Car Leaks, And Why I Hate Them

"MtrRider Just Wants Doritos" (MtrRider)
10/29/2013 at 05:49 • Filed to: None

I honestly don't understand why every single new car has to be leaked before it is revealed. How much money does it take to bribe pictures out of somebody? Do car companies plan it out and do it on purpose? (I'm sure a few do, but not all) It's a big risk- if you get caught, you will likely lose your job and have a hard time getting another one.

I didn't ask to see the new Mustang, or Corvette, or Viper or anything. Seeing a car covered in camo ruins the surprise for me, and takes away all the excitement. There is no wow factor in seeing a car in camo, then with slightly less camo, and even less camo, for 3 months. I don't need an automotive strip tease whenever a new car is on the way. I'm tired of leaks, peeks, headlight reveals, greenhouse silhouettes, everything. When the car is finished, show me everything, tell me what engines it has, how much it will cost and when I can buy one.

Automakers try to build excitement by releasing little glimpses of new cars. I don't know how the new Mustang got out, but that car doesn't need any help with the hype machine- it's a new Mustang, for Gods sake. It's the first with IRS, and the 50th anniversary of the car. It doesn't need any help getting people excited for it. The same goes for every other car I want to read about. Nobody interested in a new crossover is going to be scouring Jalopnik waiting for teaser shots of a particular car- they will be reading CR or Edmunds reviews of existing cars (I'm looking at you, Explorer).

That is all.

DISCUSSION (18)

lepie > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 06:06

I don't like it when my car leaks.

It's pure marketting, just look at apple. 90% of it is orchestrated. It builds excitement. Doesn't even matter if it's a crappy product or not.

ToyDeathbot > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 06:08

I'm pretty sure it's mostly for magazines so that they can put the word 'exclusive' on the front cover and get people to actually buy it. It's easy to find leaks online on websites, it just really depends on if you're bother or not.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > ToyDeathbot
10/29/2013 at 06:10

Nothing is exclusive with the internet anymore. Hell, even the cover of the magazine is leaked before it comes out!

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > lepie
10/29/2013 at 06:17

I was going to use the Nexus 5 as an example... it has been leaked every week for over two months to the point that we know all about it before it actually released. Its all a game.

ToyDeathbot > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 06:18

lol think of the people who don't heavily use the internet (i.e. majority of old people)

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 06:24

Honetsly, these leaks makes me wonder:
Why i have to go to a car show at all?

That's makes me sad.

Hermann > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW.
10/29/2013 at 06:43

Yep. That's the sort of stuff that has taken the magic out of car shows.

On the old days you'd either go to the car shows or wait until next month until the magazines about the show came out. We were actually surprised when some cars came out. Now we know things way ahead, while rumours get refined. Like the 2-series and the Mustang.

Matt Hardigree > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 06:45

To be fair, that Mustang is a render, not a photo.

BmacIL > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 06:47

The leaked shots showing the front of the new mustang (but blacked-out) with camo'd rear at Grattan raceway from a couple months ago, were not marketing. This was a case of, "how the heck did he get there without us seeing him? He must've camped out overnight."

GhostZ > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 06:51

Press gained from a few individuals fascinated by the ongoing mystery of slowly peeling away layers to the car >>>>>>>>>>> Press gained from a single reveal of the entire completed project.

However, in some cases (notably cutting-edge cars that benefit little from additional exposure, namely the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari) the single reveal gains greater press, especially when they have to pick apart complex systems that wouldn't be able to be adequately described/demonstrated before the completed point.

It's a dollars game. Nothing more. All car manufacturing/ publication is. Just be aware that while you are suffering from a wow factor, they're able to sell more of that car to people who want it.

webmonkees > Matt Hardigree
10/29/2013 at 06:58

Yes, we still have a period between a published cover story reveal and a showroom-ready example. Then the mocking begins.

Kinja'd!!!

V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me! > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 07:04

Just tell me those wheels will fit my 2005.

Leadbull > Matt Hardigree
10/29/2013 at 08:52

But renderings are insane these days—it might as well be a photo in most people's eyes.

Just look at you guy's C7 render. It's nearly perfect.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 09:09

*Not the first with IRS

desertdog5051 > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
10/29/2013 at 10:57

Sometimes you wonder if there is a premeditated slow release of info on new cars. Take the Omega Tool video showing the new C7 front and rear ends. Was it a screw up or was it planned by GM and Omega? One would have to be a high up insider to know for sure.

SteelyDan > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
11/07/2013 at 19:35

I was just thinking this, except about bikes. Over the past week or so the majority of stories on RideApart have been leaked photos and rumored specs of unreleased bikes. I want to know what it truly looks like, sounds like and rides like all at once, not "leaked" over a half dozen articles. I'm glad the Monster 1200 wasn't spoiled for me, I had no idea an all new Monster was coming already, much less a frameless one with 92 lb-ft of torque!

SpeedSix > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos
11/13/2013 at 20:49

And that's why the new Camaro Z/28 launch was much better than anything else. We didn't know it would be there.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > SpeedSix
11/13/2013 at 21:22

Exactly. Just, Surprise! Here's an amazing car. Want one? Of course you do. Here's an order form.