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Toyota's Psy-style Waku-Doki ad inherits Japan's bizarre ad crown

A new Japanese Toyota ad featuring crisply suited businessmen driving into the jungle only to segue into a Psy-style music-video dance-off with a gorilla and natives is the latest car commercial to go viral. Jungle Wakudoki is the newest installment in a grand tradition of bizarre ads from the island nation that are by turns hilarious, head-scratching and occasionally even frightening.
Let's face it: My people are weird.
I'm half-Japanese and take suitable pride in my Asian roots, but even I can't figure out what's been slipped into the water coolers of the country's ad agencies much of the time - or the nation at large, for that matter. From Japan's ubiquitous obsession with all things adorable (kawaii) to its offbeat sense of humor and its bizarrely perverse and violent tentacle porn, it's clear there's a lot going on in the culture, and only some of it bubbles up to the surface in its marketing efforts. Much of the strangest and most amazing ads are for non-transportation products (e.g. laundry soap, snacks, energy drinks), but the automotive space has its fair share. This latest Toyota ad had me trawling YouTube for a common theme, trying to make sense of why these spots are the way they are. Scroll down to watch the Toyota ad in question as well as a bunch of other examples of Japan's most bizarre car-related ads and see if you can't find the thread that runs between them. Is it just that something's being lost in translation? Have your say in Comments.

Tier 1 suppliers call GM the worst OEM to work with

Among automakers with a big US presence, General Motors is the worst to work for, according to a new survey from Tier 1 automotive suppliers, conducted by Planning Perspectives, Inc.
The Detroit-based manufacturer, which has been under fire following the ignition switch recall and its accompanying scandal, finished behind six other automakers with big US manufacturing operations. Suppliers had issues with trust and communications, as well as intellectual property protection. GM was also the least likely to allow suppliers to raise their prices in the face of unexpected increases in material cost, all of which contributed to 55 percent of suppliers saying their relationship with GM was "poor to very poor."
GM's cross-town competitors didn't fare much better. Chrysler finished in fifth place, ahead of GM and behind Dearborn-based Ford, which was passed for third place this year by Nissan. Toyota took the top marks, while Honda captured second place.

Recharge Wrap-up: Japan's new hydrogen rules could help Toyota, New Delhi pollution worse than thought

The European Union is funding Fastned EV fast-charging corridors in Germany. The EU has set aside 2 million euros as part of its Trans-European Transport Networks program for Fastned to build the charging stations along major highways in Germany. The EU plans to help fund a network of 155 fast-charging stations along popular routes in Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Holland. Of those, Fastned will build 94 stations in Germany and Holland. Read more in the press release below. Revised hydrogen rules in Japan will make it easier to create hydrogen fueling infrastructure. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has created guidelines allowing for liquefied hydrogen at filling stations, exceptions to required distances between precooling equipment and public facilities and less expensive materials for hydrogen storage. Toyota stands to gain from the new standards, as making fueling more readily available makes it easier to sell customers on the Mirai fuel cell vehicle. The result could be fiercer competition between Toyota and Tesla in Japan. Read more in the press release below, and at Tech In Asia. New research finds that New Delhi roads suffer from much worse pollution than the average levels recorded throughout the city. Pollution along roads is up to eight times higher than the numbers shown by urban background pollution monitors. With half of the city's population living within 300 meters of a major road, it's a major health concern. Joshua Apte of the University of Texas, Austin, recorded various pollution levels from inside vehicles in hopes of showing the difference between ground-level pollution and the lower numbers at monitoring sites. In the process, Apte found himself developing bronchitis on a quarter of his visits to the city. Read more at the Columbus Telegram. Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Mirai View 15 Photos Related Gallery Fastned Fast Charging in Germany News Source: Fastned, Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Tech In Asia, Columbus TelegramImage Credit: Toyota Green Tesla Toyota Electric Hydrogen Cars recharge wrapup