Peugeot to ditch numbered nameplates for actual names?

Some automakers call their cars by name. Others give them alphanumeric designations. The trouble with the latter is that, if you follow a formula, sooner or later the sequence is going to either run out or repeat itself. That’s the issue that Peugeot is looking at with the next generation of its popular hatchback range.

The current model is called the 308, so it would follow logically that its successor be called the 309. After that the French automaker would have to either abandon the traditional _0_ naming scheme that identifies all its products (and the _00_ for minivans and crossovers) and dip into the _1_ range, but even before that comes up, Peugeot’s facing the issue that it already produced a model called the 309 between 1985 and 1993.

Rather than reuse the same nameplate, sources speculate that Peugeot could go for a name designation like it did with the RCZ coupe. The formula would likely follow across the range, leaving sister-company Citroën to stick with its alphanumeric C_ and DS_ naming scheme.

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Lincoln Continental to return? Depends on who you ask…

There’s some word that Ford is seriously considering resurrecting the Continental name. The internets are buzzing with both confirmation and denial of the rumor depending on where you look. Over at Automotive News, a report suggests that dealers have been told that the Conti will resurface as part of an upcomingLincoln renaissance that includes the introduction of up to seven new or significantly reworked models in short order. Those dealers have supposedly been shown a handful of concept-level renderings of what the new models will look like.

Meanwhile, Motor Authority is reporting that Ford is trying to silence any speculation that the big Continental will return to the Lincoln stable. The site quotes Lincoln spokesman Christian Bokich as saying that of the seven new models headed to the showroom soon, none of them are a new take on the Continental.

That would seem to make sense for a number of reasons. With Lincoln fully embracing a terribly confusing alphabetic naming system, a nameplate like Continental would stick out in a big way (though perhaps Ford is reconsidering this nomenclature strategy). Throw in the fact that the MKS is currently tucked into the slot that the Continental traditionally held, and there’s less and less room for resurrecting the nameplate.

So what does Lincoln have planned for the near future? The crew over at Pickuptrucks.com seems to think that the brand is going to take another swing at a luxury pickup, even though the Blackwood and Mark LTmodels before it have failed to move the sales needle. Of course, all of this is just well-intentioned speculation at this point. Chances are that with today’s dealer meeting proceedings underway, Lincoln won’t be able to keep its real plans under its hat for long.

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