Rock Stars Promote Hybrids with 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid

There’s no doubt that cars and rock-and-roll are a powerful combination, with music offering the potential to carry positive messages to large numbers of people. This is not lost on automakers, whose savvy marketing machines have recognized the value of rock concerts in promoting the coolness of environment-friendly hybrid technology on the road.

Honda has recognized this potential and is playing it well in a pretty slick promotion that’s aligning Honda’s Civic Hybrid with the alternative rock/pop-punk band Fall Out Boy in a Honda Civic Tour that begins on April 18 in Charlotte, North Carolina before heading out to other parts of the country. A tricked-out 2007 Civic Honda Hybrid customized to Fall Out Boy’s specs will be given away at the end of the tour. Information is available at www.hondacivictour.com.

The customized Civic Hybrid offers up outrageous sounds courtesy of a 1000-watt audio system with two Alpine Type-S 10-inch subwoofers and RideTones sound effects. An XM Satellite Radio and a Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System round out the electronics. Black hemp and vinyl seats provide an eco-friendly interior. The car sits lower than stock with Eibach springs and features 18-inch Konig Sideways wheels wrapped with Dunlop Direzza DZ101 tires. The car’s slick black paint job even sports a touch of Van Gogh.

This isn’t the first time that Honda stepped out in the music world with its Civic Hybrid. Last year, the popular rock group Black Eyed Peas headlined the 2006 Honda Civic Tour. The “Drive Away with the Black Eyed Peas” giveaway wrapped up with a number of Civic Hybrids awarded to lucky winners, including a version customized to Black Eyed Peas specifications. This custom Civic Hybrid was also featured in the group’s “Pump It” video.

Modifications to the Civic Hybrid included a custom paint job with Black Eyed Peas logo and signatures. The car was dropped two inches with a Sprint Performance Suspension and offered a racing appeal with 18 inch Konig lightweight black rims, Direzza D101 tires, and a polished Borla exhaust tip. Inside, the monkey logo from the band’s album, “Monkeybusiness,” was embroidered on the car’s headrests and red leather seats. Even the floor mats were customized with “BEP” logos. The car featured a cutting-edge Alpine Electronics multimedia system offering audio, video, and navigation to keep things on track and occupants entertained. Also included was an iPod adapter that allowed hooking up an iPod directly to the multimedia system. Shifting was handled soundly by a Shure 55SH microphone shifter.

The automaker’s 2005 Honda Civic Tour, a nationwide, springtime music-fest with Maroon 5, was also promoted with a Civic Hybrid customized to this band’s specs. The white Civic Hybrid was outfitted with Konig wheels and low-profile performance tires, with lowering coils dropping the Civic Hybrid two inches closer to the ground than stock. Maroon 5 logos and decals over white pearlescent paint provide visual attention, while a $9,000 Alpine multimedia system with an integrated iPod ensure auditory stimulation.

In a competing automaker camp, Lexus nicely forwarded the rock/auto alliance with a very cool Lexus RX 400h hybrid SUV. The one-of-a-kind, Paul McCartney-themed hybrid was created to commemorate the automaker’s sponsorship of McCartney’s “US” Tour and was displayed at concert venues atop a giant stereo turntable. It was also shown at auto shows across the country.

The Paul McCartney Signature Edition RX 400h’s graphic theme on this hybrid reflects the rock icon’s 1962 Hofner Bass and VOX AC30 amplifier, with their lines and textures appearing throughout the vehicle design. Inside are such distinctive touches as a classic Shure 55 Unidyne microphone shifter and VOX-sourced diamond-pattern fabric seat inserts with embroidered McCartney signatures. The center console integrates the white pearloid pickguard from the Hofner Bass. At the end of the tour, Lexus donated this trick RX 400h to Adopt-A-Minefield for a sweepstakes that awarded the vehicle to a lucky winner. A bonus: Included inside were a reissue 1962 Hofner Bass with case, a VOX amplifier, collection of McCartney’s music, and a premium Mark Levinson sound system.

This is likely just the beginning of such hybrid-and-rock promotions. Here’s hoping that other “green” cars go the rock route in the future.