Automotive

Very fun micro-site that mixes video with interactivity. Lots of good humor too - ad they even hit it with a wrecking ball.

www.truthaboutsmart.co.uk/

Ford had a charity fundraiser last week that paired celebrity teams with the new Ford Flex. Press releases focused on the car more than the actual event, but we think the adoption of urban environments as playful spaces is noteworthy. LAist reports:

Basically the event challenged each team to use the interactive technologies of the new vehicle - Ford brands the Flex as a vehicle for “urban adventures” so it seems the scavenger hunt was created to showcase exactly that.

[via LAist]

Volkswagen has teamed up with the much buzzed about Brazilian band Cansei de Ser Sexy (CSS) to offer its latest release, Donkey, for free. Everyone (in Brazil only, unfortunately) can download the internationally famous band’s newest album on this official site, thanks to full sponsorship by VW.

This new distribution format is very innovative for Brazil and could potentially be a successful way to combat piracy in the country.

Official CSS/Volkwagen Download Site

German car manufacturer Volkswagen have released a site called “Volkswagen 2028″ that sketches a scenario of future automotive mobility, 20 years from now. The site kicks off with a short introductory movie set in the future, where a father takes a walk with his son talking about the old times where you had to search for a parking-lot. Future times according to VW are about smart, on-demand car delivery services, skinnable car exteriors and the death of traffic jams as we know them.

A series of interviews with VW researchers and designers unveil their visions of electric-driven Single Occupant Vehicles, holographic projections, gesture controlled dashboards, and emission free automobiles.

While the entire site is in German, it’s still worth having a look at their future scenarios.

Volkswagen 2028

Hoping to turn out a series of adrenaline infused commercials for Nissan, professional surfers Jon Rose (US), Mar Ohno (Japan), Sergio Laus (Brazil) and an entire film crew were flown down to one of most isolated and unique breaks in the world.

The wave, called Pororoca, is a tidal bore at the mouth of the Amazon River. It’s created when the leading edge of the incoming tide from the Atlantic forms a wave that travels up the river. Still a secret to most, the wave has developed into somewhat of a legend amongst surfers and an annual championship has been held there since 1999.

Nissan put together this short film documenting the trip, as well as the wave.

Additionally, Surfline has a fun little sideshow with Jon Rose detailing the entire adventure.

We have already pointed to a Smart Car vending machine game on IF! - now CScout shows us this vending machine in Shibuya Station that contains a full-size Smart Car which it suggests you can buy for about $20k. If you press the button you get a branded tube that contains pamphlets on the new models, dealer information, and a sheet of Smart Car stickers.

Trends in Japan » Smart Vendor car vending machine in Shibuya

PlaySmart is a fun Japanese website built to sell the Smart Car. In it you can design and drive these small cars - and you can even buy them through ‘Smart Vendor’.

PlaySmart

BMW has just launched a media campaign to promote its forthcoming microsite GPS Drawings to be launched on July 25th. In the clip you see BMW rider Sebastian Klein perform his GPS drawing of BMW’s claim “unstoppable” in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay. Hard to tell if the drawing was really conducted by riding a bike, however Sebastian says about the ride:

Planning the drawing was tricky because sometimes it involved riding down a one-way street the wrong way, but no one seemed to care too much about it. The people were extremely friendly and helped me while I was planning the drawing.

The platform will allow users to plan their drawings/rides and leave their very own mark of being “unstoppable” on the map.

BMW Motorcycles: GPS Drawings

Here’s a great example of a brand associating themselves perfectly with emerging media. BMW have sponsored RCRD LBL’s Summer 2008 Road Trip Mix. It’s not exactly a tape - but a curated list of free MP3 tracks.

RCRD LBL’s Summer 2008 Road Trip Mix Presented by BMW | RCRD LBL | Free MP3 Downloads