Mahindra, the Indian owner of the Korean SUV manufacturer Ssangyong, has said it might rebrand Ssangyong as SSY, as the current name is a mouthful for non-Koreans.

It admires the way the electronics manufacturer Lucky Goldstar transformed itself after it changed its name to LG. That got us thinking about other car companies that have rebranded over the years – and a couple that refused to.

Rebranding is not an exercise to be taken lightly by any company, but it’s a particularly tricky – and costly – undertaking for carmakers. What, for instance, do you do with all the dealers? Then there’s the issue of how to retail used models that now wear a different badge, not to mention the cost of rebranding all your websites. And that’s before you even get to marketing.

There’s also the question of brand image to consider – do you throw away all your heritage and history for a new badge? If your brand has an image problem, then perhaps you do…