Apparently, when General Motors isn’t busy destroying documents, they’re apparently not taking the time to improve their vehicles. Instead, they’re fretting over whether people refer to their most popular brand as “Chevrolet” or “Chevy.”

In a memo sent to employees yesterday, GM executives wrote:

We’d ask that whether you’re talking to a dealer, reviewing dealer advertising, or speaking with friends and family, that you communicate our brand as Chevrolet moving forward… When you look at the most recognized brands throughout the world, such as Coke or Apple for instance, one of the things they all focus on is the consistency of their branding.

Except… their example of Coke certainly doesn’t fly in terms of a consistent brand name. Since the company is named “Coca Cola” and in some parts of the country, a “Coke” just means any kind of soda. And even though “Apple” is a solid brand name, many people refer to their Apple computers as “Macs,” and yet everyone knows they’re referring to an Apple product. But I digress…

In response to the utter ridiculousness of trying to rid the world of “Chevy,” GM took things very seriously and issued a back-tracking response:

We love Chevy. In no way are we discouraging customers or fans from using the name… We hope people around the world will continue to fall in love with Chevrolets and smile when they call their favorite car, truck or crossover “Chevy.”

GM bans use of ‘Chevy’ brand name internally [Reuters]

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