Did the Chevy Nova sell poorly in Mexico?

Answer 1

This urban legend is often taught in marketing classes. In truth, however, the Chevy Nova sold perfectly well in Latin America. The legend says that the car sold poorly because the word "Nova" is similar to the phrase "no va" which translates to "doesn't go." There was no confusion, however, as the pronunciation of the two phrases is different, "Nova" having the accent on the first part of the word and the phrase "no va" having the accent on the second word. Snopes.com uses the example of selling a dinette set set in the US called "Notable" wouldn't suggest to consumers that there is "no table" in the set. There was, and still is a gasoline sold in Mexico under the trade name Nova. Further information can be found at www.snopes.com.