autoevolution
 

Americans Can’t Spell Volkswagen, Survey Finds

As The Bard put it, “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” which is a fancy way of saying that a name holds no real value over the attributes of someone or something. Shakespeare was, of course, a romantic and an idealist.
Americans can't spell Volkswagen, small survey reveals 5 photos
Photo: thezebra.com
Survey shows Americans' forte isn't spelling popular car brand namesSurvey shows Americans' forte isn't spelling popular car brand namesSurvey shows Americans' forte isn't spelling popular car brand namesSurvey shows Americans' forte isn't spelling popular car brand names
In marketing, a name is essential – as is the fact that it’s remembered accurately. Americans love their cars but, when it comes to spelling the names of the marques making them, they seem to be having somewhat of an issue, a small study conducted by one personal finance company reveals.

One of the most popular car brands, Volkswagen, is very often misspelled, Zebra reports. The study was conducted throughout October 2019 and the findings published at the end of last month. The methodology used implied that at least 1,000 respondents were queried for every question, and post-stratification was applied to guarantee a reliable and accurate representation of the population.

Moreover, generation groups were estimated to the closest age ranges provided by demographic data from Google, Zebra says. Specifically, millennials and Gen Z were the best at spelling car brand names, while Baby Boomers were the worst. Now would be a good “OK, Boomer”-type of moment.

For all its popularity, Volkswagen is not an easily spelled car brand name, the survey found, with 54 percent of Americans getting it wrong. “Volkswagon” is the most common misspelled variant (50 percent), followed by “Volckswagen” and “Volxwagon.”

Ferrari is, again, a name that’s prone to being misspelled. Those that do get it right are mostly young, aged 18 to 24 (65 percent). Men are more likely to get the number of Rs in Ferrari correctly, as compared to women, the same survey says.

Lamborghini and Porsche are the 2 other car brand names included in the survey. They too pose issues for Americans, specifically with the older generation and women, though the percentage of those that do get it right is comparatively higher than with the other car brand names (63 and 76 percent, respectively).
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Elena Gorgan
Elena Gorgan profile photo

Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories