Google Street View has recently been embroiled in a number of high-profile trials over privacy violations -- and in the middle of all that hubbub, Google has been trying to roll out the service in Germany. As a result of all the front-page headlines, Germans have met Street View with a mix of...Read More»
It's no secret that China is the world's biggest auto market. Thanks to Beijing's more capitalist-friendly ways, a strong national economy, and a growing middle class, car ownership in China is on the rise. (Cash-for-Clunkers-esque government subsidies haven't hurt, either.) The problem is, despite...Read More»
Marketing to truck fans can be tough. They tend to be well-informed shoppers and very brand loyal, so convincing them to switch brands or models has to be more than smoke and mirrors; automakers have to talk the talk and walk the walk. That's exactly what Campbell-Ewald is hoping to do with its new...Read More»
Lexus has been working the "Darker Side of Green" angle for months now, hyping the company's new hybrid the Lexus CT 200h. We've talked a good bit about the marketing campaign, its series of odd but entertaining debates, and some of its...less successful elements. Now, a little birdie -- seriously...Read More»
Porsche has had its fair share of troubles the past few years. The company suffered an embarrassing blow when its bid to buy out Volkswagen collapsed, and Porsche's sales during the economic downturn haven't been pretty, either. But Porsche sees light at the end of the wind tunnel, and it's...Read More»
Once upon a time, corporations sponsored entire TV shows. Philip Morris brought America I Love Lucy. Dutch Master Cigars beamed The Addams Family to your living room. And The Flintstones was brought to you by the good people at Winston. The practice of sole sponsorship had mostly ended by 1971 --...Read More»
Americans are talkers. We gab about everything, often very loudly. Sometimes we're criticized for that when we travel abroad, but whatever: we like to get out point across. We're not entirely sure where this fondness for putting things into words comes from. A generous assessment would say that we...Read More»
If you grew up in the South, you probably had an uncle or a cousin or a grandmother who swore by BC Powder. When you slept over on Christmas Eve, you'd rifle through their medicine cabinet looking for toothpaste (you left yours at home), and you'd see the tell-tale blue and white box and laugh...Read More»
Land Rover has plenty of reason to smile these days. Despite car buyers' interest in smaller vehicles like the Ford Fiesta, the MINI Cooper, and the maybe here/maybe not Audi A1, Land Rover's lineup of SUVs is doing very well in showrooms. In fact, as of April, the company's year-to-date sales were...Read More»
Tuesday was Star Wars Day, and we spent it the same way every other fanatic did: by ordering a couple of pizzas, cracking open a case of Mountain Dew, and polishing our Yoda figurines while watching Robot Chicken's obsessive, amazing Star Wars parody. We also downloaded Star Wars voices to our...Read More»
Yeah, you read that headline correctly: nominally sane, calm-and-composed morning show hostess Meredith Vieira lost it last Friday morning and shouted "Oh, s***!" on live, national television. The cause of Vieira's profanity? A demonstration in the dangers of distracted driving. Last Friday was...Read More»
In the U.S., we often think of Canadians as our kinder, gentler, older, wiser siblings: the designated drivers of the Northern Hemisphere. They're friendly enough and pleasant to be around, but a tad reserved for our brash, American tastes. Then we stumbled across a commercial full of Canadians...Read More»
There are lots of perks that come from writing about cars -- test drives, nifty schwag, media days at auto shows -- but our favorite by far are the press releases. We don't mean the humdrum emails about new floor mats; we're talking about epic missives promoting "groundbreaking" products that are...Read More»
We're starting to lose patience with flash mobs. What was once an edgy, socially deviant gesture has devolved into an outlet for extroverted Michael Jackson fans and self-professed marketing "gurus". That said, we're willing to give a pass to this clip from the NAIAS Black Tie Charity Preview last...Read More»
Ice Road Truckers do it for a living. Even Jeremy Clarkson and James May did it -- all the way to the freakin' North Pole. So why shouldn't you or I drive on ice? Because as this clip demonstrates, it's dangerous and it'll ruin your pants (not in the way you'd think). Consider it a safety reminder...Read More»
Jokes about men's and women's driving abilities have fueled more stand-up routines than we care to remember, but a new study indicates that there may be some truth behind those yuks. Researchers in Germany put 65 men and women behind the wheel of an Audi A6 and tested them on head-on, reverse, and...Read More»
Not so long ago, kids were content just knowing that Santa was in the air. Eventually, NORAD got into the act, giving children and their anxious parents precise details of the big guy's whereabouts. Now, General Motors has joined the fray: this Christmas Eve, children of all ages can get updates on...Read More»
Toyota's Clever Film Competition asked fledgling filmmakers to create ads for the Toyota Yaris. In the contest rules, Toyota stipulated that submissions couldn't "break the law", "portray the Toyota Yaris in a negative manner", "show reckless or careless driving", or "be immoral". After the...Read More»
Yesterday, the Chevrolet Volt Dance hit the interwebs in a big way -- and rightly so. Because it is terrible. BIBLICALLY terrible. Like, no-wonder-Bob Lutz-got-moved-around terrible. We thought briefly about praising it as the best indie film in recent months and Avatar's stiffest competition for...Read More»
