What's the Worst Name for a Car?

I don’t know, it’s really to the point for me that I can’t remember the difference between a focus, escape, or a C300 or 500 etc. But I think the worst is a CR-V.
Why? Because is it a CR-Vee as in the letter or a CR-Five as in a Roman numeral? If you have to ask what a name is or how to pronounce it, it’s a bad name.

An electric car would be a Discharger, an awful name for a car.

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There may be several electrics. For those who don’t like the style of the Discharger they could offer the Datcharger and the Incharger. Could they offer a Nocharger?

If GM didn’t want to use Volt, but wanted the lightening theme, why not “Lightening” or “Lightening Bolt” or “Thunderbolt”, or if they wanted a shorter name, “Thor” or “Zeus”. “Bolt”, when they already have a “Volt”, not a good choice imo. If I was the CEO of GM I’d have vetoed that idea. Which maybe is the reason I’m not CEO of GM. :wink:

Reminds me, I was invited to a meeting in the marketing department at a tech company a few years ago, and on the bookshelf there they had a Time-Life coffee table book “The Universe and the Solar System”, and next to it Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology”. I was wondering why those books would be there, along with the business and marketing books I’d expect to see; then I remembered their product names, they all came directly from those two books.

Choosing a name is not that easy. It is fairly well known that Ford owns the trademarked name “Lightning”, I suspect they still own Thunderbolt as well.

A classic of this genre has to be Chevrolet’s Nova.

Nova = Spanish for doesn’t go.

Some years ago on Minnesota Public Radio they had a morning show with wry humor, including an ad for a very large SUV, which was a new product category at the time. The SUV was called the Intimida.

I had forgotten about the Dictator, The Studebaker’s were an immigrant family from Germany , when Hitler became unpopular in this country they dropped the Dictator in 1937. It had been the cheapest model, priced below the Commander , In 1939 they introduced the Champion as the new low priced model. The Champion was an all new design with a new engine design also and it took a while to tool up for which was why there was no low priced model for 1938.

I’ve heard that story about the Nova == No go too. But it’s sort of a stretch. Nova is one word, No Va, or No Go, two words. The No Go name issue must not have taken, these days 1970’s Chevy Nova’s are very popular vehicles to turn into hot rods.

Myth, I suspect the astronomical word “Nova” is the same in Spanish and English.

In the UK you could buy a Kia Pride, sold in the US as the Ford Festiva

There’s easily a couple of hundred “worst” names for cars.

Hyundai Veloster. Great car. Stupid name.

Kia Cee’d. What?

Bricklin Safety Vehicle 1. Yeah, that sounds like a fun car to buy.

Mazda Bongo Friendee. Look it up - I’m not lying.

Suzuki Every Joy Pop Turbo. See Mazda Bongo Friendee.

I thought Acclaim was stupid, and asking for it.

Nova means new in Latin.

Bolt could be the verb.

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I always thought that Mirage was a horrible name for a car. Something that looks really promising from a distance, but disappointing up close.

One of the names that lost out to VW’s Tiguan when coming up with a badge is Nanuk…

Buick and their assortment of monikers is kind of cheesey also. Enclave, Envision, Cascada, and Lucerne; the latter of which always makes me think of dairy products marketed under that name.

Weenie car would be worse.

The translation thing causes ALL kinds of problems. Buick Lacrosse - “lacross” in Quebec Canada is slang for self abuse (if you know what I mean!)

Toyota sold the MR2 in France without change. Phonetically it is pronounced as “it is _hitty” Not a description for a nice car.

At least the US Nissan (Datsun) people recognized the Fairlady Z wasn’t such a great name for the 240Z sports coupe.

Hmmm…apparently that old fable has not yet died.

And, George might want to consult his dictionary for the meanings of both worse and worst.
:smirk:

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Hyundai? We don’t have any around here, but I sometimes see a tourist with one parked at a store or passing through here.

Goofy car name… Every time I see one I’m thinking Hi-OON-dye, but I don’t think that’s how most pronounce it. :smile:
CSA

You see your Mirage sitting near the back of the parking lot and begin walking in that direction, but as you approach the car disappears! :pouting_cat:
CSA