British Protest Kia Provo Name

Some consumers in the U.K. object to the decision by South Korea's Kia Motor Corp. to dub its new supermini the "Provo," according to the London-based Daily Mail.

The tabloid notes that the militant wing of the Irish Republican Party in the 1970s and 1980s was called the Provisional IRA. The Provos conducted a campaign of bombings, kidnapping and in the U.K.

Kia has promoted the new mini coupe as a "radical" car that aims to "set the streets alight." The company says its Germany-based European staff that picked the name did not intend any offense. Kia did not indicate whether it would change the model's moniker or advertising slogan.