As part of its post-bankruptcy rebirth, General Motors plans to "experiment" selling its cars on eBay. At its press conference this morning, CEO Fritz Henderson let slip to members of the media that the automaker is engaged in talks with online auction site eBay "to revolutionize how people buy cars online." According to Henderson, GM has plans to try selling its vehicles online:

"Customers will be able to bid on actual vehicles just like they do in an eBay auction, including the option of choosing a predetermined 'Buy It Now' price... we'll be testing this and other ideas with our dealers over the next few weeks, and hope to expand and build upon them in the coming months... in all cases, our goal is to make the shopping and buying process as easy as possible for GM customers - on their time and their terms. Stay tuned."

Many individual GM dealers already use the auction powerhouse to sell vehicles, so the move isn't completely uncharted territory, but it isn't immediately clear how (or if) the automaker plans to integrate its dealer body within this process. Henderson was quick to reinforce that the company's plans with eBay are just an experiment, so as the CEO says... stay tuned.

Vauxhall is rolling out the retro cool by holding an invitation-only roller skating event in North London on July 29. As part of the festivities, the General Motors division has reportedly commissioned bespoke sets of Vauxhall Corsa roller boots (seriously), and the event will even feature a "pit-stop themed hair salone with free styling from a 'huge name' in celebrity hairdressing." The secret party doesn't look to have a name, but it's got the kind of vibe that doesn't need one: "'70s disco meets Knight Rider on roller skates." If only the Knight Rider show had thought of that, perhaps it would still be on the air.

You can check out the details at www.tiny.cc/vauxhallskate, and you can get into the groove with video of a young lady doing her thing wearing Vauxhall Corsa skates after the jump. Hat tip to Clarence.

[Source: Event magazine]

Yesterday, not long after we posted a story about a gay-centered General Motors marketing video for Chevrolet's new Camaro, the video was mysteriously pulled from YouTube. As it turns out, GM itself has copped to the disappearing act, as it reportedly ordered the popular video hosting site to yank the footage.

According to a USA Today article, GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss felt that the video – which featured a pair of so-called 'go go boys in Camaro-branded underwear washing a new 2010 model – was "not appropriate and not in good taste." The footage was filmed as part of a Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen gay day promotion at a Hollywood movie theater.

Despite pulling the video, GM has reportedly launched a more concerted campaign to broaden the scope of its marketing efforts as it applies to the Camaro, with more overt efforts to target gays, bisexuals and the transgendered. It is not immediately clear what (if any) effect pulling the footage will have on the rest of the automaker's p.r. efforts.

[Sources: USA Today; Mlive]

General Motors has certainly been pumping out a greener message for the last few years, but, on the eve of its likely emergence from bankruptcy, it looks like it might be ridiculously difficult to miss the company's shift to a new and very public eco-mindset: The General's traditional blue square logo could become green. No, really.

While no official decision has yet been made, insiders are saying that the background color change is being considered, "in an effort to show consumers that it is leaner and greener, more focused on fuel efficiency and better able to make quick decisions," says MSNBC.

The fuel efficiency meaning of a possible new green logo is easy to understand and the "quick decisions" part reflects a new GM that will likely have 35 percent fewer executives to go along with fewer employees overall. More announcements on these issues and the fate of the Spark minicar could come tomorrow, when GM is expected to emerge from bankruptcy.

The real color change that GM needs to make, of course, is a shift from red to black – but that's significantly harder than swapping pixels in a logo.



[Source: MSNBC | Logo Image: Adam Morath/AOL]

Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that the American Family Association was boycotting Ford for marketing in gay-centric publications? Fast forward to today and see just how much things have changed. Last month, Chevrolet sponsored an event in Los Angeles called Gay Day at the Movies to promote the release of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Michael Bay's latest opus, of course, features a bunch of General Motors vehicles, not the least of which is the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro that plays the leading role of Bumblebee.

A video was produced to promote Gay Day at the Movies featuring a pair of "Bumblebee Boys" in Camaro-branded briefs washing the Bowtie brand's pony car revival. The cheeky (pardon the pun) video is clearly targeted at the gay community and uses beefcake car washers to that effect in a not-so-subtle way.

Will Chevy or GM see a backlash from being associated with this video? Who knows, but the video isn't exactly being shown in primetime on NBC. For the moment, it lives solely on YouTube with a gajillion other vids – and one would have to actively search to find it.

Follow the jump to watch the video for yourself, and please remember to be respectful in the comments.

UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube by the user. We're searching to find it again on the interwebs.



[Source: USA Today via Huffington Post]

Michael Jackson's memorial service is being held today in Los Angeles (apparently sponsored by local Land Rover dealers). For a reminder of who the man was pre-Thriller and where all of this got started, few things could be better than some Suzuki Love scooter commercials that MJ did in way back in 1982.

In trademark Japanese commercial fashion, the spots don't all make linear sense, but they are fun to watch and there's even a making-of film. Better yet, the advertisements end with a line Jackson would still approve of: "Love is my message." Follow the jump to watch the videos.

[Sources: Japanese Nostalgic Car; TMZ]

Perhaps more than any other motorsports series, NASCAR is renowned for its marketing prowess, with branded merchandise efforts in virtually every segment of the consumer world, from t-shirts to beverages to vacuum cleaners. Back in late 2005, we first told you about the series' foray into the world of romance novels, and apparently it's been quietly chugging along since then, adding new titles ripe with double-entendres and libidinous scenarios of loves found and lost in the world of roundy-round racing.

Given the (apparently) burgeoning Harlequin romance series and the possibility of amusingly breathless texts like:

The image of Josh James stared down at her from the lofty heights of his souvenir rig, plastered across a ten-by-twenty strip to the left of a portable store's open window. Josh's arms were crossed, his shoulders thrown back, a haughty look of disdain on his face as he stared down at lesser mortals, i.e. herself. He wore a red uniform, a color that would have looked silly on most men, but Callie had to admit, looked great on Mr. James. Gorgeous blue eyes stood out like twin neon signs, high cheekbones set off a masculine chin, one that was really, truly square, and had a tiny cleft in the center. The lower half of his face was covered with a five-o'clock shadow, one that matched his jet black hair.

(Excerpt from Slow Burn by Pamela Britton)

... well, we couldn't pass up revisiting the series for your enjoyment. Whether you're looking for some summer beach reading or just a good laugh, we've compiled a gallery of some of the best titles in the series for your viewing pleasure below.


[Sources: eHarlequin; PamelaBritton.com]

Cash for Clunkers won't be official for a few weeks, but some automakers are already looking to cash in on the once in a lifetime opportunity to take up to $4,500 off the price of a new car or truck. Smart is offering its quirky little Fortwo runabout for just $99 per month with the trade-in of a 'Clunkers' eligible vehicle.

Even though we were not terribly impressed with the car in our recent review, $99 per month with no money down sounds decidedly tasty, and a payment term of only 36 months sound even better, but closer inspection shows that the promotion is way too good to be true. Here is the stupifying fine print on the promotion:

$99 monthly payment based on customer trade-in of an eligible vehicle qualifying for the CARS $4,500 voucher level and a 36-month balloon loan with $0 cash due at signing and a final balloon payment of $6,667 at the end of the loan term and a $ 13,335 MSRP which includes the destination charge and excludes tax, title and dealer fees.

A $6,667 lump sum is one hell of a payment – more than most of us could reasonably fork over at once – and certainly more money than most people who are seriously considering a $99 lease could afford. The total payment, which doesn't include taxes, title, or destination, comes in at $14,731 on a vehicle with a $13,335 MSRP.

[Source: Smart USA via All Cars All The Time]

Well, imagine that. People like cheap gas. Enough, in fact, that they're willing to line up in droves just for the privilege of filling up their tanks. As if you needed further proof of this unfailing truth, here are the pictures to prove it. As part of its new Hyundai Assurance Gas Lock promotion, the Korean automaker ran an unannounced campaign in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles where consumers could purchase gas for just $1.49 per gallon.

The catch? There was just one location in each cities where the program was in effect and the location was kept secret until an hour before the promotion began. In a nod to modern social media users, Hyundai sent the information to its Twitter followers (@hyundainews) just before local radio stations announced the promotion city-wide about an hour before it started. Predictably, a mad rush to each location ensued. Nice little PR stunt, no?

Click past the break for the press release and check out the images of the madness shot on location at the Horace Harding BP gas station in New York. Similar scenes were reported in Chicago and LA.

Suzuki is getting in on the free gas bandwagon that Hyundai kicked off this year by launching a "Free Gas for Summer" promotion on all SX4s sold between now and August 31st. Of course, it pays to read the fine print – what the purchaser really gets is a pre-paid credit card loaded up with $270 for the SX4 Sedan or $290 for the slightly less fuel efficient SX4 Crossover.

Whether or not this incentive is really "free gas for summer" depends on how much you plan to drive over the next three months or so. Still, it's a relatively pain-free way for Suzuki to advertise "Free Gas!" and it's still a few hundred bucks off the running costs of the car.

Along with the aforementioned sales promotion, Suzuki has also announced that it's offering $2,000 in customer cash off the price of any SX4 sold with a manual transmission, which we found to be a willing partner in eking out the most performance from the little runabout and much more desirable than the four-speed slushbox when we tested it last year.



Photos Copyright ©2008 Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs, Inc.