I wonder if the automakers are playing a little "hard to get." Playing peek-a-boo can be sexier than full-bore slutdom.

Just last week here in Dallas I saw one of these vinyl clad cars on the highway, with Michigan plates even. I've seen them before up north but never around here, I guess it was part of a cross country debugging.

Living in southeast Michigan, we see these cars all the time. Just the other day I saw a Mustang half covered in stickers and barcodes, with all sorts of telemetry gear inside and the standard manufacture plate. It's kind of cool to see what's coming out next, but they usually don't put anything too revolutionary (Neon, Mini Cooper, VW Bug, etc) on the streets.

Well, it's great PR, at least. Dress the latest boredom-on-wheels in a miniskirt and try and pretend somebody cares.

Shortly before the new VW bugs appeared in the US, I saw about 10 of them on the freeway, with the logos all covered by what looked from a distance like black electrical tape. My suspicion was that it was some sort of sneak preview for journalists. I doubt that engineers would need to test 10 at a time, and if they were transporting them somewhere, they'd probably use an enclosed truck.