Our study looked at 215 models, but there were exclusions. We left out some discontinued models and models with letter-number naming conventions used by BMW, Lexus or Mercedes. A breakdown of the categories and highlight model names are below.
Location | 21.9% of names
Toyota Venza: Named by combining the word venture with the city Monza, Italy.
Subaru Tribeca: Named after the bustling New York City neighborhood.
Chevrolet Tahoe: Ever heard of Lake Tahoe? Of course.
Adventure | 19.53% of names
Audi Allroad: Fitting name for the luxury station wagon with AWD, ride height adjustable suspension and a Biturbo V6.
Ford Escape: Cue the Indiana Jones puns.
Honda Odyssey: As a literary term, it means a long journey full of adventures
Nature | 14.42% of names
Toyota Corolla: Another name for the petals of a flower.
Volkswagen Passat:German trade wind.
Hyundai Equus: Genus of animals that include the zebra, horses and donkeys.
Volkswagen Tiguan: Combine "tiger" and "iguana" and what do you get?
Cultural | 9.76% of names
Toyota Yaris: Formed by combining the name of the greek god Charis, who symbolizes beauty and elegance, and the German word for affirmation, "Ya."
Volkswagen Touareg: Named after a tribe of nomadic people in Northern Africa. Chosen to represent the strength and adaptability of their new crossover SUV.
Volkswagen Eos: Named after the Greek Titan Eos, goddess of the dawn.
Ford Taurus: Named after the second sign in the astrological zodiac, Taurus. It means "bull-like."
Transportation | 6.98% of names
Dodge Grand Caravan: A caravan is a vehicle designed to be lived in.
Volkswagen Phaeton: Means light, open horse drawn carriage.
Chrysler PT Cruiser: The PT means "personal transportation."
Power | 6.02% of names
Jeep Commander: Person in charge, especially in a military application
Nissan Armada: Fleet of warships
Mitsubishi Galant: Derived from the word "Gallant" which describes bravery and heroism
Futuristic | 5.12% of names
Honda Prelude: The definition of Prelude is, "an action or event leading to something more important." I wonder what Honda was referring to?
Mazda Millenia: Derived from the "Millennium" which means 1,000 years.
Versatility | 4.19% of names
Nissan Versa: This one's pretty obvious.
Honda Fit: Named because, although its a sub-compact, you'll be surprised what you can "fit" in it.
Saturn VUE: Saturn had a new "VUE" (view) on the SUV.
Speed | 3.72% of names
Chevrolet Sonic: The word Sonic refers to the speed of sound, but with a 138 horsepower, don't expect to come close to the sound barrier.
Dodge Dart: Think about it. To dodge from something or to dart from something is the same thing. Pretty redundant.
Musical | 3.26% of names
Kia Forte: When reading music, a Forte instructs the person to play the note loud and strong.
Hyundai Sonata: A musical composition involving a soloist, perhaps accompanied by a piano. Moonlight Sonata, anyone?
Kia Cadenza: An instrumental or vocal solo in a larger piece of music, such as a Sonata.
Human | 2.77% of names
GMC Jimmy: Jimmy got its name from the sound "GM" makes when spoken, such as how Jeep sounds like "GP." Either way, Jimmy sounds like the type of guy you'd like to have around.
MINI Cooper: Named after the famous car maker John Cooper.
Chevrolet Caprice: Caprice is an Italian name meaning fanciful or "over imaginative and unrealistic."
Technology | 2.33% of names
Chevrolet Volt: Voltage is the unit of measurement for electromotive force, which is the perfect name for Chevrolet's first electric car.
Saturn Ion: Maybe you recall this from Chemistry 101, an Ion is an atom that is electrically charged due to the loss or gain of an electron(s).
