You've heard of the wedding crashers. How 'bout the party crashers?

Toyota Motor Corp., riding high and living large thanks to its status as the most profitable automaker in world history, spent $800,000 to rent out Chicago's Millennium Park Thursday for a VIP-only dealer event.

Since the park opened a little more than a year ago, tourists have flocked to see its fountains, Frank Gehry architecture and Cloud Gate, a 110-ton, bean-shaped stainless-steel sculpture.

Luckily, General Motors Corp. came to the rescue of bummed-out sightseers shut out of the park. A cadre of GM reps showed up and handed out Fisher-Price slide viewers with images of the Cloud Gate and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. What's more, GM used more than 40 shiny Cadillacs, Hummers and Chevys to give tourists rides to other popular destinations in the Windy City and provided free tickets to Navy Pier attractions and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Toyota didn't appreciate the intrusion by their (slightly) larger rival. GM stopped giving the free rides at Toyota's request in the early afternoon. "Our intent was never to embarrass Toyota," said GM spokesman Todd Carstensen.


While Chicago's Millennium Park was closed to visitors Thursday for a private event for Toyota dealers, General Motors made the most of the situation by providing free rides to other tourist spots


from detnews

 

GM has been gettins its collective **** kicked by Toyota for sometime now. Its just a matter of time TOyota is #1 in SIZE. Its CLEARLY, the #1 car company in the world already.

 

What is even more remarkable is that Toyota, while having ties to other auto manufacturers, does not outright own other companies like GM does, except of course for its own divisions Scion and Lexus. Toyota and Toyota divisions pretty much did this on their own.

 

I agree 100%.

 

Im sure all the toyota dealers had a great time rippin on all those hummers and POS GM's on the road.

What a joke!

 

LMAO! That's hilarious.

 

I think that was absolutely ignorant.

 

Yeah right

 

No cime was committed so I guess its all fair in love and war

 

But it's tasteless and crass. That showed a lack of couth on GM's part.

But I guess I shouldn't be surprised...I mean it is GM.

 

Good article & good for GM! That's pretty funny!

 

I actually think it was very clever of GM...put yourself in the shoes of a tourist in Chicago to go see the park only to show up and be told that Toyota has taken it over and you can't see it today...as a consumer you would be more than thrilled to receive a free slide-viewer of the site and a free ride to another desitination...doesn't mean I would go out and buy a GM product, but it would lessen my sour mood of Toyota and the city for renting out a public tourist destination and ruining my vacation plans for that day...

If Toyota was smart, they would of done this themselves...then we would all be praising Toyota for their community insight...reality is that both GM and Toyota are companies out to make a profit...not make your life better (unless it makes them a profit). Kudos to GM...

 

Wow that's stooping pretty low for GM to do such a stupid stunt. That's why they had to offer employee discounts for all, because Toyota sales never was hurt by it one bit during that time...whereas GM had to take drastic measures to sell their products and sucker customers with freebees and giveaways just to buy their products. This stunt is a perfect example. LOL

 

I think they could better use their money by putting more of it into research and development so they stop churning out piles of garbage they call cars

Case in point: The new C6s right out of the factory came with a special crank pulley that pops off on its own!!! Did you know that? Thats so cool

 

I agree. We're talking about marketing here, not build quality or design. Maybe a bit too brazen, but quite clever. Who shows up to a public park prepared for the possibility that it is rented out? Even if you like Toyota or even drive one I don't think you would be pleased.