Words matter, they really do. In some cases, the wrong words or phrases can evoke a host of thoughts or feelings, negative or positive. Marketers spend millions of dollars a year testing products with consumers to see how well they are received. The automotive industry is no exception, as vehicles live or die by name alone. Beyond specific model names, there are other “killer” terms that should be avoided at all costs. Let’s take a look at the currently accepted automotive vernacular and those terms or words that are outright rejected.

Cross – Quite a vague term, a crossover vehicle defies easy description. One of the first crossover models was Chrysler’s Pacifica, a tall wagon, while the new Dodge Caliper also gets that designation. Sometimes the designation hides what a vehicle really is: a hatchback. Ask anyone who drove one of these cars during the 1970s and 1980s and you’ll quickly learn why it’s a term automakers avoid at all costs.

retro – Suggesting something old made new, this term has been attributed to a particular class of vehicle that borrows styling cues from an earlier model. Current examples include the Ford Thunderbird and the Ford Mustang. While retro is welcomed by some, automakers are now using a different term, heritage, to describe this category of vehicles. Chevrolet, for its part, has called its new compact vehicle the HHR. [heritage high roof] specifically to invoke the heritage name.

convertible – Oh, this old term for a convertible has certainly met a nasty death. Rags are nothing more than worn clothing, at least in the eyes of most motorists. Substitute the term “convertible” and you have the preferred name for a vehicle whose roof retracts.

Car – Drop the word “station” from the truck and you have a word that describes the Dodge Magnum. Unlike previous-generation vehicles used to drop Dad off at the train station for a ride to work, the Magnum puts sport in what many have long considered the bane of the suburbs: the family wagons.

all terrain – Owners of Ford’s Explorer, Jeep Cherokee and Chevy Blazer have long been accused of calling their rides sport utility vehicles. Some manufacturers, including BMW, have adjusted the term SUV to SAV (sports activity vehicle), suggesting that their vehicles have a more refined use than their more prosaic competitors.

Green – No longer just a color, the term “green” is used to describe environmentally friendly vehicles, such as gasoline-electric hybrids. These vehicles still pollute, but their share of fuel consumption is much lower, as is their overall negative impact on the environment. It is not yet known how all the depleted batteries will be recycled when the time comes.

So no matter how you slice it, a term favored with one generation may be avoided at all costs for another. You’re usually still talking about the same thing, but by using terms that evoke a positive response, you’re much more likely to view that product favorably. Clearly, this “word forging” is something automotive marketers want to emphasize with consumers.