Embarrassed GM to rename car with risque overtones
( 2003-10-24 10:03) (Agencies)
General Motors Corp will
rename its Buick LaCrosse in Canada because the name for the car is slang for
masturbation in Quebec, embarrassed officials with the U.S. automaker said
Thursday.
GM officials, who declined to be named, said it had been unaware that
LaCrosse was a term for self-gratification among teenagers in French-speaking
Quebec.
GM officials in Canada are working on a new name for the car, a sedan that
will go on sale next year to replace the Buick Regal.
The mix-up is reminiscent of another GM vehicle with an unfortunate name. In
the 1970s, GM exported its Chevrolet Nova to Mexico and other Spanish-speaking
countries, only to be told that Nova translated into "doesn't go." Despite the
name, and contrary to popular folklore, the car sold well.
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