Naming a car is akin to giving a unique identity to refer a worldly object. It would be fascinating to note that most of these lavish and luxurious cars have a meaning behind their names and most of them have a history behind their origin.
Let’s check out etymologies of world’s famous car brands and car models:
Maruti
Maruti refers to the Hindu God Hanuman(son of wind), son of Marut(The wind God). Maruti Udyog Ltd. has created a sandstorm in the domestic automotive sector since its inception in 1981.
Maruti Omni: It is a Latin prefix meaning presence everywhere.
Maruti Alto: In choral music for mixed voices, “alto” describes the lowest part commonly sung by women.
Maruti Ritz: “Ritz” is an English word meaning a display of ostentatious elegance.
Maruti Celerio: “Celerio” follows the Greek root Celer which means swiftness or acceleration. Rio is just an extra suffix added to make the word sound good.
Maruti Swift: An English word meaning smart high-speed movement.
Maruti Baleno: Italian word meaning lightning or flash of light.
Maruti Ciaz: It is a compact car also known as Suzuki Alivio. Code-named as YL1, the Ciaz was developed to replace the Suzuki SX4 Sedan.
Hyundai
The name “Hyundai” comes from the Korean word (hanja form), which connotes modernity or the present age. Hyundai was founded as a small construction firm by Chung Ju-Yung in 1947.
Hyundai Eon: The word aeon, also spelled “eon”, originally means life, age or eternity.
Hyundai i10: Hyundai started development of the i10 to replace the Hyundai Atos, also known as the Santro.
Hyundai Xcent: It has been named after the outgoing Accent, that has volume of fan followings
Hyundai Verna: Accent was replaced in 2000 by the Hyundai Verna in South Korea, although most international markets, including the USA, retained the “Accent” name.
Hyundai Creta: The name “creta” was selected because the pronunciation of Creta evokes welcome similarities with the term creative.
Hyundai Elantra: The Hyundai Elantra or Hyundai Avante in South Korea, is a compact car from Hyundai of South Korea launched in 1990. It was formerly marketed as the Lantra in Australia and some European markets. Later the name was standardized as “Elantra”.
Hyundai Santa Fe: It is named after the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, it was introduced as Hyundai’s first SUV.
Honda
It is a common Japanese surname, named after its founder, Soichiro Honda. Honda became the second-largest Japanese automobile manufacturer in 2001
Honda Brio: “Brio” means energetic and cheerful in Italian.
Honda Amaze: Honda Amaze is a four-door subcompact sedan produced by Honda. It is the sedan version of the Brio.
Honda Jazz: The Honda Fit, also marketed as the Honda Jazz, is a five-door, front-engine, front wheel drive subcompact car manufactured and marketed by Honda.
Honda CR-V: It was loosely derived from the Honda civic. There are discrepancies in CR-V full form. It could either mean, Comfortable Runabout Vehicle, Compact Recreational Vehicle or Civic Recreational Vehicle.
Toyota
Derived from the name of the founder, Sakichi Toyoda. Initially called Toyoda, it was changed after a contest for a better-sounding name. Since Toyota literally means fertile rice paddies, changing the name also prevented the company from being associated with old-fashioned farming. The new name was written in katakana with eight strokes, a number that is considered lucky in Japan
Toyota Innova: Its official name in Indonesia is Toyota Kijang Innova while for other countries it is Innova. The name “Innova” comes from the English word Innovation
Toyota Fortuner: The first generation Fortuner was developed in Thailand by Thai and Japanese engineers. Its upgraded version was designed in Australia by Toyota Australia. The name “Fortuner” come from the English word, Fortune
Toyota Camry: The word Camry is derived from “kanmuri”, a Japanese term that means crown. The name fits considering that the Toyota Camry has been the nation’s top-selling car for 12 consecutive years
Toyota Supra: “Supra” doesn’t mean super, it is a Latin word that means above an apt name for a car that ranked above many of its high-performance competitors
Toyota Corolla: “Corolla” is a botany term, meaning the inner envelope of floral leaves, around the center part of a flower. In Latin, it stands for little garland. Toyota used the name Corolla to suggest something beautifully styled
Toyota Prius: In Latin, “Prius” means prior or coming before. The name was chosen because the Prius was launched before environmental awareness became a mainstream social issue
Toyota Celica: “Celica” is actually a Spanish word meaning celestial. A popular model even after its 2006 discontinuation, Celica’s name referred to its heavenly, out-of-this-world performance
Hope this blog gave you insight about many car names and their etymologies. This was just the first part of the Etymology Trivia, we are soon coming up with Part 2. Watch out for space and let us know if you have any questions in mind.