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Street Glory Mappers turning cars into dynamic billboards like this

A French marketing firm with the impenetrable name of Street Glory Mappers is literally turning cars into billboards. Of course, we've all seen vehicles painted up for promotional use, but this company is taking that concept even further by including video.
Street Glory Mappers equips the vehicles with a large video screen behind the windshield to play whatever is being advertised. According to the company's promo, it may even be possibly to sync up the vehicle's lights with the show, as well. The firm claims that it's a great form of temporary, mobile marketing because the car can arrive at the location, play the video and then go away when the prospective audience leaves.
While it doesn't necessarily seem any more effective than other forms of advertising, the firm's idea is at least unobtrusive. After all, it's easier to ignore a stationary car than a person handing out flyers. However, vehicle flashing its lights and playing video could certainly distract other drivers.

Wish you had a world-famous auto exec give your commencement speech? Watch this

We've seen some pretty great commencement speeches over the years. There was Steve Jobs' incredibly inspiring Stanford address in 2005, John Stewart's insightful speech to the graduating class of William and Mary in 2004 and Steven Colbert's hilarious 2011 address at Northwestern, but automotive executives aren't strangers to honorary degrees. Former General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner spoke at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011, and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne recently gave the keynote at Walsh College's 100th Commencement Ceremony. The executive knows a thing or two about success and following one's beliefs to fulfillment.
"I constantly encourage my co-workers at Fiat and Chrysler to go beyond the cliche and the conventional to try new approaches and change perspective each and every day," Marchionne said. "I exhort them not to repeat the same things, the same approaches, and I remind them they are indeed free. The freedom I am talking about is something inside you. It is determined by how open minded you remain, how receptive you are to the new and to the different, to the infinite possibilities that present themselves even if you don't go looking for them or could never have imagined. Being free means that you have the strength not to be conditioned by what others want you to do or by what may seem to be the easiest choice."
Amen to that. You can check out the brief press release on the address below as well as a video of a few highlights from the speech.

2016 Fiat 500X joins IIHS Top Safety Pick+ ranks [w/video]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the Fiat brand its highest honor for the first time, naming the new 500X a Top Safety Pick+. It's only the second vehicle in the FCA empire, after the Chrysler 200, to score so well on the non-profit's crash testing. The 500X got top marks across the board, ranking "Good" on all the crash tests, including the tough small-overlap test. In fact, the only area where the high-riding Fiat was given a demerit was on its optional crash-prevention system. It only scored an "Advanced" rating, rather than the top grade of "Superior" – vehicles need at least an "Advanced" crash prevention rating to earn a TSP+. Of course, the whole reason we cover all these Top Safety Pick stories is so we can post video of the crash tests. The 500X story is no different, as the IIHS gives us its typical multi-angle, slow-motion peek at the small-overlap test for Fiat's new CUV. Check out the video up top. Related Video: New Fiat 500X small SUV earns IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award ARLINGTON, Va. — The new Fiat 500X earns good ratings in all five of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crashworthiness tests and an advanced rating for front crash prevention. The small SUV qualifies for the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award. It is the second vehicle from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles after the Chrysler 200 to earn the Institute's highest award for 2015. In the most challenging IIHS evaluation, the small overlap front crash test, the 500X's driver space was maintained reasonably well, with maximum intrusion of 4 inches at the door hinge pillar and instrument panel. The dummy's head contacted the front airbag, though it then moved to the left side, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. The side curtain airbag deployed and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the head on the left side. Measures taken from the dummy indicate that injuries to the left lower leg would be possible in a crash of this severity, but the likelihood of other injuries is low. In the moderate overlap test, the only issue was possible injuries to the right foot. There were no problems with the side crash test performance. The vehicle also has good head restraints and seats for whiplash prevention in a rear crash and a good roof strength rating for rollover protection. The 500X has an optional front crash prevention system that earns an advanced rating.