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Coin-operated cars? 5 awesome automotive April Fools' Day pranks you might have missed

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Image: Newspress
Image: Newspress

Cape Town -  The car industry always shows its sense of humour on April 1 and 2018 was no exception.

From Aston Martin's new 'Sparta' SUV to an MG powered by Alpaca 'waste'... many manufacturers have released ridiculous pranks. 

Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk showed his lighter side - announcing that his company has gone bankrupt, "so bankrupt you can't believe it." 

Here's a run down of five top automotive pranks of 2018:

1 Tesla goes bankrupt

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has poked fun at naysayers with an April fools joke posted on Twitter stating that his company is going bankrupt.


2 Alpaca-powered fuel

MG Motor UK announced a 'new engine development programme to power its cars by alpaca waste in a move that will be a world first.

The automaker said: "MG Motor UK hopes that the results from the alpaca powered vehicle trials on its Compact-SUV will help revolutionise the industry and encourage the adoption by the mass-market.

"Alpaca waste has been specifically chosen as it doesn’t need to be aged before it can be transformed into a useable fuel."

3 Porsche goes back in time

The automaker announced that it would be launching a Porsche Mission E tractor, to pay homage to its 1950s tractor models. 

The automaker said: "With a power output in excess of 521kW, the Mission E Tractor will be the fastest accelerating agricultural vehicle in the world, enabling farmers to harvest crops in record time with the added environmental benefits of zero emissions at source and significantly reduced operating noise."

4 Aston Martin goes Sparta!

5 Honda makes a topless SUV

Could this possibly be a dig at Range Rover's Evoque convertible? Nonetheless, Honda has taken off the roof of its mid-sized CR-V for this year's April Fool's dig.

6 One for the dogs!


BMW has turned to our four-legged loved ones with the creation of its 'dDrive dog basket', their prank for 2017 is still one of our favourites.

The automaker said, as quoted by AutoExpress: "The high-tech bed was modelled on the company’s latest electric car range.

"The wind-in-the-fur feeling is delivered by a BMW TwinPower Turbo Fan that fires a stiff breeze right into the dog's face."

7 Coin-operated car?

SEAT has unveiled a world first with the latest version of its Arona Crossover - coined the Arona Copper Edition and powered by pennies. Riiight...

                                                           Image: Newspress

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