The April Fool Archive

BMW Political Roundels    (April Fool's Day - 2010)

BMW revealed that, in the spirit of the upcoming UK elections, it had created a way for BMW owners to display their political leanings by changing the color of their hood roundel to match the color of their favorite political party. The "Political Roundel Attachment Tag" (PRAT) would be available in the colors of all major UK parties.

Should the car owner decide to switch political allegiances, the roundel tag could be replaced in a matter of seconds.

The ad was created by Jane Briers and Dave Cornmell of the ad agency WCRS, and was named "Ad of the Month" in the Awards for National Newspaper Advertising.


Show Your True Colors This Election
Soon Great Britain will be in the grip of election fever and as the public goes to the polls. BMW has created a unique way for customers to personalize their cars depending on their political leanings. BMW's innovative Political Roundel Attachment Tag (PRAT) is a highly stylized limited edition accessory of the BMW product portfolio and comes available in the colors of all major UK parties.

Uwe Beanhadde, Head of Made-up Technology at BMW's renowned Forschungs und Innovationszentrum in Munich, said: "We have been working on this innovation for a number of years and see it as a niche with potentially wide appeal. One of the most popular features, sure to strike a cord with the floating voter, is that the roundel can be replaced in a matter of seconds should the opposition suddenly seem more appealing."

News of the PRAT accessory comes swiftly after boffins at BMW offered other award winning innovations such as Canine Repellant Alloy Protection that stopped dogs relieving themselves on customers' wheels, Magnetic Tow Technology, the ultimate in tailgating tech, and BMW Instant Messaging which let owners know what they really thought of other road users.

Further details on PRAT can be found by contacting 0800 561 0080 or emailing [email protected].

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