The 15 worst car names ever

Korean carmaker Kia was in hot water this week after it unveiled the “Provo” - but it’s not the first time a car company has come up with a rather unfortunate name.

The 15 worst car names ever

Korean carmaker Kia was in hot water this week after it unveiled the “Provo” - but it’s not the first time a car company has come up with a rather unfortunate name.

The company quickly assured angry politicians in the North that the Provo is a concept car and will never be released with that name in the UK.

What were the companies thinking when they came up with these?

15 OF THE WORST CAR NAMES EVER

1. MITSUBISHI LETTUCE

Are you the type of person who drives a Jaguar, a Thunderbird … or a Mitsubishi Lettuce?

The Lettuce was the sixth generation of the Minica series. They really shouldn't have bothered.

2. DODGE SWINGER

Hey, each to his own…

3. VOLUGRAFO BIMBO

Thinking of buying a car for that special lady in your life? Avoid this one.

4. DAIHATSU SCAT

Look, if you don’t know why this name was a bad idea, we’d rather not tell you if it's all the same …

5. DAIHATSU NAKED

Those guys at Daihatsu just didn’t learn did they?

6. ISUZU MYSTERIOUS UTILITY WIZARD

For those who are looking for that extra bit of magic in a car.

7. STUDEBAKER DICTATOR

Wizards and now mad despots. Talk about going for the niche market!

Studebaker decided to rebrand the Dictator as "Director" in countries that would be sensitive to the threat of an actual dictator.

8. OPEL ASCONA

Sometimes it's all about where you drive the car. Don't bring this one to Spain or Portugal – it loosely translates as a name for female genitalia.

Opel weren’t alone on this one - Honda originally intended to name one car "Fitta", but renamed it as the Honda Jazz in some markets, particularly in Sweden and Norway, where it means the c-word.

9. MAZDA LAPUTA

Here's another one that might get you some unwelcome attention in Spain. "La puta" means "the whore" or "the hooker".

10. MITSUBISHI PAJERO

We've all heard of this one, but did you know that “pajero” is a term for a person involved in “self-gratification” in Spain?

Mitsubishi did, and wisely rebranded it as the "Montero" for some markets.

11. VOLKSWAGEN THING

I guess it was just one of those days in the Volkswagen marketing department.

12. HONDA THAT'S

Here's a real headscratcher - the "That's". Must have led to some stilted conversations in the car showrooms.

13. GEELY RURAL NANNY

If you want a car that takes care of you, try the Geely Rural Nanny. There's an Urban Nanny too for that move to the big city.

Chinese carmaker Geely steered clear of macho names like Ram and Titan for this pickup truck. Sometimes it's best to stick to what works.

14. RENAULT LeCAR

Pic: Guroadrunner

French carmaker Renault thought that calling the Renault 5 the Renault LeCar would give it a touch of class for the American market.

Needless to say, it wasn't that successful.

15. TANG HUA DETROIT FISH

Here's a car that's so bonkers, anything other than a ridiculous name would have sounded strange.

This amphibious (!) people carrier from China debuted at the Detroit Auto Show, hence the "Detroit" reference. The company said it's ideal for “tourist spots, large communities, university campuses and small towns”.

So keep an eye out (you could hardly miss it!).

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