Toyota did not call the MR2 that in France, I forget the model name they came up with, but merde was not exactly the best name for a car in France!
In North America, the MR2 wasn't even badged as a Toyota in the first year. The story goes that they were worried it would be a failure and thus sully the reputation of Toyota; another version is that they were worried the Toyota name would be a negative in the NA sports car market. Either way, the first cars were debadged and simply had the MRC crest and name on them.
