# "Meaningless" Car Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 11, 2004, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673 "2004-03-11T08:47:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Steve\_Salhany](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aca169/32.png) [@Steve\_Salhany](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Salhany)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/21 "2004-03-18T14:43:41Z")
> [@Steve Salhany](#): > > They are renaming it the Buick Allure. > > They’re keeping the La Crosse name for the US. I should clairify that GM is renaming the car the Allure for the Canadian market only. ---
**Author:** ![The\_PHB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@The\_PHB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_PHB)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/22 "2004-03-18T15:38:33Z")
I just remembered that GM’s first European supermini was originally called Nova in the UK, and Corsa in the rest of Europe. (They’re all Corsas now though.) They realised that “No Va” means “No Go” in Spanish, which might not have been conducive to sales, hence the change. Ironically Novas were built at Zaragoza in Spain. This might help explain why they go for meaningless names. It’s safer that way… ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/23 "2004-03-18T15:57:52Z")
> [@The PHB](#): > > They realised that “No Va” means “No Go” in Spanish, … Urban Legend, debunked so many times it’s not really worth linking. The car (in its 1960s-70s Detroit incarnation, and its 1980s disguised-Toyota version) was sold all over Latin America as the “Nova”, which, go figure, is the Spanish word for a star that has a sudden spike in brightness 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/24 "2004-03-18T16:12:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Toyota originally explained the name MR2 as meaning “Mid engined, Runabout, 2 seater” however, they now claim (and most owners prefer) the explanation of “Mid engine, Rear drive, 2 seater.” I was given the “rear-drive” explanation by a dealer in Lancaster, CA the first year the car was sold in the U.S. > [@](#): > > The car is also informally known as the “Mister Two.” BLOODY! I thought _I’d_ made that up! [sub]At least, I’ve never heard anyone else call it a “Mister Two”; only me.[/sub] Oh, well. It’s hard to be original when there are six thousand million people on the planet. ---
**Author:** ![The\_PHB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df788c/32.png) [@The\_PHB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_PHB)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/25 "2004-03-18T17:26:53Z")
> [@](#): > > **JRDelirious:** \* Urban Legend, debunked so many times it’s not really worth linking. The car (in its 1960s-70s Detroit incarnation, and its 1980s disguised-Toyota version) was sold all over Latin America as the “Nova”, which, go figure, is the Spanish word for a star that has a sudden spike in brightness.\* Thanks **JRDelirious** for pointing that out. Admittedly the 1960s US Chevy Nova and the 1980s UK Vauxhall Nova aren’t remotely similar cars, but it is the same name and the same linguistic considerations apply. I really shouldn’t have been so unquestioningly gullible - and certainly not in this forum! But that just raises another question. Nova is a nice, sort-of-meaningful name that is easily pronounced in many languages. (You know what I mean!) So why did they call it the Nova for the UK market and the Corsa for the rest of Europe? ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/26 "2004-03-18T18:13:29Z")
> [@](#): > > _Jon H wrote:_ > I mean the Mondeo - what sort of name is that. I believe the Modeo was sold in Europe. When the car came to the US, it was renamed the Contour, which is vaguely sensual. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Sir\_Ivan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Bad\_Sir\_Ivan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Sir_Ivan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/27 "2004-03-28T03:04:17Z")
All hail!! :o The Pontiac Fiero!!! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/28 "2004-03-28T03:40:44Z")
It could be worse, automakers could end up recycling the names of old pieces of junk. Do we really need another car called “Lancer”??? ---
**Author:** ![caray](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c2a13f/32.png) [@caray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caray)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/29 "2004-03-29T16:29:12Z")
> [@](#): > > It could be worse, automakers could end up recycling the names of old pieces of junk Unfortunately they have/do. Case in point: The Plymouth Duster. (In the original 1970’s version, affectionately called “the Ruster” for it’s endearing quality of always rusting out badly behind the rear wheel well on both sides. ) The newer version apparently doesn’t have this design flaw (it was out sometime in the 1990’s, I don’t believe it’s currently being produced anymore but I could be wrong.) But what sort of name is “Duster” anyway? Short for “feather-duster”? Why would someone want a car named “Duster”? ---
**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/30 "2004-03-30T00:04:11Z")
> [@caray](#): > > But what sort of name is “Duster” anyway? I rather fancy it was intended to be in reference to the garment, which has associations with both the Old West and early automobiles. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673/31 "2004-03-30T01:06:08Z")
> [@The PHB](#): > > Thanks **JRDelirious** for pointing that out. Admittedly the 1960s US Chevy Nova and the 1980s UK Vauxhall Nova aren’t remotely similar cars, but it is the same name and the same linguistic considerations apply. I really shouldn’t have been so unquestioningly gullible - and certainly not in this forum! > > But that just raises another question. Nova is a nice, sort-of-meaningful name that is easily pronounced in many languages. (You know what I mean!) So why did they call it the Nova for the UK market and the Corsa for the rest of Europe? Because **JR Delirious** is talking about the wrong car. He’s talking about the Chevrolet Nova, which _was_ sold in Latin America, not the Vauxhall/Opel Nova, which wasn’t. Both GM vehicles, both Novas, but with different name stories. The myth that has been debunked is that “GM renamed the Chevy Nova because it meant “no go” in Spanish”. However, nobody ever said they did. Americans saw that “GM renames Nova for Spanish market”, and thought the story was about the Chevy Nova, which, of course, it wasn’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaningless-car-names/233673.md?page=1)