Car Acronyms: What Do They Mean?

Alfa Romeo

Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S. isn’t without its typical Italian quirks. On every new Alfa Romeo model, the letters D, N, and A are displayed prominently somewhere near the gear lever. Apart from a nod to the obvious biological acronym, the three letters represent a range of performance options inside the vehicle.

• A.L.F.A: [Società] Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili (Translation: Lombard Automobile Factory Company (until 1920))
• DNA: Dynamic, Natural, and All Weather Modes

BMW

Cadillac

Despite what Cadillac’s marketing department tells you, the "V" in CTS-V and ATS-V doesn’t actually stand for "Velocity." The badge was introduced to signify the American automaker’s focus on V8 and outgoing V16 engines. The phrase "V for Velocity" was used later in life to market the high-performance models… but somehow it stuck. CTS and DTS, meanwhile, borrow a few classic nameplates.

• CTS: Catera Touring Sedan
• DTS: DeVille Touring Sedan
• V: V8 and V16 Engines

Chevrolet

Chevrolet has many acronyms to classify its famed Camaro sports coupe. The new ZL1 1LE is an example of an acronym within an acronym (neither of which stand for anything specific). But what do they all mean? Three of the most notable trims, LS, RS, and SS, each have a range of performance credentials and options that separate one from the other.

• LS: Luxury Sport
• RS: Rally Sport
• SS: Super Sport

Dodge

Look past the barrage of Hellcat badges, and the Dodge lineup is filled with a few acronyms to signify its sporty implications. The R/T badge, for example, was first introduced in 1967 on the Coronet. Soon after came the SRT badge to signify even more power, and within the mix of it all, the 392 badge represented the amount of cubic inches under the hood.

• R/T: Road/Track
• SRT: Street & Racing Technology
• 392: Cubic Inches of 6.4-liter V8

DS

Citroen’s luxury spin-off, DS Automobiles, arrived just a few years ago, but already the French marque is making waves with new arrivals like the DS 3 Crossback. While the name has historic ties to the Citroen DS, the two letters have their own meaning here.

• DS: Different Spirit / Distinctive Series

Ferrari

Ferrari borrows its most popular acronym from its F1 cars. The KERS hybrid system found on the LaFerrari is the first of its kind on a road-going Prancing Horse, and made its debut in motorsports as early as 2008. But one of the newest letter in the Ferrari alphabet, 'T,' is also the oldest. It's used to signify the turbocharged engine in the California convertible and GTC4Lusso, and the transversely mounted gearbox in the 312T.

• T: Turbocharged / Transverse
• M: Modificato (Translation: Modification)
• KERS: Kinetic Energy Recovery System

Ford

Ford has a history of iconic acronyms and initialisms, most of them are reserved exclusively for high-performance machines like the Mustang and the GT supercar. But even the lowly Focus, Taurus, and Edge benefit with monikers like RS, SVT, ST, and others.

• SHO: Super High Output
• SVT: Special Vehicle Team
• ST: Sport Technologies
• RS: Rally Sport

Fiat

Though not usually written as an acronym, the word 'Fiat' is actually four letters that combine to create a single phrase. The phrase, "Fabrica Italiana Automobili Torino" loosely translates to mean "Italian automobile factory, Torino."

• FIAT: Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino (Translation: Italian Automobile Factory, Torino)

GMC

In 1909, General Motors bought the Rapid Motor Vehicle Company and rebranded it as the GM Truck and Coach Division. It would later be shortened to GMC, and would eventually be responsible for trucks, SUVs, and as it know it today, crossovers like the Acadia and Terrain.

• GMC: General Motors Company

Hennessey

Hennessey is in a category all its own: it's both a legendary tuner – and as of late – a full-blown limited manufacturer. Whatever the case, the Texas-based company uses a lot of acronyms and initialisms for its vehicles.

• HPE: Hennessey Performance Engineering
• F5: F5 Tornado, The Strongest Storm On The Fujita Scale

Honda

Two of the automotive world’s most recognizable acronyms can be found on the backside of Honda’s finest performance models, specifically the Civic. The Si and Type R monikers are typically associated with high horsepower and plenty of torque steer. Of course, it’s all powered with the aid of VTEC, bro.

• Si: Sport Injected
• Type R: Racing
• VTEC: Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control

Infiniti

In 2010, Infiniti slapped an IPL badge and some go-fast bits on its G37 coupe giving it 348 horsepower (259 kilowatts). At the same time, the company added all-wheel drive to its lineup, signified by a single 'X,' available on both the sedan and coupe to counter that newfound performance.

• X: All-Wheel Drive
• IPL: Infiniti Performance Line

Jaguar

In an effort to make meaner some of its most potent offerings, Jaguar introduced the SVR acronym in 2016 to its F-Type sports car following the Range Rover with the same name. The two cars represented the peak of performance, all courtesy of Jaguar’s newly-formed Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division.

• SVR: Special Vehicle Racing
• SVO: Special Vehicle Operations

Lamborghini

The Lamborghini SV acronym made its debut on the iconic Miura in 1972 and hasn’t looked back. It has since been worn by the Diablo, Murcielago, Aventador, and others, and signifies the highest in performance throughout the range.

• SV: SuperVeloce
• SVJ: SuperVeloce 'Jota'

Lexus

Lexus uses a single letter to identify its top-trim models: F. The sixth letter in the alphabet not only represents the "flagship" models within the brand, but is also a nod to the automaker’s home track, Fuji Speedway in Japan. According to Lexus, the models themselves also have unique names.

• F: Flagship / Fuji Speedway
• GS: Grand Sedan
• IS: Intelligent Sports
• LC: Luxury Coupe
• LS: Luxury Sedan
• NX: Nimble Crossover
• RC: Radical Coupe
• RX: Radiant Crossover
• UX: Urban Crossover

McLaren

Britain's favorite supercar maker has a ton of acronyms, initialisms, and numerals in its naming scheme. It kicked off with the MP4-12C, and continues on with cars like the 570S and 720S. Its MSO department, too, is an initialism.

• LT: Long Tail
• MSO: McLaren Special Operations
• MP4-12C: McLaren Project 4, Vehicle Performance Index (12), Carbon

Mercedes-Benz

Today, most know the AMG badge by its performance credentials. But the three-letter acronym actually contains the name of two of its founders: Hans Werner Aufrecht, and Erhard Melcher, and Aufrecht’s birthplace of Großaspach in Germany. The more you know.

• AMG: Aufrecht Melcher Großaspach

Nissan

Like the heralded GT-R sports car, Nissan’s Nismo performance arm is actually an acronym in itself. The original motorsports team made its debut in 1984 under the name Nissan Motorsport International Limited.

• NISMO: Nissan Motorsport International Limited
• GT-R: Gran Turismo Racer

Porsche

Between Porsche’s sporty S models and its high-horsepower turbo models, the GTS acronym splits the lineup and sits on the back of everything from the 718 Boxster to the Panamera to the new 911. And don't forget the range-topping GT models – from GT2 and GT3 on the 911, to GT4 on the Cayman.

• GTS: Grand Turismo Sport
• GT2: Built To Meet GT2 Homologation Standards
• GT3: Built To Meet GT3 Homologation Standards
• GT4: Built To Meet GT4 Homologation Standards
• RS: Rennsport

Renault

The Renault Megane comes to us from France, with love. And with it, the sporty R.S. designation that signifies its sporty intentions. The latest model comes with up to 296 horsepower (220 kilowatts).

• R.S.: Renault Sport

Subaru

The WRX and STI monikers have been around, in some form or another, since the early ‘90s. Originally using the Impreza as their base, the acronyms have taken on a life of their own in recent years.

• WRX: World Rally Experimental / World Rally Cross
• STI: Subaru Tecnica International

Suzuki

Suzuki shelved U.S. operations in 2012. But oversees, the Japanese manufacturer still has a stronghold in certain markets. With updated products like the Jimny, and carry-overs like the SX4, the company has plenty of acronyms and initialisms across its range.

• SX4: Sports X Over 4 All Seasons
• APV: All-Purpose Vehicle

Toyota

Following the success of Toyota’s Gazoo Racing team on the track, the Japanese automaker decided to adopt the same designation for the street. Oversees, the Yaris and 86 both have GR and GRMN badging to signify their sporty intentions.

• GR: Gazoo Racing
• GRMN: Gazoo Racing Masters Of Nurburgring

Volkswagen

The debate rages on as to the true identity of the GTI moniker, but most agree that it stands for Grand Touring Injection to signify the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine under the hood. The hotted-up Golf R, meanwhile, borrows its moniker from the racing team, while the lower-level TSI and TDI engines give clues as to their inner workings.

• GTI: Grand Touring Injection
• R: Racing
• TDI: Turbocharged Direct Injection
• TSI: Turbocharged Stratified Injection