Zoé To Renault: Don’t Steal My Name

Fearing their daughters will have to endure lifetimes of comparisons to an electric minicar, some French parents are outraged that Renault christened their latest concept Zoé . The London Daily Mail reports that Sébastien Mortreux, a parent who presumably either named his daughter Zoé or has far too much time on his hands, is circulating an online petition that demands Renault change the name of their forthcoming electric concept car. “‘ It is outrageous to use the first name and a common name for a product!” he wrote. Sharing a name with a Renault is far more common an embarrassment than we ever thought. “After the Clio and Mégane, it is Zoé’s turn to suffer from Renault’s choice,” Mortreux wrote. In fact, we hear that novelist John LeCarré accented the last syllable of his name just to avoid the “Le Car” jokes. With Zo é currently the 17th most popular baby name in France, it’s no surprise that there’s support for Mortreux’s petition, especially from women who may share their name with the car if its ever produced. “Seeing that my dear parents called Zoé, and being proud of that name, I have no desire to be compared to a car!” one woman —

named Zoé — wrote. Renault first used the popular pr é nom for an electric concept that debuted in Geneva back in 2005 . More recently, we told you about the Zoe Z.E. “spa car” concept developed with L’Oreal that features cabin hydration and aromatherapy. Spa treatments aside, the name will most likely appear on Renault’s first production electric car. Ostensibly, it’s a play on an acronym for “Zero Emissions,” though Renault spokesperson Valerian David said the name “evokes values of femininity, of youth, a playful spirit and vivacity.” Guardian columnist Zoe Williams has a darker view: “ This car, along with every other con or mischief perpetrated by any given marketing department since stuff was invented, is just an attempt to anthropomorphise a thing, to make us desire it the way we desire one another,” she wrote. We’re just dismayed that Renault chose a name with such an uncertain diacritical mark — should it be an umlaut or an accent? Plus, the original Zoe didn’t have such a pleasant end: a Christian martyr in ancient Rome, she was burned alive while hanging by her hair from a tree. Photo: Renault

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Zoé To Renault: Don’t Steal My Name