# Why do different countries get different car brands? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 17, 2015, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085 "2015-08-17T16:32:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/21 "2015-08-18T11:42:01Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > There is a whole industry round brand naming - it is difficult to come up with a name that makes sense, is pronounceable, isn’t rude, and of course, is unique in every country you wish to export to. > > I heard once that KODAK was named for this very reason. Speaking of this, and tangentially to the OP, how do manufacturers, carmakers in particular, keep their names in order? Particularly pre-electronic database, how did Chevy know that no one else had the Nova, for instance? Or Toyota the Tercel? At one time it was easy, since I heard that at one point 70% of all the cars on the road _in the world_ were Ford Model T’s. But things are more complicated now. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/22 "2015-08-18T14:27:55Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > There is a whole industry round brand naming - it is difficult to come up with a name that makes sense, is pronounceable, isn’t rude, and of course, is unique in every country you wish to export to. > > I heard once that KODAK was named for this very reason. That’s rubbish. Kodak was named for the reason that its founder’s name was George Eastman Kodak. > [@Claverhouse](#): > > No, the Pajero was the _cheap_ version of the Shogun. I had two 2nd-hand \* in my rather brief excursion into car ownership. That’s rubbish too. The Shogun is simply the UK badge for the Pajero. You may have purchased two used ones that were purchased from Continental dealers to avoid UK markups. > [@SpyOne](#): > > Like the major oil company Esso. Never heard of them? Well, it turns out that Esso has some unfortunate meanings in the developing world (sources disagree on exactly where), so the spent millions of dollars developing a name that meant nothing. They’re called Exxon now. This is rubbish too. As already noted, Esso was a shortening of Standard Oil after that company’s trust breakup, and Standard Oil of New Jersey decided to switch to Exxon is the US because it was precluded from using the Esso name in other SO companies’ home markets. > [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > Speaking of this, and tangentially to the OP, how do manufacturers, carmakers in particular, keep their names in order? Particularly pre-electronic database, how did Chevy know that no one else had the Nova, for instance? Or Toyota the Tercel? > > At one time it was easy, since I heard that at one point 70% of all the cars on the road _in the world_ were Ford Model T’s. But things are more complicated now. Trademark filings. And the Model T was never that ubiquitous. Ford itself estimates that about 52% of all cars on the road worldwide were Model Ts in 1924 (the peak). ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/23 "2015-08-18T18:35:59Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That’s rubbish. Kodak was named for the reason that its founder’s name was George Eastman Kodak. No, his name was George Eastman. He made up the word “Kodak” because he liked the letter K, and wanted a strong-sounding word that began and ended with it, but that meant nothing. This is told, among other places, in a 1962 issue of [Kiplinger’s](https://books.google.com/books?id=yQAEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA40&dq=kodak+curl+eastman+kiplingers&pg=PA40&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false). ---
**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:** [August 18, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/24 "2015-08-18T18:39:40Z")
Whoah. I stand properly corrected. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/25 "2015-08-18T19:18:44Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Esso (for **S** tandard **O** il) was originally Standard Oil of NJ and couldn’t use their name in many parts of the US due to the name being owned by other parts of Standard Oil after the breakup of the company in 1911. They rebranded themselves Exxon for those reasons, mainly for use within the US. They still use Esso throughout most of the world. > > What unfortunate meanings have you seen for Esso? What kind of bee hangs around gas stations? Esso bees. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/26 "2015-08-18T19:37:33Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > He made up the word “Kodak” because he liked the letter K, and wanted a strong-sounding word that began and ended with it, but that meant nothing. Cf. “XeroX,” ca. 1960. Yes, with two capital Exes. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/27 "2015-08-18T19:59:57Z")
I didn’t see mentioned but countries have different emmission and crash standards so one country will continue with one model and another will get an updated version (new name for differential purposes. Also, some countries have tax rates based on overall size, engine displacement, or type of engine which influence which models get sold where. My 2006 Acura TSX (sold in the USA) was sold in Europe as the Honda Accord. The US Accord was slightly larger. There might be ferry limitation (fees) that come into play based on size/length. ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/28 "2015-08-21T16:00:00Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > Speaking of this, and tangentially to the OP, how do manufacturers, carmakers in particular, keep their names in order? Particularly pre-electronic database, how did Chevy know that no one else had the Nova, for instance? Or Toyota the Tercel? Registered Trademarks. GM would simply try to register the word “Nova” as the name of a car as a trademark in the US. Either they’d get it, or they’d be told somebody else already had it. Unfortunately, they’d only bother to register the trademark in countries where they were planning on marketing that car. This is why in some countries the name “Budweiser” for beer is owned by an American company, and in others it is owned by a company in Ceské Budějovice in the Czech Republic. (See, the German name for the city is Budweis, thus “Budweiser” is the name for the kind of beer from there just as “Plisner” means the style from Pilsen.) ---
**Author:** ![SpyOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/29 "2015-08-21T16:08:46Z")
I don’t see how Esso would have a problem calling itself Esso in areas where there were other companies called some variation on Standard Oil. However, that story makes at least as much sense (probably more) than the word-of-mouth that I had, so I accept it as more likely correct. Since folks have asked, the version I had heard was that “esso” meant excrement either in the Philippines or New Guinea. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/30 "2015-08-21T16:33:30Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That’s rubbish too. The Shogun is simply the UK badge for the Pajero. You may have purchased two used ones that were purchased from Continental dealers to avoid UK markups. Nope: Shoguns are sold by Mitsubishi in Britain; Pajeros are the [**same**](http://www.touringandtenting.com/forums/index.php?/topic/5079-pajero-shogun-whats-the-difference/), although slightly less finished to look at, but are _used_ _imports_ from Japan. Which country churns over cars as much as the Germans ( I would veer the other way, since it seems a waste of steel for the population to change cars every 2-3 years ). [**POCUK**](http://www.pocuk.com/), the UK Pajero owners club makes a sharp distinction between Shoguns and Pajeros, although catholically accepting of both. One would assume a Shogun driver to be more professional, like a lawyer; whereas a Pajero owner might be a shop assistant. We like our 4x4s in Britain. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/31 "2015-08-21T16:36:11Z")
> [@SpyOne](#): > > I don’t see how Esso would have a problem calling itself Esso in areas where there were other companies called some variation on Standard Oil. They were prevented by trademark law - they didn’t own the rights to use Esso in those regions of the US. It was all part of the breakup of Standard Oil. > **[Esso](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esso)** > > Esso (/ˈɛsoʊ/) is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic pronunciation of Standard Oil's initials, 'S' and 'O'), to which the other Standard Oil companies would later object. > Standard Oil of New Jersey started marketing its products under the Esso brand in 1926. In 1972, the name Esso was largely replaced... > [@](#): > > However, in the other states, the other Standard Oil companies objected and forced Jersey Standard to use other brand names. In most states the company used the trademark Enco (“Energy Company”), and in a few “Humble”. > [@SpyOne](#): > > Since folks have asked, the version I had heard was that “esso” meant excrement either in the Philippines or New Guinea. It looks like Exxon sold it’s last holdings in the Philippines to Petron in 2012, and was still using the Esso name 40 years after it switched to Exxon in the US. It would appear the version you heard is baseless. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/32 "2015-08-21T16:42:12Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Cf. “XeroX,” ca. 1960. > > Yes, with two capital Exes. Xerox was named for Xerography, which is the term for the printing process used in their copiers. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/33 "2015-08-21T16:45:24Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Xerox was named for Xerography, which is the term for the printing process used in their copiers. Which was a word they coined to describe the new process. Kodak is similarly attributed to the sound box cameras make. Most truly “great” company and product names have some such connection to the business or process involved, but in the end are created nonsense words. They did drop the second capital X pretty quickly, to their credit. (And later went to the “disintegration” logo, which to my eye always looked backwards…) ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/34 "2015-08-22T04:38:28Z")
What’s the Nissan Juke called in Israel? It means “cockroach.” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/35 "2015-08-22T11:24:29Z")
> [@susan](#): > > What’s the Nissan Juke called in Israel? It means “cockroach.” Not only did they keep the name, it’s a huge seller in Israel. Israeli humor, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/36 "2015-08-22T13:34:28Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Which was a word they coined to describe the new process. Kodak is similarly attributed to the sound box cameras make. Most truly “great” company and product names have some such connection to the business or process involved, but in the end are created nonsense words. > > They did drop the second capital X pretty quickly, to their credit. (And later went to the “disintegration” logo, which to my eye always looked backwards…) Well, xero- is a combining form meaning “dry”. So, xerography means dry printing. Well coined, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/37 "2015-08-22T13:39:39Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Well, xero- is a combining form meaning “dry”. So, xerography means dry printing. Well coined, I’d say. “Dry writing” is the usual translation I’ve heard, including from early Xerox materials. Yes, it’s certainly apt and accurate, but it \*was \*created by their marketing department. And in any case, “xerox” is a word as free of inherent meaning as most brand names, no matter how many words or concepts they might allude to. Look at how many car model names are almost-words suggesting a range of kewl tags. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/38 "2015-08-22T15:53:59Z")
I only recently noted that many oil companies have a — to me unattractive — oco or similar termination: as in this [**article**](http://www.earthsfriends.com/environmental-gas-station/) seeking the least unethical place to buy petrol/gas. I get the original Esso = S. O. derivation, although I can scarcely sympathise; but: Amoco ( really BP ) Arco ( bis ) Texaco and Unocal ( both from SoCal, part of Standard Oil again ) Conoco ( ConocoPhillips ) Exxon Enco Arco Noco etc… Probably old John D’s fault eventually… The takeaway from that article is that BP really didn’t like shelling out on safety features. Bossy meddlesome bureaucrats fussing about imposing the dead hand of state regulations on go-ahead entrepreneurs, stifling Enterprise ! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/39 "2015-08-22T17:59:00Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > An example that really is true is the Mitsubishi Pajero. The folks at Mitsubishi didn’t realize that in Spanish, _pajero_ is an insult, equivalent to the British term “wanker.” After someone clued them in, the car was rebranded as the “Montero” in the US, Latin America, and Spain (and India, for some odd reason). It’s still called the Pajero elsewhere, exept in Britain, where they call it the Shogun. [Dunno why they needed yet a third name for the UK.] This is my favorite example. I once came across a Mitshubishi _Pajero_ in Africa with a fellow Spanish-speaker and we had a good laugh at it. For the same reason, the term for bird-watcher or birder, _pajarero_, is problematic in Spanish. The tendency is to use the unwieldy _observador de aves_ instead. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085/40 "2015-08-22T20:36:14Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > I only recently noted that many oil companies have a — to me unattractive — oco or similar termination: as in this [**article**](http://www.earthsfriends.com/environmental-gas-station/) seeking the least unethical place to buy petrol/gas. That’s because -oco literally stands for “oil company.” Amoco = American Oil Company Conoco = Continental Oil Company Arco = Atlantic Richfield Company Texaco = Texas Fuel Company [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-different-countries-get-different-car-brands/728085.md?page=3)