1571: Car Model Names

2015-08-31T21:26:28Z

Seth: /* Potential Hits */

{{comic
| number = 1571
| date = August 31, 2015
| title = Car Model Names
| image = car_model_names.png
| titletext = CLIMAX is good, but SEXCLIMAX is even better.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

In English, letters like X and Z are rarely used in the common vernacular. Marketers have found that names with these infrequently-appearing letters sell more products.

===Scores===
Scores for letters and numbers are presumably taken from their frequency in car models. [[Randall]] must have used a car-name database to create the scores. Randall uses positive numbers if a letter is more common in car models than in typical English (as X) which he then calls carlike. He used negative numbers if a letter's relative frequency in car models is lower than in typical English (as O) he calls it English-like (for text). The letters F and B, with scores of 5 and -5, respectively, are about as common in English as in car models. With this nomenclature, the most English-like letter is Y because, while not the most common English letter, it is apparently extremely rare in car models. The most common letter in ordinary English is E.

There are 19 positive scores and 17 negative scores.

===Algorithm for the index===
Randall devised an index for car models which is the score average divided by 10.

;Example
We take 2Chainz and add the scores of its different numbers and letters: 6 +27 -44 -14 -21 -46 +83 = -9

Average is -9/7 = -1.29 and divided by 10 it's -0.129 or -0.13.

===Names to avoid===
*Honda '''2Chainz''' - {{w|2 Chainz}} is an American rapper
*Mitsubishi '''Fhqwhgads''' - A reference to a running joke on {{w|Homestar Runner}}. See http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Fhqwhgads
*Kia '''49andGothy''' - Gothy or gothic is a member of the {{w|goth subculture}}; most of its members are much younger than 49
*Chevrolet '''Niceguy''' - A reference to the idiom "nice guys finish last".
*Oldsmobile '''Goodwood''' - May be a reference to the {{w|Goodwood Festival of Speed}}
*Infiniti '''Toothy69'''
*BMW '''Outhouse''' - Loose standing toilet, or {{w|Outhouse}}.
*Volkswagen '''Woodpony 7oh7''' - Wood ponies are wooden constructions to give kids (and sometimes adults) the feeling of riding a horse, but don't actually move. 7oh7 is a way to pronounce 707, which could be a reference to the Boeing 707 passenger jet series.
*Chrysler '''Uh Iono''' - When pronounced, sounds roughly like someone slurring "Uh, I don't know" [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=iono]
*Nissan '''Doody''' - May reference the unfortunately named {{w|Nissan Moco}}, which is Spanish for snot

===Potential Hits===
*Honda '''3Chainz''' - A play on 2Chainz in the previous section; according to the table the number 2 has a score of 6 and the number 3 has a higher score of 55; the index will go up by (55-6)/7/10=0.7.
*Subaru '''Andre3000''' - {{w|André 3000}} is an American rapper
*Suzuki '''Sexism''' - Akihiro Suzuki is a Tokyo city assemblyman who made sexist remarks in June 2014.
*Lincoln '''Marxism''' - {{w|Marxism}} is a form of communism. There are various essays noting it's founder and {{w|Abraham Lincoln}} exchanged letters during the American civil war.
*Hyundai '''Climax''' - In this context, an {{w|orgasm}}. The title text finds an excuse to add another "x" with the portmanteau '''SexClimax'''.
*Porsche '''Zizek9000''' - A portmanteau referencing academic {{w|Slavoj Žižek}} and the {{w|Saab 9000}}
*Lexus '''3×3Cutrix''' - 3×3 is a play on 4×4; this car presumably has 3 wheels. "Executrix" is the female counterpart of "executor", one who administers a will.
*Acura '''PizzaJazz''' - The letter Z has a very high score, so using 4 of them in a fairly short name makes this a potential hit.
*Ford '''SixAxle 4×4''' - A contradictory name, as the 4×4 refers to a vehicle that has all four wheels connected to the drivetrain, which would only use two axles. May also be a reference to the Sony PlayStation's {{w|Sixaxis controller}}.
*Toyota '''Cervixxx''' - A portmanteau of {{w|cervix}} and XXX rating used by pornographic industry to make titles seem more extreme (see {{w|X rating}}). It being the highest scoring item on the list may be an attempt to show that {{w|sex sells}}.

Note that Randall gives the symbol × the value of 126, which means he equates it with the letter x.
:index(3×3CutrixNote) = (+55 + score(×) +55 +27 -68 -18 +8 -21 +126)/9/10 = 3.22. This means that the score of the symbol × is 90×3.22 - 164 = 125.8

===Title text===

==Transcript==
:{| style="text-align:center; border:0px; width:63%;"
| '''Certain letters and numbers are used disproportionately often in car models compared to regular text.'''
|-
| (see:"Rev-4 cr-x x3 G6 Maxx")
|}

:{| style="text-align:center; border:1pt black solid;"
| colspan="37" | '''Letter and number scores based on relative frequency in car model names'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | Carlike
|| 60
||
|| 6
|| 55
|| 35
|| 74
|| 6
||
||
||
||
||
|| 27
||
||
|| 5
|| 27
||
||
|| 64
|| 32
|| 12
|| 19
||
||
||
|| 40
|| 8
|| 15
||
||
|| 41
||
|| 126
||
|| 83
|-
||
|| '''0'''
|| '''1'''
|| '''2'''
|| '''3'''
|| '''4'''
|| '''5'''
|| '''6'''
|| '''7'''
|| '''8'''
|| '''9'''
|| '''A'''
|| '''B'''
|| '''C'''
|| '''D'''
|| '''E'''
|| '''F'''
|| '''G'''
|| '''H'''
|| '''I'''
|| '''J'''
|| '''K'''
|| '''L'''
|| '''M'''
|| '''N'''
|| '''O'''
|| '''P'''
|| '''Q'''
|| '''R'''
|| '''S'''
|| '''T'''
|| '''U'''
|| '''V'''
|| '''W'''
|| '''X'''
|| '''Y'''
|| '''Z'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | English-like
||
|| -74
||
||
||
||
||
|| -58
|| -67
|| -37
|| -14
|| -5
||
|| -21
|| -45
||
||
|| -44
|| -21
||
||
||
||
|| -46
|| -80
|| -27
||
||
||
|| -18
|| -68
||
|| -20
||
|| -90
||
|}

:{| style="text-align:center; border:0px; width:63%;"
| '''Based on these scores, here are a few suggestions for car companies:'''
|-
| (with average letter scores)
|}

:{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; border:1pt black solid; width:63%;"
| colspan="2" | '''Names to avoid'''
| colspan="2" | '''Potential hits'''
|-
| style="text-align:right; width:25%; color:#808080;" | Honda
| style="text-align:left;" | '''2Chainz''' (-0.13)
| style="text-align:right; width:25%; color:#808080;" | Honda
| style="text-align:left;" | '''3Chainz''' (0.57)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Mitsubishi
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Fhqwhgads''' (-0.62)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Subaru
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Andre3000''' (1.30)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Kia
| style="text-align:left;" | '''49AndGothy''' (-2.96)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Suzuki
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Sexism''' (1.82)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Chevrolet
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Niceguy''' (-3.09)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Lincoln
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Marxism''' (2.17)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Oldsmobile
| style="text-align:left;" | '''GoodWood''' (-4.44)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Hyundai
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Climax''' (2.48)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Infinity
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Toothy69''' (-4.51)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Porsche
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Zizek9000''' (3.06)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | BMW
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Outhouse''' (-4.85)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Lexus
| style="text-align:left;" | '''3x3Cutrix''' (3.22)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Volkswagen
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Woodpony 7OH7''' (-5.70)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Acura
| style="text-align:left;" | '''PizzaJazz''' (3.56)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Chrysler
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Uh Iono''' (-5.65)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Ford
| style="text-align:left;" | '''SixAxle''' 4x4 (3.95)
|-
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Nissan
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Doody''' (-5.84)
| style="text-align:right; color:#808080;" | Toyota
| style="text-align:left;" | '''Cervixxx''' (4.85)
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Sex]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1571: Car Model Names