Re: L'École des Ordures?

Tony Raven said:

Nova is an urban myth, Starion is in the undecided class and Pajero is
true:

If you want the Minister for Silly Product Names, he must surely be
Japanese! Anyone for a can of Pocari Sweat?

James
--
If I have seen further than others, it is
by treading on the toes of giants.
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/julesandjames/home/

James Annan said:

Tony Raven said:

Nova is an urban myth, Starion is in the undecided class and Pajero is
true:

If you want the Minister for Silly Product Names, he must surely be
Japanese! Anyone for a can of Pocari Sweat?

James

They don't have a monopoly by any means -
http://www.spanish-country-villa.com/ftons/page2.html

Tony

Tony Raven said:

They don't have a monopoly by any means -
http://www.spanish-country-villa.com/ftons/page2.html

I've seen somewhere in the depths of the Interweb a soft drink named
"Pikey", while my man Hobbs, Midsomer Norton's premier Hank Williams fan,
assures me that there is another soft drink in Spain named "Radical Sin
Gas".

I have not the words, and neither, apparently, do they.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

Gawnsoft said:

I'm still not sure I believe the 'debunking' of the Nova.

OTOH, Vauxhall retained the "Nova" name for a couple of model cycles, on the
grounds that no right-thinking BRITON would want to buy a car which was
Coarser.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 08:59:54 +0100, Tony Raven <[email hidden]>
wrote (more or less):

Quoted message said:

Graeme said:

Lardychap <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Err, so was this another car that failed the international test, like
the No Va, the Pajero and the Starrion?

Yep. MR2 sounds like "merde" in French. I know the Nova explanation, but
what about Pajero and Starrion?

Graeme

Nova is an urban myth, Starion is in the undecided class and Pajero is true:

http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp
http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/starion.asp (which included Pajero)

I'm still not sure I believe the 'debunking' of the Nova.

--
Cheers,
Euan
Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122
Smalltalk links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk) http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

Dave Larrington said:

OTOH, Vauxhall retained the "Nova" name for a couple of model cycles, on the
grounds that no right-thinking BRITON would want to buy a car which was
Coarser.

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called Vauxhall here?

Roos

Roos Eisma <[email hidden]> wrote in news:411cbfc2$0$49711
[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called Vauxhall here?

It's just the names of the original car companies that existed prior to
being bought by General Motors. They have Holden here in Australia that
sells the Astra and the Corsa (as the Barina) as well as the uniquely
Australian fuel hungry Commodore V8.

Graeme

Roos Eisma said:

Dave Larrington said:

OTOH, Vauxhall retained the "Nova" name for a couple of model cycles, on the
grounds that no right-thinking BRITON would want to buy a car which was
Coarser.

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called Vauxhall here?

Roos

Both Opel and Vauxhall have been subsidiaries of General Motors since the
1920's, Opel being a German company and Vauxhall British. They produced
their own designs until the 1970s when models were standardised.

I guess that someone thinks that calling the cars Opels in the UK would
have a negative effect on sales. Can't see the problem myself. In Ireland
the cars are badged as Opels, although a large number of second Vauxhalls
imported from the UK can also be seen.

--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's
nothing trivial." - Irvin S. Cobb
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk

Roos Eisma said:

Dave Larrington said:

OTOH, Vauxhall retained the "Nova" name for a couple of model cycles, on the
grounds that no right-thinking BRITON would want to buy a car which was
Coarser.

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called Vauxhall here?

Branding. When Vauxhall became part of GMC, the Vauxhall name was well
established in the UK and therefore retained. Ditto Opel in Europe.
GMC cars are also known as Buicks, Oldsmobiles, Pontiacs, Chevrolets and
Cadillacs.

Tony

Michael MacClancy said:

Roos Eisma said:

Dave Larrington said:

OTOH, Vauxhall retained the "Nova" name for a couple of model
cycles, on the grounds that no right-thinking BRITON would want to
buy a car which was Coarser.

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called
Vauxhall here?

Both Opel and Vauxhall have been subsidiaries of General Motors since the
1920's, Opel being a German company and Vauxhall British. They produced
their own designs until the 1970s when models were standardised.

I guess that someone thinks that calling the cars Opels in the UK would
have a negative effect on sales.

I've certainly seen car ads where Fords, Vauxhalls and Rovers (pre-MG
days) are grouped together as British cars.

Why a Belgian made Mondeo is more British than a Derby made Avensis,
I've no idea, but that's the way it is.

Opels, however, are German, so that's a no go. Despite the fact that
they're made on the same production lines as Vauxhalls.

A

Ambrose Nankivell said:

Opels, however, are German, so that's a no go. Despite the fact that
they're made on the same production lines as Vauxhalls.

Which are, depending on the model, quite possibly in Belgium, Spain or
Poland...

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

Ambrose Nankivell said:

Opels, however, are German, so that's a no go.

For whom though? BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen are German too!

I would have thought Opel was a better name than one of London's less
pleasant boroughs.

--
Michael MacClancy
Random putdown - "I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't
it." -Groucho Marx
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk
www.macclancy.co.uk

Roos Eisma said:

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called Vauxhall here?

They used to be different companies, then Vauxhall and Opel merged, and
then they were all bought up by General Motors and now the only
difference is superficial branding variations for different
international markets.

d.

"davek" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Roos Eisma said:

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called Vauxhall

here?

Quoted message said:

They used to be different companies, then Vauxhall and Opel merged, and
then they were all bought up by General Motors and now the only
difference is superficial branding variations for different
international markets.

I suspect your order is wrong but the principle right.

From memory GM bought both Opel and Vauxhall -- two separate companies -- in
the early 1920's.

They continued to operate as separate divisions until globalisation started
to bite in the 1970's. Initially there were shared components but, by the
time of the Cavalier/?? and Chevette/Kadette the only difference was which
side the steering wheel was mounted and the badge.

Of course, the Irish drive right hand drive cars with an Opel badge -- just
to confuse!!

I went round their Rudesheim factory about 12 years ago. Opels & Vauxhalls
were coming down the line one behind the next.

T

"Ambrose Nankivell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Tony W said:

"davek" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
They continued to operate as separate divisions until globalisation

started

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to bite in the 1970's. Initially there were shared components but, by

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

time of the Cavalier/?? and Chevette/Kadette the only difference was

which

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

side the steering wheel was mounted and the badge.

Ascona

That's the puppy.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Of course, the Irish drive right hand drive cars with an Opel badge --

just

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to confuse!!

I went round their Rudesheim factory about 12 years ago. Opels &

Vauxhalls

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

were coming down the line one behind the next.

Obviously. But Vauxhalls are still British cars. Obviously.

Yep. As British as Chicken Tikka Masala & 15 pints of lager.

T

Tony W said:

"davek" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
They continued to operate as separate divisions until globalisation started
to bite in the 1970's. Initially there were shared components but, by the
time of the Cavalier/?? and Chevette/Kadette the only difference was which
side the steering wheel was mounted and the badge.

Ascona

Quoted message said:

Of course, the Irish drive right hand drive cars with an Opel badge -- just
to confuse!!

I went round their Rudesheim factory about 12 years ago. Opels & Vauxhalls
were coming down the line one behind the next.

Obviously. But Vauxhalls are still British cars. Obviously.

A

Ambrose Nankivell said:

Obviously. But Vauxhalls are still British cars. Obviously.

As are Jaguars, Land Rovers, Aston Martins, Lotuses, TVRs, Minis.......

Tony

in message <[email hidden]>, Roos Eisma

(') said:

Dave Larrington said:

OTOH, Vauxhall retained the "Nova" name for a couple of model cycles,
on the grounds that no right-thinking BRITON would want to buy a car
which was Coarser.

btw, can anybody explain why what I know as Opel is called Vauxhall
here?

Because Vauxhall is called Opel there.

No, seriously, one of England's oldest car companies was the Vauxhall
Motor Company, in Vauxhall (south of the river in London). A long time
ago Vauxhall Motor Company was bought by General Motors. Sometime
later, Opel were also bought by General Motors. Both 'Opel' and
'Vauxhall' are used by General Motors to make it seem to people in
Germany and in England that they still have distinctive local car
makers. This presumably helps them sell cars. FWIW my car is really an
Isuzu, shipped from Japan to a sub-contract factory somewhere in the
English midlands (not actually a Vauxhall or even a General Motors
factory at all) where it is assembled and then badged with either a
Vauxhall badge to sell to people in the UK, or an Opel badge to sell to
people on the continent.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

'You cannot put "The Internet" into the Recycle Bin.'

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

But what is it about the British that means that this is the only country
in Europe where a Vauxhall/Opel isn't called an Opel? Zenophobia?

Not necessarily xenophobia, but simply that the Vauxhall brand was
already established here, and the Opel brand established in mainland
Europe. Not really much of a reason to change.

Jon