What exactly is an F-Voiture?
11/12/2025
Many terms in automotive jargon are simply taken for granted without giving them much thought and are even used occasionally. Until at some point you have a second too much time when formulating a sentence and after a mental lap of honor you realize: actually pretty stupid.
The "US car" is one such case. Why is it only in this one country of origin that the car is adapted in language? Why is a Fiat not an "I-Vettura" and a Seat not an "E-Coche"? Why haven't Saab and Volvo long since been united under the term "S-Bil"? Not even in the otherwise francophile Saarland do they say "F-Voiture". With the "NL-Auto" it wouldn't even be very noticeable - except that there wasn't much there apart from Daf.
The Anglo-Saxon adaptation is not even consistent in its own illogicality, as there is also an English-speaking country in Europe with a once large automotive industry. Nevertheless, no one has ever thought of calling an MGA a "UK car" or "GB car". In Swiss German, the semi-anglicism is even doubly stupid, because there a "car" does not refer to a passenger car - but a coach.
The fact that "PL-Samochód" has not caught on in this country is understandable. Although there were surprisingly many cars from Poland, they were not particularly widespread in Western Europe.
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