Subaru FUCKS, a naming blunder on the level of the Mitsubishi Pajero

When a car brand wants to use a name for a new model in a language other than its own, it usually focuses on how the name sounds and does not think about other connotations. But it turns out that the sound can hide something that goes unnoticed and that in the chosen language can mean something that works against the advantage the name seems to offer.

The case of the Mitsubishi Pajero is well known. In Japan it surely had an incredible sound and was chosen by the marketing team of the Japanese brand. But in Spain it could be misinterpreted, so in our country that sonorous name was changed and the model was called Mitsubishi Montero, which evokes the rural world and also works well. In the rest of the world, however, the name’s sound remains powerful, and so it has stayed.

A naming blunder that can be costly

But the Japanese marketing technicians apparently are not entirely clear on this, and the controversy has resurfaced. This time it is in the American market, since a version of the Subaru Forester has been created for the Singapore Show that bears the name Subaru Forester Ultimate Customized Kit Special edition. They decided to emphasize each of the initial letters and form an acronym, so it reads Subaru FUCKS edition.

A word that sounds quite bad in English and that the Subaru dealerships in the United States have not accepted gladly. The crisis led the brand to send a letter apologizing for the inappropriate name. The letter explains that this very special edition was not developed by Subaru, but was created by a brand distributor in Singapore.

So rather than a marketing failure by the Japanese brand, it was a miscalculation by this local distributor. According to Subaru, the brand’s value has nothing to do with what this name represents, and in any case the Subaru FUCKS will not be a model that can be seen in the United States.

Despite the understandable discomfort it has caused, this Subaru Forester comes with a fairly complete customization kit, with Enkei wheels and several interesting add-ons such as yellow brake calipers, a blue and red body and a sound system with a subwoofer and Focal amplifiers. It may leave the Asian market, but certainly not under that name.

https://youtu.be/ToKLaxX4wvk

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverSubaru Forester7 versions · from 39,900 €