americanculttour

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Google translator would have been useful. Four car names that do not sound good in Hungary.

You wouldn't think it, but car brands do name their models consciously. Usually serious "scientific" work precedes the birth of the model name. It doesn't matter where in the world the car is made, every car needs an appropriate model name to be successful in the market.

The choice of name is also important because the success or failure of the expensively developed novelty may depend on it. It is important that the final version selected from hundreds of options is short and pleasant-sounding, does not have any obscene meaning in any language, matches the character of the car, and the owner can proudly tell his friends about the car he has chosen. Despite their best efforts, car manufacturers sometimes make mistakes. Let's look at four car models whose names are not very favourable on the Hungarian market.

Chevrolet Tahoe (written in Hungarian as: Tahó)

It is pronounced almost the same in Hungary as in America. But it means something completely different. Although the name seems completely innocent in America, in Hungary this term sounds particularly rude. In Hungarian, it roughly means hick. So it refers to a person who is rude, uneducated and impolite. So, in summary, it's not a very nice expression. The only excuse is that it is not distributed in Europe. Which is not necessarily a problem, because if you tried to drive in Hungary with a car of this size, you could easily be seen as a tahó.

Toyota Prius (written in Hungarian as: Priusz)

This is one of the funniest examples on this list. The word means: criminal record. Very poor choice of name. Perhaps I don't even need to emphasize that they are typically bought by people who don't even know a person with a criminal record, so they couldn't be further from the gang life style. What is really surprising is that even with this name it is one of the most popular cars on the Hungarian market.

SEAT Ronda (It is written the same way in Hungarian)

There's really nothing to explain here. Ronda means ugly. And that's really the case. The model would certainly not have been successful in Hungary if the brand had started to be distributed in its infancy. Fortunately, it only entered the Hungarian market as a used car later. Although this was obviously not a conscious decision in this form, we can at least see it as honest marketing communication.

Volkswagen Polo (written in Hungarian as: Póló)

In its category, this car was one of the most popular and best-selling cars in Hungary. What could be wrong with its name? Well, that's almost exactly how we pronounce t-shirt in Hungarian. At least this name is not offensive, but it is also not a really attractive name. When the car was released, the jokes that "I don't drive the polo, I wear it" were inevitable. Despite the lame name, the car had a good career in Hungary.

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CAPS LOCK is left on in America. Why are American cars so big?

It's fashionable these days to whine and wail about the tightening European Union emission rules. "Why is Europe tightening and strangling the continent's automotive industry and losing its positional advantage in global competition?" After this, three "irrefutable" arguments usually come up: A, sea transport ships; B, America's giant pickup trucks; C, the star ships of the Nazi space lizards that actually pollute the environment. In this post, we examine answer B, So America's multi-ton V8 beasts.

Of course, the consumer behavior of the American citizen is not evil, after all, they do not hate the Earth. Other factors such as the high standard of living, tradition and regulation of the automobile industry predestined them to buy huge cars. Let's start with the most obvious difference, money. According to OECD data, the average net income per person in the USA is 45,000 dollars per year, in Germany it is 34,000 dollars, while in Hungary it is 18,000 dollars. ( OECD Better Life Index, https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/united-states/. ) So they simply have the money to buy such big cars. But of course it's not that simple. In addition, fuel prices are more favorable not only in relation to earnings, but also in absolute value than in Hungary or many European countries. (“Gasoline Prices around the World, 12-Sep-2022.” GlobalPetrolPrices.com, https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/gasoline_prices/#hl48. ) And if the material conditions are given, it doesn't take much to start wanting more, more, more, which is a roughly inalienable human quality. Especially since in a society based on consumption, wrapping oneself in consumer abstinence out of passion is equivalent to social suicide.

The second reason is less precise, but still significant: it is tradition. America and the automobile made each other great. And superior eight-cylinders and Pickup trucks have always been at the center of this relationship. This is important because without the cultural context, this whole Pickup business wouldn't work. If, for example, the regulations suddenly changed in Germany, the average German would not even buy a cowboy hat and switch from a Golf to a Tahoe. It just has no tradition.

The third factor is more tangible than this, so even those who do not believe in the above-mentioned cultural fairy tale can be happy. The standard, introduced in 1970 and subsequently updated in several stages, legally separates SUVs from passenger cars. To avoid legal complications, I will simplify: light trucks are subject to different rules. In addition, they can be purchased with significant discounts (they are completely tax-free for businesses). In addition, the manufacturers' fleet average regulation is more permissive towards them. The rules therefore differ from those applicable to passenger cars both in terms of consumption/emissions and safety. As a result, such pedestrian-crushing, water towers as, say, the Ford F-150 can be born. (Here I would like to ask you that if you haven't read my previous post, take a few minutes to read that post as well - https://www.tumblr.com/americanculttour ) And it seems that thousands of years of child-rearing experience were not enough for humanity to learn that making exceptions does not lead to good. So America does not compromise on size. It wouldn't be easy, since most people already drive large cars, so traveling in a smaller vehicle is even more dangerous.

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American dream, big but bigger. My first encounter with the Ford F-150.

Now I understand what Gulliver must have felt when he visited the island of the giants. I felt just as small, insignificant and vulnerable when I stood next to a Ford F-150 for the first time. I was completely speechless for a few seconds. When I got over the initial shock, two things came to mind: First, "In this country, forget the jaywalking but very quickly." And after that, "If this monster hits me, at least I'll save a lot of money on the funeral. Since my remains can be put in a tea box...".

After that, it quickly became clear to me that the general standards for cars are drastically different than in Hungary or Europe. To understand these differences, let's look at an example. And what could be a better example of the "average" American car than the Ford F-150? The Ford F-150 is the best-selling new car in the United States. Every blessed year. So we can safely say that the roads are full of these pickup monsters.( https://www.edmunds.com/most-popular-cars/)  Aa car lover person, I couldn't wait to finally see one in person. I had already seen a lot of videos and tests about it on the Internet, so I was somewhat prepared for it. (Or so I thought)

This "car" is so big that in Hungary you almost need a separate driver's license to drive it. And this is not a joke or an exaggeration. According to Hungarian law, you can only drive a vehicle weighing less than 3,500 kilograms with a category B driver's license (this is the average driver's license). Now, the weight of the Ford F-150 is typically 2,003–2,375 kg. (https://net.jogtar.hu/jogszabaly?docid=a1100326.kor)  And then no one is sitting in it and there is no package in it. It is very difficult to illustrate with data how huge the dimensions of the Ford F-150 are. So to illustrate the differences I'm talking about, let's put the best-selling cars in America and Europe next to each other. Next up is the Ford F-150 vs. the Volkswagen Golf.

(https://twitter.com/brent_bellamy/status/1541231587865419777)

This is when a picture speaks louder than words right? Relax, it's not your eyes that are dazzling. No need to calibrate your laptop or phone screen again. You see it well. In practice, the little Volkswagen fits between the wheels of the Ford F-150. Now I think it is understandable why I say that this is a completely different world. To a European, a car of this size would seem like a waste or compensation at first. But we have to understand that the needs and circumstances are completely different in America. But Americans are not stupid and it is no coincidence that this car has been the best-selling car for years. No matter how absurd and incomprehensible this monster is to me, I would very much like to drive one.