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Monday, Mar 04 2013 9PM 2°C 12AM 3°C 5-Day Forecast
The car called Provo: New Kia model set to take on the Mini under fire for its IRA-linked controversial name
By Ray Massey, Transport Editor
PUBLISHED: 06:30 GMT, 4 March 2013 | UPDATED: 19:33 GMT, 4 March 2013
A new rival for the Mini has come under fire because of its name.
The Provo model, from Korean car-maker Kia, is billed as a 'radical super-mini coupe which aims to set the streets alight'.
But critics say Provo has unfortunate echoes of the name by which the Provisional IRA was known during its terror campaigns across Britain and Northern Ireland.
Unfortunate: Critics say Kia's new Provo model echoes the name by which the Provisional IRA was known
Kia said the name had been chosen at its European headquarters in Frankfurt.
A spokesman said: 'There was absolutely no intention to cause offence. The name comes from 'provoke' – as in provoking a reaction.'
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Ironically, despite the name, the roof of the model on display at the Geneva Motor Show is orange - the colour most closely associated with the Loyalist community in Northern Ireland.
The Provo is powered by a turbo-charged 1.6 T-GDi 204 horse-power petrol engine linked to a smart four-wheel-drive hybrid electric system that can add another 45 horse-power surge to the rear wheels as required and also allowing low-speed electric-only motion.
It is not the first time foreign car firms have come a cropper with their choice of names.
The term Provo is associated with the Provisional IRA in Ireland and the UK. Pictured, a group of IRA militants setting fire to a van in Belfast in 1981
Unintentional: A Kia spokesman said the company has 'absolutely no intention to cause offence'
German car bosses at Volkswagen got into trouble in January 2012 launching the 'Black Up!' city car.
Volkswagen executives in Britain argued successfully for the name to be changed in the UK to the 'Up! Black', fearing that it could give offence to ethnic minorities because of the connotation of white actors and singers 'blacking up' on stage to perform as minstrels.
But in Germany and across the rest of Europe it continued to be sold as the 'Black Up!' because VW said the term did not have the same ‘resonance’ as in Britain.
Volkswagen's British arm had sought in vain in the mid 1990s to change the name in the UK of its first people-mover called the 'Sharan' fearing it sounded too close to 'Sharon' and had connotations of the downmarket 'Kev and Sharon' from Essex. German bosses overruled them.
Toyota’s MR2, when pronounced by French owners, sounds uncannily like 'merde!', while Mitsubishi’s Shogun off-roader is called the Pajereo in many markets - despite sounding like a rude Spanish word for a sexual act.
Road wars: The Provo is set to take on the Mini and is billed as a 'radical super-mini coupe'
Mitsubishi also produced a car called the Zero - the same name as the legendary Japanese fighter which inflicted such heavy casualties on the allies during World War II.
In the 1960s Rolls-Royce, now owned by Germany’s BMW, were apparently going to call their successor to the Silver Cloud the 'Silver Mist' until it was pointed out that 'Mist' in German means pile of manure or dirt.
General Motors, parent company of Vauxhall and Opel, produced a car called the Nova, which in Spanish-speaking markets means ‘no go.’
Nissan has had a Cedric and a Pantry Boy, though not in UK markets. Japan’s Mazda missed a beat with its Bongo and Bongo Friendee.
Car looks ok, but get its bloody name changed, Pronto if not sooner
No I thought not.....
Monday, Mar 04 2013 9PM 2°C 12AM 3°C 5-Day Forecast
The car called Provo: New Kia model set to take on the Mini under fire for its IRA-linked controversial name
- Critics say Provo echoes name by which the Provisional IRA was known
- Korean car-maker said the name was chosen at its offices in Frankfurt
- Kia spokesman said there was 'absolutely no intention' to cause offence
By Ray Massey, Transport Editor
PUBLISHED: 06:30 GMT, 4 March 2013 | UPDATED: 19:33 GMT, 4 March 2013
A new rival for the Mini has come under fire because of its name.
The Provo model, from Korean car-maker Kia, is billed as a 'radical super-mini coupe which aims to set the streets alight'.
But critics say Provo has unfortunate echoes of the name by which the Provisional IRA was known during its terror campaigns across Britain and Northern Ireland.
Unfortunate: Critics say Kia's new Provo model echoes the name by which the Provisional IRA was knownKia said the name had been chosen at its European headquarters in Frankfurt.
A spokesman said: 'There was absolutely no intention to cause offence. The name comes from 'provoke' – as in provoking a reaction.'
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Ironically, despite the name, the roof of the model on display at the Geneva Motor Show is orange - the colour most closely associated with the Loyalist community in Northern Ireland.
The Provo is powered by a turbo-charged 1.6 T-GDi 204 horse-power petrol engine linked to a smart four-wheel-drive hybrid electric system that can add another 45 horse-power surge to the rear wheels as required and also allowing low-speed electric-only motion.
It is not the first time foreign car firms have come a cropper with their choice of names.
The term Provo is associated with the Provisional IRA in Ireland and the UK. Pictured, a group of IRA militants setting fire to a van in Belfast in 1981 Unintentional: A Kia spokesman said the company has 'absolutely no intention to cause offence'German car bosses at Volkswagen got into trouble in January 2012 launching the 'Black Up!' city car.
Volkswagen executives in Britain argued successfully for the name to be changed in the UK to the 'Up! Black', fearing that it could give offence to ethnic minorities because of the connotation of white actors and singers 'blacking up' on stage to perform as minstrels.
But in Germany and across the rest of Europe it continued to be sold as the 'Black Up!' because VW said the term did not have the same ‘resonance’ as in Britain.
Volkswagen's British arm had sought in vain in the mid 1990s to change the name in the UK of its first people-mover called the 'Sharan' fearing it sounded too close to 'Sharon' and had connotations of the downmarket 'Kev and Sharon' from Essex. German bosses overruled them.
Toyota’s MR2, when pronounced by French owners, sounds uncannily like 'merde!', while Mitsubishi’s Shogun off-roader is called the Pajereo in many markets - despite sounding like a rude Spanish word for a sexual act.
Road wars: The Provo is set to take on the Mini and is billed as a 'radical super-mini coupe'Mitsubishi also produced a car called the Zero - the same name as the legendary Japanese fighter which inflicted such heavy casualties on the allies during World War II.
In the 1960s Rolls-Royce, now owned by Germany’s BMW, were apparently going to call their successor to the Silver Cloud the 'Silver Mist' until it was pointed out that 'Mist' in German means pile of manure or dirt.
General Motors, parent company of Vauxhall and Opel, produced a car called the Nova, which in Spanish-speaking markets means ‘no go.’
Nissan has had a Cedric and a Pantry Boy, though not in UK markets. Japan’s Mazda missed a beat with its Bongo and Bongo Friendee.
Car looks ok, but get its bloody name changed, Pronto if not sooner
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