Nova, Dart, Maverick, Riviera, Fury, Galaxie. All perfectly good car names. All very popular and recognizable at one time. All now gathering dust.

Car makers use various naming schemes for their models. Some stick with the same names for years, no matter how much the model may have changed over time. Think Honda Civic, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette. Others seem to come up with a new name every time they redesign a car, i.e. Cavalier/Cobalt/Cruze.

European brands tend to prefer a straight forward numbering scheme (Mercedes, BMW, Volvo), though VW chooses to use decidedly odd foreign words (Eos, Tiguan, Routan), and they aren’t afraid to switch back and forth (Rabbit/Golf/Rabbit/Golf).

Do model names really matter that much? Should a car maker stick with a name and develop a heritage and history with it, such as the Mustang or Corvette, or doesn’t it really matter? What names from the past would you bring back?

--M.D.