When The Game, a hot new rapper from Compton, Calif., and a protege of Dr. Dre, posed for photos to promote his new album, “The Documentary,” his choice of bling bling wasn’t just a flashy watch and a platinum chain.
He also picked wheels, gold-spoked wheels, that could accent hot urban rides.
When Dr. Gregory Pratt, a character in the television series “ER,” decided last year he’d made enough rounds to afford a fine urban whip to drive the wilds of Chicago, he chose the Chrysler 300.
At the same time, at a Specialty Equipment Market Association event in Long Beach, Calif., a host of folks from General Motors were trying to figure out just what this “tuner” thing was all about.
A change is rolling through the design and engineering of the automobile, an urban wave of influence that finds African-American, Asian and Latino auto enthusiasts with a new touch on the pulse of the industry.
There is a reason cars such as the 300, certain BMWs, Cadillac Escalades and others come with giant wheel wells, says Bobby Jones, director of Strategic Solutions for AMPdi, a New York marketing company. It’s to accommodate the oversized wheels and low-profile tires like the ones The Game used for props.
And there is a reason Ford (STX Ranger), Chevrolet (Xtreme) and even Toyota (Tacoma X-Runner) have introduced muscular, low-riding urban pickups. They were being built in the aftermarket for the streets of East Los Angeles and other cities.
The industry has come to recognize the value of diversity.
“Diversity is not political correctness. It is being sure everybody has a seat at the table,” says Randi Payton, founder, president and chief executive of On Wheels Inc., a multimedia company behind the magazines African Americans on Wheels, Latinos on Wheels and the just-launched Asians on Wheels.
The On Wheels’ offerings kills the notion that “urban” is a code word for African-American because, says Payton, “You’re not talking about race. You’re talking about culture.”
Autos have long been born of culture. Our Southern bootleg/stock car culture gave us the muscle cars of the 1960s and ’70s. Pickups came from the farm and construction site. Minivans of the suburbs. And urban-influenced cars continue to reflect culture.
“You might have a fine home, a fine condo,” says Payton. “But you can’t drive that around” to affirm your success or in concert with your favorite musician or athlete.
At invitation-only events where automakers introduce new products to the press , many representatives of “alternative” media–hip-hop magazines, urban culture magazines, diverse Web sites–have been appearing on what has been a largely white, male circuit.
The recognition of urban desire and appeal, says Jones, “is giving a voice to many people who didn’t have a voice before.”
