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This might be the secret to the perfect car name

By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
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By
Michal Addady
Michal Addady
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September 1, 2015, 2:10 PM ET
General Views Ahead Of Domestic Vehicle Sales Figures
A line of 2012 Ford Focus vehicles sit on display at the Uftring Automall in East Peoria, Illinois, U.S., on Friday, Jan. 27, 2012. Cars and light trucks sold at an average 13.4 million seasonally adjusted annualized rate in the final three months of 2011, the best since April-June 2008, figures from researcher Autodata Corp. show. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by Daniel Acker — Bloomberg/Getty Images

Randall Munroe, known for his web-comic XKCD, has published a comic on his website, xkcd.com, that may reveal the secret to creating the perfect car name.

Munroe charted the relative frequency of letters and numbers used in car models as compared to those used in regular text. The characters used most frequently in car models he dubbed “car-like,” and those used most frequently in regular text he called “English-like.”

He assigned each figure a score, and he rated car names as either successful or unsuccessful based on their average letter scores. The least successful name he came up with was “Doody,” and the most successful was “Cervixxx.”

It seems like a foolproof method, but it may have some flaws. Although “CrashMaster 500” would rate highly on Munroe’s scale, it’s unlikely to be a top seller.

About the Author
By Michal Addady
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