rashbre central: car names ending in vowels

Thursday 21 February 2013

car names ending in vowels

matchbox car experiment
The rashbre central blue car is reaching the end of its usable life.

It's one of those convertibles with a metal folding roof and even nowadays gets bemused looks when we press the Thunderbird button in a car park.

I have to become vaguely knowledgeable about cars for two weeks every few years when one needs updating.

This time I'm struck by how all the smaller cars have names that end in vowels. They may not be on the shopping list, but in the types of cars that aren't denoted by ranges like '1,3,5,6,7,8 Series' or Classes like 'A,B,C,E,S' then there's apparently more imagination in the naming.

Amusingly, it also looks as if many of the names are some kind of attempt a globalisation, so creating meaningless names in as many languages as possible.

There's the twizy, aveo, mito, pixo, otigo, mii, agila, aygo. A few old timers like ka, corsa, clio, twingo, punto, micra. And even a few with real word connotations like savvy, fiesta, polo, panda, ibiza, picanto, rio, yeti.

I'm sure I've missed a few too.

I've also stayed away from the rapidly emerging Chinese marques.

They haven't quite got the hang of this naming yet and seem to use titles like the Brilliance Junjie Wagon, SAIC Roewe 550 (Rover anyone?), Great Wall Hover-TT, Geely Beauty Leopard, Dongfeng EQ7240BP, the PU Rural Nanny and my personal favourite the stylish Tang Hau Book Of Songs.

I know, it was only a concept in 2008. I bet it could get a short name ending in a vowel now though?

tang hua book of songs

4 comments:

OldLady Of The Hills said...

I have never heard of any of those cars...lol!
And, that little Yellow number is odd looking---like a toy car---but, kind of cute. Though it certainly doesn't look very safe.....!

rashbre said...

Naomi I should add on a few all-American car names!

Ellie said...

Of course the Chevy Nova which was a spectacular branding disaster when they tried to export it to Mexico. (No va)

rashbre said...

Ellie I'm wondering whether the same team have put the mockers on the recently introduced Vauxhall Mokka?