Background:

What? Naming a car after pepper? Not just any car. A SUV in fact with the Porsche name and pedigree. What a great and brave move, especially for a German company to pick a name with Spanish roots. But what a great example of how to be different, stand out from the crowd, and from the get-go let people know this vehicle is hot. On top of all that, it has an implied sibling connection to the very well known Carrera (an Italian word) model, simply because of a similar naming architecture.

Unlike BMW and Mercedes, this German car company likes to build character into its cars, its brand, its prestige and its customer following, and so has restricted numbers rather than names to only one of its product lines. A very shrewd move that ensures each product line has its own persona, without forsaking the parent Porsche lineage.

As for the use of the logo Cayenne on the vehicle, it must of necessity play second fiddle to the elegant Porsche crest. Yes, it is stylish and implies speed, but we are a bit disappointed in that the font also looks a little aged. Almost like it was copied off an Italian car logo of yesteryear.

See a great website and the fine design details for yourself at www.porsche.com.

PS How do you get to use and protect a common word for your own product? We notice with interest that Porsche has actually registered "Porsche Cayenne" as the trademark.