It’s April 1 again, which means that car manufacturers and their marketing departments are showing their funniest side. That sometimes results in witty chore, but also forced silly jokes. An overview of the April 1 jokes in the car country of this year.
Volkswagen started its April 1 joke a little too early. The American department of the brand briefly put a press release online on April 30 in which the brand indicated that it would change its name in the United States to Voltswagen. Indeed, a reference to the EVs it will be selling. Whether the press release was deliberately published online too early to raise doubts is of course also quite possible. In any case, Volkswagen remains Volkswagen, also in the United States.
Opel also appeared to use an early April 1 joke this year and reported on March 31 that it would replace the written out model names on cars for QR codes. Those QR codes, devised by Opel’s Chief Graphic Designer iQR codes Hara Masahiro Junior II, according to Opel, could take any conceivable form. It resulted in creative writing. For example, Opel wrote that “other road users” can easily scan the iQR code of the new Opel models “with their smartphone and contact the driver directly through text messages, voicemails and images”. Stalking fellow road users and scanning Opeltjes with your smartphone in your hand while driving, we can already see it happening.
Caterham (photo 1 and 2)
The English are seldom caught in bad humor and so Caterham also puts on well-fitting fun pants. The manufacturer of spartan and rock-hard tight crack noses inspired by the Lotus Seven says it is coming up with Seven Lube. That’s right, lubricant to make it easier to get in and out of the brand’s cars. “Getting in and out of the low, narrow carriages of our doorless and ‘topless’ sports cars was never an easy job, especially for beginners,” Caterham writes. satisfactory access to the cars and pepper his story with naughty references.
Dacia Dustar (photo 3)
Dacia comes with an affordable space program it calls ‘Dustar’, obviously a nod to the Duster. “The leap into space follows after Dacia on Earth also turned the car market upside down by offering modern, award-winning and reliable cars here since 2005 that are also very affordable,” writes Dacia. The fun message continues with a quote from Alan Ding (a landing …), head of Dustar Operations: “We are always concerned with the best value for money, without compromising on quality. We have achieved this on Earth, so a logical step is that we are now going to do the same in space. Traveling in space is a dream for many, but we want to show that you can go very far and realize dreams with few resources. I am really delighted that today we are taking our robust Dacia Duster to unprecedented heights ”.
Dacia Dustar
Porsche ‘patina lacquer’ (photo 4)
Porsche Exclusive is expanding its more than one hundred color palette with an exclusive option that goes by the name Patina Paint to Sample. Porsche uses ‘the oxidation process’ to create a car that is ‘as unique as you’. It produces a somewhat witty video.
BMW turn signals
Earlier today we highlighted it for a while; BMW’s April 1 joke. The brand says it will stop flashing lights on its cars, because they are ‘apparently an unnecessary part of the cars’. This decision was even fully substantiated, because according to BMW ‘that saves raw materials and that is better for the planet’. Bad joke or not, you have to admit BMW that they are not averse to a little self-mockery!
Skoda ‘autotune’ (photo 5 and 6)
At Skoda they throw it on the musical tour. You may recognize the situation where you share the car with someone who considers himself a true superstar and likes to show it when the music is on. If it is a bit disappointing how it sounds, then Skoda comes to the rescue. With ‘In Tune’, an extension to the infotainment system, you can ensure that the singing is pure at the touch of a button. “This helps drivers and passengers who suffer in silence with someone next to them who thinks he is the next Beyoncé or Rick Astley,” said Skoda.
Alfa Romeo ‘Nuova Luce’ (Photos 6 and 7)
Going on vacation is suddenly not that easy anymore. Fortunately, Alfa Romeo has the solution in the form of ‘Nuova Luce’: an ‘Instagram filter’ for the windows, which changes the perception of the environment. Thanks to electrochromatic glass, Alfa Romeo Stelvio drivers can still travel a bit, according to Alfa Romeo, by “experiencing the color and beauty of Italy from their own car”. You can choose from five different filters via the multimedia system. A bit of chauvinism is certainly not strange to the Italians: “The filters teleport the driver and passengers to a place that was previously only accessible to those lucky enough to stay in Italy.”
Bentley’s Integrated Coffee Maker (Photo 8)
The rotating screen is a unique feature of the Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur. In addition to the central screen and the three clocks, Bentley has now found an extra application for it: a coffee maker. “Make an espresso or a macchiato in seconds at the touch of a button,” said Bentley. The button for the coffee has been given a prominent place in the middle. Unfortunately for the coffee fanatics among us, it is of course just a joke. “Not available at the nearest dealer,” write the British just to be sure.
