From Snopes at https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/chevrolet-nova-name-spanish/ :
CLAIM: The Chevrolet Nova sold poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because its name translates as "doesn't go" in Spanish.
RATING: False
First of all, the phrase no va (literally doesnt go) and the word nova are distinct entities with different pronunciations in Spanish: the former is two words and is pronounced with the accent on the second word; the latter is one word with the accent on the first syllable. Assuming that Spanish speakers would naturally see the word nova as equivalent to the phrase no va and think Hey, this car doesnt go! is akin to assuming that English speakers would spurn a dinette set sold under the name Notable because nobody wants a dinette set that doesnt include a table.
Although no va can be literally translated as no go, it would be a curious locution for a speaker of Spanish to use in reference to a car. Just as an English speaker would describe a broken-down car by saying that it doesnt run rather than it doesnt go, so a Spanish speaker would refer to a malfunctioning automobile by saying no marcha or no funciona or no camina rather than no va.