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An Embarrassing Moment for GM
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Herzliya
Status:
Offline
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3208501.stm
Buick 'masturbation' car renamed
Red-faced officials at General Motors in Canada have been forced to think of a new name for their latest model after discovering it was a slang word for masturbation.
GM officials said they had been unaware that LaCrosse was a term for self-gratification among teenagers in French-speaking Quebec.
They are now working on a new name for the LaCrosse in Canada. The car will go on sale next year to replace the Buick Regal.
More recently, Mitsubishi had to change the name of its Pajero model in Spanish speaking countries, where the word is a slang term for "masturbator".
While Toyota's Fiera proved controversial in Puerto Rico, where fiera translated to "ugly old woman".
And Ford didn't have the reception it expected in Brazil when their Pinto car flopped.
They then discovered that in Brazilian Portuguese slang, pinto means "small penis".
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Senior User
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Madison
Status:
Offline
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Is it not reasonable to anticipate that our understanding of the human mind would be aided greatly by knowing the purpose for which it was designed?
-George C. Williams
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: New York City
Status:
Offline
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My favorite is the Toyota MR2 sounding like emmerdeur in French
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: San Diego
Status:
Offline
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I read on the internet a long time ago that GM didn't sell many Chevy Novas in Mexico because allegedly, the word "nova" means "doesn't go" in spanish. I don't know if it is true or not though.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Floreeda
Status:
Offline
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Originally posted by iMOTOR:
I read on the internet a long time ago that GM didn't sell many Chevy Novas in Mexico because allegedly, the word "nova" means "doesn't go" in spanish. I don't know if it is true or not though.
wrong
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Kill Devil Hills, NC
Status:
Offline
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I think they ought to leave the name. Considering that its probably what the GM executives are doing especially if they think that ugly piece of crap is gonna sell.
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Mac Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: mountain view, ca
Status:
Offline
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Haha!
Friend: "Hey Kyung, what are you up to?"
Me: "Oh, playing Lacrosse".
Friend: "Ah, you're on the lacrosse team? I didn't know that."
Me: "Lacrosse team? ..... oh.. yeah..."
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I live my life one cool toy at a time.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: San Diego
Status:
Offline
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Originally posted by fireside:
wrong
Thanks for the link, I always wondered if that was true or not since I don't speak spanish.
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