Worst Car Names In History

Nissan Cedric.... based (IIRC) the Humber Hawk...

Datsun... Both the Fairlady and the Bluebird.... not particularly inspiring or provoking thoughts of power and performance (the Fairlady was a two seat sporty car.

Borgward Isabella... I recall seeing a TS many years ago and it appeared that the intake manifold was one and the same as the valve cover - O could be mistaken but it was extremely odd looking all the same.

Volkswagen Thing.... looked like an escapee from a B grade WW2 movie. I can almost picture Colonel Klink standing up in the back of one of these...

Most Italian cars ever built..... how can you drive something if you can't pronounce or spell it's name???

Chevy Impact.

And, of course, the new G.

G?

dwight

Yeah, but . . . the Protégé is an entry level vehicle. I've always thought the name fit. You're a young professional, right out of college, you're not at Lexus level yet, but you're on your way up. This is the car for you now. I had a GLC, which was the forerunner of the 323, which was the forerunner of the Protégé, so maybe I'm biased.

I think this model was originally called Stanza, which was another awful name. The missus has a ten-year old Altima. We bought it new. Good car - silly name.

- Max - ======= As Americans we must always remember that we all have a common enemy, an enemy that is dangerous, powerful, and relentless. I refer, of course, to the federal government. - Dave Barry

Cressida Amica Octavia Fabia Tigra Mondeo Xantia Persona Charade Mentor Applause Scrum Joy-Machine Rampage Demon

Claim: The Chevrolet Nova sold poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because its name translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish.

Status: False.

Origins: It's the classic cautionary tale about the pitfalls of doing business in foreign countries that can be found in hundreds (if not thousands) of books about marketing: General Motors introduced their Chevrolet Nova model of automobile into a Spanish-speaking market, then scratched their heads in puzzlement when it sold poorly. GM executives were baffled until someone finally pointed out to them that "nova" translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish. The embarrassed automobile giant changed the model name to the Caribe, and sales of the car took off.

This anecdote is frequently used to illustrate the perils of failing to do adequate preparation and research before introducing a product into the international marketplace. It's a wicked irony, then, that the people who use this example are engaging in the very thing they're decrying, because a little preparation and research would have informed them that it isn't true. (The sources that repeat this little tale can't even agree on where the Nova supposedly sold poorly, variously listing locales such as Puerto Rico, Mexico, South America, or simply "Spanish-speaking countries.") This is another one of those tales that makes its point so well ? just like the apocryphal one about George Washington and the cherry tree ? that nobody wants to ruin it with a bunch of facts. Nonetheless, we're here to ruin it.

The original Chevrolet Nova (initially the Chevy II) hit the U.S. market in 1962. (This car should not be confused with the smaller, front wheel drive vehicle which was produced in 1985 as a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota and also assigned the Nova name.) Between 1972 and 1978 the Chevrolet Nova was also sold in Mexico and several other Spanish-speaking countries, primarily Venezuela. Shortly afterwards the great "Nova" legend arose, a legend which a little linguistic analysis shows it to be improbable: First of all, the phrase "no va" (literally "doesn't go") and the word "nova" are distinct entities with different pronunciations in Spanish: the former is two words and is pronounced with the accent on the second word; the latter is one word with the accent on the first syllable. Assuming that Spanish speakers would naturally see the word "nova" as equivalent to the phrase "no va" and think "Hey, this car doesn't go!" is akin to assuming that English speakers woud spurn a dinette set sold under the name Notable because nobody wants a dinette set that doesn't include a table.

Although "no va" can be literally translated as "no go," it would be a curious locution for a speaker of Spanish to use in reference to a car. Just as an English speaker would describe a broken-down car by saying that it "doesn't run" rather than it "doesn't go," so a Spanish speaker would refer to a malfunctioning automobile by saying "no marcha" or "no funciona" or "no camina" rather than "no va."

Pemex (the Mexican government-owned oil monopoly) sold (and still sells) gasoline in Mexico under the name "Nova." If Mexicans were going to associate anything with the Chevrolet Nova based on its name, it would probably be this gasoline. In any case, if Mexicans had no compunctions about filling the tanks of their cars with a type of gasoline whose name advertised that it "didn't go," why would they reject a similarly-named automobile?

This legend assumes that a handful of General Motors executives launched a car into a foreign market and remained in blissful ignorance about a possible adverse translation of its name. Even if nobody in Detroit knew enough rudimentary Spanish to notice the coincidence, the Nova could not have been brought to market in Mexico and/or South America without the involvement of numerous Spanish speakers engaged to translate user manuals, prepare advertising and promotional materials, communicate with the network of Chevrolet dealers in the target countries, etc. In fact, GM was aware of the translation and opted to retain the model name "Nova" in Spanish-speaking markets anyway, because they (correctly) felt the matter to be unimportant. The truth is that the Chevrolet Nova's name didn't significantly affect its sales: it sold well in both its primary Spanish-language markets, Mexico and Venezuela. (Its Venezuelan sales figures actually surpassed GM's expectations.) The whole "Nova = "doesn't go" tale was merely another in a long line of automotive jokes, like the ones about "Ford" being an acronym for "Fix or repair daily" or "Found on road dead" or "Fiat" being an acronym for "Fix it again, Tony!" These humorous inventions might adequately reflect the tellers' feelings about the worthiness of various types of automobiles, but we don't really expect that anyone ever refrained from buying a Ford because he actually believed they needed to be repaired on a daily basis.

The one bit of supporting evidence offered to back up this legend is spurious as well. General Motors, we're told, finally wised up and changed the model name of their automobile from Nova to Caribe, after which sales of the car "took off." One small problem with this claim: the Caribe sold in Mexico was manufactured by Volkswagen, not General Motors. (The Caribe was the model name used by VW in Mexico for the car more commonly known in the USA as the Volkswagen Golf.) The Nova's model name was never changed for the Spanish-speaking market.

The Chevy Nova legend lives on in countless marketing textbooks, is repeated in numerous business seminars, and is a staple of newspaper and magazine columnists who need a pithy example of human folly. Perhaps someday this apocryphal tale will become what it should be: an illustration of how easily even "experts" can sometimes fall victim to the very same dangers they warn us about.

Anyone have any additions?

"HUMMER" conjures up some images that don't seem very "vehicular" in nature.

Yeah, probe THIS! MX6 sounded much better.

I'll have to google this one, I thought it was a Dodge truck.

But if you were Robin, even only for a day; then you could shed some light on this Batman thing. Exactly why was this 16-19 yo do gooder hanging around with the 40 YO billionaire? Seems like anytime something happened he was always already at Batman's house. Hmmmm....

I thought it sounded like the noise one makes after Yeagermeister binge night....

I think Ford already used that....

Heh...

Yabut, that's both a Japanese thing and in the way it's translated. The Fairlady was built by Nissan before it was imported here under the Datsun name, and I believe it was the orignal name of the Z car and it's predecessor.

That depends on who is riding in your passenger seat.....

Pronounce Mure-ah-no. Named after the highly artistic and multi-colored glass made on the island of Murano, being one of the first of the highly redesigned and very distinctive looking models released by Nissan. Now who's the moron, the driver or the clueless boob that doesn't know where the name came from? I drove a Murano for almost two years and would bet that it's probably a much nicer car luxury wise than what you're driving. It is the more practical version of the Infiniti FX-35/45 and at just under $40K comes with aluminum and leather interior, HID and LED lights, GPS navigation, DVD player, CVT and 250HP V6 just to name a few of it's pluses. Yeah, more power than my Mustang had new and almost as much as the standard 4.6 Mustang. It easily competes with the Lexus RX and Acura RDX even though it's not really meant to. Perhaps it would behoove you to do a teeny bit of research on a word you don't know before you go waving your penis around...

And then take a look at a particular car you've never seen from less than 40 feet before you call it's owner a moron. There are many things I miss about my old Mo, but I am more of a truck person and like my Titan even more.

(Psst. A little too sensitive.)

(( Personally, I always thought of the name as moron-o, myself. ))

dwight

I've never heard a single person call it anything other then a MORON-OH. Or a MUR-ANO. It looks like the entire world needs to be set straight.

All the world trembles before the blazing logic of your unequaled intellect. From a marketing standpoint, wouldn't you say that it is far more important about how the general public WILL pronounce a word regardless of the orthodox pronunciation or the esoteric meaning of the word ??? Or haven't you thought of that ???

Pay close attention here. My commentary related specifically to the pronunciation of the name and not the origin of it. Regardless of what the "correct" pronunciation is, most if not all of the people I have heard speak the word call it a "MORON-OH". As a matter of fact, there is a TV ad for a local dealer that pronounces it MORON-OH. So... I'm accurate in a sense when I say that it wasn't the best name to call it from a marketing stand point. My line: ("When ever I see that name badge on the back of one of them, I cant help wonder who the Moron is. The man/woman driving it or the idiot that named it.") was by no means meant to be a personal insult to any driver of a Murano. It meant that due to the way the rest of us simple laymen pronounce the word, it unfortunately conjures up a negative air about it. One could imagine, that the owner of a Murano decided to buy one because the name MORON-OH was self expression. Now that you understand I wasn't slinging personal remarks, let me repay you for the ones you have slung at me. First off, Big Daddy Warbucks... Don't presume that what you drive is more "luxurious" then what I drive. Second of all, don't lecture me about being informed about language. Being that you are clearly self important, I'd have to say that you'd be surprised at my level of education and my credentials as far as language and communications go.

Michael

On 27 Jan 2007 20:34:03 -0800, snipped-for-privacy@aol.com puked:

I always thought combining a horse with a snake was kinda goofy...

-- lab~rat >:-) Do you want polite or do you want sincere?

Then you are surrounded with idiots that can not read. There is no "O" after the "M", but then you obviously do not know the difference between "then" and "than" either.

Have you thought about learning better English? Of course how could you know the difference between mur and mor if you can not get then and than? Sorry, I do not believe your story that all the world is in your corner, Even the hicks of Louisiana know it's not a mor ano. Your lack of subject knowledge is not my fault, be pissy if you want.

You have a definite hearing problem, or you you have ads by local illiterate actors. Sorry, I don't buy it.

Again lack of subject knowledge, not my (or Nissans) problem.

Now that you understand I

I stick to my belief.

Someone needs to.

Yes, you've really proved that so far now havn't you....

I don't doubt it. Delusions.

Michael

"Then"... "than"... who cares how we use them???

Anyone who is even passably literate.

So.... you'd rather buy him dinner "then" give him a BJ?????

FWIW... YOU should care how you use them.... Anyone that is even passably literate would see the difference long before the pen hits the paper.... I recall, more than once, replying to messages from tose complaining that their favourite search engine wouldn't return any hits on their search requests.... Little wonder considering the creative spelling used. Google, at least, has gone to "fuzzy" logic and will ask if you meant to search for something with similar spelling.... But this will only reaffirm that we will be allowed to be sloppy...

We wont accept sloppy from a doctor.... a lawyer.... a mechanic or any other number of professions... yet we will ask everyone to allow "us" to be sloppy....

I regularly correspond with a lot of Americans that aren't sloppy and they are great people..... I also correspond with Americans that ride the coat-tails of the good ones.... We have a different name for them...

Uhhhh..... "Coattail Riders"?

dwight