If you are within a small distance of any teenager child, oh, say, 738 miles, you probably know about style and trend fashions. You simply just canNOT attend 10th grade without the latest Coach handbag - you know, the thing that’s about, hmmm, the size of a butter stick and costs $400 or so? And due to ingenuity, of course, fashion knockoffs are big business for anyone who wants to seize cache at a discounted price. (image from TopGear).
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Whenever you think
of luxury automobiles, I’m certain…you immediately zero in on a Dodge Super Caravan that holds your children’s karate gear and marching band instruments and lethal sais and football helmets and …. NO NO, wait, sorry, wrong blog here. No indeed, you go ONLY for the Beemer or the Benz or the Ferrari, right?

Well, it’s time to give Audi’s luxury advertising a good look-see - their current ad blends the modern high-earner achiever with today’s wet-behind-the-ears college grad. To wit:

Don’t you hate it when The Man tries to keep you down? And The Man is like, you must go to one of these prestigious schools, you must be a lawyer/ doctor/ I-banker, you must drive a Benz/ Beamer/ Lexus. And you’re like, “You’re not in charge of my life! I’m my own person! I’m breaking free of this soulless cycle of consumption! By buying a marginally different brand of luxury car!” Take that, The System! Click to watch Audi’s stirring, inspirational Oscar ad in full. It will set you free. To burn Audis when the Revolution comes….MORE….

Do check out the ad - it’s done superbly well.

ThankYouVeryMuch

Owlbert

ps - want Audi goodies?

Googling from your iPhone is so
last hour, isn’t it?

Luckily, the brilliant peoples from BMW have heard your cries! As reported by Auto Blog:

…BMW is touting itself as the world’s first car maker to offer completely unrestricted in-car access to the World Wide Web. It’s all part of “ConnectedDrive,” BMW’s own so-called intelligent network that connects the driver, the vehicle and their surroundings. Although innovative, this isn’t entirely uncharted territory for BMW as you may recall they introduced limited access to online Google features last May, and Google navigation and RSS features in December…..

… As of right now, like most pioneering things in the automotive industry, BMW’s in-car Internet access is only available in Europe. It appears, for now, that us Yanks will have to continue to focus on driving (and sipping Big-Gulps) while in our cars….MORE….

And don’t forget:

… BMW has announced that it will launch its new ConnectedDrive technology at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. ConnectedDrive will allow BMW owners to access the entire internet via the car’s iDrive and center mounted LCD screen. Initially, ConnectedDrive will only be available in Europe.

The ConnectedDrive service will be provided by EDGE technology (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution), which is the same service that Apple uses to connect its iPhone to the internet. Transfer speeds are said to be just slower than 3G — which is the speed of most wireless cards.

For safety reasons, ConnectedDrive will only be accessible at speeds slower than 5km/hr. However, vehicles equipped with BMW rear-seat DVD player will allow rear-seat passengers to use the internet at any speed….MORE….

Yes, that will certainly help driving safety. What do you think?

And if you’re interested in cool Bimmers, network at:

• Bimmer Forums
• BimmerFest
• BMW Board

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - want some cool BMW goodies?

Just think
how many cups of coffee that could buy!

Yes indeed, in honor of the HotWheels 40th Anniversary, enterprising jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills, wreaked the following automotive miracle:

…. Jeweler to the stars, Jason of Beverly Hills, transformed this $1 toy into a $140,000 dust-collecting bauble. Almost every surface of the car is covered in some type of precious stone. The car’s 18-karat white-gold body shimmers with blue diamonds, the base features white and black diamonds, rubies are set in the car’s taillights, and black diamonds were used on the car’s tires. Even the tiny interior is jeweled as is the engine. There are 2,700 jewels on the car at a weight of nearly 23-karats.

The car was introduced at the 2008 Toy Fair in New York by Nick Lachey (who’s sorry now, Jessica?), who will auction off the toy later this year with the proceeds going to Big Brothers Big Sisters. The lucky (by which we mean having more money than sense) winner will also get a custom-made display box that features 40 more diamonds, one for each year of Hot Wheels production….MORE….

I just want to know what the garage was paved with.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - want some rare hot wheels?

It makes sense, really.
If you’re The Status King and have the best of everything, you want, no, you DESERVE to have a license plate that proudly proclaims, you’re #1.

But be prepared - it will probably cost you 10 times the amount of your Enzo Ferrari. To wit:

You expect a motorist to shell out a little extra cash for a vanity license plate.

But nowhere is the craze for a unique plate more intense than in the United Arab Emirates, the oil-rich Persian Gulf nation that holds the world record for the six most expensive plates….

Here, it’s all about how low you can go — with people battling it out at auctions to win the chance to show off license plates with the lowest digit.

The numbers “5″ and “7″ have already been snapped up, sold for 25 million dirhams ($6.75 million) and 11 million dirhams ($2.97 million) respectively.

Next week, the country will put up for auction the mother of all vanity plates: the number “1.” It is expected to immediately set a new record for the most expensive plate in the world…..MORE….

Talk about putting your money where your status is!

And if you’d like to learn more about vanity license plates, check out these cool resources:

• Coolpl8z.com
• Vanity License Blog
• What Does That Vanity Plate Mean?

Anyone up for bidding?

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - these cool plates are already available:

If you have
the misfortune to be in an automobile accident, you want to get free of your vehicle as quickly as possible.

Here’s a neat gadget that will help - the BodyGard 7 in 1 Emergency Tool! It includes:

• Spring-loaded point breaks car side windows for fast escape in an accident, fire, submersion.
• Safety Blade Seat Belt Cutter quickly cuts seat belts to free drivers and passengers
• Powerful sonic alarm signals for help with loud dB
• High Visibility Flashing Red Distress Light to signal for help.
• Limited Lifetime Guarantee

Amazon.com sells them for 25% off as well.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - some useful roadside emergency kits are:

Have you eve
been sitting at your desk, immersed in your Was-Do-Yesterday projects, when all of a sudden nothing becomes more important than deciding where you should put 40K of your spare change? What car would impress that delectable MOTAS (member of the appropriate sex)?

I know, I know, it happens to me. Okay, it doesn’t because I’m married already and know that the truly superb car even Zeus would sanction would hold 17 kids, their school gear, marching band uniforms, football racks and the like. But it sure makes a good leadin to:

…Why should a female auto journalist give you advice on great date cars? Because as far as cars go, I know what turns a woman on and what really turns her off.

So, what do potential dates perceive when you drive up?

On the first date with my husband, he drove me around in an old Volvo sedan with very squeaky brakes. Derick is an actor and his car reflected his lifestyle as a struggling artist dedicated to his talent. I was obviously more impressed by his intelligence, reliability and determination rather than his status or style.

But most women these days are rather picky when it comes to a guy’s ride. Your car really does send her all the right or wrong messages about how much money you make and what gets your engine running….MORE….

Heck, anything that is self-cleaning and would make MacGyver feel at home is good enough for me.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

ps - ‘Course, you could always consider these beauties: