The Cars That Went from Model Name to Separate Brands

Outside of a car review, I have never heard someone refer to a Range Rover as a Land Rover Range Rover. That’s one “Rover” too many, and a mouthful overall. It makes perfect sense that JLR plans to drop the Land Rover name from the title.

But as far as the Discovery Sport goes, I’m less convinced about dropping Land Rover. As long as LR4 or LR5 or what have you are not the official designation, I think it’s probably not wrong to omit the Land Rover and just go with Discovery.

The off-roader that we most readily associate with the Land Rover Defender used to be called the Series I, then Series II and III. Eventually, it was known as the Land Rover 90 and 110, and, finally, the Defender 90 and 110. There’s even a weirdo Defender 130 now with proportions that are... off. But the Defender is trucking on into the new era at JLR — for better or worse. Fans of the original may be more endeared to its doppelgänger, the Ineos Grenadier.

Maybe it’s because I grew up in the ’90s, but I still think the loss of the bighorn on the hood of these trucks is woeful. Maybe it’s because RAM in all caps seems like it’s desperate to be taken seriously, but I miss when these trucks were known as Dodge Rams. Funny how of all the big three — Chevy, Chrysler/Dodge and Ford — only Dodge spun off its trucks into a whole brand. I blame that on the unfortunate death of the Dodge Dakota. Where’s the midsizer, Dodge, err RAM?

The Volkswagen Jetta is an institution unto itself. Perhaps not as much as the iconic VW Beetle, but almost for someone like me, who’s a diehard fan of the Jetta mk. IV — one of the best vehicle designs ever. Volkswagen paired up with its longtime partner in China, FAW, to market the Jetta under its own brand, which currently sells a small sedan and couple of crossover SUVs.

The Corvette could reportedly become its own brand very soon, although official confirmation from Chevrolet is still pending. It would make sense for the Chevy Corvette to get its own spin-off in the near future, especially now that the iconic ’Vette will be making its transition into the world of EVs.

The Genesis was Hyundai’s attempt to break into the premium segment, with the first model meant to rival German sport sedans from BMW and the like. The Genesis tried to be distinct from Hyundai early on, choosing to go without badging to tie it to the automaker. Hyundai then went on to make Genesis its own brand once it proved that it could be a symbol of South Korean luxury.

Polestar was not a model per se, but was instead a variant of models like the Volvo V60. The Polestar suffix was added to cars that had been modified for performance from Volvo’s motorsport partner. Eventually, Polestar was spun off into its own brand of EVs that are plenty fast, but no longer as brilliantly- colored in that stunning light blue.

The British Motor Corporation (BMC) is largely responsible for the Mini, which it sold as a model under the Austin and Morris brands. The charming Seven and Mini Morris, respectively, would go on to become one of the most celebrated models of all time, and, eventually, its own brand. Now owned by BMW, Mini predated the EV transition but the brand is all-in on tiny fully-electric cars.

The AMC Eagle was a pioneer in the world of crossovers. Next time someone is eager to drag crossovers through the mud, remind them that the AMC Eagle has all the enthusiast bona fides a car could want. The Eagle decided to fly off in a different direction once it became its own brand, going from rough and tumble wagons to sporty hatchbacks like the Eagle Talon, among others. Not that I’m complaining; the Eagle Talon is probably the coolest Mitsubishi Eclipse ever.

The term Jeep has gone through the hands of many an American auto manufacturer, including AMC, but the name is commonly associated with the small off-roader that helped the Allies win World War II. Jeep was slang for the Willys MB, as evidenced by the later Willys CJ-2A, or civilian jeep. Jeep went on to become its own brand and the rest is literally American history.

The Cupra badge adorning certain cars from Seat was similar to Volvo’s Polestar. It was meant to denote a performance model, such as the Seat Ibiza Cupra. The brand was also related to Seat’s efforts in motorsport, and Cupra is now big on EVs. The Spanish automaker uses the brand to market lovably ostentatious rebadges of Seat models, but it’s now using it to springboard into performance EVs like the Cupra Born.

Technically, the Humvee and Hummer have gone from colloquialism to model name, to brand name and back. It’s all over the place, but it deserves an honorable mention. As with many others on this list, the Hummer is back now that the EV transition is underway, but it’s gone from being a dedicated brand with the release of the Hummer H1 and H2, to a mere model name under GMC.

Who knows? Once (if) the rumored small Hummer EV comes out, GMC might consider making Hummer its own brand again.