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7 of our Favorite Automotive Slogans
Certain slogans stick with us long after the brand they represent has moved on to other campaigns. In some cases, we remember that earworm or tagline long after the brand itself has been put out to pasture. Whether they were associated with a catchy song, cut to the chase in ways others simply didn’t, or just found us at an impressionable moment, each of us has a favorite. Here are a few that came up in the Hagerty Media group chat this week. Let us know what automotive slogans you’d add to the list!
Drive it like you hate it
The Volvo 122/Amazon had a slogan “Drive it Like You Hate It.” These were stylish cars but underneath, the powertrains were fairly rugged and agricultural. 122s helped build Volvo’s reputation for durability and longevity, as well as a certain cheekiness. That these cars became popular rally machines should come as little surprise. —Eric Weiner
La Ga Rah
Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday! But if we’re going with brand slogans, I’ve gotta go with “Like A Rock” and the accompanying song by Bob Seger. This ’80s rock n’ roll ballad was the perfect score for a Silverado taking a load of bricks to the bed in slow-mo. Side note: As a kid, I thought he was singing a nonsense phrase, “La-ga-rah,” which gave my parents a good chuckle whenever I sang it incorrectly.
Probably more of a saying rather than a slogan, but “ran when parked” is also great. I get its use to describe a vehicle’s current condition when sold, but it’s not that helpful of a statement. I find “wasn’t under two inches of dirt and mouse poop when parked” just as useful. —Cameron Neveu
Marketplace
Buy and sell classics with confidence
Classy rhymes
I’ve always liked Jaguar’s slogan from the 1960s: Grace, Space, and Pace. Those three words so succinctly encapsulated what the brand was about in its heyday, which is a far cry from where things stand today. It’s hard to imagine, without much snark, what a reboot of that tagline would be right now. I will confess, however, that unless I see the slogan in print, I generally forget the order of the words, although it tends to work no matter which way they fall, which I also appreciate. —Stefan Lombard
It’s what they build
When I was maybe five or six, I told my dad we needed a Pontiac. He asked why. “Because they build excitement!” was my response. I was not at all impressionable as a youth. Incidentally, my first car was a ’92 Firebird. —Eddy Eckart
It’s a Mirage
As much as I appreciate these (and every other slogan I remember), I suddenly had a revelation. Something happened so suddenly that I was blown away by angelic voices singing such a perfect slogan that I was suddenly taken to a special place.
A special place with obvious choices. And boy, did it ever happen suddenly! —Sajeev Mehta
Astute readers will note that this is the second week in a row in which a Mitsubishi Mirage has been featured in a list. It’ll be the last for a while. We promise. —Ed.
Ask the man…
Most slogans come from marketing departments, carefully honed over months to achieve the desired connotation. Over a century ago, marketing departments for automakers were non-existent. Ward Packard and his brother created Packard in 1899, and a request for a catalog soon arrived at their headquarters. With nothing printed to fulfill the request, Packard had a note returned that simply said “Ask the man who owns one.” What better sales pitch is there than an impartial third party? Don’t take the word of the person trying to sell you something, listen to the person who’s already made the leap. It was a line that stuck and came to define the company. —Kyle Smith
The best
Rolls-Royce’s “The Best Car in the World” is straight to the point, whether it was ever true or not. —Andrew Newton
There were a series of simple ads that depicted paintings of the very rich doing very rich things such as pheasant hunting, yachting, attending a premiere and the tag line contained the only words:
“He/She (depending upon who was in the painting) drives a Duesenberg.”
Another was a Ford ad campaign showing that at Ford Motor Company the malaise era was over.
The ad jingle was played over film clips showing various Fords competing in NASCAR, NHRA, IMSA and Trans-Am then street Fords zooming over hill and dale ending with: “Have you driven a Ford lately?”
“The EDSEL LOOK is here to stay”… 1958 ad
Porsche: There is no substitute
Honda, We Make Em Simple
In the commercials, they would brag about only needing one key for everything. The videos can be found on YouTube
Not really a slogan, but I remember the Isuzu commercials with Joe Isuzu. He would come out with some comment and there would be a caption at the bottom saying “He’s Lying”
Was that Captain Picard pitching for Pontiac?
Studebaker, First with an all new car !
At BMW we build cars to drive 100 MPH ALL DAY LONG!!
From the “Car 54” actor; “but I can’t say Baccaruda.”
How could you not include, “See the USA in your Chevrolet”? Diana Shore must be spinning in her grave.