Bob Lutz loves spectacle, that’s him driving the then-brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee through a plate glass window (don’t worry Detroiters, they paid for it) at the 1992 Cobo Hall show. Other Jeep introductions have involved huge mounds of dirt, driving up steps, and once again, through one of the Detroit Convention Center’s sacrificial windows with the introduction of the 2007 Wrangler.
Making a big splash upon your debut is often a critical factor in any product’s success. We’ve seen days-long lines for iPhones, invitation-only acceptance into the exclusive clubs of other products and services, and politicians announcing the start of their money-making runs candidacies with bombast and whatever patriotic ballad they can crank the volume on until its artist’s lawyers send a cease and desist letter.
Those are well and good, and definitely demonstrate the hype necessary for a successful brand launch. We’re pretty much only interested in cars, and because of that focus what we want to know today is; which auto launch had the most dramatic or impressive stunt? Does Jeep own the competition? Or, has someone else topped that off-road icon for audacious introductions?
Image: Bestride.com
Hooniverse Asks: What was the Greatest Auto Introduction Stunt?
By Robert Emslie
May 7, 2015
Kamil Kaluski 
Jeff Glucker
Lutz owns it. Wither driving Jeeps through windows or doing a cattle drive through downtown Detroit.
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The question is what was the bigger stunt… Crowd-surfing into the Pontiac Aztek reveal, or telling everyone it was ready for production to start in less than 2 months?
I’ll up you a party rally with der Führer introducing the KdF Volkswagen at the cornerstone laying ceremony for the factory!
This is a really weird image in light of the fact that old air-cooleds of all types became known for being driven by shiny happy people promoting free love.
And homelessness. Probably that, too.
http://cp91279.biography.com/1000509261001/1000509261001_1892050825001_bio-top250-tedbundy-betrayal.jpg
Hi, remember me?
Everyone’s a critic.
One serial killer invalidates decades of harmless hippies now?
That and it being commissioned by a mass-murderer I would say it is a distinctly polarizing car.
You’re either going to drive it and mellow out, or you’re going to murder 100s, maybe millions, of innocents.
Creepy. He cruised my childhood beach park in that Beetle, with the passenger seat removed to keep his abductees out of sight. IIRC, his initial conviction was cemented by credit card receipts showing his travels in the Bug coincided with kidnappings.
And that fact that the British basically started Volkswagen as a company (and Wolfsburg) as a town to keep the Germans gainfully employed.
Fictional? Yeah.
Do I still get the chills watching this scene? Absolutely.
The Tuesday answer has to be riding the new Indian Scout on the Wall of Death at its introduction in Sturgis last year.
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Making a James Bond Spoof ad for the introduuction of the 205 GTI in 1984.
The makers of the Gazelle helicopter were not amused…
Subaru’s “Cheap and Ugly” commercials for their US debut ought to be studied by every marketing major ever.
http://www.chicagoautoshow.com/assets/1/24/TimelineMainDimension/1989_21.jpg Not really a stunt, but I remember this intro. A more memorable one was the 1971 Racing Car Show at Olympia, London. Here’s a Pathé film that you may wish to not view at work: [ http://www.britishpathe.com/video/motor-show-london/query/Motor+Show+London+1971 ]
The 1980 Oldsmobiles
In 1960 Ferrari introduced the 250 GT 2+2, their first production 4-seater, by letting it be used as the course marshal’s car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Targeted marketing at its finest.
The Fiat 124 was introduced by being dropped from a plane.