The automotive world loves a good April Fools story and so do we, here’s our pick of the top press releases from April 1.
APRIL FOOLS DAY. It’s becoming big business for big business…We’ve seen non-automotive brands showing shoe phones, sandwich sharing, and tight-rope walking between ocean liners. But the automotive world has been just as busy, and so were we.
Practical Motoring ran its own April Fools Day jape yesterday suggesting the Simpson Desert crossing would be sealed by 2035. It won’t be. In the past we’ve run stories about the new Defender being all electric and 2WD only and even changes announcing the NSW Government was going to introduce a user pay speeding fine system.
Hyundai kicked off proceedings with a video showing how it used chocolate painted onto the road to capture the dynamic performance of the i30 N. You can watch the video below.
MG in the UK announced an engine development programme that would see the poo from Alpaca’s transformed into fuel, “The innovative decision comes as part of global-wide push within the motoring industry to run cars using sustainable energy sources and help reduce vehicle emissions. MG Motor UK hopes that the results from the alpaca powered vehicle trials on its Compact-SUV will help revolutionise the industry and encourage the adoption by the mass-market,” the company said.
Commenting on the new trials, Daniel Gregorious, Head of Sales & Marketing at MG Motor UK, said: “We have launched a pilot programme in the UK with the Faerie Tale alpaca farm in Kenilworth and the initial results are very impressive. Following our decisions to no longer sell diesel-powered vehicles in the UK market, we wanted to take it one step further and see what was possible using alternative fuels to develop low emission vehicles.
“We look forward to the day when people resign horsepower to the history books and refer to alpaca power. It really packs a punch.”
Seat revealed it was building a limited-edition variant of its new Arona SUV called the Arona Copper Edition which would be powered by the copper coins, which the brand is pushing to have scrapped and used to power the vehicle.
According to Seat, statistics show that the average person has £12.70 in loose change.
Rhea Sonible-Price, product manager at Seat UK commented: “Research shows that some of our customers are understandably brassed off that copper coins could disappear forever, but here at SEAT we’re convinced there’s a new lease of life to be had for these little bits of history as part of the workings of a cutting-edge, modern car.
“Arona already boasts highly competitive running costs, but pound-for-pound there’s little to touch this latest edition of our fabulous crossover in terms of style, value and economy. Although coin-driven, there’s no compromise on power, security or the Arona’s impressive driving ability. There really isn’t a better way to spend a penny when it comes to buying a new car.”
And Skoda announced its QuarrelKancel technology which used in-built speakers which could cancel out the noise of children arguing in the back of the car.
Skoda said, The system was conceived by Skoda’s Chief of Family Relations, Professor Si Lence and Special Projects leader, Dr April Fürst. “To create this technology, we recruited a Skoda ‘Scream Team’ – a group of volunteers dedicated to solving this global parenting issue,” explained Lence.
“We tested 1,000 families over 10,000 miles and identified that 80dB, the sound equivalent of a vacuum cleaner, is the pitch most unbearable for parents,” added Fürst.
Developed in partnership with sound specialists CANTON, the speakers are engineered to continuously monitor, measure and react to the in-cabin child decibel level. Once activated, the speakers generate unique sound waves that intelligently block out bickering but still allow parents to hear essential road noises, such as emergency sirens.
“We know backseat bickering is a serious issue for our customers, the hotline to the Family Relations team is constantly ringing with parents at a loss of how to solve the problem,” said Lence.
“This is why we have spent thousands of hours coming up with this stress-busting solution. We’re the first manufacturer to offer an accessory this smart and we think it will change the lives of many parents throughout the UK, we certainly might see fewer grey hairs.”
McLaren told how it was had created an efficiency task force to check the levels in the lake and measure floor tiles…those that didn’t measure up would be replaced. The aim was to ensure staff could move around the office and factory as quickly and efficiently as possible. Watch the video below.
Aston Martin went one step further and said it was building a monster truck, called Project Sparta. The brand said it would be entering its monster truck into the 2019 Monster Jam series and that it had been engineered alongside the brand’s upcoming DBX SUV.
Aston Martin, ahem, announced that three times Le Mans winner and Aston Martin Racing Works driver Darren Turner will compete in all Monster Jam events in 2019.
Turner said, “Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans was a real thrill last year, but when I heard about this opportunity I just couldn’t say no. I hope the guys line up a great selection of cars for me to tear apart, because I’m sure this monster truck will really do the business”.
Please tell me that the switch to LHD cars is another April Fool’s Day joke. You’d be pee’d off if you paid for a HSV Camaro only to find that the steering wheel should have been left on the left!
Years ago when they were building the Westgate bridge over the Yarra a Melbourne TV station spun the yarn that the sections from each side were badly out of alignment and eould need two 90 degree bends in the middle. Either that or a complete replication doubling the cost.