Studebaker car model name which meant "doesn't go" in Spanish

[Guest]

Greetings,
I've watched a documentary sometime (and its been quite a while) which chronicled the history of Studebaker, the up and downs of the company. And there it did mention a certain model by Studebaker which was given a rather misfortunate name that hampered its sales prospects in Latin America... By meaning something like doesn't go/run or something along those lines in Spanish. I couldn't remember which model it was, I guess here would be the place to ask. Since this is my first post in this very forum and that i haven't read all the forum rules yet, I'm posting in this section. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you all.

[studegary]

Welcome to the SDC Forum!
I don't know of any Studebaker names that fit that category, but I do not speak Spanish. I did think that the GM Chevrolet Nova did fit that category. I owned a Nova Twin Cam model that was a very good car, except that it "ate" exhaust systems that were unique to that one year, one model car.

[Chris Pile]

Nova in Spanish means literally, "no go".
You should be barking up a Chevy tree.

[BobGlasscock]

It would actually be " no va". Two words.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Greetings,
I've watched a documentary sometime (and its been quite a while) which chronicled the history of Studebaker, the up and downs of the company. And there it did mention a certain model by Studebaker which was given a rather misfortunate name that hampered its sales prospects in Latin America... By meaning something like doesn't go/run or something along those lines in Spanish. I couldn't remember which model it was, I guess here would be the place to ask. Since this is my first post in this very forum and that i haven't read all the forum rules yet, I'm posting in this section. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you all.

[rockinhawk]

Don't know about the Studebaker name but I have qwned some MGs I figgured out those letters stand for "Might Go" But it should be followed by Might Not!

[JBOYLE]

We have many Spanish-speaking members from South America (I enjoy their articles in Turning Wheels) and have never heard that. I think adk might be mistaken.

[Jim B PEI]

The Chevy 'Nova' is perfectly good Latin, as Nova Scotia for New Scotland. Nova is also bright, like a nova in sun terms. But if they wanted "new" in Spanish speaking countries, it should have been Chevy Neuvo?/Neuva ? instead on Nova, because as pointed out "Nova" is too close to "No va!". In French, a model with the letters MTS would get as many snickers as a Chevy STD (and it means the same thing!) so you have to beware of language and cultural pitfalls.

I seem to recall somehow that it was especially an issue with the Chevy Nova in Puerto Rico which as a US commonwealth territory, received US version cars. Not sure if the Chevy Nova was sold elsewhere under "that" name in Latin America, though.

Like the Clairol? curling iron the "Mist Stick", which sounds like 'mystic' in English. However, it was a definite sales disaster in Germany!

[1962larksedan]

For that matter: Buick couldn't use 'LaCrosse' in Canada due to that word being off color with the Francophones-----------never mind it's a city name in Wisconsin. Mitsubishi went with 'Montero' instead of 'Pajero' due to the latter's crude connotations in Latin America (similar meaning to lacrosse).

[Guest]

I was definitely mistaken but apperently you already knew well enough what I tried to mean. I merged two documentaries in vague memory i guess. Whole bunch of thanks everyone... for the wealth of information. One couldn't possibly ask for more. And special thanks to DEEPNHOCK for going the extra mile to give a welcome to the forum in my native Turkish. (a bit off but effort counts, thx once more)

[Ricardo]

Being Chilean and Spanish my native languague I can explain: Everybody is right except the presentator in that documentary mentioned by ADK: Chevrolet named its car after a Constellation (Nova) but in Spanish "no va" (separated ) means "does not go."

Nevertheless that car was quite dependabel and at least in Chile, the Nova name was never taken as " No va"

[Chris_Dresbach]

Welcome to the forum!

I can't speak a word of Spanish, but I know Avanti means foreward in Italian.

[8E45E]

Greetings,
I've watched a documentary sometime (and its been quite a while) which chronicled the history of Studebaker, the up and downs of the company. And there it did mention a certain model by Studebaker which was given a rather misfortunate name that hampered its sales prospects in Latin America....

In 1927, Studebaker affixed model names to their cars instead of numbers, and used politcal titles and miltary ranks for them at first, with "President", "Commander" "Chancellor" and "Dictator". By the mid-thirties, the "Dictator" name started having bad connotations for obvious reasons, and in certain European markets (and maybe Latin America too, but not sure), renamed it the "Director". That change has been mentioned from time to time in various documentaries on Studebaker history.

Craig

[Ricardo]

Yes Craig. In Latin America the car was sold under the Director name.

[Steve T]

Our minister at church used that "Chevy no va" story in a sermon illustration years ago; an Ecuadorean family in the congregation (it's a very diverse and interesting downtown congregation) thought the whole thing a bit daft, and recalled that there were plenty of Novas sold down south! The story sure seems to have "legs" though.

S.