The band OK Go is known for its funky music videos. This time around, OK Go has teamed up with Chevrolet for its newest viral video. But instead of using choreographed moves on a treadmill, the band is using a Chevy Sonic to play instruments.

In order for the Chevy Sonic to play instruments on the bands latest single, “Needing/Getting,” a few modifications had to be added. This included installing retractable pneumatic arms that would hit instruments as the Sonic drove by them. To make this video happen, it took four months of prep work, four days of filming, stunt driving lessons, two miles of track and 1000 instruments set up along the course.

It already looks like this video is a hit – over four million hits on YouTube and counting. Watch the video after the jump and let us know what you think.

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Automakers have seen the benefits that social media can have on its brands, and as a result, are spending more time (and money) cultivating a presence on these online channels. And this effort is paying off – especially for Nissan. Nissan North America has been interacting with fans of its brands through social media and building a loyal brand following.

Nissan is seeing increased fan interaction on the big three social media venues: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Nissan ranked #8 on list of Top 15 Brands on Twitter for 2011 (as indexed by HootSuite), joining other famous brands such as Apple and Nike. Boasting more than 75,000 Twitter followers across various Nissan brand accounts, the automaker is following the lead of automakers that like to tweet. Take Lexus – the luxury brand is rated the most active tweeter when it comes to automakers, conversing with 288,000 followers… not too shabby.

Nissan is also making great strides with its Facebook account. The company has passed the 500,000 likes count, thanks it part to the all-new Pathfinder Concept reveal that can be accessed by liking Nissan’s Facebook page. Nissan still has a way to go before catching up with BMW’s Facebook page, which boasts over 7,000,000 fans.

Considering how popular online videos are, it’s no surprise that Nissan is having increased success on YouTube. The Nissan channel views have jumped to 10,000,000, thanks to frequent and updated video content.

If you’re a fan of staying current on auto trends, don’t forget to follow AutoGuide on Twitter and Facebook.

Any self respecting car company these days has to have a presence on social media sites, and Mercedes-Benz is no exception.

This German brand has their own channel of YouTube called MercedesBenzReporter, and they use this channel to inform the public about their latest models. However in a recent episode, they covered not a car, but a facility.

The facility in question is the Mercedes-Benz Classic Center in Irvine, CA. The job of the Classic Center is to help maintain and restore old Mercedes-Benz models.

The place is full of rare and exotic vehicles from the brand, so it is a must for any enthusiast of this brand to visit, especially since they buy cars to either display or sell.

If you love original “Gull-wing” SL’s, you will love the video we have for you below;

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Maybe the staff at Aptera watched the printer-smashing scene in Office Space too many times and felt like taking some frustration out on inanimate objects.

Whatever their reason the video footage of their antics is creating a stir. Last Sunday we reported that Aptera, the environmentally focused startup responsible for building funky-looking 3-wheeled EVs would cease to exist. They had no choice but to shut their doors after failing to find investors willing to match a $150 million Department of Energy loan offer.

Had they succeeded, Fox News reported that the company was aiming to market a family sedan similar in size to the Toyota Camry.

Aptera co-founder and former Chief Technical Officer Steve Fambro expressed his dismay on the Aptera forum yesterday, saying These were beautiful, fully functioning vehicles.” He went on to say that there was ”no viable or logical reason for this to have been done, only to prevent the founder from ever seeing their functioning [cars] work again.”

Fambro left the company in 2009 after a failed coup attempt aimed according to him at trying to save the company “from team B’s failed path of waiting for the DOE.”

The videos feature unnamed employees destroying what looks like body shells of the raindrop-like 2e. You can watch them below.

In the world of race seats, perhaps no name is bigger or stronger than Recaro. This German company has been manufacturing seats since 1906 and its products are now sold around the world. It is so popular, that if you come across a race car, chances are its seats are by Recaro.

Not to rest on their success, Recaro is looking to new channels to spread their word on the advantages of their seats. It has now just launched a Facebook page and a YouTube channel to attract more fans to their brand.

On their YouTube channel, they will post videos featuring different athletes who will talk about why they use Recaro seats. The first videos feature Formula Drift Champion Chris Forsberg. In the coming weeks you see videos featuring skateboarder Bucky Lasek and BMX/Rally Cross expert Dave Mirra.

September is now over and with it we saw the launch of the all-new MINI Coupe, while the AutoGuide team spent some time at the track putting together a shootout between the all-new 2012 Honda Civic Si and the MazdaSpeed3. The result might not surprise you, but a good look at the numbers shows that it wasn’t as far-fetched a comparison as you might think.

The past month also saw the start of the auto show season with the Frankfurt Motor Show. AutoGuide’s video crew made the trip across the pond to deliver a first look at all the new debuts, which can be viewed here.

Watch both reviews after the jump and keep up to date on the latest new car reviews here:

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In the most recent example of an aquatic-predator-themed-cable-television-theme-programming tie in, Audi is jumping on the same themed-television-bandwagon as Discovery Channel’s Shark Week.

The rather cumbersomely-named “R8 GT Week” will feature daily videos that show off the R8 GT’s performance as it laps Infineon Raceway, with Audi racer Emanuele Pirro behind the wheel. Pirro won five LeMans championships, three of which were with Audi, so he certainly qualifies as an expert.

Unlike the availability of Shark Week on basic cable—as well as its ability to infiltrate pop culture consciousness—Audi’s own Week will be on its Youtube channel. Don’t call it Shark Week, however—BMW still has a trademark on that.

The video (below the jump) is the stunt that was most voted on by fans of the Mercedes-Benz Facebook page. So if it’s not extreme enough, you have a lot of people to blame.

How about a C111 rotary gullwing jumping the St. Lawrence? Why not a bunch of E-Class convertibles and GLKs in a symphonic destructo-thon? Alas, those harebrained ideas detract from the impressiveness of this stunt already, where a C63 AMG coupe drifts figure-eights around a pair of C63 AMG sedans. It’s no Saab Suite, but it’s still pretty damn cool.

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Mercedes-Benz wants you to buy an AMG, but they also want you to not suck at driving it. Hence, the AMG Driving Academy makes its leap from Lime Rock Park onto Youtube, to prepare us for that day of handbuilt-engine-ownership.

Hosted by Tommy Kendall, four-time Trans Am champion and AMG instructor, it’s a primer in the high-buck AMG Driving Academy program, where the well-heeled zoom off to Europe and learn hands-on behind the wheel of the entire Benz lineup.

But since not everybody sleeps on a bed of money, the series covers everything you need to know about performance driving, short of actually stepping into a performance car: from adjusting mirrors and seats to the differences between oversteer and understeer, from threshold braking to weight distribution during a slalom. The cars shown include a CLS and C63 AMG, as well as the occasional cameo from the SLS.

Click the jump to view the 4-part series.

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Subaru of America has won the top automotive Webby Award and the Gold IAAA Award for their ‘mediocrity’ advertising campaign, which lampooned traditional mid-size sedans. Subaru played off the abudnance of bland sedans in the market place. Subaru’s campaign portrays a dull and unexceptional fictional vehicle: the 2011 Mediocrity, displayed in dull beige. hue . The bland vehicle is then contrasted to the vibrant Subaru Legacy with its 2.5-litre Boxer engine and standard all-wheel drive, which, according to Subaru, is quite the opposite of ‘mediocre’.

The campaign’s digital focus was highlighted by a fully interactive website, as well as a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, a Twitter feed and a Flickr presence. Their win was chosen from almost 10,000 entries from all 50 U.S states and more than 60 countries worldwide. The Mediocrity campaign as well as substantial television advertising has increased Subaru awareness, contributing to record sales for the brand in both 2010 and the first quarter of 2011.

Check out the video after the jump!

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