Japanese domestic models often have names that are guaranteed to produce howls of laughter in any English-speaking country. Names like the Suzuki Afternoon Tea, Daihatsu Social Poze, the Mazda Secret Hydeout, the Mitsubishi Mini Active Urban Sandal may sound daft to us, but they are considered chic in Japan, where few people speak English but English is cool.
The very strange Mooku Mook The Tokyo Princess
Also, the Japanese are fascinated with aspects of English culture, and they often incorporate English names into their vehicles as a result. For example, the English knights hold the same fascination for the Japanese as the Japanese samurai have for the English. Thus, when Nissan went looking for a name for a new car, they named it after the famed medieval knight, Cedric. The people who make the major decisions in Japan speak mainly Japanese, and, like their customers, they are primarily interested in names that sound cool, roll off the tongue, and theoretically translate into something that Japanese consumers can relate to.
We don't know what Daihatsu Social Poze translates into in Japanese, but you can be sure that it will imply that the car is prestigious and desirable. However, it's still a bit difficult for the Western mind to imagine a prestigious translation for the Mooku Mook The Tokyo Princess, Daihatsu D-Bag, Daihatsu Rugger Field Sports Resin Top or Mitsubishi Mum. You had to be there, we suppose.