Yuppo.. covered in that link.. To my surprise that story seems to be a myth. Particcularly because Pemex, the government oil company in Mexico, has an unleaded petroleum called "nova."<<<
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The first, and perhaps most well known story is that of Chevrolet introducing their "Nova" automobile in Spanish speaking countries. Stories have it that the car sold very poorly because 'nova' means "doesn't go." In actuality, 'nova' means nothing in Spanish at all; 'var' is the verb 'to go' in Spanish, so "no va" is Spanish for "doesn't go". 'Nueva', however, means 'new', so many people have in fact suggested that the original Chevrolet name for the car was tied in with the Spanish nueva, or new.
That explanation seems unlikely, given the astronomical meaning of 'nova' in English. On the other hand, that meaning itself strikes one as a curious name for a car; 'nova' is defined as "a star that suddenly becomes more brilliant and then gradually fades," not an obviously good name for an automobile. The confusion is particularly illustrative.
Indeed, articles have been written on the strange apocryphal story of "nova" being interpreted as "doesn't go" in Spanish speaking countries. David Garrison, a professor of Modern Languages at Wright State University, notes that "Spanish speaking persons easily recognize 'nova' as a word relating to Spanish 'nueva', meaning new." Donald Ball, however, a professor of International Business at the University of Texas Pan American, makes no note of 'nueva' in his book, noting that "nova" and "no va" are pronounced differently anyway. Further, he notes that Pemex, the government-owned oil monopoly in Mexico, offers an unleaded petrol called "nova."<<< |
