23 Luxury Car Brands You’re Mispronouncing: How to Pronounce Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Bugatti, & More

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Many car brands (and sometimes even individual models) have become household names across the globe. Just think of a Chevy Corvette, a Porsche 911, or a Jaguar E-Type. While many of these brands are known to many, their authentic pronunciations can be tricky. But we’re here to help!

Obviously, how a German will pronounce things is very different from an American, for example, due to language barriers. While it’s not necessarily wrong to pronounce something in a localized way, it can never hurt to really understand how it’s pronounced the original way.

Why Proper Pronunciation Matters

Outside of your personal appearance, the way you speak will set the biggest first impression. Understanding how to pronounce a car brand will be impressive to native speakers and car enthusiasts alike. They will immediately have more respect for you and perceive you as more knowledgeable. This would also be invaluable when you’re networking or when you’re just befriending someone because it shows an immediate interest in someone else’s culture and they often welcome that.

With that being said, there will be times where pronouncing brands in a localized way is much more advantageous because it may come across as arrogant. As so often in life, the key is to know who your audience is.

Knowing how to correctly pronounce these brands will shw a native speaker an immediate interest in their culture.
Knowing how to correctly pronounce these brands will also show a native speaker an immediate interest in their culture.

Outside the car world, we cover more brand speech tips in our guides 52 Luxury Brands You’re Mispronouncing and for watches, specifically, 31 Luxury Watch Brands You’re Mispronouncing.

Mispronounced Car Brands & Their Countries of Origin

1. Hyundai

Personally, I love Korean food, especially kimchi. I love their technology as well as the sense of style a lot of people display, but they also produce a bunch of cars. Kia is one of the big ones but it’s not difficult to pronounce it.

Raphael loves Korean food especially kimchi.
Raphael loves Korean food especially kimchi.
Knit Tie in Solid Navy Silk

Fort Belvedere

Knit Tie in Solid Navy Silk

A photograph of a Wine Red, Yellow,Blue, Green, Orange Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Fort Belvedere

Wine Red, Yellow,Blue, Green, Orange Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

One Korean car brand that a lot of people have issues with is Hyundai. Some people also say Hiyun-dai or Hun-dei. The way Koreans pronounce it is cHYUN-DEH. So, the first part Hyun it’s not just like an h, it’s almost like a ch and the back part is not like day in English but DEH. Hyundai.

2. Subaru

Japan has lots of great food, whiskeys, manners, and also a bunch of car brands. The one most commonly mispronounced one is Subaru. You can tell Americans or English speakers will put the emphasis on the first syllable and say SU-ba-roo. A Japanese would say SOO-ba-RROO. The r is rolled on the r and the emphasis is more in the middle. It’s not Su-BA-roo or Suba-roo, it’s Soo-ba-rroo.

Subaru, a Japanese car manufacturer, is pronounced as SOO-ba-RROO. [Image Credit: Subaru]
Subaru, a Japanese car manufacturer, is pronounced as SOO-ba-RROO. [Image Credit: Subaru]

3. Porsche

As many of our regular viewers will know, I’m originally from Germany. Yes, I can speak English with a German accent too, that’s right. Let’s start with the most common car brands and the mispronunciation which drives most car enthusiasts crazy–Porsche. Many, especially in the English world, simply call it Porsh; they use it as a silent e. Some people call it Por-sha because the e sounds more like an a to them but ultimately, that’s not how Germans would say. 

Interestingly, if you watch the brand’s youtube videos, you can see that sometimes there they also pronounce it Por-sha which is a very American way of saying it. You could argue that if a brand pronounces the brand in a certain way, why should you care? Well, here at The Gentleman’s Gazette, we like to dig a little deeper and give you the full version.

Raphael can also speak English with a German accent.
Raphael can also speak English with a German accent.

So, unlike in English, we have accents such as Welsh or Scotch, in Germans, there are dialects. We call it dee-ah-lect and oftentimes, it’s not just a pronunciation but people use entirely different words. In Porsche’s home state of Baden-Württemberg, most people speak Schwäbisch, which would mean Swabian, and sometimes you even have sub-dialects.

For example, my best friend who comes from Western Germany can’t understand my mom when she speaks Schwäbisch with him. Why on Earth am I telling you all of this? Well, the purest form of German is the so-called Hochdeutsch, and Porsche themselves made a video about how to pronounce their brand name now just listen to it here.

Porsche 911 (pronounced por-sche noin elva) [Image Credit: Porsche]
Porsche 911 (pronounced por-sche noin elva) [Image Credit: Porsche]

The traditional German r comes from the back of the throat, however, if you shorten it, you just say Por-szeh. It’s a slight r in the back of your throat and the e sounds like an actual e. If you actually go to the hometown of Porsche in Stuttgart and you ask people how to pronounce it, they will likely say POHr-szeh. So, for some people that may sound like there’s no r there at all, but it’s still there–it’s just very silent.

4. Volkswagen

Another German car brand often mispronounced is Volkswagen. Folks? No, Voax-wagen? It’s called VW in the US. Even I am having a hard time with this. In German, we call it FOLKS-VA-GEN. The v sounds like an f and the w sounds like a v. However, when you shorten it, it becomes fow-vey. It’s not f anymore, it’s a different sound. Fow-vey. Weird, I know, but that’s the way Germans are.

The Volkswagen Beetle [Image Credit: Goodwood]
The Volkswagen Beetle [Image Credit: Goodwood]

In German, it means as much as people’s car. It was actually a brand founded in 1937 with the support of Adolf Hitler. He wanted a basic car for two adults and three children that would make it to 100 kilometers per hour or 62 miles per hour. Also, it was supposed to cost only 990 German Reichsmark which was about the price of a motorcycle. He also wanted financing plans.

In 1933, Ferdinand Porsche, yes, the namesake of the Porsche car brand designed a car that was supposed to have a bigger mass appeal but there was no private company that was willing or able to do it so with the support of the Nazi Germany government, they were able to realize the VW Kaefer or the VW beetle car.

5. BMW

Next up, we go to Bavaria and we look at BMW. While it seems straightforward, it actually isn’t. It is short for Bayerische Motoren Werke which means Bavarian Motor Works. The Germans pronounce it BEy-Em-VEY. You can see it’s like a v sound but slightly different than in English BMW. It’s not Bee-en-vey or Bee-em-way.

The BMW X6 M [Image Credit: BMW]
The BMW X6 M [Image Credit: BMW]

6. Mercedes Benz

Going back to Stuttgart, we have Mercedes Benz–that is the way Americans say it. Germans would call it Mer-tsey-dess-Bents. Again, you hear there’s a slight r from the throat that sometimes is quite silent but it’s there. Benz at the end sounds like a ts, as in Bents. 

White Mercedez Benz C-Class [Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz]
White Mercedez Benz C-Class [Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz]

So, how exactly does a German car brand end up with a Spanish female first name? Well first, there was a Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft which was a merger between Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach. In the early years of the 20th century, this company was very successful with race cars. Very successful Austrian salesman for the company Emil Jellinek also had a keen interest in marketing and named the winning cars after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek. Because of that, the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft trademarked the name Mercedes for cars in 1901. 25 years later, the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft merged with Benz’ own company and it became Mercedes Benz with the three-star logo.

7. Maybach

As you might have noticed related to Mercedes-Benz is Maybach and a lot of Americans would call it Mai-bak because it sounds like a k to ch but in German, it’s KH. Everything that’s ch is a kh sound and it means as much as may creek. Mai-BAhk. Yeah, I know, you may have to practice a little bit but that’s German for you.

The proper Gerrman pronunciation for Maybach is Mai-BAhk. [Image Credit: Janee]
The proper Gerrman pronunciation for Maybach is Mai-BAhk. [Image Credit: Janee]

8. AMG

Another related company is AMG which is the performance subsidiary of Mercedes. The proper German way to say it would be Ah-Ehm-Gey. Ah-Ehm-Gey. I know, some Americans have told me it sounds like I am gay. I don’t agree with them because I’m German, but it’s called Ah-Ehm-Gey.

AMG, (pronounced as Ah-Ehm-Gey) is also a performance subsidiary of Mercedes Benz. [Image credit: AMG]
AMG, (pronounced as Ah-Ehm-Gey) is also a performance subsidiary of Mercedes Benz. [Image credit: AMG]

9. Audi

Let’s go back to Bavaria to cover another German brand–Audi. I know a lot of Englishmen call it O-di but the German way to say it is ow-dee. AW-dee. Au is always ow. Maybe a bit like when you hurt yourself and you say ow, as in ouch. My little three-year-old loves to say Ow-dee A6, which is the car we drive.

The German way to say Audi is ow-dee. [Image Credit: Audi]
The German way to say Audi is ow-dee. [Image Credit: Audi]

10. Jaguar

Next, let’s take a quick stop in England. In the US, we call it Jaguar E-Type, for example, but in England, it’s called Jag-you-are. So, the u is much more pronounced and the r is very soft. So it’s not Jag-war but Jag-you-are. Just FYI, Germans would pronounce it Hyag-wah which is totally off the mark.

A 1961 Jaguar E-Type [Image Credit: DeFacto]
A 1961 Jaguar E-Type [Image Credit: DeFacto]

11. Tesla

Now, it’s time to go to America. One of the hottest American car brands at the moment is undoubtedly Tesla. So, what’s the catch, you might wonder? Well, Tesla was actually a Serbian- American immigrant and scientist and they use a harder s like Tesla. Americans oftentimes use these softer s. Tesla versus Tezla.

How it’s exactly pronounced is quite controversial but Elon Musk pronounces it Tez-la, and when I listened to him, to my ear, it sounds like Tesla with a softer s.

Tesla is pronounced with a z, similar to how Nikola Tesla's name is pronounced. [Image Credit: Tesla]
Tesla is pronounced with a z, similar to how Nikola Tesla’s name is pronounced. [Image Credit: Tesla]

12. Chevrolet

Americans don’t get that one wrong but a lot of Germans or people from outside the US often call it maybe Shev-ro-let or they want to say the ending, but it’s kind of French-inspired and it’s called SHEV-ro-LEY. For shot, Shevy.

The proper pronuncialtion for Chevrolet is Shev-ro-ley, which is French-inspired. (image credit: Chevolet)
The proper pronunciation for Chevrolet is Shev-ro-ley, which is French-inspired. [Image credit: Chevrolet]

13. Alfa Romeo

Italy is home to the world-famous architects, good food, craftsmanship, and of course, wonderful cars. Let’s check out the brand Alfa Romeo. as Americans might say but the proper way to say it’s Ahl-fa Ro-meh-yo. The r is rolled in the front of the tongue and it’s not Alfa Romeo, it’s Ahl-fa Ro-meh-yo.

Alfa Romeo, an Italian luxury car brand, is pronounced as Ahl-fa Ro-meh-yo. [Image Credit: Alfa Romeo]
Alfa Romeo, an Italian luxury car brand, is pronounced as Ahl-fa Ro-meh-yo. [Image Credit: Alfa Romeo]

14. Ferrari

Next on the list are the red cars from Enzo Ferrari. Here, there’s a double rolled Italian r – FEH-Rrah-ree. A lot of Americans may say Fuh-rari or Germans may say Fehk-rra-ree but the proper way to say it is feh-rrah-ree. Double r. Ferrari.

Ferrari Roma [Image Credit: Ferrari]
Ferrari Roma [Image Credit: Ferrari]

15. Lamborghini

Another well known Italian car brand is Lamborghini. It is not Lam-bor-jee-ni or LAHm-bor-gini, it is Lahm-bor-gee-nee. Funny story, the brand started as a manufacturer of tractors and you can still buy Lamborghini tractors to this day. Once the founder had made it in life, he decided to buy two Ferraris–one for his wife and one for himself. According to the Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni, Ferruccio was a guy who liked to make a show but who was in fact a bad driver of cars and because of that, his clutch had to be replaced frequently.

After the third or fourth visit to the Ferrari workshop, he decided to have his own mechanics take a look at the clutch issue. It was at that time that he discovered that the commercial clutch Ferrari used, which was also used in many other Italian sports cars at the time, was exactly the same clutch that he used in his small tractor line.

Lamborghini is pronounced as Lahm-bor-gee-nee. [Image Credit: Lamborghini]
Lamborghini is pronounced as Lahm-bor-gee-nee. [Image Credit: Lamborghini]

Now at this point, Ferruccio got mad and he yelled: “I paid 10 Lire for my tractor clutch and you charged me a thousand for this Ferrari clutch but it’s in fact, the same clutch!” So, one day thereafter, Ferruccio Lamborghini met Enzo Ferrari and said, “You built your beautiful cars with my tractor parts.” Enzo Ferrari replied, “You’re a tractor driver… You’re a farmer. You shouldn’t complain about driving my cars because they’re the best cars in the world.” Naturally, Ferruccio replied, “Oh yes I’m a farmer, I’ll show you how to make a sports car and I will do a sports car by myself to show you how a sports car has to be.”

So, ever since 1962, Lamborghini has a car manufacturing division and as you might have guessed it, the two companies are still rivals to this day.

16. Maserati

Next up is Maserati or at least that’s how many Americans would say it. A friend of mine told me that the dealership charged him over a thousand dollars to get an oil change done for one of those cars. Ouch! The proper way to say it is Mah-Zeh-RAH-Tee. Again, you have the rolled r that it comes from the tongue. It’s not like a soft s like Maseh-rah-tee.

Maserati was founded by Alfieri Maserati in December 1914. [Image Credit: Maserati]
Maserati was founded by Alfieri Maserati in December 1914. [Image Credit: Maserati]

17. Lancia

Another car brand with a long history is Lancia. When you see it first, you may think it’s Lan-see-yah or Lanch-ya but the Italians call it Lan-cha–very soft.

Lancia Ypsilon 0.9 TwinAir Turbo 8v Platinum [Image Credit: M 93]
Lancia Ypsilon 0.9 TwinAir Turbo 8v Platinum [Image Credit: M 93]

18. Peugeot

Moving to the French territory, we have Peugeot and they’ve been making cars since 1896. When you look at the name first, you may think of it as Pew-got or German would be Poi-gee-oht, but it’s called PEOH-ZHOH. In French, the e and t are silent unlike in German, for example, and the g becomes soft.

French car manufacturer Peugeot's name is properly pronounced as "PEOH-ZHOH." [Image Credit: Peugeot]
French car manufacturer Peugeot’s name is properly pronounced as “PEOH-ZHOH.” [Image Credit: Peugeot]

19. Bugatti

Another brand that seems simple Bugatti is actually called Boo-gah-tee because it was founded by the Italian, Ettore Bugatti. even though it’s considered a French company today, it was originally founded in the Alsace Region of France which became German-French-German and back and forth, and now it’s French once again.

Bugatti is pronounced as boo-gah-tee, the same as how the last name of its Italian founder Ettore Bugatti is pronounced. [Image Credit: Bugatti]
Bugatti is pronounced as boo-gah-tee, the same as how the last name of its Italian founder Ettore Bugatti is pronounced. [Image Credit: Bugatti]

In the late 80s, the brand was brought to Italy, but then VW or Fow-Vey bought the brand rights in the 90s and brought the brand back to Molsheim in the Alsace Region in France.

20. Citroën

This brand looks scary at first because it has two dots on the e but it’s actually rather straightforward. It’s called Sit-roh-en and the two dots on the e just mean that it has to be pronounced separately from the o and the n.

Citroën, a French automobile manufacturer, was founded in 1919 by the French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën. [Image Credit: Citroën]
Citroën, a French automobile manufacturer, was founded in 1919 by the French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën. [Image Credit: Citroën]

21. Renault

Motorsport fans are probably well acquainted with the name Renault. It’s not Re-nolt, it’s just like Chevrolet–Ren-Oh. It’s a silent lt.

Renault Koleos [Image Credit: Renault]
Renault Koleos [Image Credit: Renault]

22. Koenigsegg

For the last 2 brands, we’re off to the Swedes. The first one is the Swedish hypercar brand Koenigsegg named after its founder Christian Von Koenigsegg. It’s called Kou-nig-tseg. You could think it might be called Konig’s egg but it’s a little softer. An oe in German or Swedish is pronounced uh, and if you listen to him himself saying the name it sounds quite softer on the g’s. It sounds like Kou-nig-tseg. Again and not very pronounced g at the end.

Koenigsegg is pronounced with a softer "uh" [Image Credit: Koenigsegg]
Koenigsegg is pronounced with a softer “uh” [Image Credit: Koenigsegg]

23. Volvo

Finally, we have a brand that most people don’t think they pronounce incorrectly and that’s Volvo. What’s wrong with that, you might wonder? Well, it’s the end of the o. The Swedish pronunciation is Vohl-voh. It’s a shorter o and it’s not that Vol-vow. It’s just Vohl-voh. Again, not Vol-vow but Vohl-voh.

Volvo is actually pronounced with a shorter emphasis on the last syllable. [Image Credit: Volvo]
Volvo is actually pronounced with a shorter emphasis on the last syllable. [Image Credit: Volvo]

What’s your dream luxury car? Did you know how to pronounce it before reading this guide? Tell us in the comments!

Outfit Rundown

Raphael in a fall-inspired outfit
Raphael in a fall-inspired outfit
Knit Tie in Solid Light Blue Silk Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere

Knit Tie in Solid Light Blue Silk

A photograph of a Wine Red, Yellow,Blue, Green, Orange Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Fort Belvedere

Wine Red, Yellow,Blue, Green, Orange Silk Wool Medallion Pocket Square

Mid Brown Socks with Green and Cream Clocks in Cotton - Fort Belvedere

Fort Belvedere

Mid Brown Socks with Green and Cream Clocks in Cotton

In today’s video, I was wearing a fall-like outfit inspired by my chartreuse-colored vest. It’s combined with a green checked shirt with barrel cuffs and a blue knit tie. I’m pairing it with a Prince of Wales check, a pair of cotton pants in brown, and light brown, and a Donegal tweed jacket with a contrasting darker brown.

The pocket square has tones of blue, green, and tortoise and therefore, ties the entire outfit together. My feet are covered with a nice pair of Chelsea boots in a tan color with a nice patina and my socks are from Fort Belvedere. They’re brown with clocks that work well with the pants but set a nice contrast with the boots which are lighter in color.

The jacket is vintage from Orvis, the vest is from Cordings, the shirt was made for me, the silk knit tie is from Fort Belvedere just like the pocket square and the socks, the pants are from Polo Ralph Lauren, and the Chelsea boots are from Ace Marks.

Reader Comments

  1. Dear Hello I’m so much interested in sports cars but I’m afraid those introduced cars are not real sports because some are too big and others are just its brand names only. We have no more Alfa, Jaguar, Lancia and so on. Some of them are now a company in India or just one of Fiat. If you talk about real sports cars, you need to be back to before 70’s when real sports car companies were. I have a Lotus 1969 made. It’s small in size but because of that it makes us drive nimble.
    Mitsuru

  2. Foreign-born people like Raphael will get a pass for using the original-language pronunciations of car names, but anyone American born and bred who calls a BMW a “bey em vey” or pronounces “Ferrari” with a rolled “r” in the middle will infallibly come across as a pretentious ass, or at best a pedantic ass.

    By the way, you didn’t mention what the car names stand for: BMW = Bought My Wife; PORSCHE = Pathetic Old Rich Sucker Considers Himself Eligible; FIAT = Fix It Again, Tony; etc.

  3. Ironically for a video on proper use of language to get wrong, but ‘Scotch’ is something one drinks, and ‘Scottish’ is what a person or thing can be if from Scotland. The oddities like ‘Scotch Broth’ are either trademark names or historical names established through repetition. If it were otherwise, a person living in Scotland would be referred to as a ‘Scotchman’ as opposed to Scottish.
    On the other hand, I would surely get plenty of German words wrong, so kudos to Sven for a well done video on car names, whether he has a single mistake or not.

  4. AMG doesn’t sound like “I am gay?” In English we pronounce it “ich bin warm.” How does that sound? (Tee hee hee) :-)

  5. what is wrong with Porch (pork or porch as in the front enclosed open area of a house..or a word for pig)
    Or Renought..
    Or Fooheri,
    Or Marcedes,Or Bimmer., Citro, Masser,
    Or Hindi (not the sub continent reference). Sooobaarrooo. Sounds good to me. But US bucks works everywhere.

  6. Thanks for the infomation on pronouning the car brands, but i think that the “classic man” should really be the”man about town” that drives a classic car like a “cord” or a “bentley” now, there is a car worth driving and gets the “looks” to go with owning one. Nothing wrong with a “classic looking guy in a “classic looking car” Debonaire” any one? I think we need to bring back cars that look great and you can tell what they are! Not like the cars of “today’s style” that if you don”t see the name its hard to know who made them. Today’s cars look like “cookie cutters” that just about every car manufacture takes there cues from the same design book.

    1. Hi Richard,

      While we don’t necessarily agree that being a “classic man” must include driving a classic car, it is no doubt a debonair look that we appreciate!

  7. Thanks for the infomercial on names. Beautiful video,great style.Fun lowdown on fashion.

  8. With Hyundai, I remember in older ads they were pronoucing [hiyun-dai] but then changed it to [hyon-dee]. On automotive blogs I have found an explanation saying that it was because (some) germans liked to pronounce [hiyun-dai] close akin to Hund Ei (dog testicle).

  9. When I was in Germany with the US Air Force we jokingly referred to five cylinder Audis as “Oddities”.

  10. Dear Raphael
    As the name Renault has no “accent aigu” on the e, it is pronounced [ʀəˈno]!
    I otherwise love your clips and the messenges you are spreading about style and gentlemanliness. Keep up the good work, it is specially important in these crazy days.

  11. Being an Englishman living in England, I have to say I have never ever heard anyone here pronounce Audi as ‘O di’ as you suggest, everyone in fact says ‘ow dee’. You do need to be carefull because you often say things which are completely inaccurate regarding England/UK, I know you think you are right on these things but really you have an imperfect understanding, much as i have of course on matters concerning Germany or the USA so don’t take this as a personal remark, but as an observation.

    1. Hi Darryl,

      You’re right, our experiences do tend to originate from a Germany and USA-centric place, but we recently added two Englishmen to our scriptwriting team so we hope their input into future content will be helpful in this regard! :)

Comments are closed.