"We Never Meant To Embarrass Toyota" GM Says

[Guest Josh]

You've heard of the wedding crashers. How 'bout the party crashers? Toyota Motor Corp., riding high and living large thanks to its status as the most profitable automaker in world history, spent $800,000 to rent out Chicago's Millennium Park Thursday fora VIP-only dealer event. Since the park opened a little more tha a year ago, tourists have flocked to see its fountains, Frank Gehry architecture and Cloud Gate, a 110-ton, beanshaped stainless-steel sculpture. Luckily, General MOtors Corp. came to the rescue of bummed-out sightseers shut out of the park. A cadre of GM reps showed up and handed out Fisher-Price slide viewers with images of the Cloud Gate and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. What's more, GM used more than 40 shiny Cadillacs, Hummers and Chevys to give tourists rides to other popular designations in the Windy City and provided free tickets to Navy Pier attractions and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Toyota didn't appreciate the intrustion by their (slightly) larger rival. GM stopped giving the free rides at Toyota's request in the early afternoon. "Our intent was never to embarrass Toyota," said GM spokesman Todd Carstensen.

[4gm]

Is this true? It sounds like something from The Onion. If it is true, I have to say, it's gorilla marketing at it's finest.

[Newbiewar]

You've heard of the wedding crashers. How 'bout the party crashers?

Toyota MOtor Corp., ridingf high and living large thanks to its status as the most profitable automaker in world history, spent $800,000 to rent out Chicago's Millennium Park Thursday fora  VIP-only dealer event. Since the park opened a little more tha a year ago, tourists have flocked to see its foutnains, Frank Gehry architecture and Cloud Gate, a 110-ton, beanshaped stainless-steel sculpture. Luckily, General MOtors Corp. came to the rescue of bummed-out sightseers shut out of the park. A cadre of GM reps showed up and handed out Fisher-Price slide viewers with images of the Cloud Gate and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. What's more, GM used more than 40 shiny CAdillacs, Hummers and Chevys to give tourists rides to other popular designations in the Windy City and provided free tickets to Navy Pier attractions and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Toyota didn't appreciate the intrustion by their (slightly) larger rival. GM stopped giving the free rides at Toyota's request in the early afternoon. "Our intent was never to embarrass Toyota," said GM spokesman Todd Carstensen.

[post="12619"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

LMFAO sure it wasn't... Just to get a bit of attention... Like this artical :) :Toyota: :booyah:

[Newbiewar]

LMFAO sure it wasn't...  Just to get a bit of attention... Like this artical :) :Toyota:  :booyah:

[post="12622"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I'd like to see that quote on more headlines... accross the country that would be awesome, cause those are fighting words and quite frankly GM will win as seen by the party they crashed

[Guest Josh]

It was in todays Detroit News & Free Press. In the Business section. It's true.

[4gm]

Ha ha. I love it. Pretty clever on GM's part.

[Dsuupr]

Now that is funny. One wonders why GM actually stopped. They had no reason to.

[Drew Dowdell]

This is great! More please GM!

[fordrules]

Hahah toyoyta!

[Mike The Canadian]

Hahahhaha sweet! That just made my day!

[Cory Wolfe]

:lol: ...Poor Toyota.

[Petra]

That is hilarious, and very, very clever. I'd like to give whoever came up with this idea a warm handshake, and a recomendation to be promoted to President of GM's marketing department. They need more ideas like this to erase the perception gap.

[pow]

Now if Toyota did that outside an Autoshow in Motion...

[Flybrian]

Now if Toyota did that outside an Autoshow in Motion...

[post="12672"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

But ASIM events don't shut down normally-functioning attractions for a private party. Therin lies the difference.

[nzr]

Haha! :Toyota: :chevy: :metal: Edited September 11, 2005 by nzr

[Cremazie]

AH yeah! just what I needed to read today.. that is awesome! Somebody in GM should get a raise for that!

[ocnblu]

That is too cool. Love it! B)

[Flybrian]

Oh yeah, almost forgot... Dear Toyota, Get over it. Maybe people don't appreciate being shout out of an event for car dealers of all people. Rock on, GM.

[frogger]

Damn $800K to rent a spot for a party for one day?? Must be nice to have that kind of money to splurge.

[Cortazzo]

This is beautiful, and to think that Toyota was going to RAISE their prices on new cars to HELP GM out. Toyota is such a compassionate company... java script:emoticon(':P') smilie

[IbuyGM]

Prayers do come true

[daves87rs]

Wonderful, things like that should happen more often...

[caddycruiser]

Why'd they stop? I would have had a couple of my legal people on hand and just kept on going and going to further the story and have more people impressed by what GM was doing to make their visit better. http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/AH-HA_wink.gif

Either way, that was a GREAT move for once :booyah:

[Northstar]

They should do this all the time. Whenever Toyota, Honda, or Nissan plan some big party and shut down some public place, GM should step in and take tourists elsewhere.

[Guest Josh]

Why'd they stop?  I would have had a couple of my legal people on hand and just kept on going and going to further the story and have more people impressed by what GM was doing to make their visit better. http://www.cheersandgears.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/AH-HA_wink.gif

Either way, that was a GREAT move for once :booyah:

[post="12824"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I'm not sure people understand the point of this.

Why continue? Because stopping it gave them the opportunity to say exactly this and give people exactly this impression.

Continuing the rides would have gone under the radar. Instead, stopping and saying (actually, proving) it was per Toyotas wishes, then following up with the quote in the subject line, GM proved their point.

Toyota what?