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Automotive April Fools' joke roundup [w/videos]

Happy April, everyone. And we all know what this first day of the month means: April Fools' Day. Today is a national holiday for pranksters with the Internet acting as a serious enabler, and it's always fun to see what kind of vivid imaginations exist out there in the automotive world. The abundance of fake news gets a little old as the day rolls on, but we did manage to get in a few chuckles thanks to a handful of major automakers and automotive news outlets that got into the pranking spirit this year
Some of our favorites this year includes Subaru showing what happens when you combine a bunch of rumors, a Corvette some may have already thought was a joke or Honda providing some in-car innovation circa the late 1980s. Honestly, we're still waiting for official confirmation from Mitsubishi that the recently introduced 2014 Mirage is an elaborate April Fools' joke using a failed design intended for the 1995 Geo Metro. We dug up as much "official" OEM foolishness we could find, as well as some of our other favorites, and posted them all below.

Subaru teases Viziv concept ahead of Geneva

Subaru will be stocking its display at the Geneva Motor Show next month: The European debut of the Subaru Forester joins the world premiere of a diesel Outback with Lineartronic CVT and a display called Subaru 360 that showcases the "brand's history and future vision."
The genuine future-speak, however, is intended to be conveyed by the Viziv concept (click the image above to enlarge). This name "Viziv" is culled from the phrase "Vision for Innovation," and the "future-generation crossover" that bears the 25th-century name has been designed to be an embodiment of "enjoyment and peace of mind."
That's quite a holistic burden for just one crossover. In the more mundane world, the Viziv will suggest Subaru's new design and technology directions. Subaru has created a mini-site for the concept that will be updated during the show, but for now, it just lets us know that March 5 will be "the start of something exciting."

Police bravely rescue mannequin from cold car

Police in an upstate New York town broke into a car last week to save an elderly woman only to discover she was a lifelike mannequin. Police in Hudson, NY, got a troubling call on Friday, December 16, that a woman had frozen to death in a car, ABC News reported. HPD rushed to the scene and found what appeared to be an elderly woman unresponsive in a snow covered Subaru. The weather was bitter cold, and police feared the worse. Sergeants leaped into action and smashed out the car's rear passenger window. That's when first responders realized that the supposed victim in the front seat wasn't a person at all, but an extremely lifelike, life-sized mannequin. The mannequin was dressed in a sweater, blouse, slacks, and shoes and had an oxygen mask covering its nose and mouth. Glasses, lifelike hair, teeth, and even a smattering of liver spots on the hands and face completed the illusion. Eventually, the Subaru's owner showed up and explained the strange situation. He told police he was a sales manager for a medical supply company, and that the mannequin was a CPR training device. He told the officers that he regularly transports the mannequin buckled into the front seat of his car. The HPD was not particularly happy with this explanation, while the Subaru owner was annoyed that his car was smashed open. "I can't put what he said on air, but he was not very happy with the police department for forcing entry into his car," Hudson Police Department Sergeant Randy Clarke told WTEN. "If it was a joke, it was a very poor tasteful joke. If it was a matter of convenience for him, it was a station wagon, carry your mannequin a little bit better. The mannequin was in the front seat with a seat belt and appearing to be a passenger in the car." There are no charges pending in the incident, HPD said. Related Video: News Source: ABC News, WTEN Auto News Weird Car News Subaru hudson