Whenever people make a comment about references like that, or with sports teams, it makes me think:

- If it was common to make references like that in Germany to Jewish institutions, groups, or tribes, ambiguously "honoring" them, would that be a bad thing? Would it be gloating over victimizing them, or commemorating their bravery?

- Given that (my impression is) they don't, what does the cultural difference really signify? Are Germans entitled to feel superior for it?

Like, I can imagine a world where there were sports teams called the "Maccabees" or the "Ghetto Fighters". I think that German cars do make reference to groups in ways that surely someone could find offensive, like the VW Touareg. Is this better/worse/as bad as using "Cherokee" as a name?

That's their style. I'm surprised they don't have a Hellcat Journey "just because". It works fairly well for them. Jeep SUVs sell well. Chrysler and Dodge sedans, SUVs and van like vehicles pretty much have half the market for people with bad credit (with Nissan having the other half).