The introductory ad for the 2013 Ford Mustang "Unleash Yours" was debuted during the Daytona 500 back in late February (and a day earlier on Google and Facebook.) It definitely gets the "checkered flag" and a victory lap, both for cleverness in execution, style and effectiveness. Check it out, below.
The ad nails it by understanding that Mustang is an aspirational brand that everyone has, at one time, wished it could own and envisions what THEIR car would look like if their wishes came true.
The ad features four people viewing the new car as a runs down a city street: a woman, a tatooed chef, a cyclist and a little girl. Each see the car in their own favorite colors, exemplified by the clothes their personal styles and clothes.
The girl, wearing a pink tutu, blows away stereotypes by envisioning something far more radical than a pretty little pink car one would assume she'd enjoy.
Since last Fall, Ford has played up the aspirational character of the brand with the Mustang Customizer, which tempts fans of the car with the tagline, "Deep down, you know you want to," and allows users to choose color, transmission type and other packages (which quickly add to the $22,000 base price, as it's tabulated below the car.)
Clearly, the customizer, which has been used by four million fans, and the video, which has had over a million views on YouTube, has struck a nerve, as has the car.
"We know that Mustang owners are incredibly passionate about their car," says Matt VanDyke, director of U.S. Marketing Communications for Ford. "Rather than just show features and benefits, our new ad demonstrates how people see the product as an extension of who they are. We believe that everyone has an inner Mustang just waiting to be unleashed.”
2013's Mustang iteration looks as classic and beautiful as it always has (except for a while there in the late 80s and early 90s, but let's not ruin a good discussion here.)
New for 2013 are some seriously bad-ass headlamps which powerful LEDs, and a slicker hood design that droops over the classically-refined grille. The tail lamps look like they belong on a Mustang, and the optional chrome rear section, which surrounds the badge, is quite impressive.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Fisker Atlantic Revealed (video)
The Fisker Atlantic - a smaller range extender car from Fisker - has been officially revealed on the eve of the New York Auto Show. Below is official video that has been released by the company.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Auto Styling News: AD WATCH - Fiat 500 Strikes Out with Confusing "Baby" Ad.
AD WATCH: Fiat 500
There's no question that the FIAT 500 is a cute car. But the advertising for this vehicle leaves me scratching my head.
The early 500 ads featuring Jennifer Lopez were perplexing enough - and they drew fire because she was actually filmed on a movie set while her "block" back in New York City was filmed separately (a common tactic, but it didn't translate well, and created a backlash and swamped the message of the ad when it premiered.) Still, the idea that this is a slick little women's car was drilled into the viewers of this nicely produced ad.
Then there's this recent one. Take a look.
Two guys are headed to the game. The driver of the 500 picks up his buddy, and his buddy's kid. "It was girls night out," he says, apologetically.
He and the baby are shown in the next shot being driven to the game, only to come up behind a (nice, sweet, classic, bitchin') late 1960s Chrysler Imperial driven by an old man. Slowly.
The baby stares down the old driver as they pull up beside it, and shouts in Italian "What are you lookin' at?" Problem #1: there is no translation , and I relied on others to give me that verbiage.
Problem #2: Is that really funny? Inasmuch as the well-known E*Trade baby is funny (and that joke has grown stale after, what, five Superbowls? The latest showed a baby "speed dating" other babies. Ew.)
The bigger problem for me is that the guy is emasculated by his wife, and the other guy drives a car aimed at a female demographic. In fact, the entire ad seems cleverly aimed at women, despite the two men. (The baby is the give-away.)
This ad follows on the heels of the FIAT 500 Abarth ad in which a rather stereotypical Italian woman (representing the car) sexually toys with a man and, in the end, slaps him. Note to FIAT: Men, like women, don't like to be slapped. Especially in public.
But this ad also suffers from other issues. There's so much going on in the ad, it's hard to focus on the car's features. The guy says (of the tickets to the sporting venue) "These are nice seats," but shouldn't he be focusing on the seats in the car? We do get glimpses of the vehicle, of course, and it's not an ugly car. The shifter gets a half-second close-up, and it's quite attractive, as is the speedometer, which is shown for the one second the car is slowing down behind the Chrysler. I'm sure the rest of the car is nice, too. We just don't get to see much of it in this confusing ad.
There's no question that the FIAT 500 is a cute car. But the advertising for this vehicle leaves me scratching my head.
The early 500 ads featuring Jennifer Lopez were perplexing enough - and they drew fire because she was actually filmed on a movie set while her "block" back in New York City was filmed separately (a common tactic, but it didn't translate well, and created a backlash and swamped the message of the ad when it premiered.) Still, the idea that this is a slick little women's car was drilled into the viewers of this nicely produced ad.
Then there's this recent one. Take a look.
Two guys are headed to the game. The driver of the 500 picks up his buddy, and his buddy's kid. "It was girls night out," he says, apologetically.
He and the baby are shown in the next shot being driven to the game, only to come up behind a (nice, sweet, classic, bitchin') late 1960s Chrysler Imperial driven by an old man. Slowly.
The baby stares down the old driver as they pull up beside it, and shouts in Italian "What are you lookin' at?" Problem #1: there is no translation , and I relied on others to give me that verbiage.
Problem #2: Is that really funny? Inasmuch as the well-known E*Trade baby is funny (and that joke has grown stale after, what, five Superbowls? The latest showed a baby "speed dating" other babies. Ew.)
The bigger problem for me is that the guy is emasculated by his wife, and the other guy drives a car aimed at a female demographic. In fact, the entire ad seems cleverly aimed at women, despite the two men. (The baby is the give-away.)
This ad follows on the heels of the FIAT 500 Abarth ad in which a rather stereotypical Italian woman (representing the car) sexually toys with a man and, in the end, slaps him. Note to FIAT: Men, like women, don't like to be slapped. Especially in public.
But this ad also suffers from other issues. There's so much going on in the ad, it's hard to focus on the car's features. The guy says (of the tickets to the sporting venue) "These are nice seats," but shouldn't he be focusing on the seats in the car? We do get glimpses of the vehicle, of course, and it's not an ugly car. The shifter gets a half-second close-up, and it's quite attractive, as is the speedometer, which is shown for the one second the car is slowing down behind the Chrysler. I'm sure the rest of the car is nice, too. We just don't get to see much of it in this confusing ad.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Bentley EXP 9F SUV Concept to Be Reworked Before 2015 Debut
The near-universal reaction of the automotive press to the Bentley EXP 9F concept car's unveiling at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show was negative, according to several published reports. So much so, that the company now plans to go back to the drawing board and redesign the company's first SUV.
It's just as well. The thing's a dud.
Not only does it resemble a GMC Acadia from the windscreen back, its proportions are all wrong.
Bentley officials are now privately admitting what everyone is saying - that it made a grievous error in design, or as they put it "too heavy-handed." Quite.
To name one mistake, its headlamps are simply too large and too imposing even for Bentley. In fact, just chopping off the front end of its classic Continental design, giving it a garish face-lifting and huge foglamps, then gluing it onto a GMC Acadia-like SUV is hardly worthy of this luxury brand, which would likely charge up to $180,000 for such a vehicle on the market.
The rear, while not overtly offensive, is a bland combination of a BMW and Japanese Sport-Ute, and other than the nice detail work of the tail lamps, lacks something special in its execution.
Company spokesmen are on the record saying it would be the most expensive SUV ever sold. To do that, and do it profitably (and to meet their 2015 launch date) Bentley must get it right. They are, for now, pushing ahead with plans to send the EXP 9F on a world tour of sorts, starting with the Bejing Auto Show late next month, and also putting it in front of current Bentley owners. But surely, the jury has been tainted at this point and there will be lots of criticism.
But a word of caution to Bentley Motors: There is also some rumbling that the company believes that a redesign will be less "retro" in its styling. While they may have been a bit too slavish in their devotion to Bentley themes in this design study, one has to remember the experience of Jaguar.
I believed then, as I still believe, that their XF model was too radical for the brand, and went too far towards a "Japanese" look in order to please American and Western European customers (and Japanese ones as well, of course.) In fact, the first model year of that car looked a lot like a Lexus with horrible 1990s Chrysler headlamps attached to a rather Volvo-like grille. Some of that was fixed in Model Year Two, but going too far away from tradition is always a mistake in a luxury car, in my view. And I suspect that view is shared by many of the older buyers who can afford them.
(photos from the Bentley website)
It's just as well. The thing's a dud.
Not only does it resemble a GMC Acadia from the windscreen back, its proportions are all wrong.
Bentley officials are now privately admitting what everyone is saying - that it made a grievous error in design, or as they put it "too heavy-handed." Quite.
To name one mistake, its headlamps are simply too large and too imposing even for Bentley. In fact, just chopping off the front end of its classic Continental design, giving it a garish face-lifting and huge foglamps, then gluing it onto a GMC Acadia-like SUV is hardly worthy of this luxury brand, which would likely charge up to $180,000 for such a vehicle on the market.
The rear, while not overtly offensive, is a bland combination of a BMW and Japanese Sport-Ute, and other than the nice detail work of the tail lamps, lacks something special in its execution.
But a word of caution to Bentley Motors: There is also some rumbling that the company believes that a redesign will be less "retro" in its styling. While they may have been a bit too slavish in their devotion to Bentley themes in this design study, one has to remember the experience of Jaguar.
I believed then, as I still believe, that their XF model was too radical for the brand, and went too far towards a "Japanese" look in order to please American and Western European customers (and Japanese ones as well, of course.) In fact, the first model year of that car looked a lot like a Lexus with horrible 1990s Chrysler headlamps attached to a rather Volvo-like grille. Some of that was fixed in Model Year Two, but going too far away from tradition is always a mistake in a luxury car, in my view. And I suspect that view is shared by many of the older buyers who can afford them.
(photos from the Bentley website)
Monday, February 13, 2012
The 2012 Chrysler 300: A Winning Luxury Car - from Detroit!
The 2012 Chrysler 300 is a major step up for Chrysler. It's a beautiful vehicle that has retro styling and modern features. They really hit a home run with this one.
The 2012 300 is changed somewhat from the original 2005 model year vehicle, which successfully, and to critical acclaim, revived the well-respected model nameplate from the 1950s through the 1970s.
This is a car that, from the first glance, makes the heart race and the blood pump. It's worthy of the Chrysler name. And that's saying a lot, considering some of the cookie-cutter vehicles they've given us in years past.
It's at once smoother and more luxurious-looking than the previous 300 and instantly recognizable as the same model. That's a feat in itself worthy of great admiration and praise to Chrysler's design team.
The first major change can be seen in the headlamps, which have shed the rounded appearance of the previous decade's models and have become more of a curved rectangle, with brilliant LED lights in a sideways "U" pattern facing inward towards the grille (reminding one of the Audi headlamps, but without that brand's rather garish "pout" look.) These are far more pleasing and more modern than the earlier model, and they are executed much better than on its sister car, the Chrysler 200, which is saddled with lamps that look plain and boring. Here, their excitement is palpable, as it their beauty, and they add to the design significantly.
The grille, even from a distance, is gorgeous, with a slight indentation on either side, making the center prominent and shimmery. The deck of the hood is creased nicely down the center, and one hopes for an even deeper crease in future models, as was seen in the Crossfire.
The side doors are large and tall - one of the defining features of the older model which continues on this one. Thankfully so, since this gives it a character and presence that isn't found on other cars on the road, and while some think this is a "gangsta" feature, it also hearkens back to cars in the '50s and '60s which were larger and heftier than today's models - and looked it.
The overall shape of the car is a symphony of curves that are gentle and pleasing. A crease that leads from just under the rear window into the trunk section carries the eye to the rear with great ease and is quite stunning in its execution
The tail lamps are as beautiful and intricate as the headlamps, with a peaked crease down the center, punctuated with a white section that also features beautiful styling. It's obvious when care has been taken to get the details right. Without these tail lamps, the overall design of the rear section might be compared to the Nissan Altimas of the last decade, which it does still resemble. But the lamps are far more integrated with the lower bumpers than that Altima's was, and the gently curved "wing" on the trunk puts those kinds of comparisons to rest rather quickly.
The interior is lush and gorgeous, as one might expect. The blue-lighted gauges are substantial-looking and quite retro in their styling, and the steering column features a beautiful rendition of the winged Chrysler name badge that can also be found on the hood and tailgate.
With a base price of just over $28,000, Chrysler has positioned the 300 as a true American luxury car (far more plausibly than the 200, which clearly does not belong in that category, despite Chrysler's insistence.) The 300, I believe, will easily hold its own and compete with Buicks and Cadillacs in the same price range, as well as lower-end Lexus's and Acuras. I sincerely hope the build quality lives up to the amazing styling, because if it does, Chrysler has another winner on their hands.
(Both photos above from the Chrysler 300 promotional website: http://www.chrysler.com/en/2012/300.)
This is a car that, from the first glance, makes the heart race and the blood pump. It's worthy of the Chrysler name. And that's saying a lot, considering some of the cookie-cutter vehicles they've given us in years past.
It's at once smoother and more luxurious-looking than the previous 300 and instantly recognizable as the same model. That's a feat in itself worthy of great admiration and praise to Chrysler's design team.
The first major change can be seen in the headlamps, which have shed the rounded appearance of the previous decade's models and have become more of a curved rectangle, with brilliant LED lights in a sideways "U" pattern facing inward towards the grille (reminding one of the Audi headlamps, but without that brand's rather garish "pout" look.) These are far more pleasing and more modern than the earlier model, and they are executed much better than on its sister car, the Chrysler 200, which is saddled with lamps that look plain and boring. Here, their excitement is palpable, as it their beauty, and they add to the design significantly.
The grille, even from a distance, is gorgeous, with a slight indentation on either side, making the center prominent and shimmery. The deck of the hood is creased nicely down the center, and one hopes for an even deeper crease in future models, as was seen in the Crossfire.
The side doors are large and tall - one of the defining features of the older model which continues on this one. Thankfully so, since this gives it a character and presence that isn't found on other cars on the road, and while some think this is a "gangsta" feature, it also hearkens back to cars in the '50s and '60s which were larger and heftier than today's models - and looked it.
The overall shape of the car is a symphony of curves that are gentle and pleasing. A crease that leads from just under the rear window into the trunk section carries the eye to the rear with great ease and is quite stunning in its execution
The tail lamps are as beautiful and intricate as the headlamps, with a peaked crease down the center, punctuated with a white section that also features beautiful styling. It's obvious when care has been taken to get the details right. Without these tail lamps, the overall design of the rear section might be compared to the Nissan Altimas of the last decade, which it does still resemble. But the lamps are far more integrated with the lower bumpers than that Altima's was, and the gently curved "wing" on the trunk puts those kinds of comparisons to rest rather quickly.
The interior is lush and gorgeous, as one might expect. The blue-lighted gauges are substantial-looking and quite retro in their styling, and the steering column features a beautiful rendition of the winged Chrysler name badge that can also be found on the hood and tailgate.
With a base price of just over $28,000, Chrysler has positioned the 300 as a true American luxury car (far more plausibly than the 200, which clearly does not belong in that category, despite Chrysler's insistence.) The 300, I believe, will easily hold its own and compete with Buicks and Cadillacs in the same price range, as well as lower-end Lexus's and Acuras. I sincerely hope the build quality lives up to the amazing styling, because if it does, Chrysler has another winner on their hands.
(Both photos above from the Chrysler 300 promotional website: http://www.chrysler.com/en/2012/300.)
Friday, February 10, 2012
2013 GMC Acadia haunted by Saturn's Ghost
The folks over at the Car & Driver blog should be commended for their sharp eyes.
Someone there noticed that the 2013 GMC Acadia, debuting at the Chicago Auto Show, bears a startling similarity to the 2008 Saturn Outlook. One could truly say it's a dead-on copy.
Leaving aside the question of why GMC still exists as a brand, it seems that GM has frugally raided the parts bin - so much so, it's an exact replica of the dead car company's former crossover vehicle. (Acadia above, Outlook below, in the photo.)
While we applaud C&D for their sharp eyes as well as GM's frugality in these tough times, alas, we don't believe the new Acadia will sell as well as even the lackluster Saturns, but hey, you've got to give them props for trying something ... new. Well, maybe not.
Someone there noticed that the 2013 GMC Acadia, debuting at the Chicago Auto Show, bears a startling similarity to the 2008 Saturn Outlook. One could truly say it's a dead-on copy.
Leaving aside the question of why GMC still exists as a brand, it seems that GM has frugally raided the parts bin - so much so, it's an exact replica of the dead car company's former crossover vehicle. (Acadia above, Outlook below, in the photo.)
While we applaud C&D for their sharp eyes as well as GM's frugality in these tough times, alas, we don't believe the new Acadia will sell as well as even the lackluster Saturns, but hey, you've got to give them props for trying something ... new. Well, maybe not.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Ian Callum walks us through the 2012 Jaguars
Jaguar design chief Ian Callum describes the concepts going into the 2012 Jaguar fleet. The initial impressions I had of the newer designs - that they seemed to have raided Chrysler's parts bin for the circa-1996 headlamps and the 2003 Lexus for its overall shape - have vanished in these newer iterations. (Well, mostly vanished.)
These are quite beautiful cars, but some would say they lack distinctiveness and could be more "Jaguar-like" and evocative of earlier cars.
There's always 2013.
These are quite beautiful cars, but some would say they lack distinctiveness and could be more "Jaguar-like" and evocative of earlier cars.
There's always 2013.
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