This must be a summer for fake funerals. In July, Hatsune Miku found herself interred in Nico Nico Douga videos following a politician’s speculative remarks. And now a Lexus car is at the center of a new round of Internet amusement after some commenters noted that the company’s “car delivery ceremony” is oddly similar to a funeral.
While buying a new car is hardly an everyday activity, it rarely entails much pageantry. But that’s not acceptable for Lexus, a name practically synonymous with “luxury.” So, when someone decides to buy their own little piece of automotive heaven, the company goes all out to make it an event for the customer. And that’s where things get a little…weird.
After one new Lexus owner posted a video of the “car delivery ceremony,” Japanese YouTube commenters noticed how similar it was to a funeral. And once the concept got out in the wild, people simply couldn’t ignore the connection! Unfortunately, it looks like the owner of the original video was a bit sensitive to all the commentary and has taken down the video. Fortunately, other “car delivery ceremony” videos are still up on YouTube!
Whether it’s simply an effect of the sales staff wearing all black or the way the new owners are lead down the hall to the minimalistic white room or how it’s difficult to actually find someone smiling, the video, despite its funky music, certainly does seem awfully…morbid.
Though the original video has disappeared, we at least have the screen shot below for comparison.
▼ “We are deeply…” “I JUST WANT TO DRIVE TO THE BEACH!”
And, you know, I’ve never thought about it before, but those car covers really make the vehicles look like mummies, don’t they?
Here are the most amusing comments left by Japanese netizens:
I bet the new owners are thinking, “But I just want to take it for a drive!”
I don’t really want to nitpick rich people’s hobbies, but it really does have a funeral-like mood to it, and I want to offer my condolences!
It’s really embarrassing going this far, isn’t it? Reciting these pre-determined words just ruins the excitement. Is it really so difficult to provide good service without following a manual? I would personally be thinking, “Just do it normally!”
No matter how you look at the picture, it really does look like a funeral procession. Like they’re saying, “Please give your final farewells.”
This is really overblown for just a car! LOL
Of course, you can skip all the fanfare–which, incidentally, comes with non-alcoholic champagne, flowers, a commemorative photo, vouchers, and a teddy bear hidden in the trunk, among other things. However, it seems that if you opt out of the “car delivery ceremony,” you’ll need a silver tongue to get all the presents, since they only come with the ceremony unless you do some negotiating. Which is incredibly passive-aggressive. Is Lexus that obsessed high school boyfriend who just wouldn’t let you go home until you kissed five times and promised you’d love them forever after each kiss? (Was that just me?)
Anyway, this requires some more research. Maybe it’s time for the boss to give someone an expense account to go buy a new car. You know, for knowledge!
Sources: Itai News, Seek Drive
Image sources: YouTube, Seek Drive