It’s not just celebrities who try to avoid paparazzi. Automakers go camo to avoid spy shots following the same principle. As seen in video below, it has become an elaborate process of shielding vehicles in development from unauthorized photo taking that may wind up prematurely in public view.
The subject is in the news today as the Frankfurt Auto Show 2009 (Internationale Automobil Ausstellung – IAA) in Germany is underway. Held only once every other year, it is one of the largest automotive shows in the world where indeed, new cars and prototypes are unveiled.
Prior to such formal unveiling in auto shows, there is for the automaker always the risk of ’spy shots’ — literally, much like the paparazzi who follow celebrities around, those who take ’spy shots’ whether video or still shots, seek to get a glimpse of the new cars as they are undergoing road tests. Examples can be seen here and here.
Hence automakers go camo, literally, as revealed in the videos below and as discussed in a recent article which interviews those on both sides; those who take the spy shots and those who help the car manufacturer avoid them. However it is not always so clear cut. Sometimes the automaker wants the spy shot, as Dave Reuter, U.S. PR chief for Bentley points out.
“It can be good publicity,” he says.
It is an ongoing subject of interest. Find out more in the videos as to exactly how automakers go camo to avoid spy shots.