One thousand drivers in the UK participated in the survey, which asked them to correctly pronounce the names of 10 different car brands. None of the ten brands’ names could be accurately pronounced by a single person.
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Many people find it difficult to pronounce automobile brand names, especially when they come from Germany or France. But by any stretch of the imagination, is BMW impossible to say? One might question how three letters can be pronounced incorrectly. But a survey done at Select Car Leasing found that about 95% of individuals pronounce the name of the German automaker inaccurately.
Since “BMW” is only a three-letter word, many people pronounce it that way: “bee em double yoo.” The English pronunciation, however, is incorrect because the brand is German. So, “bee em vee” is the only pronunciation that is totally correct.
In This Article...
Here’s how to pronounce the names of 30 automakers correctly.
When spoken by a native German speaker, the sound of “W” becomes “V” instead! It is pronounced as follows when written phonetically: B-M-V.
Watch local speakers pronounce the names of more than 30 manufacturers from their home nations in this video:
(Editor’s note: Although there are subtitles, the video’s opening 20 seconds are in Spanish. After that, you’ll hear brand ambassadors mentioning the names of the automakers.)
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How to Say the Names of Car Brands:
We do need to add one thing, though. BMW is said extremely clearly and distinctly by the gentleman in the video, but it’s very important to remember that this is how you should pronounce BMW in German, not English. There are obvious distinctions between the two languages; for example, while English speakers only pronounce the letters B, M, and W, a native German speaker would pronounce the letter W as a “V.” This is Bee-Ehm-Wie. You are aware now.
You frequently have to write the name of an automaker or/and model in the digital age we live in. However, it becomes a little more challenging when you actually meet someone and want to tell him about that fantastic Koenigsegg you saw the other day. Make sure you are familiar with the pronunciation of your favorite brands by reading the articles in the relevant links area above.
The shortest video in history demonstrates how to pronounce BMW properly.
As you may know, BMW is neither an English or American company. BMW is a German company. Munich, in the state of Bavaria. To be absolutely honest, the company’s name isn’t often pronounced the way it ought to be. But in the auto sector, that is nothing new. You’ll notice the similar tendency when you look at Hyundai, Lamborghini, or even Audi and Volkswagen.
So, how do you pronounce the name of the well-known Bavarian company in German? Well, BMW made a two-second video with the proper pronunciation in order to make everything crystal obvious.
The pronunciation is Bee-Ehm-Wie. I realize that it differs somewhat from the English translation, but if you want to be absolutely correct, you should say it that way.
You can now let your friends know that you are aware of the correct pronunciation, whether or not you decide to change.
A humorous incident with the BMW acronym occurred when the German company was only beginning its assault into North America. Evidently, nobody knew what BMW stood for when they initially arrived and began competing here. The BMW 3.0 CSL race cars participating at Sebring or Laguna Seca were among of the first to display the insignia. When people saw them, they would merely make up names for them.
It appears that the majority of people believed BMW to stand for British Motor Works, not Bayerische Motoren Werke. As a result, Jochen Neerpasch, the person who founded the Motorsport division (and who told me this tale), reacted and changed the liveries, at first displaying the complete corporate name.
After all, if Mr. Neerpasch was good at anything, it was marketing. And eventually, after a number of years, people discovered that this is a German brand and not a British one.
BMW: You’ve probably been saying it incorrectly the entire time
If you’re from an English-speaking nation, there’s a high chance you pronounce “BMW” just as you were taught to: “Bee,” “ehm,” and “dub-uh-you.” However, that’s not totally true.
Those of you who have been to Germany or who speak German are aware that the German pronunciation of the letter “W” differs from the English pronunciation. Therefore, BMW is actually pronounced “vee” rather than “dub-uh-you,” as the German company emphasizes in a number of new videos.
But not just English speakers pronounce the name of the German automaker differently from Germans. You may learn how to say BMW in French, Chinese, Turkish, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch by clicking this link.
Of course, BMW isn’t the only German automaker whose name has multiple English pronunciations. For instance, many English speakers pronounce Porsche with a “Porsh” sound instead of the right “Por” sound.
No matter what language you speak, there’s a pretty good probability that everyone will understand you if you call a BMW a “Bimmer,” “beamer,” or “beemer.”
We recently learned that the term “Beemer” has British roots in a different edition of BMW Explained on the automaker’s website. It was first used there to set off BMW’s vintage motorcycles from a British manufacturer whose machines went by the moniker “Beezer.” BMWs are known as “bao-ma” in China, which means “dear horse.”
Germans often say BMW; why?
Many of you are likely familiar with what exactly BMW signifies. It is a contraction of Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, which when translated into English essentially means Bavarian Motor Works. The name symbolizes the place of origin of the car firm, which was established on March 7, 1898. The BMW acronym has been pronounced in a variety of ways, but the automaker has now chosen to fix all of the wrong pronunciations.
The business recently posted a new video on one of its official Facebook pages that demonstrates how to phrase BMW exactly. Even though it’s one of our shortest videos ever, if not the shortest, it’s more than sufficient to explain everything.
How is the E in Porsche pronounced in Germany?
Why isn’t it pronounced as a one-syllable word like most, if not all, Americans do (PORSH, a milder version of “porch”)? There are actually two explanations, but the way German words are uttered is the main one. In brief, unlike English, German does not have “silent letters.” Words with a “e” at the end that are not pronounced clearly in English, such as “sharing” and “there,” frequently have a German pronunciation.
Second, unlike the word “Audi,” “Porsche” is unquestionably a German word—indeed, a proper name. In 1931, Ferdinand Porsche founded the company under that name as a design and development consultant. Nearly 20 years later, his son began producing sports vehicles under the Porsche brand.
So there you go, everyone. One syllable: PORE-shuh. We must now discuss how to pronounce “Jaguar.”
What does the B in BMW stand for?
A: BMW, or Bavarian Motor Works in English, stands for Bayerische Motoren Werke. If your knowledge of geography is lacking, Bavaria is a southern German state where BMW first began producing aviation engines in 1917. BMW, Mini, and Rolls-Royce currently make up the BMW group, which has its corporate headquarters in Munich, the capital of Bavaria.
If Bavarian Motor Works is too formal for you, the German automaker’s high-end models are more commonly referred to as Bimmer. The business also considers itself to be “the ultimate driving machine,” at least in accordance with its long-running American advertising campaign.
From the official bio of the business: “Since 1975, BMW of North America, LLC has operated in the US. In 2003, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC started selling cars. The BMW Group has expanded its operations in the United States to include marketing, sales, and financial service companies for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of motor cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy with headquarters in California; technology offices in Silicon Valley, Chicago, and various other operations across the nation. All X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles, as well as the X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes, are produced at BMW Production Co., LLC in South Carolina. This facility is a component of the BMW Group’s global manufacturing network. The 344 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 153 BMW motorcycle retailers, 127 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers are the networks through which the BMW Group sales organization is represented in the United States. The North American sales headquarters for the BMW Group is situated in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, under the name BMW (US) Holding Corp.”
What does BMV in BMW mean?
Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, or the Bavarian Engine Works Company, is what the abbreviation BMW stands for. The corporation was founded in the German state of Bavaria, hence the name. Additionally, it shows the original product line of BMW: different application-specific engines
What does the M in BMW stand for?
The word “Motorsport” refers to the BMW M Series, which was initially developed to support BMW’s racing program. Over time, the BMW M program started to add customized vehicle models to its roster, which are now accessible to the general public.
What is the BMW logo’s coded message?
The whirling airplane blades that make up the BMW logo’s centre portion represent the company’s early heritage of aviation technology.
What does Porsche sound like in American?
Although “Porsch” is one of the most popular pronunciations, it is incorrect. The word “Porsche” has two syllables when spoken correctly. Therefore, it is actually pronounced “Por-shuh.” Your inquiries about Porsche, including how to express it, are welcomed by the staff at Hendrick Porsche.
Do you mean BMW or BMV?
BMW is the abbreviation everyone uses to refer to the illustrious automobile manufacturer. Bavarian Motor Works is the entire name of the company, which is a bit of a mouthful.
The BMW logo is white and blue, but why?
White and blue, the colors of the German State of Bavaria, where BMW is based, are the first clue to the logo’s meaning. The BMW logo, complete with the four colored quadrants, is shown on a spinning airplane propeller in a 1929 BMW advertisement.
What do BMW’s three stripes signify?
In the 1970s, when the German carmaker initially began its motorsports racing program, the famous /M logo of BMW was created. The italicized “M” of the logo is followed by various colored stripes, each of which has a distinct significance.
The blue stripe, according to BMW Blog, symbolizes both the automaker and the Bavarian area from which it is derived. The red stripe commemorates Texaco, a major American oil company that collaborated with BMW in the early stages of M racing. As red and blue combine to form purple, the central purple stripe stands for their cooperation.
BMW made a minor change to the M emblem in recent years, swapping the purple stripe with a dark blue one. The symbol is still widely recognized, though.
In fact, the three stripes are tastefully incorporated into both the exterior and inside of every BMW M-badge car. Even vehicle upholsterers are finding it difficult to come up with fresh, original methods to use the colors to adorn the cabins.
Of course, using the proper thread and colors is necessary in order to pull off these small but significant elements.
Amann’s Serafil polyester thread, which is used by BMW, is available at JPM Coachworks in Smyrna, Georgia.
According to Joseph Pavich of JPM Coachworks, “the most popular colors individuals choose for the tri-stitch are red 504, light blue 7463, and dark blue 1078.” “Most modern wheels use a significantly thicker Tex size 207 (Ticket size 15), while older wheels used a Tex size 138 (Ticket size 20).”