Have you ever looked at the back of a car and just wondered about all the alphabet soup that manufactures lather all over it? Or wasted time pondering what “Arteon” or some other bizarro model name is supposed to convey? Or better still – where did the brand name come from? Well, in this not-so-much an article but a reference guide and we’ve compiled a list for you! — **You can help us update this list by using this form (must be signed in to access).
| Manufacturer | Badge | Meaning | Additional Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audi | TT | Tourist Trophy | |
| Audi | Quattro | 4 | Quattro is Italian for 4, but also signifies Audis equipped with All Wheel Drive |
| BMW | BMW | Bayerische Motoren Werke | or Bavarian Motor Works in English |
| BMW | ///M | Motorsports | Speciality BMW models that were originally a part of the BMW-Motorsports division. Over time the M badge became synonymous with performance/appearance packages on many BMWs. |
| BMW | ### i | Injected | |
| BMW | ### Ci | Convertible | i = injected |
| BMW | X-drive | All Wheel Drive | |
| Chevrolet | SS | Super Sport | |
| Chevrolet | COPO | Central Office Production Order | |
| Ford | SHO | Super High-Output | |
| Ford | SVT | Special Vehicles Team | |
| Ford | ECOboost | Turbo | From 2014+ ECOboost is Fords way of saying "we've got a turbo under the hood" |
| General Motors | RS | Rally Sport | |
| General Motors | GS | Grand Sport | |
| General Motors | Z06 | Z06 : SPECIAL PERFORMANCE EQUIPMENT PACKAGE | The Z with GM is the regular production order (RPO) code |
| General Motors | Z07 | Z07 : PERFORMANCE PACKAGE, AGGRESSIVE SPORT | |
| General Motors | Z51 | Z51 : PACKAGE, PERFORMANCE HANDLING | |
| General Motors | Z71 | Z71 : CHASSIS PACKAGE, “OFF-ROAD” | |
| General Motors | Z28 | Z28 : MERCHANDISED PKG, SPECIAL PERFORMANCE | |
| General Motors | ZL1 | ZL1 : NOISE CONTROL WITH LESS THAN 8000 LB GVW | |
| General Motors | ZR1 | ZR1 : PERFORMANCE PACKAGE, SPECIAL COUPE | |
| General Motors | Z24 | Z24 : SS 427 | |
| Holden | HSV | Holden Special Vehicles | |
| Kia | GDCI | Gasoline Direct-Injection Compression Ignition | |
| Lotus | CABC | Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman | The initials for Colin Chapman the founder of Lotus Engineering |
| Maserati | Quattroporte | Four Doors | Quattroporte is Italian for "4 doors" - how creative! |
| Mercedes-Benz | Kompressor | Forced Induction Engine | Mercedes uses the “kompressor” badge for vehicles equipped with either super- or turbo- chargers |
| Mercedes-Benz | 4-matic | All Wheel Drive | |
| Nissan | SV | Standard Value | Package Level |
| OTHER | Cosworth | Mike Costin & Keith Duckworth | Combination of the last names of the two gentlemen that founded Cosworth Engineering |
| Subaru | STi | Subaru Technica International | Subaru's Highest Performing vehicles are badged STi |
| Subaru | XV | Crossover Vehicle | |
| Toyota | Camry | Crown | The name "Camry" is an Anglicized phonetic transcription of the Japanese word kanmuri (ja:冠, かんむり), meaning "crown" |
| Toyota | MR-2 | mid-ship, run-about, 2-seater | |
| Toyota | TRD | Toyota Racing Development | |
| Toyota | SR5 | Sports Rally 5-speed | Used to mean Sports Rally 5-speed; but now stands for an upgrade package |
| VARIOUS | R/T | Road and Track | Used by Chrysler and Dodge for their mid-level performance vehicles |
| VARIOUS | GTI | Gran Touring Injection | Volkswagen, Peugeot and others have used the "GTI" badge on several models |
| VARIOUS | GTO | Gran Turismo Omologato | Grand Tourer Homologated - In English; Used by Ferrari originally, then Pontiac in the 1960s. |
| VARIOUS | HD | Heavy Duty | |
| VARIOUS | AWD | All Wheel Drive | |
| VARIOUS | 4x4 | Four Wheel Drive | 4x4 is usually a "switchable" system where the vehicle can operate in 2 wheel drive (usually rear wheel drive) and then the remaining 2 wheels can be engaged for 4 wheel drive. 4WD and AWD are generally not the same system. |
| VARIOUS | S | Sport | Any car with an "S" badge is usually a "Sport" model/trim |
| VARIOUS | T | Turbo | Many cars with turbo engines will have a 1.8T, 2.0T, 2.5T, etc on them. the T stands for "turbocharged" |
| VARIOUS | R | Racing | Many manufacturers use an "R" badge to denote their "race derived" packages/trim level or homologated vehicles. |
| VARIOUS | FLEXFUEL | This motor can use different Fuel Types | The motors ability to run different GASOLINE fuel types: from standard unleaded to E85. |
| VARIOUS | Limited | Refers to a trim/visual package. | Often abbreviated to LT, LTD or LE |
| VARIOUS | 4WD | Four Wheel Drive | |
| Volkswagen | CC | Concept Coupe | |
| Volkswagen | Scirocco | Name of a Wind | Scirocco - is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. |
| Volkswagen | 4motion | All Wheel Drive | 4motion is the successor to Syncro; which is VWs version of All Wheel Drive. |
| Volkswagen | Syncro | All Wheel Drive | VWs original version of All Wheel Drive. |
| Volkswagen | TDI | Turbo-Diesel Direct Injection | |
| Volkswagen | GLI | Grand Luxury Injection | |
| Volvo | XC | Cross-Country |
