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April Fools’ Day wrap:: The best of 2016

In case you missed it, today is the 1st of April – April Fools’ Day. And while CarAdvice had our own fun, there were plenty of others who tried their best to make fools of us all.


You may have spotted our three not-quite-genuine 'news' stories that went live on the site in the wee hours of this morning: Tesla creates DIY supercar, 2017 Ford Ranger Raptor Hybrid spied, and New bike laws proposed: cyclists to earn demerit points, risk having bikes crushed.

Here are some of our favourites from today.

Ford SYNC MoodTech

Ford Australia claimed its Broadmeadows-based ’Future Technologies Team’ had developed “a new wearable device that connects to any Sync 2- and Sync 3-equipped vehicle” that automatically changes a vehicle’s settings and controls based on the wearer’s mood.

Dubbed ‘Sync MoodTech’, the fitness band-style unit was said to feed body pulse, temperature and eye movement data - the latter picked up by cameras - to the vehicle, triggering changes to the ‘in-cabin experience’ as well as accelerator and brake ‘responsiveness’, to “maintain or return a driver to their optimum mood”.

Said to hit markets across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America from mid 2017, Sync MoodTech claims to pick up a mood spectrum comprising ‘At Ease’; ‘Fatigue’; ‘Heart Broken’; ‘Karaoke’; ‘Hungry’; ‘Confused’; ‘Vanity’; and ‘Agitated’.

Ford Australia’s Future Technologies team engineering lead Dr. Jim Sweat said, “This takes the humble mood ring into the 21st century and adds functionality that consumers want and need beyond knowing if they are happy or not.”


Lexus V-LCRO Seat Technology

Claimed to be a new interior option available on the Lexus RC F and GS F, the luxury Japanese car maker chose today to unveil its Variable Load Coupling Rear Orientation (V-LCRO) seating technology.

Aimed at keeping drivers put during performance driving, the optional V-LCRO system, which works in tandem with a specially designed suit, is said to offer “incredible grip at any angle and G-load”.

“In fact, it’s designed to hold the driver in place at up to 3.0 Gs in any direction,” says a release about the new performance seating technology.

Lexus product and consumer marketing general manager Brian Bolain adding, “While all performance cars use seat bolsters to hold a driver in place during aggressive maneuvering, we’re taking it a step further.”


Mini Hipster Hatch

“A Mini like no other we’ve built before…” Meet the Mini Hipster Hatch (pictured top).

Minis have always been the domain of the fashion conscious or fashion forward, so it’s perhaps fitting that today the UK brand revealed its nod to the all-encompassing hipster trend.

“Inspired by the kind of innovative thinking only found when you ignore the script,” the Mini Hipster Hatch features a fixed-gear drive with one forward gear with a 40km/h top speed, a twin-deck cassette player with tape-to-tape recording, ‘upcycled’ vintage stonewash denim seats, 12 Instagram window filters, and various exterior details.

The Mini Hipster Hatch is also available in a range of exterior colours including Organic Pumpkin, Brooklyn Blue and Monochromatic Green.


Nissan N-Connect Love Dating App

Aimed at connecting “more than one million Nissan singles”, the Nissan N-Connect Love app is the brand’s follow-on from research it announced in time for Valentine’s Day, suggesting Nissan drivers make the best partners.

To find our true Nissan love, the brand says drivers need only install the app, let the N-Connect system alert you to other connected drivers within range, see if they want to connect, and if they accept, “The rest is left up to you…”

“We hope your search for love comes quickly, and in a Nissan,” a release on the love app states.


PSA Peugeot Citroen ‘Bugger Roo’ and ‘Sheep Shoo’ Animal Deterring System

In a special touch just for Australia and New Zealand, PSA Peugeot Citroen unveiled its ‘Bugger Roo’ and ‘Sheep Shoo’ animal deterring technology.

Said to be jointly developed with help from local engineers, the French manufacturer’s local arm claims the “discreet system”, which is designed to deter animals from straying into the path of oncoming vehicles, can be fitted to any vehicle derived from PSA’s modular EMP2 platform - including the Peugeot 308, Citroen C4 Picasso and Citroen C4 Grand Picasso.

“Fitted behind the headlamp and plugged into the existing wiring loom, the device emits both low and high frequency noises in a narrow beam at speeds above 50km/h,” the local release states.

Peugeot Citroen Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) technical and training manager Sii Lee Yu said, “There is the potential for this device to become available to other markets globally pending further development and testing for their unique wild life, but it is great to be at the forefront of such a valuable technology.”


Skoda Canine Umbrella

Extending its ‘Simply Clever’ slogan to our favourite furry friends, Skoda debuted its ‘canine umbrella’.

Conveniently integrated into the door of the Skoda Superb - sitting just below the already seen full-size adult item - Skoda claims its canine umbrella is a “mutts-have accessory for all Skoda-owning dog lovers” keen to avoid “soggy Shih Tzus or damp Dachshunds”.

Said to have been developed in the Czech Republic by Skoda animal accessories head Professor Al Sayshon, the dog brolly is “constructed using weight-saving unobtainium” and attaches to conventional dog leads “to give a unique ‘paws-free’ operation”.

If it wasn’t for the fact that it’s an April Fools’ Day joke, the Skoda canine umbrella would’ve been the latest dog-focussed accessory to be offered by the marque, joining the likes of dog harnesses, boot protectors and waterproof seat covers.


Vauxhall Adam C

On the back of “significant investment” and “several years of highly secretive research and development”, Vauxhall used the reveal of the Adam C to try and wind up punters.

What’s the Adam C? Only “the world’s first full-size production kinetic car”.

“Powered by a state-of-the-art kinetic mechanism that’s not too dissimilar to those found in children’s clockwork toys,” Vauxhall says the Adam C (‘C’ standing for clockwork) combines zero running costs with no detrimental environmental impact, “All without compromising performance.”

All one has to do is wind the little guy up for 15 minutes, and you get more than 200km of range.

“In terms of efficiency and sustainability it’s a no brainer,” a release on the Adam C states.

“What’s more, when you run out of juice, you won’t need to waste time looking for somewhere to refuel. Simply jump out and wind the car up. Wherever you are.”

A ‘bonus’, for some, are the additional health benefits the wind-up process offers too, with Vauxhall saying that 15 minutes of Adam C winding will not only exercise the chest, shoulders, arms and core muscles, but that “a 65kg person can expect to burn over 400 calories in just 15 minutes of winding”.

Did you get fooled this April Fools’ Day? Tell us how in the comments sections below.

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