A Chinese automaker planning to sell cars in America is catching flak over its flagship brand – Trumpchi – and its awkward name similarity to the president of the United States, CNNMoney reported.
The name was meant to sound like its Chinese name, Chuanqi – which is a play on the word "legendary" and means passing good fortune, according to Reuters.
But now executives at Guangzhou Automobile Group are concerned it might wind up doing just the opposite in the United States, CNNMoney reported.
"This is a complete coincidence, we didn't even have the slightest idea he would be president," GAC Group President Feng Xingya told Reuters.
"At first I'd never thought of it, why change the name? It's the president Americans selected, it's similar to the president's name, this has to be good right? But in the United States the level of opposition [to Trump] is high."
A GAC spokeswoman told CNNMoney.com said the use of the Trumpchi name is still under discussion. The company is aiming to launch in the U.S. market by the end of 2019.
The issue has generated some mockery on Twitter.
The name may not be the only impediment with the Trump administration, which is demanding that cars being sold to Americans be manufactured in the United States, CNNMoney.com reported.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.