-J-P-L-

Particularly in Asian countries where their language is so fundamentally different? While most cultures have languages based on the English (Latin) alphabet, Asian countries most notably use a completely different system. So why are JDM cars, for example, badged in English? Not everybody in non English based countries speak English obviously, or even now the English Alphabet.

I understand branding is often worldwide, but more often than not, models carry different names in different markets. Yet all those different names are still English based. A quick example: The new Prius C is called the Aqua in Japan. Aqua? Doesn't sound Japanese too me.

LexFather

From my understanding one of the major issues in naming in multiple countries is making sure something named in one country isn't called something else in other. So they try to find names that have either a universal meaning or no meaning. Another reason why so many companies go to random letters and numbers, cause they don't mean anything. Unless some idiot company names their car the Mazda 66six lol

For example and shame on me for not remembering the exact car but there was an example where a car was named say the Acura Beak here and the car was sold in Brazil where "Beak" translates to "Dog Turd" so the car was literally called the Acura Dog Turd in Brazil. No one in the company caught that

-J-P-L-

But what I'm most curious about is that they all use English (Latin) lettering, as opposed to Japanese, Chinese, ect. lettering (even if it's the same name translated).

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

English looks cooler on the back of the car,Plus Chinese/japanese do have specific names for the cars in their languages.

IS350jet

lol! .........

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

Probably has mostly to do with the fact that by the time the Asian countries decided / were able to enter the automobile market, it was already a very Western-centric marketplace, with the largest market already the USA. This along with the fact that English was already cemented as the international business language. Hence why you see SONY on the side of their corporate building along with the Japanese character underneath, even in Japan.

Funny story. The TV show "Joanie love ChaChi" was shown in Korea without any changes to the name, only with the addition of subtitles. The network did not realize that ChaChi sounds very similar to the Korean word "jaji" which effectively means "*****". The show had extremely high ratings for the first couple of episodes!

-J-P-L-

So are most asians taught the English characters growing up to at least recognize/read branding?

It's not easy learning 2 fundamentally differently languages and yet it seems they're forced to.

Lexmex

I always loved when they tried to sell the Chevy Nova in Latin America, because Nova translated and split into the words No va means doesn't go in Spanish.

jaseman

Unlike here in the US, it's common in many countries teach English (or some other second language) in school at a very early age.

Marklouis

that's still funny to me too

M K S

Interesting. This is something I've always wondered too.

DustinV

Most car companies are global brands. English is a global language. So it makes sense to sell products in a language that chances are most people, even if they don't speak it fluently, will understand.

Just my opinion.

Blackraven

In the Spanish language:

Mazda Laputa = 'the wh0re'



Nissan Moco = 'booger'



Mitsubishi Pajero = 'the masturbator'



No joke

mmarshall

Yes, I've heard that story too. Supposedly, that's one reason why, here in the U.S., the 80s/90s Nova (a rebadged Corolla) never sold in the numbers that the Corolla did. Even under the name Prizm (which replaced the Nova), it still didn't match the Corolla's sales.

Of course, back in the 1960s and early 70s, when the Chevy-designed Nova was a good-selling nameplate here in the U.S., there were comparatively few Hispanics here. By the 80s and 90s, though when the Corolla-derived Nova hit the market, that was no longer the case. The term "no va", as you suggest, probably scared a lot of them off.

Gojirra99

I have actually seen VW's made in China with Chinese character badges ...