change the name to Hyundai Dirtbomb, and that I'd buy one in a heartbeat if they changed the name? That pretty much evens the score to 1 & 1 for a name change (though different) and really a lot more who aren't interested. Saying "a lot of my friends think the U.S. should change the name" isn't a statistically valid method of survey.

#19 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [kirstie_h] by kauri

Oct 04, 2010 (5:14 pm)

Replying to: Kirstie@Edmunds (Oct 04, 2010 5:00 pm)
You think that I'm writing from a different perspective. Not really !!!. I've met people in the following cats on the web.
 
1) I'dont anything about Hyundai, but recenty good review. Never own a Sonota. Dont care.
 
2) Own Sonata curreent. Cant help. Let it be.
 
3) Likely owner, like meselft, thinking ,,,,,,,,,,,

#20 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [kauri] by tidalwave

Oct 04, 2010 (5:55 pm)

Replying to: kauri (Oct 04, 2010 5:14 pm)
Yes, I believe a name change will hurt the resale value of the existing Sonata.

#21 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [tidalwave] by cincyhoya

Oct 04, 2010 (7:31 pm)

Replying to: tidalwave (Oct 04, 2010 5:55 pm)
Just my two cents - I follow cars news pretty closely and never heard a peep about a US name change - not on any Hyundai board or the ThinkTank, so I'd guess not likely in the next year or two. As others mentioned, I think Hyundai will go the Honda / Toyota / Ford route of the same model with different names in different countries.
 
If one was to assume there was a change, I don't know what it would do. In the US, the only vehicles that use this type of nomenclature usually refer to displacement (i.e. Lexus ES 350 = 3.5L V6, Infiniti M45 = 4.5L V8), so I don't know how well this would work. That, plus the fact that it does sound like an interstate, wouldn't help. I guess you could point to say the Mazda6 or Audit A6, but in both bases, that's part of an overall lineup numbering system. If Hyundai was to rename everything top to bottom, yes, it would hurt resale value just on recognition alone. Perhaps it could work for the brand as a whole as part of a move of the Hyundai brand upstream and Kia mainstream. I'd guess if you were going to hold the car 3 years and it changed to i45 after 2, you'd have a decent size impact, but if you're going to hold for 5 years, probably not much of one at that point.
 
It actually makes sense in the long run to go to a global system, but to me it would seem to make a heck of a lot more sense to do this when the next generation is launched rather than to change names after all of the markets and press buzz.
 
Personally, I don't mind the letter/number thing, but it can make it hard for a non-enthusiast to know what you're talking about. I actually like the name Sonata due to what the name evokes, though I'm not a fan of Elantra, Azera (what do those mean) or Accent (accenting what? lack of budget?).

#22 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [kauri] by LASHAWN

Oct 05, 2010 (2:19 pm)

Replying to: kauri (Oct 04, 2010 5:14 pm)
I think that if you want a Hyundai Sonata to read i45 on the back of it, than you should just remove the Sonata badge and replace it with the i45 badge. Then you would have your Hyundai i45 while everyone else has a Hyundai Sonata. There, nuff said.

#23 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [LASHAWN] by abigmutt

Nov 10, 2010 (11:53 am)

Replying to: LASHAWN (Oct 05, 2010 2:19 pm)
I think that if you want a Hyundai Sonata to read i45 on the back of it, than you should just remove the Sonata badge and replace it with the i45 badge. Then you would have your Hyundai i45 while everyone else has a Hyundai Sonata. There, nuff said.
 
I was in Australia and New Zealand during the summer, just after I had bought my Sonata here in the U.S.
So being curious, naturally I went to Hyundai dealerships in both countries, and in New Zealand I drove an i45.
First: rebadging a Sonata with i45 does not make it one: there are MANY differences in the i45, including U.S. options not available on the i45, as well as standard items NOT available in the U.S.
The "i" designations is not new for Hyundai: there are previous models called i30 and i35 and so on. They are not "Sonatas" but rather smaller Hyundai models.
.
Got large, full-color brochures on the i45 from both countries, and both are quite different from each other, as well as different from the U.S. brochure.
Hyundai clearly has very different marketing strategies for every country, evidenced by the totally-different "sunroof" that the models have downunder. (they call it a "panorama glass roof").
Warranties and prices are totally different from here in the U.S.
.
BTW, for those readers here that are dying to change the name to i45, the badge is available from any dealer for a little over $50, plus shipping if you aren't there in person to pick it up.
(but in my not-so-humble opinion, instead of wasting cosmetic dollars, spend a hundred bucks and get yourself a strut-tower brace and your handling will improve by 100%.)

#24 of 25 Re: Not Changing name [abigmutt] by bhmr59

Nov 10, 2010 (9:13 pm)

Replying to: abigmutt (Nov 10, 2010 11:53 am)
With the sales gains the Sonata has made in the last couple years and especially this YTD, Hyundai would be stupid to change the name of the Sonata.
 
Hyundai is not stupid.

#25 of 25 press request by Kirstie@Edmunds HOST

Nov 11, 2010 (3:33 pm)

A reporter is interested in talking with someone who thinks perhaps the competition has caught up to Toyota and Honda; someone who may be considering new brands for the first time in awhile.
 
If you are interested in commenting on your experience, please reply to predmunds.com no later than 5pm, Thursday, November 11, 2010, and include your city and state of residence, your email address and your telephone number.

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