Top Nine Whacked-Out Automotive Rebadges

by Justin Berkowitz

Published: October 13th, 2008

Between last month’s Paris reveal of the SEAT Exeo, a lightly rebadged B7 Audi A4, and our recent review of the Volkswagen Routan, I began to ponder some of the worst, most nonsense rebadges in recent automotive history. Some were legally or contractually required, others were clearly the work of absynthe-fueled mercury-poisoned madmen. In the gallery below, see pictures and comments of my top nine.

top nine whacked out automotive rebadges

Justin Berkowitz

Immensely bored law student. I've also got 3 dogs.

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Billc83 on Oct 14, 2008

I'm with NickR. TTAC should propose "The Cimarron Award," giving the award yearly to the most blatent/redundant rebadge! I foresee the Routan taking this year's top honors. I think the upcoming Pontiac G3 has a good shot next year The trophy, of course, will be a scale model of a Cimarron, by Cadillac, complete with landau roof and continential kit!

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Krazykarguy on Oct 14, 2008

What about pretty much any Isuzu product from the last 10 years or so? All rebadged GM junk. And what about Honda/Acura’s partnership with Isuzu? For the Acura SLX (nee Trooper) or the original Honda Odyssey (nee Oasis)? 100% agreed about the rebadged Dodge Dakota/Mitsubishi whatever they called it… absolutely pointless. How about the VW Toureg/Audi Q7/Porsche Cayenne? Or while we’re on EU high-end stuff, the new Ferrari California and the Maserati GranSport? Or the barely warmed-over Dodge Sprinter van (that can be turned back into a MBZ product on eBay very easily). This actually was a boon for ChryCo., so not such a bad badge-engineered idea. But, as always, GM was always the worst offender. Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix? TrailBlazer/Rainier/Bravada/9-7x/Envoy/Ascender? Cavalier/Phoenix/Cimmaron/Skylark Cobalt/G5/Ion (?) Saab 9-5/Saturn L-Series GMC truck/Chevy Truck (seriously, what’s the point?) Saturn Outlook/Traverse/TransPort/Lumina APV Just be glad that the Aztek was never re-badged as anything else. *shudder*

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