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Will this be the day that 'Chevy' died?

Jason Stein is editor of Automotive News

Send Don McLean back to the studio. Re-dub time.

Don, you drove your Chevrolet to the levrolet and the levrolet was dry.

In the new and ever-changing world of General Motors, I guess anything is up for grabs.

Here's the thing about GM telling employees to avoid using the nickname of its strongest brand: The marketing move sounds a lot like Ram, doesn't it?

When Dodge got wise and figured it needed to tell the world they drove Ram trucks (not Dodge trucks), it reeked of "huh?"

This one feels familiar.

Companies spend decades of time and gazillions in marketing money trying to get the world to identify with their brand. And even in post-bankruptcy, Chevy still slipped off the tongue smoother than a lyric from "American Pie."

Who thinks this one might not be reversed in a few months once the marketing folks realize how much collateral was left on the floor?

After all, a longtime friend loved his "Chevy truck." My uncle just bought "that new Chevy Malibu." And did you see how well Kevin Harvick did at Talladega in his Chevy?

No more.

So, bye, bye to a marketing line.

This was the day Chevy died.

For more of our coverage, go to www.autonews.com.

You can reach Jason Stein at jstein@crain.com.
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