Next Year's Car Models...

[Ben]

...Were spotted in CA. :)

I just got back from a short fishing trip in the Eastern Sierra and Nevada. Yesterday, while waiting to turn onto HWY 395 from June Lake, I had a WTF moment thinking I was in LA or something. Not a lot of traffic up that way, but yesterday morning, while making my turn, I had to wait for a ridiculously long line of cars to pass.

Turns out they were the guys in the pic below. There were at least 50 vehicles. For every vehicle covered like the one below, there was a chase car that was either a GMC or Chevy, and the chase car passengers all had ridiculously large laptops. Of the covered cars, there was a mix of what looked like sports car bodies, regular sedan bodies, SUV bodies, and a couple (from the flapping cover in the back) were probably pickups. They were all heading North on 395 towards Reno or thereabouts.

I was snapping photos with my phone while driving, so had to take several to get a clear image. I got some dirty looks from some of the drivers as they passed me with my phone up. They must have thought I worked for Ford or something. :D

Anyways, I know this is commonplace in the Midwest, but I've never seen it in CA before.

[Doggy Daddy]

I hear Death Valley is considered a good testing environment.

DD

[Jamie B]

Some of the car mag photographers make big bucks on these prototype models.
There was one guy who bought a couple of acres adjacent to GM's test track years ago.
He used to sit in a tall tree with a really long lens.....

[S. Williamson]

Looks like the car is wearing a Tactical Diaper   

[Perd Hapley]

I know this is commonplace in the Midwest...

News to me.

[TechMan]

News to me.

I think it is mainly in MI.

[AZRedhawk44]

We have a GM Proving Grounds here in the Mesa/Gilbert/Apache Junction area, in the area near Williams-Gateway Air Park.

Very common to see these shrouded prototypes driving on US-60 in town, or city streets in the east valley.

[Azrael256]

I got some dirty looks from some of the drivers as they passed me with my phone up.

Because you're going to steal their latest design for Edsel II?  Perhaps you'll sell the photos to AutoVAZ?

[BReilley]

I, too, see these things all the time in the Phoenix area.  I see a lot of GM products and Nissans(mainly SUVs), occasionally Hondas(come to think of it, the only Honda I can remember seeing was a Ridgeline).

Some of the car mag photographers make big bucks on these prototype models.
There was one guy who bought a couple of acres adjacent to GM's test track years ago.
He used to sit in a tall tree with a really long lens.....

Hm.  Bet he's bored these days, as the GM testing facility here closed some years back :I
I tell my wife every time we drive by that we ought to buy that thing and make it into a race track.

[Scout26]

One company I worked for we trucked (in dry vans, not car carriers) the Crysler-Benz prototypes to Detroit and back to Chicago since they flew them back and forth on cargo aricraft from O'Hare.

[Balog]

Because you're going to steal their latest design for Edsel II?  Perhaps you'll sell the photos to AutoVAZ?

Or for driving slow and obstructing traffic iot take cell phone pics?

[Ben]

Or for driving slow and obstructing traffic iot take cell phone pics?

Only if 65 is slow. :)

[Regolith]

Only if 65 is slow. :)

It is around here...

[Perd Hapley]

Or for driving slow and obstructing traffic iot take cell phone pics?

I'd be a little more concerned about the safety aspect of it.

[KD5NRH]

One company I worked for we trucked (in dry vans, not car carriers) the Crysler-Benz prototypes to Detroit and back to Chicago since they flew them back and forth on cargo aricraft from O'Hare.

Seen a few of those when I worked for a radio shop.  I do have to wonder why, if they're concerned about publicity, they couldn't keep a car hauler and a few big tarps on hand.

[TechMan]

Seen a few of those when I worked for a radio shop.  I do have to wonder why, if they're concerned about publicity, they couldn't keep a car hauler and a few big tarps on hand.

Probably still testing/gathering data as they transition from one place to another.