If you’re into vans, you’ll want to join MYVAN, the new social network site for people that want to connect with other van fans.

Developed by Mercedes-Benz, MYVAN in an online community that’s designed to connect like-minded van enthusiasts and allow them to share experiences, opinions and knowledge. It will feature a Facebook page, a Twitter feed and content-specific videos.

The MYVAN site is for tradespeople who use specialized and customized vans for work. On the social networking site, they will be able to share ideas, pass on pointers and keep up with industry trends. It’s a great way to keep your finger on the pulse of what new and happening in the world of vans.

Even though Mercedes-Benz is the driving force behind the site, it doesn’t matter what kind of van you drive – drivers all van makes and models are welcome on the site.

“MYVAN will offer tradesmen who come in contact with the subject of transport sustainable benefits,” said Mercedes-Benz Vans marketing VP Andreas Burkhart, Vice President Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Vans. “We see MYVAN as an international format that has relevance beyond national boundaries.”

Luxury sportscar manufacturer Aston Martin is celebrating a milestone as they now have over 1-million fans on the social networking site, Facebook.

In celebration of this milestone, Aston Martin will lets its ‘fans’ design a special one-off vehicle by answering a series of questions. The most popular answer will decide the specification of “The Millionth Fan Car.”

Aston Martin is creating some interior and exterior color schemes specifically for this special edition. As a thank you to all those who participated in this campaign, Aston Martin will send each fan a downloadable certificate of the final design.

The chosen car and design will be built at Aston Martin’s Gaydon facility in March 2012. This car will then be displayed at many public events during the year.

Aston Martin’s popularity has seen a big rise in the last six-months as over 280,000 fans have ‘liked’ their Facebook page. This might be due to their expansion in markets such as India and South America recently.

Also in celebration of this milestone, Aston Martin will reduce the price of their iPhone app from $5.00 to $0.99, but only for a limited time.

Chrysler‘s Mopar brand has launched a new website dedicated to Chrysler Group owners so that they can regularly view their vehicle information, service history, learn how to use vehicle features, roadside assistance, share vehicle galleries, and receive special offers.

Appropriately named, the Owner’s Center website is set for launch on November 16th. Initial revealing will be held by the Mopar brand during the upcoming 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, allowing the show attendees to gain first hand experience with the new site.

According to Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler’s service, parts and customer-car brand, “Our new Owner’s Center website will support Chrysler Group customers throughout their entire ownership experience with our vehicles. Information will be easily accessible and constantly updated. It’s yet another example of how Mopar adds value to our brands and vehicles.”

The Owner’s Center provides information across Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck, and Fiat brands beginning from model years 1987.

Buick and GMC understand the importance of social networking and have set up online vehicle-shopping experiences that are socially engaging, letting site visitors build, save and share their configured vehicles.

This new type of connectivity enables customers to share with their Facebook friends who can post comments or “like” their customized selections. Both Buick and GMC are among the first automakers to provide customers the opportunity to deepen and personalize the shopping experience.

“We recognize that car buyers are not only looking for product information when shopping for their next car or truck but also use feedback from friends and family to help narrow down their selection,” said John Schwegman, U.S. vice president of GMC Marketing.

A study conducted by Bereford Research that found approximately half of respondents consider information shared on their social networks when making a purchase decision, and that proportion was much higher among users 18-24 with 65 percent doing so. “By offering a connection between our web sites and Facebook, we help our customers get the feedback they want and need to make vehicle purchase decisions,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing.

Toyota has a announced a bold new initiative, teaming up with Salesforce.com to create its own social network site for Toyota owners. Called ‘Toyota Friend’ the private social network will connect Toyota customers with their cars, their dealership and even the factory.

Powered by Salesforce Chatter (a private social network used by businesses), it will launch next ear on Toyota’s electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles next year, with plans to expand it overseas.

Toyota Friend will deliver vehicle info, maintenance tips and more to owners, who can even choose to extend their network to family and friends through other social networks, like Facebook and Twitter.

“Social networking services are transforming human interaction and modes of communication,” said TMC President Akio Toyoda in a statement. “The automobile needs to evolve in step with that transformation. I am always calling for Toyota to make ever-better cars. The alliance that we announce today is an important step forward in achieving that goal.”

In addition, Toyota has announced the creation of Toyota Media Services Co., which will spearhead the creation of a next generation telematics service for Toyota. The Japanese automaker is investing 442 million yen in the division, with an additional 223 million yen from Salesforce.com and 335 million yen from Microsoft.

There are approximately 500 million people on Facebook. And now, the marketing division at BMW can rest soundly knowing that 1% of them are BMW aficionados.

One percent may not seem like much, but given the number of people on Facebook, that’s still 5 million people. And it’s the most popular automotive brand on Facebook, with a last count of 5,054,560 “likes.” The next closest brand is Audi, at a tick over 3 million fans, and Mercedes-Benz at 2 million, which surely goes to show that the hoi polloi of Facebook view these luxury German brands as aspirational vehicles—or at least they dream big.

The official BMW Facebook page features historical photos, videos, links to national fan pages, and the occasional political rant or spam posting, but also the occasional fan adulation, as one member posted to eerily poetic effect: ”if God doesn’t drive BMW, then why is the sky blue and white?”

Hit the jump to see the Top 10 most liked automotive brands:

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You’re too busy to get to the dealership to test drive a car – so what’s a savvy social networker to do? Just tweet, and Buick will bring the car to you, pretty much wherever you are.

Available in Chicago, you’ll be able to book a test drive using Twitter. The “Tweet to Drive” campaign will also make its way to Austin, Texas, in September and Philadelphia in October. If all goes well, more cities could be added in the future.

Here’s what you do: Log on to your Twitter account and follow @DriveBuickChi. Send them a reply complete with a location and destination for your test drive within the Chicago area.

You can schedule your test drive from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week in a 2010 LaCrosse or 2011 Regal for up to two hours, one way or round trip. They will pick you up anywhere within a 20-mile radius of downtown Chicago.

Hoping to reach a younger demographic, the object of this marketing program is to get more people to notice Buick. Over the past three years, the automaker has given its entire lineup an update and wants to raise awareness of the LaCrosse and recently launched Regal.

The “Tweet to Drive” campaign is already up and running, but will end for Chicago on October 31. If you live in Philadelphia or Austin, you can similar setups with different Twitter accounts.

You can check out the age limitations and other rules as well as insurance forms that need to get filled out by checking out Buick’s Facebook page.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Forget Farmville. All the cool kids will be out and about on Facebook using the all-new Car Town game.

Facebook’s Car Town is all about collecting cars. Once you join the game, you’re given a basic garage that represents your home base. You’ll also receive credits to customize their garage or to “buy” a car. You start with a base model car and move on up to exotic vehicles such as the McLaren F1, Lamborghini LP670-4 SuperVeloce and Mercedes SLR McLaren . You’ll find all types of cars in here, even Indy Cars.

It’s super easy to play. Car Town players earn points by performing jobs or taking on challenges. You also build your own garages with service bays so you can take on more jobs, and then hire and interact with friends in the game. Of course, you add to your growing car collection. In the showrooms, you can wash cars, change spark plugs and deliver pizzas so you can squirrel away enough money for you next big purchase.

In Car Town, you can do anything you would in your real car – race, take a trip, run errands or go for a Sunday drive. But what has to be the funniest thing to do in Car Town is customize your virtual rides. You can pimp your Car Town ride by changing its wheels, tires, chassis, body kits, paint scheme and graphics. You can even upload your own graphics to add to the flanks of your car, truly making your cars your own.

Check out a short promo video about Car Town after the jump:

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Twitter is great for keeping abreast what’s going on in the lives of the people you follow. You can find out what’s going on in the world, learn what people are eating for breakfast and get the good news and the not-so-good news as it happens. And if you’re in California, chances are you’re going to tweet about the speeding ticket you just got.

Freeinsurancequotes.com has recently analyzed how many Twitter users take to Internet to complain about their traffic tickets. And the results are in: California leads the US in ticket tweets, with 14 percent tweeting about tickets. Not surprisingly, 44 percent of those Tweets came from Los Angeles. Following behind California is New York (8 percent), Texas (7 percent), Florida (6 percent) and Ohio (5 percent). Rounding out the top states at 4 percent are Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Illinois and Georgia.

We’re not sure what good Tweeting about your traffic ticket is going to do – venting, calls for donations, proclamations of your innocence. But we’re sure most Twitter users would agree that they are much more interesting to read than those about the cute things your cat is doing.

[Source: FreeInsuranceQuotes.org]

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