The Weirdest, Worst and Most Confusing Car Names Ever

Naming a car is hard. It has to sound good in a TV ad, look good in chrome and, ideally, not mean anything rude in a language spoken by a few hundred million people. Some carmakers failed one of those tests. A few failed all three. And some got blamed for blunders they never made.

We checked every name here: the maker, the years and the market. Translations come from dictionaries or reliable sources, and myths are clearly marked. We've kept it PG-13.

The "lost in translation" files

Ford Pinto in Brazil: MYTH

The story: Ford launched the Pinto in Brazil, found out pinto is slang for a part of the male anatomy and quickly renamed it the Corcel ("horse").

The truth: It's a myth. As Language Log explains, the Pinto was never really sold in Brazil. The Ford Corcel was an unrelated car that Ford inherited when it bought Willys Overland's Brazilian operation. The slang meaning is real. The rename never happened. (The Pinto has enough real history. Read our Pinto story.)

Chevrolet Nova: MYTH

The story: The Nova flopped in Spanish-speaking countries because no va means "doesn't go."

The truth: Nova is a distinct word in Spanish, mainly used for the astronomical event, not "no va." The car actually sold quite well in Mexico and many Central and South American countries. Stop putting it on marketing slides.

Mitsubishi Pajero / Montero / Shogun (1981 onward): REAL

The name comes from the Pampas cat, Leopardus pajeros. Lovely. Unfortunately, in Spanish pajero is a crude insult (let's say "jerk" and leave it there). So Mitsubishi sold it as the Montero in North America, Spain and most of Latin America, and as the Shogun in the UK. One SUV, three passports.

Mazda Laputa (1999–2006): REAL

It was a rebadged Suzuki Kei, and the name comes from Laputa, the flying island in Jonathan Swift's 1726 Gulliver's Travels. Read aloud in Spanish, though, la puta is a very rude word for a woman. Spanish translators of Gulliver's Travels have renamed the island "Lupata" and "Lapuda" to avoid exactly that. Mazda kept the name anyway.

Nissan Moco (Japan, 2002 onward): REAL

It was a rebadged Suzuki MR Wagon for the Japanese market. In Spanish, according to the RAE dictionary, moco means mucus. Snot, basically. Bonus confusion: the MR Wagon's "MR" doesn't mean mid-engine, rear-drive. It stands for "Magical Relax."

Honda "Fitta" → Fit / Jazz (2001 onward): REAL, nearly

Honda planned to launch its small car in Japan as the Fitta in 2001. Fitta is vulgar slang in Scandinavian languages for female anatomy, so the car became the Fit in Japan and the Americas and the Jazz in Europe and elsewhere. A very close call.

The "what were they thinking" files

Daihatsu Naked (Japan, 1999–2003)

It's a kei car with exposed hinges and bolts, styled to look rugged and military. The name is honest, at least. Telling people "I drive a Naked" still needs some explaining.

Mazda Bongo Friendee (Japan, from 1995)

It's a minivan that, unlike other Bongos, isn't a cab-over design. The name sounds like a children's TV character who sells life insurance.

Isuzu MU and MU Wizard (Japan, from 1989)

MU stands for "Mysterious Utility." The five-door version, launched in 1990, was the MU Wizard: a Mysterious Utility Wizard. It later dropped the MU and became just the Wizard, which is somehow less mysterious.

Mitsubishi Minica Lettuce (Japan, late 1980s)

It was an asymmetric kei car with one door on the right side and two on the passenger side, developed with the Seiyu supermarket chain, which sold it directly. A car named after a salad green, sold at a supermarket. It's actually very on-brand.

Suzuki Every Joypop (Japan)

It's a Suzuki Every microvan trim. The "Joypop Sound" grade came with a cassette deck as standard. Every Joypop! It sounds like a breakfast cereal that makes you dance.

Volkswagen Thing (US and Canada, 1973–1974)

The Type 181 was developed for the West German Army. In Germany it was the Kurierwagen ("courier car"), in the UK the Trekker and in Mexico the Safari. In North America, VW apparently gave up and called it the Thing. See our VW Thing Quirk Database entry.

AMC Gremlin (1970–1978)

It's named after a mischievous creature that breaks machines, and it was introduced on April 1, 1970. Its designer, Dick Teague, wanted it to look "cute or controversial," depending on your point of view. It succeeded at both.

Ford Probe (1988–1997)

The name came from Ford's series of aerodynamic Probe concept cars. The car itself was originally developed as the next Mustang, then built with Mazda on the 626 platform. "Probe" sounds clinical, and it was nearly a Mustang. That's a lot of baggage.

Kia Cee'd (Europe, 2006–2018)

Kia took CEE, the initials of the European Economic Community in several languages, and added ED for "European Design." "CEEED" had too many E's, so they swapped one for an apostrophe. Since 2018 it's just the Ceed, and grammar teachers across Europe can relax.

Nissan Cedric (1960–2015)

Nissan's big sedan was named by Nissan CEO Katsuji Kawamata after Cedric, the hero of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy. It's a solid executive car named after a little boy in a velvet suit.

Mazda Scrum (Japan, from 1989)

It's a rebadged Suzuki Carry/Every kei truck and van. A scrum is a messy pile-up in rugby. Not a great image for a delivery truck in Tokyo traffic.

Confusing naming schemes

It's not just individual names. Some automakers make whole lineups confusing:

• Infiniti's Q-everything: In 2013, Infiniti renamed its lineup so coupes and sedans start with Q and SUVs start with QX, plus a number for the model's place in the range. Suddenly every car sounded the same.
• Lincoln's MK era: The Lincoln Zephyr launched for 2006, then became the MKZ for 2007. A perfectly good name was swapped for something that sounds like a part number.
• Honda's Jazz, twice: In Europe, the Fit is the Jazz, but the first "Jazz" in Europe was actually the 1981–86 Honda City, renamed because Opel already owned the City name. So parts suppliers call the Fit-based car the "Mark II Jazz." Simple.
• Pajero, again: The name was also used on unrelated cars, like the Pajero Mini kei car and the Pajero Pinin. A Pajero isn't always a Pajero.

What we couldn't verify

We dropped several famous names because we couldn't confirm the exact name, maker and years from a solid source: the Toyota Deliboy, the Nissan Homy "Super Long," and claims about BMW numbers no longer matching engine sizes, Audi's e-tron reshuffle, the Toyota Crown Signia and the VW ID. Buzz. We may add them once we can.

Got a weirder one? Tell us on the tip line, or browse the strange cars themselves in the Quirk Database.