Mazda to Mitsubishi, How Car Companies Got Their Names

Many car brands have interesting backgrounds behind the company’s name, some of these include Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Mitsubishi.
Written by Serena Aburahma
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
We've seen a wide variety of vehicles get names that stem from animals, bugs, and other interesting items over the years. However, have you ever wondered where some of the
car brands'
names come from? 
We look at what's behind the names of Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Mitsubishi.

What's really behind the Mazda name?

According to
AAA
, many people mistakenly believe that the founder's name inspired the brand. Jujiro Matsuda's surname is similar, for sure, but it's actually unrelated. The name refers to an old type of religion stemming from Zoroastrianism. 
Ahura Mazda is the god that represents wisdom, harmony, and intelligence. The company believed that the old religion symbolized the start of both eastern and western civilizations, as well as what we now know as automotive culture. 
Before adopting the Mazda name, the brand was known as Toyo Kyogo. This company produced a three-wheeled truck in 1931, which they named the Mazda-Go. Nowadays, Mazda is known for some best-sellers, such as the Miata, CX-3, and CX-5. 
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What name inspired Mercedes-Benz?

MORE: Mazda Owns Itself Which Is Rare in the Car Industry
An Austrian businessman named Emil Jellinek, who was an avid racer, had his own racing team. He named that team after his daughter, Mercedes. During that time, he began commissioning Daimler vehicles to use in the various races he competed in. 
Since Jellinek had so much success with Daimler, he agreed to take on about 36 more cars from the brand, but he had a stipulation. He asked that they be called Mercedes, which Daimler obliged. 
He continued to see success, and in 1926, Daimler merged its car company with another famous brand, Benz automotive. 
After the two came together, the name for those particular vehicles became Mercedes-Benz, the brand we're familiar with today. The company produces some expensive cars, like the S600, SL65 AMG, and S63 AMG 4Matic as well as many others. 

How a car company used its logo to inspire the name

You don't often hear of a car company using its logo to come up with its brand name. Mitsubishi's name is one case where it happened. 
The logo was a three-diamond-shaped image, which the family of Yataro Iwasaki inspired. His family's crest was a design with three stacked rhombuses (similar to a diamond shape). 
This logo was also inspired by the Tosa family, which was Iwasaki's first employer. The Tosa crest includes three leaves in its design. By merging the two designs together, you get three diamond shapes in place of the three leaves. 
The name comes in two parts. First, "Mitsu" means three, and "hishi" (in Japanese) is translated into water chestnuts, but the Japanese also use that word for diamond shapes. 
So, in a nutshell, Mitsubishi comes from the three-diamond logo of the car company. The brand makes the popular Outlander, which recently came out as a
plug-in hybrid

Protect your vehicle no matter which brand you choose

Whether you purchase a German, Japanese, or even an American brand, you'll need the best insurance available for your unique needs. Settling for the first company you come across could cost you more money than you're expecting to pay. 
Browsing through various insurance agencies will let you find a policy you can afford, but doing that takes time, and not many people have that kind of time. 
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