The craziest automotive debut I’ve ever seen is actively taking place in Venice, California. A brand new company — one reportedly partially-funded by Jeff Bezos — just showed its very first car for the very first time by… simply parking it on the side of the street. Yes, it’s an extremely trendy street in a popular part of the LA metro area, and yes the car was wrapped in an extremely strange livery for a fake service company that drives babies around on the car’s roof to get them to fall asleep, but still: This was a relatively subtle way to show a new company’s first car, and now there’s a new livery in place of “Cryshare”: It’s a Harry Potter-themed website called “gethexed.org.”
This is now the third livery that I’m aware of on a Slate car parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice — the first was a fake, bizarre cat-therapy service; the second was the aforementioned baby-driving service, and now we have a witch/Harry Potter-themed livery.
After tipster Tracy Moore emailed in a picture, I headed to Abbot Kinney and took a few shots of my own. Check it out:
You may recall in my previous article how excited I was when I saw the Slate just sitting on the side of the road (again, after a reader sent us a tip; please hit us up at tips@theautopian.com when you hear of cool car-things!). My headline read: “The New Slate SUV Reportedly Funded By Jeff Bezos Was Just Revealed In The Most Insane Way.”
And I still stand by that. This is not a functional car, no, so it’s not the full reveal of the production-intent car, but this is a design buck that represents how the car will look, and I know this because I’ve seen the production-intent design at the Slate HQ (all the good info is under embargo; sorry!). So yeah, when I learned that Slate was showing off what its car would look like by just wrapping it in something weird and placing it on the side of the road without saying a peep, I was really into it. This “guerilla marketing,” as some call it, is unique and different, and — above all — fun.
But not everyone agrees with me! My article was posted into Reddit’s r/cars and a person named CrispityCraspits was clearly not amused, writing:
It wasn’t revealed, this was just a viral teaser bullshit thing. It also was not a particularly insane viral stunt, given that it has been done before. what is actually insane is that it’s 2025 and people are still doing clickbait headlines.
What the hell?! What about that was clickbait? I just told you what I saw/thought! I responded saying as much but Mr. Craspits couldn’t be cheered up, replying with:
First I thought this comment was serious, then I thought it must be parody because it’s so cringe, then I checked your comment history and I realized it wasn’t parody. You’re not a journalist, you’re an influencer who maybe once worked as a journalist.
Damn, Mr. Craspits! You find an influencer who writes 10,000 word technical deep-dive-reviews! But I guess I’m also kinda an influencer — that’s it’s fine! More from Craspits:
To begin with, whatever you think of the stunt, your headline was 100% undeniably clickbait. (The answer did not surprise me, and I did guess what happened next.).
Mr. Craspits doubles down on the clickbait claim; he simply cannot fathom that I found such a debut — a quiet reveal of a brand new car from a brand new car company — to be insane. I’m not sure why. They go on:
Next, the stunt is not insane, it’s been done before with lots of things in an attempt to “go viral.” They dropped a shell (not the car) on a street with attention-getting wrap. To go viral, they merely seed it to social media and “friendly” journalists. Who then overhype the thing in an attempt to break through the clutter (we are here). The fact that marketing ghouls do this is normal if annoying; any “journalist” who participates and acts like it’s so insane is not to be trusted about anything. The rest of your comments in here just confirm that.
[…]
P.P.P.S. I am never going to watch your dumb reel.
[Editor’s Note: I wonder if that guy watched the reel? – JT]
[Editor’s Note: I like the crescent moon taillight masks – JT]
They then tell me this has been done before, when actually this is not at all common practice in the auto industry (teasers are, but a new company’s first car’s whole design quietly put out into public).
The rest of the comment gets weird and mean so I cut some of it but kept the bit about them saying they’re not gonna watch my dumb reel. Tell us how you really feel!
I understand how people are tired of marketing and brands and stunts and buzzwords and the like, but I still think this is cool, and I hope our friend Craspits finds Jesus or Allah or Raymond Loewy or Bob Seger or whatever they are looking for, because showing the design of your new company’s very first car by just parking it without a word is something worth getting excited about! When the car makes its full debut on Thursday, I bet everyone, even Craspits, will feel their pulse rise at least a few BPMs. It’s that bizarre of a car debut.
You get rid of all the witch nonsense and it’s actually a pretty dope wrap underneath
Anything jk rowling adjacent is -not- funny.
You know that paying attention to narcissistic trolls is how we ended up with the current shitshow administration. But yeah, this guy’s an idiot.
The coolest marketing campaign in the world won’t stop this thing being hideously ugly and cheap looking.
This looks like it will be exactly what a work truck should be, except that frameless glass rear flip up window looks like it wont last long. Maybe it’s something more durable like plastic.
Glad to see it doesn’t have a ridiculous grill, or that stupid angry crap.
Ehh, the frameless flip up on my old WJ Grand Cherokee was fine and I used that thing. The one feature I miss on my MDX.
I’m just thinking about throwing a 10 foot bundle of iron pipe in the back and it’s sticking out under that glass.
It looks fantastic because it looks utilitarian. Form following function.
I like it. It looks like a slightly longer Bronco II in profile.
Patiently waiting for Adrian to weigh in on the design after reveal…
What’s a reel?
Craspits is just jealous. It was/is genius marketing. Cheap and effective. That’s all that counts.
However, that said, if I see the company release one single thing that says “First Ever” I will swear them off for all eternity. I go full on crank over that one.
If this is just another frame buck on the road: Stop it. Get some help.
I am sure it’s the very same one with a different wrap.
Probably yet another wrap on it today.
I’m going with Mercedes on this. Yeah, it’s a witches and warlocks sort of thing, but not really Harry Potter. Problem (or plus, for the Slate people) is that the Harry Potter franchise has become so embedded in the culture that anything along these lines is automatically linked with Ms. Rowling’s creations. Unless you put an overt reference to something else along these lines – maybe Margaret Hamilton on a bike with a little dog in the basket – it’s going to be seen as Harry Potter. But really, who cares? Even though marketing is about getting us all to buy crap we don’t need and can’t afford, that doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate it when it’s done in a really creative and fun manner. Just look at many of the Progressive Insurance commercials.
All of the car props have obviously movie tie-ins. This is definitely a Harry Potter SUV, which goes perfectly with the Garfield and Daddy Daycare cars we have already seen.
Maybe a 2dr suv would be popular in 1992. 2025 says no. 4dr or go home.
I could get by with a 2 door SUV. This thing has my interest.
I expect to be disappointed by the full reveal.
I’d rather have a 2-door SUV. I’ve owned a 2-door S-10 Blazer and a K5 Blazer, but I’ve also owned a 4-door Tracker and a GMC Envoy. I still prefer the looks of the 2-door.
And as far as the pickup version, pickup trucks should have 2 doors. That’s why they call those models “regular” cabs.
I also have no idea what a reel is.
LandRover seem to be selling a lot of the new Defender, and that comes in a 3 door version. I can’t find any figures that break down which gets more sales though, the 90 or 110.
2 doors have their place as a second, less practical vehicle. Therefore they need to be affordable. Why buy a 2 door jeep or bronco when they costs that much for that much less practicality?
Hoping this thing stays under 25 grand spec’d out (which is still too much)
David, you’re an engineer, serious question here. Using the Ford Maverick as a base which this sort of looks similar to sizewise – I’m guessing the Maverick currently has to sell for at least $25k to be remotely profitable and that’s while being built in Mexico pre-tariff. Now remove the engine/trans, add a motor and a battery pack of what size, maybe 75kWh usable? What’s the cost differential there for something actually created in the U.S. to avoid tariffs as much as possible? What’s the real cost of something like this with a realistic range (i.e. a range that Americans will buy). Can it even be done for under $40k per unit? Are readers here still lining up for it at $40k or more? Much higher than that and you start to run into Rivian’s next couple of products.
I’m just curious what you think the range Americans will need to buy one. I’m not remotely interested in this vehicle. Or any pure EV. PHEVs intrigue me, but I have a ’17 Honda with less than 65K miles on it, so it will probably be a while before I feel the need to replace it. Around town, it gets 21-22 mpg. On the freeway, it’s closer to 40. But I can go 500 miles on one tank and refill it in 5 minutes or so. A PHEV would be perfect for me. Drive all the short trips on electricity and long trips probably more efficiently than what I drive now. Time will tell.
I believe that most reasonable Americans will not have any issues with a rated range of around 300 miles. At 250 the doubters begin to come out, at 200 it does mean that a normal longer day trip may need a recharge if for nothing else than peace of mind which some will find annoying or at least an inconvenience, and at 150 or less it’s a “no, dog, that’s not gonna work” even though the vast majority of Americans have access to more than one car and realistically rarely drive much further than 100 miles a day and if they can charge at home end up net ahead in regard to number of charge/fuel stops compared to a gas car.
If they can keep this boxy, cheap, fun and pair it with a good charging strategy, it could be a wonderful successor to the Scion Xb / Honda Element crowd of yesterday.
Can the Volvo 740 turbo wagon owners join this club?
Just saw an original Element today, and it looks better than ever, or perhaps it’s that the surrounding traffic looks uglier than ever.
I owned a 740 Turbo wagon for a while. Generally liked it, but had to replace the turbo (twice) and we got rid of it after the driver’s seat shorted out and caught on fire while my wife was driving the kids to school. Did get 145,000 miles out of it, though.
My only problem with the turbo wagon was that in NY it has to pass an emissions test on a dyno with a set of speeds to match and the only person that could do that with a manual transmission was an actual Argentine racing car driver.
If you were in the wrong gear or used the clutch at the wrong time it would fail the test, and the computer would lock you sit of the test system for a day and you would have to come back later.
Oh, and that electric overdrive sucked just as much as if it was in a Triumph. And the ABS had hallucination problems at the end.
Other than that it was one of my favorite cars.
I saw a honest to goodness 4 door Chevy Corsica on the road today (in MN) and it looked pretty good too, meaning looked like a decent DD, no obvious rust, paint still there, seemed to drive straight, no obvious dents, etc…
Every time I see a car in MN that is +20-25 years old it gets a smile from me as it is so rare, especially regular cars / old DD shitboxes
It’s a good looking unit. That one looks better to me then the baby one. Maybe the color. Still really giving defenders vibes. If they meet the price they will sell well. So you have cat walkers, baby walkers, and hexers? Sky cleaner next?
My degree is in Marketing. Unfortunately, I was in too deep before I recognized that Marketing is the art/craft/science of manipulating people to buy crap they don’t need. The style of Marketing used here reminds me that I don’t need this.
Needs more emotional appeal. They need that guy from BDO.
I think it’s more of just a general witch-themed wrap. Harry Potter is a wizard and not exactly known for moonlight hexes. Besides, J.K. Rowling, who is famous for having such a kind heart (I hope your sarcasm detectors are working), wouldn’t be one to let this slide without demanding some mega bucks or calling in some lawyers.
Yes, lets call it “similar to, but legally distinct from, Harry Potter”
As they say, ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’.
And the easiest way to create. Just ask Hollywood.
Agreed, I don’t see anything Harry Potter-ish about this….. just witch themed.
Besides, that evil woman hardly needs more publicity.
Yeah, I think the specific thing this might be referencing is the TikTok witches who were trying to hex the moon, and even that is a stretch.
Witches were well established long before any wizard school books. If anything, seeing Harry Potter in this shows how generic a lot of the trappings of that series are.
Maybe they’re advertising for The Craft 3, which (witch???) is a far superior magical-themed franchise
Not bad but I would go with wraps say ignore us. Nothing to see here. Go about your day leave me alone etc
I was going to suggest “fnord” but people might think it was a Ford thing.
Attitudinus LEVIOSUM.
That’s Harry Potter for “you all need to chill the f*ck out.”
I personally would have gone with “Witch, Please!” on the branding. We’re not selling to children…checks calendar…I mean full-grown adults who grew up on Harry Potter. Wait.
I see what you did there.
We have some of those commenters here, so I am eagerly awaiting the reveal and deets
They misspelled “Restoration” on that book spine.
That’s a new record time for me to move from extremely interested in a new car to hoping the whole thing crashes and burns.
oh, do tell?
Because I think this wasn’t necessarily Harry Potter but just witchy. You know that witches were a thing before Rowling came around, yeah?
Yes but the whole Harry Potter crowd doesn’t want to drive or work. They are advertising parachute jumps to people afraid of heights. Know your customer base.
As a 6th grader when the first book came out, I’m turning 40 this year. There are millennial grand parents at this point. Harry Potter “kids” are in their prime earning and child rearing years.
My son, who’s almost 10 years younger than you, learned to read on that first book and then the Chronicles of Narnia. He and his wife are now expecting, and it will be interesting to see how they teach their child how to read. Or what they present to their child as an incentive to learn that skill.
Congratulations!
Could’ve fooled me.
Honestly, I think David got his pop culture references wrong. This screams “wicked witch” to me, not Harry Potter. I mean, the wrap’s implication is that you can hire a witch to put a hex on someone under moonlight. Admittedly, it’s been a very long time since I last associated myself with that universe (for obvious reason), but I don’t recall Mr. Potter being famous for putting hexes on people. 🙂
David Tracy getting pop culture wrong? A commenter on the internet being butt-hurt about the existence of marketing?
What’s next, a bear shitting in the woods??
The font is definitely not Harry Potter, and it reminds me of all the witchy movies (and that overall ‘pagan’ aesthetic) that became so popular in the late ’90s.
This is the pickup with a cap on it, right? Not a 4/5 passenger CUV.
If it is the CUV then 2 doors is going to kill it stone dead. There are probably more Uber drivers using Bolts alone, on the road at this moment, than internet car guys who would actually buy a 2 door electric CUV over its entire production run.
A 2 door SUV can be done, but not with those doors. Those are the doors from the pickup and they’re waaaay too short to allow access to a second row of seating.
The proportions of this give away that a 4-door version will be available as well. This 2-door version may be the cheapest option and not even have a second row. If those rear side windows hinge upward it would make for nice service-body-style storage.
we gonna fin’ out soooooon
I’ll be relieved if and when this thing is actually for sale for $25K (heck, even $30 for the Landy Disco SUV version would be OK). But it’s going to be a while before anyone can actually buy them for anywhere near that price methinks.
I’m thinking $50K
Lol ok bub
Glob, I hope not, but honestly, the first few will probably sell for MORE than that, given sure-to-come hype and usual opportunistically shameless markups. I know I’m an old curmudgeon, but IMO, $25K feels like the right amount to charge for/spend on a basic vehicle like a small crossover or small pickup. Of course, charge more for bigger, fancier, faster things, but $25K is more like $30K with tax, title, and registration and $30K isn’t chump change for anyone who actually works for a living and needs some decent basic and functional transportation.
In spite of it being a startup and partially backed by Bezos (who, like Elon, seems like a posterchild for ‘rich douchebag’) I’m TOTALLY OPEN to a Slate EV (I like that ultra boxy Discovery-looking one most so far) as my first EV provided that you can actually buy them at a reasonable MSRP without dealer markups/add-ons.
“Gorilla marketing”: Different wrap or one of the old “Trunk Monkey” ads? Guerilla marketing: This is probably what you mean.
JT is too kind an editor; anybody else would have gone apeshit over that.
Brown Car Society approved.
We can’t see inside. There could be a whole mess of trunk / hatch monkeys in there.
“guerilla marketing”
I thought David would have learned it from the old lighting site or even keeping the sections clear around here, don’t feed the trolls!
Also viral marketing used to be very big but don’t think a car company has done this before either. A bit refreshing.
And yes David is an influencer, he’s in you tube videos, he co-runs a car blog, if he came out tomorrow and said red cars are more fuel efficient people may believe him, and hopefully there’d be more red cars on the road, it’s a dangerous power to wield but wield it he does.
I don’t know why he just can’t help himself arguing with strangers on twitter and now reddit about something he wrote. And then later brings those arguments here where the other party most likely won’t respond.
“TROOOWL in the dungeon!”
I’m guessing that person has just had a few too many bad days.
But about the car! I like the design language here, even if it sort of apes the Defender and the upcoming Jeep Recon.
For the price, it’s pretty damned sharp, and the van body is a great idea. If they came with a flat floor, a bench seat upfront, and a 200 mile range, this thing would be a mail carrier’s dream.