Honda is altering the naming of its electric cars after prospects discovered the e:N badging too troublesome to pronounce.
The Japanese model unveiled the brand new naming system on the Beijing motor show, beginning with the Ye P7 large SUV that can go on sale in China later this yr.
Honda UK imports its sole EV, the e:Ny1 small SUV, from China, the place the e:N naming conference comes from, and the identify can be modified when the automotive is facelifted, a supply near Honda mentioned.
“Customers in China just can’t pronounce it,” the supply instructed Autocar.
The replace, anticipated subsequent yr, will even incorporate a few of the design options of the P7, together with the illuminated Honda badge, the supply mentioned.
In China, Honda makes use of both the e:NS1 or e:NP1 name for its small electrical SUV, relying on whether or not the automotive is made by its three way partnership with Dongfeng or that with GAC, whereas in Europe it makes use of e:Ny1.
Under the brand new naming scheme, Honda in China has stored the P and S letters relying on which three way partnership builds the automotive, which means it may in Europe rename the automotive the Y1.
Keeping the Y factor would additionally keep away from awkward conversions with McLaren or Audi if utilizing the P1 or S1 identify.
Audi has been very protecting of its naming system, final yr forcing Chinese EV maker Nio to vary the identify of its ES6 and ES8 SUVs on the idea that they sounded an excessive amount of like S6 and S8.
The new P7/S7 is the primary of Honda’s new Ye Series vehicles, primarily based on a newly developed EV-specific platform. Honda has mentioned it can launch a complete of 10 new EVs in China by 2027.
The separate EV branding is a part of a method by Honda in China to maneuver its model upmarket within the change to electrical in an effort to raised compete amid a brutal worth battle.
The change to the brand new naming and design language got here too late for the brand new e:NS2 mid-size hatchback, which has simply gone on sale in China at ¥159,800 (£17,700) – a worth so low-cost that Honda loses the equal of £5500 per automotive, the supply mentioned.
The e:NS2, which may doubtlessly comply with the e:Ny1 to Europe, has a 68.8kWh battery pack for a CLTC vary of 339 miles.
Honda sells the e:Ny1 within the UK from £39,995, though it has been giving heavy reductions (presently £3000, with finance at simply 1.9% APR) in an effort to hit its ZEV mandate goal for 2024.
Audi confused us all in 2017 when it launched a double-digit naming scheme throughout the lineup. The terminology relies on output, from “30” for automobiles which have 109-128 horsepower as much as “70” for automobiles with a minimum of 536 hp. The two-numeral mixture seems alongside the standard badges similar to TFSI, TDI, and Quattro. After solely seven years, the corporate has determined to maneuver away from these obscure designations.
Leading the best way is the Q6 E-Tron revealed this week, though the swap technically began with the Q8 E-Tron. You will not discover the numbers on the bigger electrical SUV’s tailgate both. However, Audi nonetheless makes use of the complicated naming technique within the official documentation for the Q8 E-Tron. Florian Hauser, Audi’s Head of Sales & Product Marketing for Battery Electric Vehicles, advised Auto Express the corporate does not have to put numbers anymore.
The Four Rings wish to simplify a mannequin’s choices, pointing towards the brand new electrical crossover. The common Q6 with all-wheel drive is called Q6 E-Tron Quattro whereas the recent one is SQ6 E-Tron. A future rear-wheel-drive variant will go by the identify of Q6 E-Tron. However, Audi may need so as to add a suffix similar to “Performance” to make clear the lineup of a mannequin supplied with a number of battery dimension selections.
It’s not simply EVs that may undertake the streamlined naming scheme since gasoline and diesel automobiles are sure to observe go well with. Well, type of. Audi advised the British journal the two-digit mixture will likely be faraway from the trunk lids and tailgates of ICE-powered automobiles. However, the Ingolstadt-based marque hasn’t determined whether or not the earlier nomenclature will likely be dropped fully by taking it off configurators, advertising and marketing supplies, and so on.
There are extra name-related modifications on the best way. A 12 months in the past, former Audi CEO Markus Duesmann confirmed the A4 would become the A5 for its subsequent era, very similar to the A6 will transition to the A7 moniker. Consequently, prepare for an A5/S5/RS5 Avant and an A7/S7/RS7 Avant, as bizarre as these could sound. It stays to be seen whether or not there will likely be a sedan successor to the outgoing A4 since all spy pictures have proven the five-door Sportback. It can be an uncommon transfer from Audi to cease providing a rival for the BMW 3 Series Sedan and Mercedes C-Class Sedan.
Leveling up the gasoline/diesel A4 and A6 is a part of the corporate’s plan to make use of odd numbers for automobiles outfitted with combustion engines and even numbers for EVs. Renaming the 2 mannequin lineups will create room within the portfolio for battery-powered A4 and A6 fashions.
Elsewhere, Audi intends to drop the A1 supermini and Q2 subcompact crossover after the current-generation fashions run their course. The TT was axed in November 2023 and manufacturing of the R8 will finish this month.
Meanwhile, it is cooking up a full-size Q9 SUV with a spacious third row as a belated reply to the Mercedes GLS and BMW X7. The Q9 will likely be among the many final new fashions with ICE energy since Audi intends to launch solely EVs from 2026. It plans to finish manufacturing of gasoline automobiles by 2033 to turn into an electric-only model.
The different names may doubtlessly be used for particular editions of the Thar, or to undertake a brand new naming technique for the variants (like Tata)
The Mahindra Thar 5 door has been one of the crucial anticipated SUVs, for over a yr now. Its launch has been scheduled for 2024, and the SUV was additionally caught testing in a closer-to-production guise just lately. It now looks like Mahindra is within the technique of finalising a reputation for the manufacturing model of the Thar 5-door, and has just lately trademarked 7 names.
We imagine the carmaker may use these names for the Thar 5 door’s variants. Tata just lately rebranded its variant nomenclature with the facelifted Nexon, Harrier, and Safari SUVs from simply letters to correct phrases. It may additionally use among the newly trademarked identities to launch new variants within the Thar 3-door mannequin’s lineup as effectively.
That mentioned, these logos may additionally trace at the opportunity of Mahindra rolling out particular editions of each the 3-door and 5-door variations of the Thar, one thing just like what Jeep has finished with the Wrangler SUV within the worldwide markets.
Powertrains And Launch Timeline
The Mahindra Thar 5-door is predicted to get the identical 2-litre turbo-petrol and a pair of.2-litre diesel engines as its 3-door iteration, probably with elevated outputs. Both engines ought to get handbook and automated transmission choices. The Thar 5 door may additionally provide a alternative of each rear-wheel-drive (RWD) and 4-wheel-drive (4WD).
We count on the extra sensible Thar to go on sale within the first half of 2024 at an anticipated beginning worth of Rs 15 lakh (ex-showroom). It will likely be an even bigger various to the Maruti Jimny, whereas additionally going up in opposition to the soon-to-be-launched 5-door Force Gurkha.
Polestar’s naming scheme is very straightforward: the Polestar 3 is the third model since the brand was separated from Volvo as an independent car maker.
However, this alone doesn’t provide much information about its positioning, especially given that the Polestar 4, Polestar 5, and Polestar 6 have already been unveiled. To clarify, the Polestar 3 is a large electric SUV aiming to compete with the Audi Q8 E-tron, BMW iX, and Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV. The 4 is a smaller and sleeker SUV, the 5 is comparable to the Porsche Taycan, and the 6 is a roadster (all electric vehicles).
As a result, Polestar is rapidly expanding its range from a single car to a diverse line-up. In the spotlight today is the Polestar 3, as we’ve had the opportunity to drive an early prototype. Set to be the first to launch in the second quarter of 2024, it is also the first model to be exclusively designed as a Polestar, unlike the Polestar 1 coupé and Polestar 2 hatchback, which were originally intended to be Volvos.
Nevertheless, this does not signify that Polestar has severed connections with Volvo; in fact, the Geely-owned Swedish brands are becoming more integrated, and the Polestar 3 is essentially a sibling car of the Volvo EX90, Volvo’s upcoming large, three-row SUV.
Both vehicles share the same all-new SPA platform, mammoth 111kWh battery pack, 2985mm wheelbase, 250kW maximum charging speed, and dual motors in some versions. The interior design feels distinctively Volvo-esque, with similarities in the steering wheel, column stalks, and large infotainment touchscreen. Similarly, the centre console bears a strong resemblance to that of the EX90.
Naming a car is just as important as the product itself and carmakers, often, create new words just to achieve a nice connotation to a new model’s name. The right name for the car can, often, directly influence a car’s success in the market, and there have been more than a few cases where choosing the wrong name for a car has resulted in a sales disaster. Sometimes, car manufacturers are forced to rename a model for a certain market, due to the original name having a rather negative or hilarious meaning in certain languages.
A case in point was the Mitsubishi Pajero, which was sold as the Montero in Spain, the reason being “pajero” in Spanish slang means “wanker”. That didn’t stop the Japanese SUV from becoming a legend, but others were less fortunate. More often than not, however, car companies nail it when it comes to a car’s name.
Sometimes, a good car name can only consist of a three-digit number, as sports car maker, Porsche has proven in many cases. Others, like supercar maker Pagani, are more dramatic. You probably wondered what some of your favorite cars’ names mean, and we have provided the answer for these epic models, listed below.
To make the article more informative, we gathered detailed performance specifications for each car on the list, from Automobile Catalog’s rich performance database. Models in this list have been arranged based on when they first debuted
In the mid-1960s, the Ford Mustang made the revolution, giving young Americans an affordable, fun sporty car. The Pony car segment was born, but GM was not about to let Ford have all the glory. In 1967, Chevrolet unveiled a Pony car of its own – the Camaro. This started one of the greatest automotive rivals in history, and eventually, the Camaro became one of the most popular platforms. The meaning of the name Camaro was not as straightforward as the Mustang.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS396 Specifications
Engine
6.4-liter V-8
Transmission
3-speed auto/3-4-speed manual
Drivetrain
Front-engine, RWD
Power
325-375 hp
Torque
410-415 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
6.7-5.4 seconds
Top Speed
126-137 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The word, itself, had French roots and meant friend/pal. That doesn’t quite explain why the Camaro has what resembles a French flag turned 90 degrees. The brand’s founder, Louis Chevrolet was Swiss-born, which is as close as the French connection with Chevrolet gets. Still, the Camaro was a worthy competitor despite Ford’s Mustang having a head start. In 1977, the Camaro outsold Ford’s Mustang for the first time.
Another iconic, Italian car name comes from the DeTomaso. Mangusta was the brand’s second model, after the Vallelunga. The Mangusta was also mid-engine and was also motivated by a Ford engine, only this time, it was a 289 V-8, shared with the Mustang Shelby GT350. There was also a more “laid-back” version of the car, powered by a much more conservatively tuned Ford 302 V-8.
1967 DeTomaso Mangusta Specifications
Engine
4.7-liter V-8
Transmission
5-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
305 hp
Torque
411 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
4.7 seconds
Top Speed
155 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
DeTomaso was meant to compete with the Shelby Cobra and the name was not chosen by accident. Mangusta was Italian for mongoose- an animal that prays on snakes. Any car meant to compete with the extremely scary Shelby Cobra was no joke, and while DeTomaso Mangusta was one of the fastest cars in the 1960s, the Cobra was lighter, more powerful, and ultimately, the faster car. Still, the DeTomaso Mangusta is aggressive enough to be used as inspiration for the latest Batmobile.
81974 Lamborghini Countach
Mecum
By all accounts, the Marcello Gandini-designed Lamborghini Countach left its mark in the automotive world. Its 16-year production run certainly contributed to that, but it was more about the styling of the car. The Countach was outrageous in every way – a fact underlined even by its name. While a more literal translation of the name would mean “plague” or “contagion”, Countach was used in a different context when it came to the Lamborghini supercar. In Italian slang, “Countach” was used to express amazement, something like “goodness” for lack of a more subtle expression. Indeed, that was the typical reaction when one saw the Countach or even drove it.
Almost all Ferrari models are of legendary status, but one of the most iconic nameplates of the carmaker that stands out is Testarossa. The name was first used on a Ferrari in 1957, on the Ferrari 250 Testarossa. Nowadays, it is mostly associated with the 1984 Ferrari Testarossa as the name is not preceded by a number. The name “testa rossa” means “redhead” in Italian. This refers not to the usual for most Ferrari cars, bright-red paint, but to the red cam covers on the V-12 engine (which was, technically, a flat-12), which was another signature trait of Ferrari cars.
1984 Ferrari Testarossa Specifications
Engine
4.9-liter Flat-12
Transmission
5-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
385 hp
Torque
354 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
5.3 seconds
Top Speed
181 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The 1984 Testarossa may not have been the fastest thing of its day, but it was one of the most striking vehicles when it came to styling. It was certainly brash enough to be the poster car of the 1984-1989 “Miami Vice” TV series.
Sometimes, the most iconic car names are simple abbreviations. Such is the case with the ground-breaking Honda NSX. The Japanese, mid-engine supercar showed the world, supercars could be reliable and easy to live with, and you didn’t need to have a team of specialized mechanics on stand-by, 24/7. The car’s clever engineering and exceptional chassis, dialed in by legendary F1 driver, Ayrton Senna, made the NSX into a legend.
1991 Honda NSX Specifications
Engine
3.0-liter V-6
Transmission
5-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
276 hp
Torque
217 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
5.6 seconds
Top Speed
168 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The name is well-known among JDM enthusiasts and the three letters stand for “New Sports Car eXperimental”. The experiment paid off since the Honda/ Acura NSX is a desired Japanese sports car even more than 30 years after its debut. Sadly, the second-generation NSX did not enjoy the same success despite, once again, being groundbreaking.
51999 Pagani Zonda
Norbert Aepli/Wikimedia Commons
Boutique carmakers like Pagani make some truly astonishing vehicles, both, in terms of engineering and finish. The Italian carmaker, based near Modena, is named after its founder, Horacio Pagani. The company name, itself, is derived from a few different meanings and deserves its paragraph. Pagani’s first model, the Zonda, is named after a South American hot wind, which swoops down from the Andes to the Argentine Pampas.
1999 Pagani Zonda C12/ C12 S Specifications
Engine
6.0-7.0-liter V-12
Transmission
5/6-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
395-542 hp
Torque
420-531 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.7-3.6 seconds
Top Speed
185-208 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The car is as dramatic as the name suggests, not just, because of the styling, but also because of its very-torquey, Mercedes-derived V-12 engine. Even more impressive is the fact the Zonda could be had with a manual transmission, in times when paddle-shift automatics were starting to take over.
In 1973, Porsche introduced one of its most well-known model names, the Carrera. This designation was almost always exclusive to the 911, and in more recent years, it signifies the base model of the rear-engine sports car. However, the Carrera name stood on its own, for the first time, in the 2004 Porsche Carrera GT. It is a well-known fact that “GT” stands for Gran Turismo in the car world. Carrera on the other hand, means “race” in Spanish.
2004 Porsche Carrera GT Specifications
Engine
5.7-liter V-10
Transmission
6-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
612 hp
Torque
435 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.4 seconds
Top Speed
205 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
Even the base-model 911 is quick enough to be a capable racer and throughout the years, the 911 saw great success in a variety of racing series and with different iterations of the car. The Carrera GT was equally worthy of the name due to no small part to its V-10 engine, which was initially developed for Formula 1, later repurposed for Le Mans, and finally put in the production-version Porsche Carrera GT.
Porsche’s Panamera is one of the more modern entries on the list, with the first generation dating back to 2009. Porsche has been experimenting with the idea of a “four-door 911” for decades, but it finally came to fruition with the Panamera. Porsche also boasts of a proud racing heritage and this new, groundbreaking model had to be named appropriately.
2009 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Specifications
Engine
4.8-liter Twin-turbo V-8
Transmission
7-speed PDK auto
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Power
500 hp
Torque
516 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.8 seconds
Top Speed
188 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The Panamera name was not chosen randomly as it is a derivative of “Panamerica” – a highway on which the Carrera Americana road race was held. It’s also said to be the longest road, spanning from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, North America down to Ushuaia, at the top of Argentina, in South America. Although this was a luxury, four-door model, it was still a Porsche, and it needed a name that matched its exceptional performance, especially in S, GTS, and Turbo variants. Despite the all-electric Taycan’s recent success, the Panamera will not die just yet.
22011 Pagani Huayra
Pagani
Pagani’s second model, the Huayra, was even more dramatic than the Zonda. The immaculate finish on even the smallest detail along with the impressive mechanicals of the hypercar allowed the Huayra to be as successful as its predecessor, despite early models resembling a deep-sea fish. Luckily, the front end was fixed with later versions that quickly followed.
2011 Pagani Huayra Specifications
Engine
6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12
Transmission
7-speed auto
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
730 hp
Torque
737 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.1 seconds
Top Speed
224 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
Propulsion still came from Mercedes AMG in the form of a big V-12, but this time, forced induction was added for even more oompf. That is unless we count the Huayra R, which boasts one of the most powerful naturally aspirated engines. As for the name, it comes from Huayra-tata a South American God of the Wind, revered in the Andes. Interestingly enough, the names was shared by another, much more obscure car – Huayra Pronello Ford – which was Argentinian-made but powered by a Ford Y-Block V-8.
Koenigsegg makes some of the most groundbreaking hypercars in the business. Even the first model of the Swiss brand, the CC8S, managed to achieve a higher top speed than the McLaren F1, although the British model ended up with a higher average speed from three trials. While many of Koenigseg’s high-performance cars feature simple designations, made of letters and numbers, the Jesko stands out. If you are from a Scandinavian country, the name may not be as unusual to you.
Jesko was meant to be the ultimate Koenigsegg and the founder, Christian von Koenigsegg named the car after his father – Jesko. While Jesko Attack is built for racetrack domination, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is more “slippery” and set up for top-speed runs. Koenigsegg said Jesko Absolut will be the last model built with top speed records in mind.
Naming a car is just as important as the product itself and carmakers, often, create new words just to achieve a nice connotation to a new model’s name. The right name for the car can, often, directly influence a car’s success in the market, and there have been more than a few cases where choosing the wrong name for a car has resulted in a sales disaster. Sometimes, car manufacturers are forced to rename a model for a certain market, due to the original name having a rather negative or hilarious meaning in certain languages.
A case in point was the Mitsubishi Pajero, which was sold as the Montero in Spain, the reason being “pajero” in Spanish slang means “wanker”. That didn’t stop the Japanese SUV from becoming a legend, but others were less fortunate. More often than not, however, car companies nail it when it comes to a car’s name.
Sometimes, a good car name can only consist of a three-digit number, as sports car maker, Porsche has proven in many cases. Others, like supercar maker Pagani, are more dramatic. You probably wondered what some of your favorite cars’ names mean, and we have provided the answer for these epic models, listed below.
To make the article more informative, we gathered detailed performance specifications for each car on the list, from Automobile Catalog’s rich performance database. Models in this list have been arranged based on when they first debuted
In the mid-1960s, the Ford Mustang made the revolution, giving young Americans an affordable, fun sporty car. The Pony car segment was born, but GM was not about to let Ford have all the glory. In 1967, Chevrolet unveiled a Pony car of its own – the Camaro. This started one of the greatest automotive rivals in history, and eventually, the Camaro became one of the most popular platforms. The meaning of the name Camaro was not as straightforward as the Mustang.
1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS396 Specifications
Engine
6.4-liter V-8
Transmission
3-speed auto/3-4-speed manual
Drivetrain
Front-engine, RWD
Power
325-375 hp
Torque
410-415 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
6.7-5.4 seconds
Top Speed
126-137 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The word, itself, had French roots and meant friend/pal. That doesn’t quite explain why the Camaro has what resembles a French flag turned 90 degrees. The brand’s founder, Louis Chevrolet was Swiss-born, which is as close as the French connection with Chevrolet gets. Still, the Camaro was a worthy competitor despite Ford’s Mustang having a head start. In 1977, the Camaro outsold Ford’s Mustang for the first time.
Another iconic, Italian car name comes from the DeTomaso. Mangusta was the brand’s second model, after the Vallelunga. The Mangusta was also mid-engine and was also motivated by a Ford engine, only this time, it was a 289 V-8, shared with the Mustang Shelby GT350. There was also a more “laid-back” version of the car, powered by a much more conservatively tuned Ford 302 V-8.
1967 DeTomaso Mangusta Specifications
Engine
4.7-liter V-8
Transmission
5-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
305 hp
Torque
411 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
4.7 seconds
Top Speed
155 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
DeTomaso was meant to compete with the Shelby Cobra and the name was not chosen by accident. Mangusta was Italian for mongoose- an animal that prays on snakes. Any car meant to compete with the extremely scary Shelby Cobra was no joke, and while DeTomaso Mangusta was one of the fastest cars in the 1960s, the Cobra was lighter, more powerful, and ultimately, the faster car. Still, the DeTomaso Mangusta is aggressive enough to be used as inspiration for the latest Batmobile.
81974 Lamborghini Countach
Mecum
By all accounts, the Marcello Gandini-designed Lamborghini Countach left its mark in the automotive world. Its 16-year production run certainly contributed to that, but it was more about the styling of the car. The Countach was outrageous in every way – a fact underlined even by its name. While a more literal translation of the name would mean “plague” or “contagion”, Countach was used in a different context when it came to the Lamborghini supercar. In Italian slang, “Countach” was used to express amazement, something like “goodness” for lack of a more subtle expression. Indeed, that was the typical reaction when one saw the Countach or even drove it.
Almost all Ferrari models are of legendary status, but one of the most iconic nameplates of the carmaker that stands out is Testarossa. The name was first used on a Ferrari in 1957, on the Ferrari 250 Testarossa. Nowadays, it is mostly associated with the 1984 Ferrari Testarossa as the name is not preceded by a number. The name “testa rossa” means “redhead” in Italian. This refers not to the usual for most Ferrari cars, bright-red paint, but to the red cam covers on the V-12 engine (which was, technically, a flat-12), which was another signature trait of Ferrari cars.
1984 Ferrari Testarossa Specifications
Engine
4.9-liter Flat-12
Transmission
5-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
385 hp
Torque
354 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
5.3 seconds
Top Speed
181 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The 1984 Testarossa may not have been the fastest thing of its day, but it was one of the most striking vehicles when it came to styling. It was certainly brash enough to be the poster car of the 1984-1989 “Miami Vice” TV series.
Sometimes, the most iconic car names are simple abbreviations. Such is the case with the ground-breaking Honda NSX. The Japanese, mid-engine supercar showed the world, supercars could be reliable and easy to live with, and you didn’t need to have a team of specialized mechanics on stand-by, 24/7. The car’s clever engineering and exceptional chassis, dialed in by legendary F1 driver, Ayrton Senna, made the NSX into a legend.
1991 Honda NSX Specifications
Engine
3.0-liter V-6
Transmission
5-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
276 hp
Torque
217 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
5.6 seconds
Top Speed
168 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The name is well-known among JDM enthusiasts and the three letters stand for “New Sports Car eXperimental”. The experiment paid off since the Honda/ Acura NSX is a desired Japanese sports car even more than 30 years after its debut. Sadly, the second-generation NSX did not enjoy the same success despite, once again, being groundbreaking.
51999 Pagani Zonda
Norbert Aepli/Wikimedia Commons
Boutique carmakers like Pagani make some truly astonishing vehicles, both, in terms of engineering and finish. The Italian carmaker, based near Modena, is named after its founder, Horacio Pagani. The company name, itself, is derived from a few different meanings and deserves its paragraph. Pagani’s first model, the Zonda, is named after a South American hot wind, which swoops down from the Andes to the Argentine Pampas.
1999 Pagani Zonda C12/ C12 S Specifications
Engine
6.0-7.0-liter V-12
Transmission
5/6-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
395-542 hp
Torque
420-531 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.7-3.6 seconds
Top Speed
185-208 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The car is as dramatic as the name suggests, not just, because of the styling, but also because of its very-torquey, Mercedes-derived V-12 engine. Even more impressive is the fact the Zonda could be had with a manual transmission, in times when paddle-shift automatics were starting to take over.
In 1973, Porsche introduced one of its most well-known model names, the Carrera. This designation was almost always exclusive to the 911, and in more recent years, it signifies the base model of the rear-engine sports car. However, the Carrera name stood on its own, for the first time, in the 2004 Porsche Carrera GT. It is a well-known fact that “GT” stands for Gran Turismo in the car world. Carrera on the other hand, means “race” in Spanish.
2004 Porsche Carrera GT Specifications
Engine
5.7-liter V-10
Transmission
6-speed manual
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
612 hp
Torque
435 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.4 seconds
Top Speed
205 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
Even the base-model 911 is quick enough to be a capable racer and throughout the years, the 911 saw great success in a variety of racing series and with different iterations of the car. The Carrera GT was equally worthy of the name due to no small part to its V-10 engine, which was initially developed for Formula 1, later repurposed for Le Mans, and finally put in the production-version Porsche Carrera GT.
Porsche’s Panamera is one of the more modern entries on the list, with the first generation dating back to 2009. Porsche has been experimenting with the idea of a “four-door 911” for decades, but it finally came to fruition with the Panamera. Porsche also boasts of a proud racing heritage and this new, groundbreaking model had to be named appropriately.
2009 Porsche Panamera Turbo S Specifications
Engine
4.8-liter Twin-turbo V-8
Transmission
7-speed PDK auto
Drivetrain
Front-engine, AWD
Power
500 hp
Torque
516 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.8 seconds
Top Speed
188 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
The Panamera name was not chosen randomly as it is a derivative of “Panamerica” – a highway on which the Carrera Americana road race was held. It’s also said to be the longest road, spanning from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, North America down to Ushuaia, at the top of Argentina, in South America. Although this was a luxury, four-door model, it was still a Porsche, and it needed a name that matched its exceptional performance, especially in S, GTS, and Turbo variants. Despite the all-electric Taycan’s recent success, the Panamera will not die just yet.
22011 Pagani Huayra
Pagani
Pagani’s second model, the Huayra, was even more dramatic than the Zonda. The immaculate finish on even the smallest detail along with the impressive mechanicals of the hypercar allowed the Huayra to be as successful as its predecessor, despite early models resembling a deep-sea fish. Luckily, the front end was fixed with later versions that quickly followed.
2011 Pagani Huayra Specifications
Engine
6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12
Transmission
7-speed auto
Drivetrain
Mid-engine, RWD
Power
730 hp
Torque
737 lb-ft
0-60 MPH
3.1 seconds
Top Speed
224 MPH
(Specs from Automobile Catalog)
Propulsion still came from Mercedes AMG in the form of a big V-12, but this time, forced induction was added for even more oompf. That is unless we count the Huayra R, which boasts one of the most powerful naturally aspirated engines. As for the name, it comes from Huayra-tata a South American God of the Wind, revered in the Andes. Interestingly enough, the names was shared by another, much more obscure car – Huayra Pronello Ford – which was Argentinian-made but powered by a Ford Y-Block V-8.
Koenigsegg makes some of the most groundbreaking hypercars in the business. Even the first model of the Swiss brand, the CC8S, managed to achieve a higher top speed than the McLaren F1, although the British model ended up with a higher average speed from three trials. While many of Koenigseg’s high-performance cars feature simple designations, made of letters and numbers, the Jesko stands out. If you are from a Scandinavian country, the name may not be as unusual to you.
Jesko was meant to be the ultimate Koenigsegg and the founder, Christian von Koenigsegg named the car after his father – Jesko. While Jesko Attack is built for racetrack domination, the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut is more “slippery” and set up for top-speed runs. Koenigsegg said Jesko Absolut will be the last model built with top speed records in mind.
+++ BMW Park written proudly over the main entrance +++ Naming forms part of the mobility partnership between BMW Munich and FC Bayern Munich Basketball GmbH +++ Basketball fans can visit BMW Park for the first time on 16th and 17th September +++
Munich. The mobility partnership between BMW Munich and FC Bayern Munich Basketball GmbH, which started in July, is now prominently displayed at the home arena of the Bundesliga club. On Friday, the new title of BMW Park was prominently written across the main entrance to the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle in Munich Westpark, which was constructed in 1972.
FC Bayern Munich Basketball will have its first matches at BMW Park on September 16th and 17th, 2023 as part of an exclusive pre-season tournament called the “MagentaSport Cup”. This tournament features only EuroLeague teams and will see the German cup winners play against Virtus Bologna (ITA) on Saturday. The second semi-final will feature Alba Berlin (GER) versus Red Star Belgrade (SRB). The match for third place and the final will take place on Sunday. The first BBL home match at BMW Park is scheduled for September 29th, 2023 against Mitteldeutscher Basketball Club.
In addition to the on-court collaboration, BMW Munich will be providing fully electric vehicles for the players and coaching staff as part of their long-term partnership with FC Bayern Munich Basketball GmbH. The two partners will also collaborate on social responsibility and non-profit projects off the court.
Unlock Your Automotive Passion and Explore the Road Ahead
