How to correctly say the name of Chinese cars that are sold in Russia. Zikr is clear, but what about viruses?

There are more and more Chinese cars on the roads, but we still call them incorrectly. And don’t even argue: I have never heard anyone pronounce Haval as “haval”, but this is exactly how this brand is read.

How about the format, say it out loud: Changan, Omoda, Jaeko? I am 99% sure that you pronounced these words incorrectly.

And it’s the same story with the control of most other machines. Our friends from the Middle Kingdom make good cars, so let’s finally find out what these cars were called correctly.

Bonus, these conversations mean the name. Believe me, some are quite romantic.

Hawal

🔴 We are talking: Haval, Lavash
🟢 right: Khavel, Khavale

Haval Dargo X.

Let’s start with one of the most common brands of the Chinese automobile industry in Russia called Haval. Many people pronounce this word as “havAl”, but in fact they correctly pronounce “havel” with the first strike. This is because the name is short for the phrase “I have everything.”

However, at the Russian representative office, Haval employees themselves read this word as “havAil”, claiming that this is the most canonical.

In the brand’s homeland, the Chinese pronounce its name as “Ha Fu,” which translates as “almighty.” But this fact is just for your information, they don’t say that in Russia, their compatriots won’t understand.

J.A.C.

🔴 We are talking: Yak, Jacques, Moskvich

🟢 right: Jak

JAC JS3.

This brand is popular because modern Moskvich cars are assembled at its base in Russia. Well, as they assemble, they just change the nameplates, and even then not everywhere.

However, JAC is quite popular and can often be found on the roads. The name is an abbreviation of Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp., and is correctly read as “Jak” rather than “Yak”.

Omoda

🔴 We are talking: Omoda
🟢 right: Oh Manda

Omoda C5.

Frankly, among Chinese cars this brand is one of my favorites, for example the Omoda S5 model. Therefore, Omoda was first named because of all the variety of brands that taught me to pronounce correctly.

And correctly, Omoda is read as “ou menda” and is translated as “New Fashion”. try saying this word out loud, isn’t it much nicer than “omOda”?

Howling

🔴 We are talking: Voyakh, Vayakh
🟢 right: Voya

Howl Dream.

Voyah premium cars are produced at the plant, which inherited the development of the Sino-French joint venture. So this word is correctly read as “voya” and alludes to the French “voyage”, which means “journey”.

The Chinese themselves put a completely different meaning into this: Voya writes two hieroglyphs, the first of which means fog and fresh wind in the mountains, filling with new energy, the second is a plan for new achievements based on fundamental knowledge.

This is too sublime and poetic, just remember the connection between Voya and traveling in French.

Jetur

🔴 We are talking: Je Tour
🟢 right: Jie Tu

Jetur X50.

Another representative of the more or less premium segment of the Chinese automobile industry seems to have the largest French name. However, no.

The most common pronunciation I’ve heard is “Je Tur”. Yes, it’s beautiful. But completely wrong. In fact, Jetur is correctly spoken as “Tze Tu”, and it is translated as “the shortest path”.

Changan

🔴 We are talking: Changan
🟢 right: Chang Yan

Changan CS35.

This brand takes an honorable second place in the list of my favorites in the world of the Chinese automobile industry. In our country, Changan is most often pronounced as “Changan”, but the correct name is “Chang Yan”.

Although at dealerships everyone says “changan” and doesn’t think about it. As for me, this is almost the only case when incorrect pronunciation sounds more pleasant to the Russian ear, which is why you say “changan”. But know that this is a little wrong.

BID

🔴 We are talking: Bud, Bud, Bid
🟢 right: Biyadi

BID Yu8.

The name BYD contains the phrase “Build Your Dreams”, so according to English rules this abbreviation should be read as “B-W-D”. However, the Chinese themselves produce this bracelet called “Biyadi”, which sounds a little funnier, but more capacious.

Evil tongues suggest that at the very beginning of the brand’s expansion into European markets, the abbreviation was deciphered as “Bring You Dollars,” but then the Chinese came to their senses and hired marketers to correct the situation. So the correct decoding now is “Build your dream”, not “give your dollars”.

Speng

🔴 We are talking: Ixpeng
🟢 right: Xiaopeng

Speng G6.

The word Xpeng has several meanings: it is both “giant bird Peng” and a reference to the president of Xpeng Motors, He Xiaopeng.

Again, it’s difficult for us to make these replacements in letters, so “Ikspeng” has taken root quite well on Russian territory. But if you pronounce this word correctly, your efforts will be appreciated by the fact that you yourself are Chinese.

BIKE

🔴 We are talking: Bike
🟢 right: Bei Qi

BIKE X75.

Another brand whose abbreviation encodes the full name of the automobile company.

The company itself is called Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co, or Beijing Automotive Group. Abbreviated to Bei Qi, which sounds a little more interesting than Bike.

Kayi

🔴 We are talking: Kai, Kau, Kayuy
🟢 right: Kayi

Kaiyi X7 Kunlun.

The company that produces these cars is called Yibin Kaiyi (Cowin) Automobile Co., so that is what is encrypted in the word Kaiyi. It’s quite strange for us to see four vowel letters in a row in one word, so I haven’t seen a single pronunciation option.

And you need to say “Kayi” correctly, with an emphasis on the first syllable.

Which brands do we pronounce correctly?

Zikr is pronounced as Zikr. Thank you.

In the end, I want to dilute the Chinese vibe a little with the names of cars that also came to us from the Middle Kingdom, but we pronounce them correctly. It’s difficult to say whether this is due to marketers or just luck, but here are some auto brands whose names do not need to be relearned:

▪️ FAV – Fav
▪️ Geely – Geely
▪️Zikr – Zikr
▪️ Exeed – Exid
▪️ Tank – Tank (or Tank)
▪️ Great Wall – Great Wall

In any case, the main thing is that the car drives, does not break down and pleases its owner. Therefore, if you are happy with your Jie Tu or Xiaopeng, you can call him whatever you want.

But if you want to reduce the impression in the conversation of car enthusiasts, you can correct the correct pronunciation, so that the guys at the car service will immediately understand that you are a true fan of the brand.