{"id":87554,"date":"2026-09-09T01:19:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T01:19:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/87554\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T01:19:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T01:19:09","slug":"forthing-launches-in-australia-with-nameless-car-after-porsche-dispute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/87554\/","title":{"rendered":"Forthing launches in Australia with nameless car after Porsche dispute"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Chinese carmaker Forthing will officially launch in Australia this week \u2013 but one of its flagship cars is already causing a legal dispute with Porsche.<\/p>\n

Porsche says the name Taikon 5 for its electric family SUV is too close to its established brand Taycan. <\/p>\n

As a result of the trade mark claim, Forthing says it\u2019s taken the \u201ctemporary and precautionary\u201d action of removing references to the Taikon 5 from their marketing. Put simply, the car will be released without a name in Australia and New Zealand. <\/p>\n

Well, the no-brand approach worked for Franklins in the 1980s and 1990s. Maybe they\u2019re onto something. <\/p>\n

Forthing, meanwhile, is trying to frame this seemingly reasonable legal dispute in schoolyard terms. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhilst we are flattered that Porsche AG has expressed such strong interest in Forthing vehicles, until this issue is resolved, we will focus on promoting the Forthing brand,\u201d a spokesperson said in a curiously sassy statement. <\/p>\n

In other words: \u201cUgh, why is Porsche obsessed with us?\u201d <\/p>\n

More: Huge ute \u2018gamble\u2019 for struggling giant<\/a><\/p>\n

So what\u2019s in a name? It\u2019s a question that keeps popping up in the motoring world. <\/p>\n

There are infinite possibilities when it comes to branding a car \u2013 so why do manufacturers keep making bad choices? <\/p>\n

FUNNY STUFF<\/p>\n

Perhaps the best example comes from Geely, which recently named their new hybrid SUV Monjaro. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s a curious choice considering one of the biggest medical developments in the last decade has been the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. The most common brand names in this category are Ozempic, Wegovy and \u2013 of course \u2013 Mounjaro. <\/p>\n

More: Aussie \u2018threat\u2019 to inspire Trump\u2019s total ban<\/a><\/p>\n

Surely it\u2019s impossible that Geely didn\u2019t know this. Google the car and a list of side effects comes up. If you tell people you\u2019re off to pick up your Monjaro, they\u2019ll ask where you got your prescription. <\/p>\n

Was this was on purpose? I suppose that\u2019s one way to drum up interest in Sydney\u2019s Eastern Suburbs. It hasn\u2019t been announced for Australia yet, but is likely going to arrive in 2027. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile other car brands are trying hard to avoid trade mark disputes. Perhaps a little too hard. Overseas, MG just launched a new SUV called the Hector Tomahawk. It\u2019s the sort of name survivalist parents would give their kid \u2026 if they hated that kid. <\/p>\n

More: 850pc spike: $1700 cost to fix Aus car flaw<\/a><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s original, all right. <\/p>\n

So original, in fact, it makes you wonder if they just put random words into a big hat and went with the first two that fell out. If that wasn\u2019t their creative process, I would like to know what was. So that I can avoid it. <\/p>\n

Hector Tomahawk says log cabins and living off the land. The car design says tootling around in suburbia. A better name might have been Craig Trowel. Or Harry Ladder. Even Cecil Broom makes more sense. <\/p>\n

There is a long, proud history of manufacturers choosing bad car names. One of the most famous example is Mitsubishi\u2019s classic 1983 Starion. The Japanese carmaker said the name was a portmanteau of \u2018Star of Orion\u2019. Rumours persist it was meant to be called \u2018Stallion\u2019 and there was a miscommunication. <\/p>\n

Another great example happened in 2014 when Citroen released the Cactus. Citroen wanted to allude to the vehicle\u2019s tough exterior and low consumption. Unfortunately, being a French car, the name risked being read as prophetic. <\/p>\n

They say all publicity is good publicity. Bad names, at least, get talked about. <\/p>\n

But in a market where new brands are desperately trying to gain credibility, a bit more market research might be needed. <\/p>\n

Read related topics:China<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Chinese carmaker Forthing will officially launch in Australia this week \u2013 but one of its flagship 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