April Fools: The best jokes from the car industry this year

The last few years have been tough for many, but as things feel a little more ‘normal’, we’ve seen a welcome – or not so welcome, depending on your view – return to the classic April Fool’s Day pranks this year.

Many car firms have joined in the action, too. So, from inflatable dogs in car showrooms to choosing your car ‘painted in mud’, these are the best jokes from the car world this April 1.

Jeep’s no-cost ‘Mud’ paint option

Want your Jeep to look rough and ready without having to leave the city? Well, on the firm’s Compass, this April 1 you can choose to ‘get the Mud look’. When specifying the crossover, customers can option three mud finishes – Clay, Soil and Silt. They’re developed by soil scientists, too. Almost sounds believable, doesn’t it? Almost.

Sprayed on in booths at the factory, the ‘mudification’ process ensures the Compass is plastered from top to bottom. A ‘Mud-On’ package can even be bought for those wanting to do the same home.

Pumped-Up Pooches from Skoda

Want to buy a new Skoda but unsure if your dog will fit in the car’s boot? Well, Skoda has devised its way of checking for April Fool’s Day – Pumped-Up Pooches. Yes, Skoda will have an inflatable version of all 222 dog breeds recognised by the Kennel Club at its dealer network.

When pumped up, you can see how well the pooch will fit in the boot of a Fabia or Octavia, for example. The worst bit about it? It doesn’t seem like a bad idea…

Fuel car with the RAC’s OrangeJuice

The RAC is notoriously serious when it comes to motoring matters, but this year the organisation decided to poke fun at the fuel retailers it believes are over-charging customers by launching its own fuel this April 1 – OrangeJuice. Trademarked too, of course.

It’s designed to appeal to a large segment of hard-pressed motorists so that they can squeeze out that extra mile from their fuel, who are well aware that money doesn’t grow on trees. Okay, we’ll stop the orange puns.

Isuzu’s spelling mistake

Isuzu issued a recall this April 1 after discovering the awkward mistake that many examples of its D-Max pick-up have been fitted with an incorrect badge at the front reading to ‘Izusu’ instead.

The firm says it ‘encourages’ customers that have purchased a D-Max in recent months to have a look at the front end of their truck…

Electric cars to be able to drive both ways up a one-way street

Many ideas are floating around to make it more tempting for consumers to adopt EVs, but we’re a particular fan of Electrifying.com’s idea for April Fools – let electric cars drive whichever way they like up one-way streets.

This April 1, local authorities have been told to make all one-way streets bi-directional, but only for EVs. Polite disclaimer: please don’t do this.

Honda HUSH

Tired of being distracted by the likes of children, annoying in-laws and noises from smartphones while driving? Honda might just have the trick with its new HUSH system, standing for Honda Ultra Quiet Sonic Hub that, at the press of a button, blocks out all of the most irritating noises.

It’s a genuine shame that this feature has been limited to cars ordered on April 1, as we suspect it would be an option box many would tick.

Subaru’s All-Heel-Drive boots

Subaru is renowned for its cars’ all-wheel-drive system, and this April 1 has ventured into the walking boot market with its limited-edition ‘Suba-Shoes’.

Equipped with All-Heel-Drive, they promise ‘no sacrifice to grip or functionality’ and even ‘shock absorbers’ in the outer sole. Again, we’d probably buy them if we could.

Volkswagen’s nail varnish that doubles up as car touch-up paint

Ever wanted your nails to match the colour of your car? Volkswagen has just the trick, with its new varnish range.

Suitable for finger and toenails, you can have the varnish in Volkswagen’s favourite colours, including Kings Red and Lapiz Blue. It even doubles up as touch-up paint that can cover up scratches and scrapes in your car paintwork.

Formula E car on subscription

Onto is an all-inclusive electric car subscription platform that lets users swap and switch EVs pretty much whenever they like.

The firm already has a broad choice of models on offer, from compact cars like the Peugeot e-208 to large vehicles like the Jaguar I-Pace. For April Fools, though, there is now the option to have a subscription to run a Formula E racing car…