By Steve & Tamami Laser
Honda has discovered that today’s youthful buyers aren’t interested in self-driving cars. Instead, they want Selfie Cars. Yes, that’s right, Honda has announced the all-new 2016 HR-V SLF Edition is the wave of the future. According to research, one-third of all photos taken by people ages 18–24 are selfies – more than 1 million a day.*
And so, Honda is introducing a unique model to appeal to these folks. The Honda HR-V SLF, “on sale in the U.S. this summer,” features 10 selfie cameras throughout the vehicle to capture every moment. To beta-test its new hands-free selfie technology, the automaker worked with 15 social media influencers over a period of six months and chose Ashley Shutterstock, a self-proclaimed selfie fanatic who boasts a 99 SMIR score (social media influencer rank) to participate in making a a product video.
Ashley was handed the keys to an HR-V SLF prototype to test the technology and selfie functions, which only operate when the transmission is in park, and demonstrate how easy the cameras are to use by connecting her smartphone to HondaLink, which enables her to both take selfies and upload them directly to social media. But instead of us telling you how cool it is, we’ll quote Ashley from the video.
“I guess everybody has their own thing,” says Ashley. “Some people love dogs, some people love to read, I love…myself. I’m all about living in the moment. Am I an artist? Of course. Some may say otherwise, but life is way too short to argue.”
“I was so excited when Honda asked me to beta-test the new HR-V Selfie Edition,” she exclaimed. “When I saw it, I was like, ‘Honda gets me.’ Every Honda comes with a rearview camera. The HR-V Selfie Edition comes with the kind of cameras I look for in a car. It’s got 10 different selfie cameras all across the inside, the outside and the underside.”
“Everyone’s talking about how cool the self-driving car will be, but the selfie car? That’s the future,” she concluded. “You know, I just want the world to see what I’ve done and go ‘whoa, she nailed it,’ again and again…and again. I love my HR-V Selfie Edition!”
“Honda is embracing the selfie phenomenon and the creative, artistic sensibilities of millennials with this versatile, youthful trim model,” said Gazō Enjinia, HR-V brand manager at Honda. “Cameras were already part of the all-new HR-V, used for LaneWatch and the rearview camera, so we found a way to incorporate more of them, based on the role of selfies in culture today.”
The selfie cameras join a multitude of other features in the all-new HR-V, such as Honda LaneWatch, a multi-angle rearview camera, 7-inch touch-screen featuring Pandora®, Bluetooth® streaming audio and the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™, as well as HondaLink® Next Generation that allows people to stay connected to their smartphones via a digital hub.
If you’ve managed to read this far and haven’t dozed off, we just want to add: Happy April 1st from our friends at Honda!
* According to data from Samsung and Techinfographics.com as of March 2014
News source and photos courtesy of American Honda Motor Co. Inc.
Story (commentary) © 2015 CarNichiWa.com