Hello!
This is a great discussion of the name Imperial and its potential for
Chrysler and everyone has some great ideas. Someone mentioned that
Chrysler never marketed the Imperial properly and it became "just another
Chrysler" and I had a thought. What if Chrysler were to market the
Imperial as a separate marque the way Nissan has with Infiniti and Toyota has
with Lexus? Using a separate dealer network and support system, it
may prove to be very profitable if done with quality products and quality
service. Ok, time for me to wake up.
Randy
Dreaming of a '73
----- Original Message -----
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2004 6:25
PM
Subject: IML: The name: Imperial
Hi Everyone,
I think we all agree that Chrysler failed
to market the Imperial effectively, and also failed to separate Imperial
as a separate marque from the Chrysler name. Imperial started out and
ended up as "Chrysler Imperial" and that's how nearly everybody refer to
our cars today, never mind that most of them don't carry the word
"Chysler" anywhere. The design and engineering of the cars wasn't
the problem. I think also that (nearly) all of us agree Elwood Engel
wasn't at fault.
But what about the name Imperial itself?
We
know that Chrysler's use of the name Imperial was meant to connote the
best of the best, the top, the pinnacle, etc. But many many other
companies and entrepreneurs had exactly the same idea. Think of
Imperial Margarine, etc. I look in the yellow pages today and I see
Imperial Gem & Jewelry and Imperial Transportation services. How many
plumbers, roofers, dry cleaners, barber shops, etc. do you want to bet
used the name Imperial all through the 50s, 60s & 70s? I'd bet there
were thousands. The name was really watered down to the point of being
meaningless and having no real identity.
GM certainly never had
that problem with Cadillac. Cadillac meant Cadillac and that meant
prestige. The name Imperial just didn't have the power to lend much
prestige to Chrysler's top of the line. The beautiful (and now highly
sought after) Chrysler Imperials of the 30s helped doom Chrysler's efforts
to establish Imperial as a separate marque: it would always be "Chrysler
Imperial." The name "300" was much more successful. People never forgot
that 300 meant a snazzy Chrysler car. The association stayed strong enough
for Chrysler to revive that name.
Imperial has a lot of meanings,
and in the 30s it was just fine to be imperialistic. Imperial Navy,
British Empire, and so on. Studebaker even sold a car named the Dictator.
Nowadays using Imperial would be a marketing disaster. These days more
people would connect "Imperial" to Star Wars and Darth Vader than to any
kind of car.
All the same, I always just say "It's an Imperial" when
someone asks what kind of car I'm driving.
Best, John
Meyer 1965 Crown Tucson
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