# Why are cars named after small Western towns and not big cities? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 3, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805 "2026-09-03T22:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/21 "2026-09-04T02:02:16Z")
Dodge Monaco - Ritzy European principality Dodge Aspen - Colorado ski resort. Or a tree Chevrolet Tahoe - Big lake in California & Nevada ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/22 "2026-09-04T02:13:22Z")
Automakers have become more careful with their names [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/lwXAFGmDWu4/hqdefault.jpg "2002 Chrysler Concorde - Commercial - Weird Names") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwXAFGmDWu4) ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/23 "2026-09-04T07:08:43Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > There actually used to be a car brand called Oakland. And how is that brand doing? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/24 "2026-09-04T08:29:33Z")
Tucson has a population of about a million. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/25 "2026-09-04T08:31:11Z")
At least a car’s not too bad; in the UK there’s a popular range of toilets and bathroom fittings named for a town I used to live in (Bodmin). ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/26 "2026-09-04T12:38:27Z")
The Chrysler New Yorker, manufactured until 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/27 "2026-09-04T12:50:11Z")
First produced in 1940! (I did not already know this, I looked it up, and it was way earlier than I would’ve guessed) Don’t forget there was a Fifth Avenue variant. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/28 "2026-09-04T13:03:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > All the vehicles you mention are SUVs or pickup trucks. Why are they named for western small towns you ask? > > Because that’s where the Marlboro Man lives. And that’s the ethos, or the suburban echo of that ethos, that they’re selling. Wide open spaces, do whatever you want, no sissies here. Nailed it! It’s also why so many pickup trucks are sold, that are never actually used to pick up anything. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/29 "2026-09-04T13:27:16Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > This is the first time I’ve ever heard Tacoma, population 219,000 and home to the sixth largest commercial port in America, described as a “small town”. True, but it’s somewhat overshadowed by the large, well-known city to the north. Apart from Seattle, people think the northwest is all wilderness. There was a clue on _Jeopardy!_ about Tacoma recently and nobody got it. Well, it was _Celebrity Jeopardy!_. I live in Boston now. When I describe Tacoma to people here I tell them it’s like Worcester. > [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Modern names are kinda Meh. “Elantra” sounds like some pharmaceutical mood elevator. I have a comedy album where one of the routines is an interview with a guy who names cars, and invented the trend of using names that end with ‘a’. He’s then challenged to come up with new names based on a description. The only two I remember are Ford Jehovah and Toyota Plethora. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/30 "2026-09-04T13:29:25Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Luxury cars are named for California towns - Bel Air, Pacifica, Malibu. You haven’t been in a Chevy Malibu recently, have you? I had an idea for a blog of testing products in the place they were named for, like a GMC Acadia in Acadia, or an Adirondack chair in the Adirondacks. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/31 "2026-09-04T13:32:57Z")
And there was the Chevy Corsica, which was named after the Mediterrean island. Why is anyone’s guess. [Chevrolet Corsica 1994 - Chevrolet Corsica - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corsica#/media/File:Chevrolet_Corsica_1994.jpg) Looking at it, it doesn’t really suggest exotic French island and birthplace of Napolean Bonaparte ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/32 "2026-09-04T14:47:31Z")
Do we know if the Lincoln Town Car is dedicated to a western town? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/33 "2026-09-04T14:53:05Z")
When the Malibu was named in 1964 it was nearly the top of the line Chevy. Been en-cheapified a lot since then. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/34 "2026-09-04T15:02:25Z")
Well, there’s always a first time. I would name this vehicle, “Chicago”. [**The Chicago**](https://img-new.cgtrader.com/items/5399256/8f73b5ec7f/a-van-with-a-battering-ram-3d-model-8f73b5ec7f.webp) My advertising caption would be: “When the light turns green, I suggest you step on the gas.” ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/35 "2026-09-04T16:11:33Z")
It looks like it was modeled after the Herkimer Battle Jitney. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/36 "2026-09-04T16:14:43Z")
If there’s any vehicle I associate with Chicago, it’s this: [![](https://www.goldeagle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/blues-brothers-300x170.jpg) ](https://www.goldeagle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/blues-brothers-300x170.jpg) (Albeit the Bluesmobile is a Dodge Monaco, already mentioned in this thread) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/37 "2026-09-04T17:55:21Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Do we know if the Lincoln Town Car is dedicated to a western town? Pretty much the opposite. If you’ve ever seen an old movie in which the rich are sitting in a closed back car driven by a chauffeur in an open front you’ve seen a “town car.” The Lincoln was a modern version that was closed but separated the front seat from a spacious rear. Still good for rich people with chauffeurs. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/38 "2026-09-04T18:00:18Z")
Not available in the US but [Honda named a car after _every_ city.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_City) ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/39 "2026-09-04T18:22:42Z")
Seat Ibiza, manufactured since 1984, is named after the Spanish Mediterranean island. Many of the original Seat models were named after places in Spain, such as the Seat Toledo which was named after the Spanish city, not the place in Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805/40 "2026-09-05T12:17:26Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > Automakers have become more careful with their names There’s a Buick LaCrosse\*. In Canada it’s marketed as the Allure. My understanding is “La Crosse”, in some parts of Canada is connected to a slang French phrase for masturbating. \*Also, La Crosse is the name of a small city (within a small County of the same name) in Wisconsin. A friend of mine lives there and sometimes jokingly refers to her hometown as “Masturbate, Wisconsin”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-cars-named-after-small-western-towns-and-not-big-cities/1032805.md?page=3)