Hyundai's small SUV to be called Exter, but Devon knows why
Hyundai India has announced that its forthcoming small SUV will be called the Exter. PetrolBlog understands it will be built in India and exported to neighbouring countries, with sales starting in August.
It won't be coming to the UK, which will be good news for the nation's SEO experts and sub-editors. Search for ‘Hyundai Exter’ and your favourite internet search engine will ask ‘Did you mean Hyundai Exeter?’, before directing you to Bristol Street Motors at the city's Marsh Barton trading estate.
Having been granted exclusive access to leaked documents, PetrolBlog can exclusively reveal that the Exter will be the first of several Hyundai models named after British cities. Did we mention the word ‘exclusive’? In all cases, Hyundai will remove a letter or two, because, er, reasons.
The company is no stranger to adopting a naming strategy based on locations; its back catalogue includes the Cortina and Granada, while the Tucson and Santa Fe remain on sale today. Some British cities will be off-limits to Hyundai, with the likes of Cambridge, Hereford, Oxford, Westminster and even Montrose bagged by other marques. Hyundai hasn't confirmed a list of names, but PetrolBlog believes the following cities are in contention:
- Hyundai & Hve – because why should Brighton get all the glory?
- Hyundai Befast – new performance sub-brand, replacing the current ‘N’ line.
- Hyundai Edinbur – affordable car that's really expensive in August.
- Hyundai Lester – if only to make it easier to spell for bewildered Americans.
- Hyundai Milton Keys – it's a good car, in a roundabout way.
- Hyundai Newprt – to include two trim levels, written in brackets: (IoW) and (Not IoW).
- Hyundai Nowich – quadricycle designed for pedestrianised areas.
- Hyundai Rexham – surprisingly glamorous SUV, to be endorsed by a pair of Hollywood starlets.
- Hyundai St Dvids – the smallest city car in the range.
- Hyundai Stke – with four-wheel drive as standard for those cold, wet and windy nights.
Bosses at Hyundai are said to be in discussions to secure the rights to the Hereford name, which would be shortened to ‘Herford’. A famous American actor is thought to be in contention for a TV ad, if Kia is in agreement. Robert De Niro is waiting...
