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Automakers Mix Cars with Cocktails in New York
The critical question during auto show week: Which automaker throws the best bash?
Forget everything you know about not mixing cars and alcohol. Auto manufacturers are bent on pairing the two (OK, we're talking about stationary vehicles here), as every year they throw more swank soirees to tout everything from charity auctions to the latest model lineup.
At least six parties jousted for attention on Tuesday, April 3, the night before the first press preview day at the New York Auto Show. Some were even used to announce new vehicles instead of a traditional press conference held at the show.
A cross-section of media, Wall Streeters, celebrities, socialites and nightlife hipsters are usually invited to drink free booze, eat fancy hors d'ouevres and share the dance floor with new models — car models, that is.
Besides providing varying degrees of entertainment (and the free booze and food), these parties reveal how each brand is attracting a desired demographic and, judging from the turn-out, whether they're successful. This year, in conjunction with the New York Auto Show, Audi lured sophisticates with a British singer songwriter; Honda held a hushed dinner, in contrast to its loud new sports car; Mercedes-Benz dug up vintage Warhols for the downtown set; and VW built a backyard barbecue scene in the middle of Manhattan.
Audi swings at the Forum
Audi threw a pre-show bash co-hosted by Gotham Magazine, for what Audi calls "New York Intelligencia" — basically wealthy, beautiful people — in the company’s recently opened Audi Forum on Park Avenue and 47th Street in Manhattan. One Audi flack said lots of bankers were invited, which makes sense, considering that the company has been ingratiating itself to anyone in the U.S. it thinks would want a German luxury car. But none of the celebs the company has reportedly been handing free Audis to (Lindsay Lohan and Donald Trump supposedly among them) were on hand.
The all-new Audi S5 coupe made its North American debut at the party before being unveiled at a press conference the next day at the New York Auto Show’s first press preview day.
While sipping free-flowing kumquat champagne, Manhattan’s impeccably dressed middle-aged movers and shakers mixed with younger, artsy types and watched with mild interest a video of charismatic Audi/VW design chief Walter de’Silva speaking (in Italian, with subtitles) about his baby, the new Audi S5. Moderate applause followed the car’s unveiling — the typical white silk sheet yanked from the car — but folks quickly lost interest in the ensuing stilted banter between an Audi exec and chef/restaurateur David Bouley, who provided the evening’s hors d’oeuvres.
Admirers circled and sat in the bright red S5 throughout the evening, but the consensus among a half-dozen guests was that the pale blue Audi R8 supercar across the room was the true star of the evening.
A couple of hours into the bash, British singer and songwriter Jamie Cullum drew a small throng of admirers to one corner of the Forum, where he played a baby-grand piano and sang original jazz numbers with an old-school bent. His sporadic beat boxing on the piano’s frame and keyboard cover drew enthusiastic applause and hoots.
An exhibition of work by German photographer Gabo rounded out the event’s triple play — music, fine food and photography — which was billed as "'Artists & Audi' pop culture night." The event appeared to be yet another move for the third-tier German luxury carmaker to boost its cachet by drawing the attention of key influencers and tastemakers, even those who may not be in the market for a car.
According to at least two young partygoers, Audi's efforts seem to be working. Lindsey Jarboe, 25, of Manhattan, said she's been intrigued by the brand ever since the Audi TT came out. Her friend Ershad Elahi, 24, of Hoboken, N.J., added that Audi cars match BMW and Mercedes-Benz vehicles in performance, but are more coveted because fewer people drive them. "I don’t think an Audi is a starter car for anyone — it’s an aspiration," Elahi said.
Click here to see pictures from Audi’s party.
At Honda, a new car and a farewell feast
Honda held a dinner at Lotus Space in Manhattan, and unveiled the company’s new S2000 CR performance car. It was an elegant, though staid, affair.
Catered by the group owned by famed New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, the food was great. But the event was decidedly low-key — not much action (nor music), at least compared to the heaving soirees uptown.
The low-lit, respectful tone of this party in Chelsea may have had something to do with the fact that the S2000’s unveiling marked the retirement of the car’s chief engineer, Shigaru Uehara, who was in attendance.
Uehara told ForbesAutos he was pleased with his swan song, the latest iteration of the S2000, but that he didn’t have a clear idea of what he would do next. His translator suggested golf, which he took up several years ago. Uehara seemed non-committal.
Our tablemates were pleasurable. We talked baseball with Honda’s Kazuhiro Suda, who just moved to Torrance, Calif. from Tokyo two months ago; rapped hybrids with Honda’s Chuck Schifsky, of Detroit. We received tax advice from one of our peers at a competing publication, counsel we discounted: It’s unlikely a non-CPA web editor is much wise in these matters. Plus, disinformation is always a possibility with these rivals. Tut-tut!
Explaining the decision-making behind the party, Honda public relations manager Sage Marie said: “We wanted to give journalists the opportunity to be around our people and this car more casually.” The venue was chosen for space and proximity, he added.
A gleaming blue, open-topped S2000 CR prototype was prominently displayed in the center of the room for all to see, touch and get in. Meant only to sell to hardcore performance enthusiasts attracted to the Honda brand, the carmaker expects to produce less than 2,000 of these S2000 CRs. Its buyers will be tuners with money, too: the current S2000 costs $34,250.
Attendees said they were impressed with the car’s look, as well as the eventual production vehicle’s capabilities as described. One journalist applauded Honda’s willingness to produce novel vehicles. Others expressed skepticism about the economics of the niche marketing.
“There are those people?” one of the caterers asked, disbelieving, when told of the type of buyer the S2000 is being aimed at.
He softened a bit when informed that sanctioned race rallies and tracks exist where folks can performance-test such vehicles. “So this is maybe like for the dad who’s seen 'Hustle and Flow,'” he said.
Maybe.
Click here to see pictures from Honda’s party.
Glam, pop: Mercedes-Benz brings out its vintage Warhol
The German carmaker kicked off a month-long exhibit of Andy Warhol originals at Downtown Manhattan’s Drive In Studios with a bash that attracted fashion, movie and television celebrities along with enough security to lock down Fort Knox.
Seventeen brilliantly colorful silkscreen acrylics on canvas show Warhol’s take on Mercedes-Benz models ranging from the very first automobile, the 1886 Patent Motorwagen, to the experimental 1969 C111 model.
Mercedes-Benz commissioned the prints to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the company’s first car, in 1986. Warhol was supposed to create 80 works, but he completed fewer than half before he died in 1987. This is only the second time they have returned to the United States from Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.
It was a bit of a toss-up as to which was more striking: the hot pinks and yellows, day-glow greens and electric blues of the artwork, or the crowd of journalists, celebrities, celebrity-journalists and journalist-celebrities. Backless gowns mingled with Scottish kilts (it was Tartan Week in New York City, a celebration of Scottish heritage in America), and conservative coifs contrasted with Mohawk hairdos during the event held on April 3, the night before press days began for the New York Auto Show.
“There goes Wife No. 2!” was a comment that followed actress and event “co-hostess” Chloë Sevigny around the room. Sevigny plays one of the wives in a polygamous clan on the HBO show “Big Love.”
In a quick interview, Sevigny said she attended the party as part of an ongoing endorsement relationship she has with Mercedes-Benz USA, including appearances for breast-cancer charity Key to the Cure. “It’s a great brand, and they’ve been good to work with, and I live in New York,” Sevigny said.
Click here to read our full report on the party, the art and the vintage Mercedes-Benz models.
Click here to see pictures from the Mercedes-Benz party.
VW brings a backyard barbeque to midtown
Like Honda, Volkswagen chose to skip the rote auto show press conference and instead went cool and casual during New York Auto Show week, highlighting its new models at an offsite nighttime affair. The informal party went down in a darkened Flatiron event space where VW’s four-wheeled debuts shared floor space with plastic lawn chairs, trucked-in pine trees and picnic tables topped with shish kebabs and s’mores. The relaxed vibe was as breezy and carefree as one of the company’s perfectly-scored commercials.
Fake turf covered the floor, and soccer balls and leaves were strewn about. In a shadowy corner, a DJ named Kid America spun retro tracks like The Kinks’ “David Watts” and Shirley Ellis’ “Name Game” while guests milled about a wet bar set up inside a wood-shingled garage.
Parked at the center of the room was a 2008 Jetta SportWagen (which made its debut several weeks back at the Geneva Auto Show), a wagon version of its best-selling model. It was flanked by a 2008 R32, a factory-tuned Rabbit which had its U.S. debut in Chicago a few months back; and the 2008 Touareg 2, a restyled version of the company’s first SUV. Two of the cars were outfitted with Thule roof racks kitted up with bicycles and kayaks.
The assembled crowd was a mix of financiers, freelancers and free-loaders; characters from uptown and down. We solicited their opinions of the cars on view.
“Would I drive this? No,” said Olga Ragamelli, a black-clad woman with loose, dark curls, as she struck a split-second pose near the Sportwagen. “I have a personal driver,” she said. “But the silver is a good color for me, no?”
Nearby stood Jasper Lennung, a young male model sporting a two-day bristle beard. “I would definitely buy one of these — or if not a VW, then an Audi,” he enthused. “My mother is from Copenhagen — she has driven VWs since 1957. They’re perfect city cars,” he said.
Steve Keyes, a general manager of public relations for Volkswagen, stood guard at the entrance of the room and seemed pleased with the turnout, which he said was numbered at several-hundred-plus.
“New York is a huge show, and a huge city for VW, along with Los Angeles and Chicago. We have a lot of young, urban drivers with active lifestyles. For tonight’s event we chose to set these cars up as if they were ready for a weekend out of town,” said Keyes.
As we chatted, a woman in an oversize, stark red cap danced frenetically near one of the cars, alone.
“Tonight worked out well. I think maybe we got some people in here that won’t necessarily be attending the auto show,” Keyes said, overlooking the scene.
Click here to see pictures from Volkswagen’s party.
Jim Henry, Shane Kite, Jesse Will and Matthew de Paula contributed to this article.
• Go to the Mercedes-Benz Showroom
• Go to the Audi Showroom
• Go to the Volkswagen Showroom
• Go to the Honda Showroom
• Celebs and Cars Create Media-Friendly Cocktail
Photo Credit: Daniel Cavazos/ForbesAutos.com
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