Car names and slogans: What were they thinking?

[Bobby Dazzler]

In recent years there seems to be a trend toward more and more baffling car names, and slogans which I can only assume have a specific meaning in one language or geography but are just a jumble of words when translated to a different language or geography.

Have you seen any corkers lately, and if so, care to share?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I’ll get the ball rolling. BYD is relatively new to the UK market, and they appear to have named their cars after the English words aquatic mammals.

Strange but at least they gave it a good go: Seal, Sealion, and Dolphin. But then they couldn’t help themselves and threw in some curveballs.

First there’s Atto - how that fits with the aquatic mammals theme, I’m not sure. If I am missing something then please do point it out.

And there’s my favourite the Build Your Dreams Seal U DM-I Boost. Quite why they added what appears to be random letters is puzzling.

Maybe there’s method in their madness, or perhaps it’s just good old fashioned madness!

 

[Dippo]

From their website:

"BYD Super DM (Dual Mode) Technology is what’s inside our plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. Far from standard, it represents a game-changing evolution in intelligent plug-in hybrid technology.

Exclusively developed by BYD, it offers a multitude of benefits, including energy efficiency, low fuel consumption, driving performance, and comfort.

You can easily identify our plug-in hybrid vehicles as they feature DM in their name. In SEAL U DM-i, the "i" symbolises intelligence, embodying smart and energy-efficient driving principles."

 

[SpikyMikey]

Who knows what they were thinking? It makes sense to someone I'm sure.
Actually, this reminds me that when the first iteration of the Toyota MR-2 (Mid Ship Runabout 2 Seater) was introduced, the name in French speaking markets was shortened to "Toyota MR", as "MR-2" pronounced the French way made it sound like it was a really cr&p car.

 

[markjay]

Why oh why do fact-checkers have to ruin a great myth?

FACT CHECK: Did the Chevrolet Nova Fail to Sell in Spanish-Speaking Countries?

Did the Chevrolet Nova sell poorly in Spanish-speaking countries?

www.snopes.com

 

[Ted]

Rolls Royce were going to name one of their cars ‘Silver Mist’ in the seventies or eighties.
Until someone pointed out that ‘Mist’ in German means manure.

 

[Ted]

Then there was the Colt Starion.
Urban legend has it that it was supposed to be a hairy chested ‘man’s’ car called ‘Stallion’
Except, you know, Japanese…

 

[ChrisPDuck]

The Mitsubishi Starion - was it a pronunciation mistake or not?

 

[ChrisPDuck]

Ha - I’ve only just noticed that Ted posted the same example moments before me!

 

[Doodle]

The Japanese have a long and proud history of Kazari eigo - throwing random English words at a name, frequently in an equally random order. It wouldn't surprise me to find the Chinese doing similar:

Isuzu Mystery Utility Wizard (5-door Vauxhall Frontera to you and me)
Honda That's (aka the HRV)
Mitsubishi's MUM 500 Shall We Join Us (a Smart ForTwo before Mercedes thought of it).
Daihatsu Rugger Field Sports
Any number of alloy wheels with random branding on them.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The Japanese have a long and proud history of Kazari eigo - throwing random English words at a name, frequently in an equally random order. It wouldn't surprise me to find the Chinese doing similar:

Isuzu Mystery Utility Wizard (5-door Vauxhall Frontera to you and me)
Honda That's (aka the HRV)
Mitsubishi's MUM 500 Shall We Join Us (a Smart ForTwo before Mercedes thought of it).
Daihatsu Rugger Field Sports
Any number of alloy wheels with random branding on them.

I hadn’t heard of any of those!

 

[ALFAitalia]

There is a Mystery Utility Wizard that goes around Bognor....great name.

 

[190]

If you can't come up with a good name then don't name it at all. Audi, BMW and Mercedes avoid naff names by using numbers which seems cool to me.

There are lots of cars with weird and wonderful names form China and the far East that would put me off. Even among European mainstream manufacturers that should know better, there are some that I don't particularly like, A VW Golf is fine but T Roc, T Cross and Taigo don't sound classy to me. I'd need to be 50 years younger to enjoy saying "I've got a T Roc"

 

[fabes]

Thread drift, but mentioning Japanese and mispronunciation, you know the story behind the classic arcade game Donkey Kong.....
With the giant Ape jumping over the barrels it was a poor translation of 'Monkey Kong'
But it was too late to change it when finally it was picked up, back in the good ol' days

Back on topic, I can't get past the Ford Mustang being a mid level, bland, slightly bloated EV.
There's a halo model they've lost forever.

And the Mini (that isn't anymore)
And the Cupra Born leaves me confused

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Thread drift, but mentioning Japanese and mispronunciation, you know the story behind the classic arcade game Donkey Kong.....
With the giant Ape jumping over the barrels it was a poor translation of 'Monkey Kong'
But it was too late to change it when finally it was picked up, back in the good ol' days

Back on topic, I can't get past the Ford Mustang being a mid level, bland, slightly bloated EV.
There's a halo model they've lost forever.

And the Mini (that isn't anymore)
And the Cupra Born leaves me confused

And why call a bloated five door Ford SUV a Capri when it could have been a Cortina?

 

[Wolfie1]

Mazda Bongo, that name always put a smile on my face

 

[SpikyMikey]

The Japanese have a long and proud history of Kazari eigo - throwing random English words at a name, frequently in an equally random order. It wouldn't surprise me to find the Chinese doing similar:

Isuzu Mystery Utility Wizard (5-door Vauxhall Frontera to you and me)
Honda That's (aka the HRV)
Mitsubishi's MUM 500 Shall We Join Us (a Smart ForTwo before Mercedes thought of it).
Daihatsu Rugger Field Sports
Any number of alloy wheels with random branding on them.

There's a Mazda Bongo Friendee round our way.

 

[SpikyMikey]

Mazda Bongo, that name always put a smile on my face

Wolfie and me on the same wavelength !!

 

[baxlin]

And why call a bloated five door Ford SUV a Capri when it could have been a Cortina?

If it’s that bloated, surely it should have been Container?

 

[Will]

And why call a bloated five door Ford SUV a Capri when it could have been a Cortina?

Didn’t they do this to the Puma also?

Ah well, they’ve got the the Fiesta up their sleeves now for a rainy day comeback!