What’s in a name?

One in five car owners gives their car a nickname.

What would you call a Bongo?

A US study has found about 20% of car owners give their cars a name and those that do often choose a name starting with ‘B’.

Commissioned by industry research group DMEautomotive, the study of 2000 car owners found ‘Baby,’ ‘Betsy,’ ‘Bessie,’ ‘Black Beauty,’ and ‘Betty’ were the most common names given to vehicles by their owners.

Women and younger car owners were also the most likely to give a nickname and associate a gender to their vehicles.

Doug Van Sach, DMEautomotive’s Vice President of Strategy and Analytics, says the survey has proven the depth of the emotional connection between consumers and their cars.

“While these findings, on the surface, are just plain fun…they also offer an interesting, even counter-intuitive perspective on the relationships car owners, especially women and the young generation, develop with their vehicles,”

“The accepted cliché is that men have a more passionate, personal relationship with their beloved cars, but this research provides a different insight.”

“This indicates an emotional and personal vehicle attachment in these demographics, one that auto marketers might want to explore and leverage.”