Nitto product names

[rogerzilla]

On the one hand, we have the Grand Randonneur bars, the Jaguar seatpost and the Dynamic stem.

On the other, we have the Young stem and Crystal Fellow seatpost.

Do you think the Nitto marketing team only smoke crack once a week?

[Efrogwr]

Japanese crack houses are over subscribed by the marketing departments of companies that make consumer goods. You have to book a session weeks in advance.

[rogerzilla]

Nissan used to use them heavily, hence the Cedric, Laurel and Silvia.  The Cherry was marginal, too.

[yoav]

I think it’s a cultural thing. At uni, I shared a flat with a student whose father worked in Japan, he used to bring back T shirts with nonsensicle English phrases on them, explaining that the Japanese loved to see English words, even they had no idea what they meant. And I think it’s the same with brand names; as long as it’s an English word that looks sort of nice, it will work as a brand. My favourite was the Toyota Carina, and as every medic knows, the carina is the place in your lungs where the windpipe divides into two.

[Cudzoziemiec]

It works the other way too, with Japanese words, or at least characters, on Western products. Motorbikers of the 80s and 90s were plastered with them without having a clue what, if anything, they meant. See also the tendency for British cycle-things to be given Italian-sounding names.

Cedric was supposedly the most popular men's name in Australia at the time, Australia being Nissan's prime export market back then.

[FifeingEejit]

I think it’s a cultural thing. At uni, I shared a flat with a student whose father worked in Japan, he used to bring back T shirts with nonsensicle English phrases on them, explaining that the Japanese loved to see English words, even they had no idea what they meant. And I think it’s the same with brand names; as long as it’s an English word that looks sort of nice, it will work as a brand. My favourite was the Toyota Carina, and as every medic knows, the carina is the place in your lungs where the windpipe divides into two.

It's Latin for "keel", and used in anatomy for anything keel shaped, the human wind pipe is one of many Carinas.
One of the southern constellations is the Carina, previously combined with 2 others forming Jason's ship.

I'm bored and looked that all up on wikitrivikia

I used to think VW named their cars after sports...

[Cudzoziemiec]

Hence careen (a ship). It's a rare day you don't learn something on YACF.