What Kind of Drivers is Honda Targeting with its New "We Know You" 2013 Accord Ads?

In life, there are always two ways to see things: the glass can be half-full or half-empty. This may also be the case for some of the new TV spots Honda has prepared for its 2013 Accord, which goes on sale in the United States today, September 19.
The multimedia campaign is named "It Starts with You" and it puts a lot of focus on new technologies that help drivers avoid certain situations that could place them in danger, including the LaneWatch blind-spot display and forward collision warning systems.
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Sergio Marchionne and Obama's Campaign Rebuke Romney's Jeep to China Accusations

The battle for the 2012 U.S. elections has spilled over the automobile industry after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told an Ohio crowd last week that Jeep is planning to move all of its production to China, while also airing an ad that says Obama "sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China. Mitt Romney will fight for every American job."
The problem is that the Chrysler Group is not considering to relocate production from the U.S. to China, but instead is weighing its options to open new plants in China to meet increasing demand in the country.
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These Were the Web's 10 Most-Watched Auto Commercials of 2012

As you may have noticed, the Mayan calendar did not predict the end of the world, after all, as the Earth still keeps spinning – at least at the time of writing these lines...

What is coming to an end is the year and it's about time for some 2012 “best of” (and, probably, “worst”, too) lists.

We figured the world doesn’t need another “Car of the Year” award: it has more than enough already as it is and, as a matter of fact, it could do with less, not more.

So, how about something more interesting? Car manufacturers have always fought hard to get the customers’ attention. If anything, advertising companies have created some really interesting commercials this year.

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MINI Gives Buyers One More Chance to Buy a Car Before the End of the World

In many parts of the world, including Australia and New Zealand, it's already December 22, which means the world did not come to an end on December 21, as some, well, scratch that, hundreds of millions of people who misinterpreted the Mayan calendar believed for quite some time now.

For MINI USA, such misconceptions (see NASA's video below) are a good opportunity for some playful marketing with the German-owned British carmaker placing a full-page ad in TheNew York Times, with the headline, “Well, So Much For The 2014 Models.”

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Chrysler Pays Tribute to the Sounds of Motown with Special Edition 300 and New Campaign

Chrysler has revealed a new special edition version of its 300 sedan dedicated and named after Detroit's Motown record label, in advance of its world premiere at next month's 2013 North American International Auto Show. Read more »

Mom Style: 'The Motherhood' feat. Fiat 500L Music Commercial is Pure Genius

Forget about South Korean rapper PSY and his hugely successful Gangnam Style music video; there's a new tune on the block that might just capture your attention.

With so many ads coming our way, most of the times we just watch a few seconds and then fast forward to the end, but that never happened with Fiat UK's new, full length music clip / commercial for the soon to be launched 500L small MPV.

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Panda Monster Truck was Built by Fiat on a Jeep Floor to Star in a New TV Spot [w/Video]

Earlier this month, CarScoop reader Tommaso A. shared with us a handful of pictures and a video of a monster truck version of the latest Fiat Panda 4x4 that he spotted in Italy. At the time, we had no information regarding the build, but Fiat has now shed some light to the project.

As it turns out, the monster Panda prototype was created by Fiat itself in collaboration with Mercurio Cinematografica, set designer Andrea Faini and the Fabio Gementi Workshop, for an upcoming television spot that will air in Europe in the beginning of 2013.

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DeLorean NYC Taxi Concept Promises to Take You Back to Another Time

As the great Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown once put it, "Once this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious s*it."

Sadly, time-travel has yet to be invented, but that's not the only problem with this New York City taxicab that's based on the DeLorean featured in the Back to the Future trilogy.

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Fiat 500c Abarth's New Topless Ad with Catrinel Menghia is Wickedly Cheeky

If there's one thing Fiat has proven to do well in North America, is capture viewers' attention with its ads - well, at least after it learned its lesson with those out of touch commercials starring Jenifer Lopez.

Exactly a year after the Italians launched the 500 Abarth “Seduction” spot with supermodel Catrinel Menghia at the 2011 LA Auto Show, at the same event this year, Fiat released a new commercial for its 500c Abarth, which is the partially open-top version of the series.

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Mercedes-Benz Creates Anime Short Series to Support New A-Class Launch in Japan

You can probably get away using the same promotional materials in related markets (i.e. among European countries), but for the best results in regions where consumers have a different mindset, it's always better to come up with a different idea, one that is tailored to meet local needs.

And this is precisely what Mercedes-Benz's marketing division has done in Japan to support the launch of its brand-new A-Class premium hatchback, which will arrive in showrooms on January 17, 2013.

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Watch the All-New Subaru Forester Crossover in Motion

You should know by now that most new car introductions are accompanied by video footage to show them in action, and the just-launched Subaru Forester is no exception to that rule.

While the new crossover model went on sale in its home market of Japan on Tuesday, right after Subaru showed the car to the press, its world premiere will take place at the end of November at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

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Strange Toyota Promo Tells us How Wives React to Men Buying a GT 86

Emerging from the strange and dark depths of advertising is this new commercial for the Toyota GT 86, which is the same car as the North American market Scion FR-S, aimed towards European consumers.

The two-minute promotional clip is the creative work of advertising agency Happiness Brussels and was produced by Caviar, directed by Arnaud Uyttenhove, and filmed by Dimitri Karakatsanis.

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New VW Golf Mk7's "People Are People" Commercial with Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan

For more than 30 years, Depeche Mode has been one of the most iconic and influential groups in the music industry, churning out one hit after the other, and it is the sounds of the English band that Volkswagen chose as the theme for one of the commercials it has prepared for the European launch of the seventh generation Golf hatchback.

The television spot is named "People Are People" after the homonymous song from Depeche Mode's fourth album, "Some Great Reward" that was released in 1984.

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Pfff…Ford Redoes 2013 Focus ST vs. VW Golf GTI Video, Takes Gittin Jr.'s Mustang Out of the Picture…

It has been almost two months since Ford published the third episode of its "Focus ST Sessions" web on August 29, only to remove the video a few hours later, without ever explaining why it did so.

Now we see that the Blue Oval has re-launched the clip under the new title "(Abandoned) Block Party", again featuring the Focus ST versus the VW Golf GTI Mk6 with professional drivers Ken Block and Vaughn Gittin Jr. taking the wheel. Obviously, you will be wondering if Ford changed anything in the latest clip.

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Top Gear Promotes New Limited Edition Lego Stig Keyring with Stop-Motion Ad

Some say Top Gear is the coolest TV show on planet Earth bar none and the best thing to happen to humanity since sliced bread.

Some also say that JC (Jeremy Clarkson's initials) is an overrated, grossly overpaid and obnoxious bloke who has insulted almost every ethnicity and minority one can think of, and then some, but in spite of all this, he has made a fortune out of being… well, obnoxious (and, obviously, very smart).

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A Flashback to BMW's Short Film Series "The Hire", Which One is Your Favorite?

In 2001, BMW launched a hugely successful campaign called "The Hire", which was a series of eight short films, each roughly eight to ten minutes long.

The movies were directed by established filmmakers like Ang Lee and the late John Frankenheimer, with actor Clive Owen taking on the role of the "Driver" who was hired by a different person in each movie to transport important people in a number of BMW cars.

While over a decade old now, BMW's film series remains wonderfully entertaining to this day.

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Dacia Highlights Attributes of 2013 Logan Sedan and Sandero in New Ads

The Renault Group's budget-brand Dacia came to this year's Paris Motor Show with a host of new goods, including the redesigned 2013 Logan Sedan and Sandero five-door hatchback and its high-riding sibling, the Sandero Stepway.

The three-related models bring more modern styling touches inside and out, new standard and optional amenities such as a multimedia system with a 7-inch touch screen, navigation and Bluetooth connectivity, and a new Renault-sourced 0.9-liter turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine producing 88HP (90PS).

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Ford Takes Another Swipe at the Prius V with La Linea-Inspired Commercials for C-MAX

If you take a moment to check out Ford U.S.A.'s recent press releases on the new C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, you will notice that the Blue Oval always finds some room to insert a reference or two…or three to Toyota's rivaling Prius V minivan, be that for its fuel economy numbers, pricing or features.

In Ford's latest release, the word "Prius" appears…15 times, but that's to be expected since the automaker is bumping the challenge to the next level by launching a new campaign to "establish C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid as better, more fuel-efficient hybrid alternatives to Toyota Prius V".

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Renault Releases Updated 2013 Fluence in Mexico, European Model to Follow

The Renault brand has lifted the covers off the facelifted version of the Fluence compact sedan in Mexico, a move that suggests the French carmaker may introduce the European model as early as this week's Paris Motor Show. Read more »

Acura Wants us to Marvel at Deleted RDX Scene from The Avengers Movie

Ah yes, the joys of product placement, which calls for the brazen use of a commercially available product or even just a brand name in a fictional setting for a set fee.

For Acura, the fictional setting was this summer's blockbuster movie, Marvel's The Avengers, which on Tuesday, September 25, was released on Blu-ray 3D and DVD.

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