![]() It can also be used as a verb, for all the above meanings, so expect endless encores of regal jokes in your entourage. Lacrosse is a sport, at least a half dozen people know that, but it’s better known in French-Canada as another kind of sport – self-gratification, and not the “buy yourself a new Buick” kind. Yes, crosse is popular French-Canadian slang for the vile act of taking advantage of somebody else (la crosse, “the rip off”).īut this is the name that keeps on giving. Quebecers bought them up anyway.Ģ005–2019 Buick LaCrosse: Gold Medal Faux PasĮver felt like you’ve been had in a transaction? Well, imagine the poor Buick salesperson trying to peddle the RipOff. The nameplate basically read, mon Cruiser est pêté! (“my Cruiser is broken”). As luck would have it, the PT was one of the brand’s most reliable cars at the time, but in French “PT” is pronounced pêté, which means… broken. (Will a teacher’s red pen work on car paint?)Ģ001–2009 Chrysler PT Cruiser: Boulevard of Broken DreamsĬhrysler launched the retro trend with its cuddly Neon-based “Personal Transportation Cruiser,” shortened to PT Cruiser to fit below the A-pillar. Apparently “Protegé” sounded better to Mazda’s ears with a spelling mistake – the popular little sedan was known as the protégée in French Canada, with two accents and an “e” because, in one of the French language’s many intricacies, cars are girls and trucks are boys. Nevertheless, we keep hearing of “ensuites” while we go to the master bathroom to shampoo with TRÈSemmé (“very sown”). Sometimes, sounding French is not quite the same as being French. Maybe because the aero body was as smooth as glass, a material made with silica sand? But in Quebec we never understood why Mercury was selling us sand – the direct translation. Sables are the cutest little critters, but sadly often sacrificed to make fur coats, a luxury item one might have once associated with the upscale Mercury brand. Toyota’s Mister Two, a mid-engined two-seater, had a cute name in English but sounded exactly like “ merdeux” in French, inspiring instead double-takes and the image of a “number two.” Perhaps a different numeral would have improved this Radwood-worthy Fiero-fighter’s street creds. To this day, despite the giant leaps in quality and performance, the rhyme is de facto tagged to the Corvette name in Quebec, no doubt hurting sales (to men, at least). In a rhyme fit for the Malaise era, “ Grosse Corvette petite qué**ette” was born, illustrating the inversely proportional sizes of a Corvette and its driver’s, ahem, virility. ![]() In 1974, the C3 Corvette lost its remaining chrome bumper and by ’75 the mighty 454 was gone, leaving an image of performance the ’Vette could not deliver on for years to come. Soon the Vega became the similar-sounding Dégât in Quebec (“mess”), and Astre the Désastre (“disaster”).ġ975– Chevrolet Corvette: The Smallest of Warships ![]() ![]() The Vega and its Canadian-exclusive twin, the Astre, became the most notoriously unreliable nameplates of the ’70s due to their repeated engine failures. Here’s a sample of such faux-pas in chronological order.ġ970–1977 Chevrolet Vega / Pontiac Astre: Truth in AdvertisingĪ cast-iron head and a sleeveless die-cast aluminum block were a cost-cutting marriage made in engineering hell. The French-Canadian customer is but a blip in the North American ocean, but nevertheless some of these vehicles may have enjoyed a better career up here had their birth certificates carried French-proof certification. Chevrolet’s Nova is one of the most infamous international faux pas of the past: “ no va” translating directly to Spanish as “no go.” Canada’s bilingual status adds a very market-specific layer of faux-pas potential, with our modest market receiving vehicles not usually intended for other French-speaking parts of the world. If “Mustang” conjures up images of wild horses gloriously bucking and running at speed in the plains, “XT5” sounds more like an umpteenth attempt at creating a COVID-19 vaccine in a lab.īut when naming a vehicle, beyond brand identity, product image, and marketing potential lie the perils of language and culture. Even before the advent of social media, the simple act of christening a new car model was cause for sleepless nights in boardrooms around the globe. What’s in a name? Plenty when it goes on the back of a car. ![]()
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