Elke Middeldorp (77), rally driver from Steglitz: “I affectionately call my 1969 Porsche 911E Rojito – little red one. However, it says Hossa on the back. I took the Rojito five times in the La Carrera Panamericana in Mexico, the toughest race in the world because there is no speed limit. My little one manages 220 kilometers per hour. Back then we were a group of German drivers and we always sang the Rex Guildo song ‘Fiesta Mexicana’. Hence the Hossa that we all wrote on the engine cover. I also drive a white racing Porsche that I call the Blanquito. My cars all have male names because they have power and are my protectors and because I love them – and they don’t have any arguments.” Photo: Sabine Klier
By Boris Dombrowski
Dicker, Emma. Flitzer – these are our three most popular car names! Hard to believe, but one in six (17 percent) actually gives their car a nickname.
Herbie, Karlchen/Karli and Möhrchen/Möhre follow in places four to six in the car name ranking. But also Brummhilde, Tiger, Monster, Uncle Hellmut or Agathe are very popular.
This is shown by a current representative survey commissioned by the car company “Kia”. The reason for this: the annual “Give your car a name day” on October 2nd, which now has a permanent place in the calendar of curious campaign days, and not just in the USA.
According to a survey, women in Germany are particularly happy to be christened: almost a quarter (23%) of them give their vehicle a nickname. For men it is only half as many (11%).
Incidentally, the first car is generally named particularly often: almost every third (27 percent) of car owners between the ages of 18 and 24 names their vehicle.