Piston Slap: MPGs as a Noun? OMG!

Sajeev Mehta
by Sajeev Mehta

Bryan writes:

Sajeev, not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m seeing a new trend in auto advertising. “MPG” is beginning to be used as a noun. As in, “the new CX-5 gets 31 MPGs” (punctuation intended). Only in the last year or so, have MPGs (plural) been spoken instead of “miles per gallon”.

Weird. Anyway, random thought. Love the site.

Sajeev answers:

To those who feel jilted by the lack of serious automotive content on today’s Piston Slap, go ahead and ask for your money back. But seriously, this is a fun question. And it’s why I created this series!

I think MPGs became “a thing” because we need to promote fuel economy. This is a hot button issue for everyone. So everyone wants to talk about it, quickly and efficiently in marketing/advertising materials. It’s the path of least resistance, much like using “Fishes” incorrectly. And now we have Ford Tauruses on NBC…but I cannot Google the word “Lexuses” and get a quality hit? Maybe because Lexii sounds way cooler than Taurii.

Oh hell, I donno. Take this baby home, Best and Brightest.

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.

Sajeev Mehta
Sajeev Mehta

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  • Corntrollio Corntrollio on Feb 05, 2013

    The plural of Taurus from Latin would be Tauri, not Taurii. 2nd declension.

  • Danio3834 Danio3834 on Feb 05, 2013

    I wonder if there is any hope that any Phoenix model coudl achieve 37 MPG on the highway. I won't completely refute the idea that it's possible, as I once had an '84 Dodge Charger (Duster, O24 whatever) with a carburated 2.2L that could easily return mileage in the 30s. That car had probably all of 88hp and maybe weighed a tad over 1 ton.

  • Chicagoland Chicagoland on Feb 05, 2013

    37 "MPG's" going 55 "MPH's" in a tailwind, maybe. These are old, old figures.

  • Lorenzo Lorenzo on Feb 06, 2013

    I actually heard a girl pronounce MPGs "Empeegees". In fact, I've also heard MSRP pronounced "misrip" and NSFW pronounced "nisfoo" (as in, "what the nisfoo is going on?"). Most recently I heard MSNBC referred to as "missnibsea". Turning acronyms that don't spell out as words into words by adding vowels seems to be a trend. It's not just for SNAFU anymore.

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