A car’s name is supposed to evoke respect as well as engender consumer interest in a product, but sometimes manufacturers choose an identity that does just the opposite. In some instances the car’s name may simply be a cultural mistake, what sounds right in the native tongue, but translates badly elsewhere.
We can’t always say for certain why a manufacturer would choose a particular (bad) name, but we can identify some of the worst car names of all times and the history behind those models.
1. Daihatsu Charade — Do you remember Daihatsu? If you don’t, no worries. This tiny Japanese automaker sold cars in the US briefly during the 1990s before pulling out of the market. One such model was the Charade, a compact car. Merriam-Webster defines …show more content…
Dodge Dart Swinger — The Dodge Dart name has been revived, but a sub-model nickname that suggested promiscuity was not brought back this time. And for a good reason too.
Indeed, in the late 1960s when people began to experiment with “free love” in earnest, the “Swinger” appellation was ascribed to the hard top version of the Dodge Dart coupe. No one knows for sure why Dodge’s parent, the Chrysler Corporation chose the lively name, but it is certain that amongst certain mavericks it invited not a few winks and nods.
5. Volkswagen Thing — One of the oddest vehicles ever built was the Volkswagen Type 181. It was classified as a military vehicle, a four-door convertible that shared its mechanical underpinnings with the Volkswagen Beetle and Bus. When this vehicle was offered in the US, it was called the Volkswagen Thing.
The moniker wasn’t entirely inappropriate as the Thing defied easy description and categorization. Perhaps the lack of a coherent reason for the vehicle is why it was pulled from the US market in 1974, just two years after it was …show more content…
Mitsubishi Minica Lettuce — One of the longest running and smallest models produced by Mitsubishi was the Minica, a “kei” or city car introduced in 1962 and cancelled nearly six decades later after eight generational changes. Available as a coupe, sedan or a wagon, it wasn’t until the sixth generation was introduced that a special name was ascribed to a new model and thus the Minica Lettuce was born. T
hat hatchback model with two doors on the passenger side and one door on the driver’s side was certainly different — perhaps it was for that reason marketers thought that “Lettuce” was a clever name too. Well, customers didn’t understand the salad connotation and four years later the new generation Minica was changed by Mitsubishi from “Lettuce” to “Toppo.” Whatever that means!
7. Honda That’s — Another kei car with a strange name was the Honda That’s. Perhaps inspired by the Volkswagen Thing, the diminutive Honda was a five-door “tall wagon” hatchback, an odd design at *that* — yes, you can see where this is going.
Introduced in 2002 and in production through 2006, the “That’s” name was revived the following year, then dropped. That’s all
We can’t always say for certain why a manufacturer would choose a particular (bad) name, but we can identify some of the worst car names of all times and the history behind those models.
1. Daihatsu Charade — Do you remember Daihatsu? If you don’t, no worries. This tiny Japanese automaker sold cars in the US briefly during the 1990s before pulling out of the market. One such model was the Charade, a compact car. Merriam-Webster defines …show more content…
Dodge Dart Swinger — The Dodge Dart name has been revived, but a sub-model nickname that suggested promiscuity was not brought back this time. And for a good reason too.
Indeed, in the late 1960s when people began to experiment with “free love” in earnest, the “Swinger” appellation was ascribed to the hard top version of the Dodge Dart coupe. No one knows for sure why Dodge’s parent, the Chrysler Corporation chose the lively name, but it is certain that amongst certain mavericks it invited not a few winks and nods.
5. Volkswagen Thing — One of the oddest vehicles ever built was the Volkswagen Type 181. It was classified as a military vehicle, a four-door convertible that shared its mechanical underpinnings with the Volkswagen Beetle and Bus. When this vehicle was offered in the US, it was called the Volkswagen Thing.
The moniker wasn’t entirely inappropriate as the Thing defied easy description and categorization. Perhaps the lack of a coherent reason for the vehicle is why it was pulled from the US market in 1974, just two years after it was …show more content…
Mitsubishi Minica Lettuce — One of the longest running and smallest models produced by Mitsubishi was the Minica, a “kei” or city car introduced in 1962 and cancelled nearly six decades later after eight generational changes. Available as a coupe, sedan or a wagon, it wasn’t until the sixth generation was introduced that a special name was ascribed to a new model and thus the Minica Lettuce was born. T
hat hatchback model with two doors on the passenger side and one door on the driver’s side was certainly different — perhaps it was for that reason marketers thought that “Lettuce” was a clever name too. Well, customers didn’t understand the salad connotation and four years later the new generation Minica was changed by Mitsubishi from “Lettuce” to “Toppo.” Whatever that means!
7. Honda That’s — Another kei car with a strange name was the Honda That’s. Perhaps inspired by the Volkswagen Thing, the diminutive Honda was a five-door “tall wagon” hatchback, an odd design at *that* — yes, you can see where this is going.
Introduced in 2002 and in production through 2006, the “That’s” name was revived the following year, then dropped. That’s all