Choose a documentary about cars to watch in class. A good example is the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?" This documentary shows how the original electric car was created and then systematically destroyed even though there was a growing demand for the vehicle. Have students write a reaction paper on what the documentary is about. Ask them to speculate how events depicted in the documentary have, or will, affect the automotive industry in the future, as well as what the actions toward cars in the documentary show about human nature.
Provide students with examples of cartoons that incorporate an attitude toward cars in them. Have them bring in examples of their own and analyze the attitude that the cartoonist is trying to convey toward cars in general or what they are trying to say about the automotive industry. Good sources for automotive cartoons are car magazines, although the local newspaper or automotive classifieds might also offer good cartoon choices.
There are many ways that car companies come up with the names for their vehicles. Car names have originated from other languages, power words (like the Honda Protege), and names of places (like the Chevrolet Colorado) over time. Have students research their favorite cars to see what the origins of their names are. If the name of the vehicles have very different meanings than the students expected, have them explain what they thought the meaning of the names were and why.
There are many automotive publications available now that cover a variety of niches when it comes to the automotive industry. However, there are niches that are not being covered. An example of this is there is not a publication dedicated to women who are interested in the automotive industry. Have students come up with a niche area that they feel is not adequately represented in the automotive industry through magazines. Once the students know the niche they are aiming to write for, have them come up with an idea for a magazine that would cater to this group of individuals or industry area. Things to have students include in their magazine idea are title of the magazine, reason the magazine is needed, types of stories that would be offered as well as the demographics of the audience they are aiming for.