For instance, Ford in Ireland group their hatch and saloon variants of their Focus under 'Focus Range'. Which, as it happens, consistently puts the Focus at the top of compact class sales segment here. And they make the most of that fact in their PR and advertising.
Volkswagen, on the other hand, has its Golf hatch and the Jetta, which is the Golf's saloon equivalent. If they were taken together as in the Ford example, Golf/Jetta comfortably outsold the Focus in the year up to end of May (the YTD June figures aren't to hand as I write this).
The Ford wins, but on a technicality. But a win in name is a win nevertheless.
I was reminded of this when I took out the revised version of the Toyota Auris a few weeks ago. The Auris used to be the hatch version of the iconic Corolla nameplate, but the marketers decided in some form of wisdom that they should split the variants.
In Ireland, the Corolla is now a saloon only, and thanks to the Irish motoring public's gra for saloons and an equal love for the nameplate, that particular car has not only continued to sell well, but this year is growing at a rate well ahead of the segment increase.
The Auris this year has sold substantially lower than last year, but that was an issue of supply, because the revised version was ramping up production in the early part of 2010 and only got to Ireland in the last while. It is a fair argument that if that hadn't been the case, Auris/Corolla would have been top dog in the compact class this year.
That's the luck of the game, I guess. And 'a rose by any other name' probably applies just as much to cars as it does to flowers.
The MC (minor change) test Auris was a petrol car, powered by the 1.33 engine we've seen already in a couple of other cars from the company.
Sticking with the powertrain, it has dual variable valve timing technology and a bunch of engineering revisions which are packaged in marketing terms as the company's Advanced Toyota Optimal Drive.
There's Stop/Start, and a wide ratio 6-speed manual trans that among other things quietens the motorway drive. But the bottom line is fuel consumption, which is a whopping 17 percent better than the previous 1.4 petrol allowed. In extra distance terms, that's 135kms extra travel on the same tank of fuel.
The technical figures are 5.9L/100km, or about 48mpg. Whiskered into Band B, which is not bad going for a compact segment family hatch using good old petrol.
There have been some style changes, minor but visible. Mainly in the lights design, which offer a more friendly look up front in tandem with some detail revisions to the grille/airdam.
It was a Luna grade, which among other items added 16" alloys to the wheels on the Aura grade below it. You also get front fogs, a better level of seat and door trims, and chrome edgings to the cup-holders. Rear power windows complete what you have for the addition €425.
While my personal preference is for the dashboard/stack layout in the Corolla itself, that in the Auris is fine, and looks well able to come through the scratching and scruffing of long-term family use. It is also very roomy, with a taller style that the saloon that certainly makes it a good car for those in their less supple years.
Ride and handling are notable by not being so, simply right there in the swell Toyota slot. The new engine is a very quiet affair, and the stop/start works as well as any of these things (which still tend to annoy me).
What makes Auris/Corolla still a winning combination for Toyota is that you know what it says on the tin, and it does exactly that. And despite the reliability scares endured by the brand over the last year, there is still an ingrained belief in Toyota's general quality. Truth be told, it was the way they handled their problems corporately that caused them the recent hassle. Every manufacturer has recalls, often on a very large scale. Most of the time we simply don't hear of them. And it was a stray ball that got out to the US native car industry which they made the most of.
The review car prices in at €21,485. You can get into a basic 3-door Auris for €18,945 before any scrappage deal, or €19,525 for the 5-door. A diesel in this one's spec is €450 more.
Pure marketing gold, even if it was called Corolla still.
