Toyota Isis: The most unfortunately-named vehicle

Actually, the 7-seat MPV was named after an ancient Egypt’s Goddess of Health, Fertility, and Wisdom called Isis. Unfortunately, it appears so much similar to ISIS (all in caps) which stands for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a jihadist rebel group with an extremely brutal ideology that proclaims itself a worldwide caliphate and declares religious, political, and military authority over all Muslims. It is also well-known as the Islamic State (IS) and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), an acronym commonly used by the White House.

>>> Do you know Toyota, Hyundai and Kia have become very popular with IS terrorists?​
   
In fact, the Toyota Isis has been put on market (only in Japan and Singapore) since as early as 2004. While also beginning in 2004, not until 2006 when it publicly expelled from al-Qaeda did the terrorist group rebrand as ISIS.
   
The acronym ISIS, which is almost exactly what is plastered on the car’s rear end, is more popular to Western mass media. In Japan, the main market of the 7-seater, the media commonly refers to the terrorist group as either IS, ISIL or Islamic State.
 
Even though Japanese consumers are not as familiar with the abbreviation ISIS as those in other marketplaces, the name of the Toyota Isis still stirs a sense of negativity and unfortunate, particularly when two Japanese citizens were kidnapped and killed by the rebel group in early 2015. Since we are living in a world that that terrorists can strike anywhere, the Japanese automotive manufacturer might want to consider renaming the 7-seat MPV to that of its predecessor, the Toyota Gaia.
 
The Toyota’s Isis is designed with unique sliding doors and available with front or four-wheel drive, 2.0-litre gasoline engines and straight-4 1.8. In Japanese market, this large MPV competes with the on-sale Honda Stream and the Nissan Lafesta.