2015 Automakers’ April Fools Jokes

It’s that time of year again when all journalists cringe and wonder why they choose this career.  News stories that are published on April 1st, April Fool’s Day, are usually pranks that journalists have to sort through to figure out what is true and what is an prank.  Automotive journalism is not different.  Whether it is Nissan’s Limo-Z or the Tesla’s pet driving cars, automakers like to point and laugh at us some times.  Since the New York Auto Show starts today, we can probably expect a few less jokes than usually.  However, here are some that we saw this week.

Honda’s HR-V SLF “Selfie” Edition

In order to engage young buyers, Honda has announced a special edition HR-V SLF that will feature 10 selfie cameras that will allow picture taking at any time.  They asked one Ashley H to take part in ther product video that you can see above.  All the cameras will be hands free and will only function while the vehicle is in park.  Honda is taking the camera safety to a whole different level with this “new” model.

 

Fiat’s 499

 

Mercedes-AMG Sprinter 63 S

What would you expect of our high performance division if they were given the keys to a Sprinter van? Something along the lines of this: the Mercedes-AMG Sprinter63 S. What would be the ultimate combination of driving performance and utility, AMG’s all-new handcrafted 4.0-liter biturbo V-8 would lurk under its hood, sending 503-hp to the rear wheels. And once it was done, you’d have a van that could haul a lot more than just cargo. #Mercedes #Benz #Sprinter63 #Sprinter #AMG #instacar #carsofinstagram #germancars #luxury A photo posted by Mercedes-Benz USA (@mbusa) on

Mercedes apparently wanted to get into the performance van market when they announced a AMG version of their Sprinter Van on Instagram.  To be honest though, a 503 hp huge van would be a lot of fun on an open road.  However, you would probably not want to take this thing around a curve at high speed, considering how tall it is.

 

Chevy’s “Eyes on the Road” Commercial

While this is part of actual advertising campaign, Chevy took the opportunity to prank some of the people during the filming of their commercials. That and it was entirely too funny not to share.  Anyway, the entire concept of the “Real People, Not Actors” Campaign is to record non-Chevy customers’ reaction to Chevrolet cars.  In this particular video, people were simply asked to pay attention to the video of the road on the screen in front of them.  However, people did not know that there were going to be distractions such as male dancers, a pair of wrestlers, and zombies.  There is another video for Blind Spot sensors that features a creepy clown that is still giving us the shakes.

 

Ram Has Good Fishing

The truck brand Ram has been completely changing their design characteristics this year.  Now, apparently, that includes some “fishy” optional extras.  Ram announced on Twitter that their new “Gone-Fishing” edition will come fully-stocked with big fish.  It is nice to see that Ram has not limited the options with trout, bass and mackerel being able to be chosen from.  The best part about this joke is the probably purposefully-horrible Photoshop job.

 

A Chromed-Mini

Meet the Mini that will require you to wear sunglasses anytime you get near it.  Mini calls it the Chrome Line Exterior Deluxe.  It’s literally a Mini that has been covered a chrome skin, something that Mini has been apparently trying to do since the 1950’s and calls the Chrome Line an “fully integrated work of art.”  Mini says that the chrome exterior is a bit of a hazard, and said that the factory where the Chrome Line will be made in will have to have their lights dimmed.  This would probably be the most ridiculous Mini we have even seen if we could look at it without burning our retinas.

 

Audi’s Rice Cooker

Audi Japan announced a special edition A8 5.5 would be launched for the Japanese market.  In Japanese, 5.5 translates to “go” and “han” which comes from the Japanese word for rice.   This special rice edition includes a rice cooker in the center counsel in the rear passenger seats.  The car will be equipped a touch-screen that menu panel that passengers can use to select various cooking options.  That image of the rice cooker is amazing. We are not even sure if this would work considering having boiling water near passengers would be a logistical nightmare.  Come to think of it, this sounds a bit like Nissan’s BBQ.

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