More than a mere urban legend, reports that Chevy’s 1972 Nova sold poorly in Spanish-speaking countries made it into business marketing textbooks and business articles around the world. According to those reports, the Nova sold poorly because “no vaâ€? translates into “no go.â€? But these reports are “bogus,” according to a blog posting by Brian Akre, GM’s Global Corporate News boss. He said the Nova actually sold well in the Spanish-speaking counties where it was sold between 1972 and ‘78. According to a report cited by, Akre, the phrase “no vaâ€? and the word “novaâ€? are distinct entities with different pronunciations in Spanish. He says GM was well aware of the translation and opted to retain the Nova name because the issue was deemed insignificant. A full report on the urban legend can be found here.
Zero obligation price quote from a trusted local dealer.
04/25, 10:56 AM
posted by:
nick
this is newsworthy?
04/25, 11:00 AM
posted by:
paperycow
ooh the lies!!! i can’t stand the lies!!! up is down, down is up…im too confused!
04/25, 11:06 AM
posted by:
joeb
Isn’t “GM” slang for cars that suck?
04/25, 11:18 AM
posted by:
Angelo
in spanish, FORD, is commonly referred to as an acronymn for “Fabricación Ordinaria Rotura Diaria”, which roughly translates to Mediocre Fabrication Daily Reparation.
Still, they sell alright. The No-Va thing was a joke about the car, in Spanish, but I don’t think that it had a real strong effect on sales.
Then again, in Puerto Rico, Mitsubishi sells the Mirage (now Lancer) like hotcakes. People love those things down there.
04/25, 12:18 PM
posted by:
Jim in LA
i love when things like this get debunked.
but you gotta wonder – someone at GM has time for something like this? i’d be working on getting that camaro out ASAP. and while they’re at it, a new El Camino, particularly with a Cadillac variant.
04/25, 3:24 PM
posted by:
manny
angelo… ford in english is sometimes ‘fix or repair daily’… its prolly like that in a lot of languages…
04/26, 7:18 AM
posted by:
JohnnyBlazE
RE: FORD = Fixed Or Repaired Daily…
Focus, 6 yrs, no probs so far, touch wood.