The other day I noticed a car with the improbable name of Nissan Rogue, from Darien, Connecticut (at least that’s what the license plate frame said). And, after all, what could be more “rogue”-like than a suburban SUV?
I can’t blame the driver of the car for this one; I’m just amused that the marketers and Nissan thought this was an appropriate name for the car.
Just like Pontiac named a car after an… Ahem… "marital aid"?
This is pretty common in the bicycle industry, as the late Sheldon Brown wrote:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/evilbike.html
Traditionally the term "rogue" is intended to be used only for pirates and University of Chicago faculty.
…and what about "Sonata"?
Was the Ford Probe ever sold in the US?
GM knew exactly what they were doing when they named a special edition of the Chevy Silverado SS the "Intimidator SS" in honor of the late Dale Earnhardt.
And in Australia, we still have the Mitsubishi Pajero (direct translation = mule). But it has a number of extended meanings, and these have caused considerable amusement and consternation among my South American friends. Much more fun, they say, than the Chevvy No-Va.