GM Holden Has Couples Stop (and Go) in Name of Love

The destination might not necessarily be Lover’s Lane, but GM Holden is putting couples on blind dates in its new-look Cruze to find out how a new car affects relationships.

General Motors’ Australian affiliate is partnering with Fast Impressions, a global speed-dating website, to test the idea that you don’t know someone until you drive with them.

The experiment matched hopeful singles on blind dates in the Cruze to learn whether in-car tensions would make or break their budding romances. Using on-board technology, the couples faced challenges including navigating around Sydney and completing a reverse park, with all the chemistry caught on camera.

Results were revealed at a Cruze launch party where the dates were critiqued by a panel of judges including University of Western Sydney relationships expert and psychologist Peter Jonason and former Miss Universe Australia Laura Dundovic.

Jonason says people often think of external factors when driving, but confined spaces tend more to reveal the heart of a person, particularly when stress is involved.

“In this social experiment, we put two hopeful (and likely nervous) people in the car together and added challenges and curveballs to test their compatibility,” Jonason says in a statement.

“Couples who were able to successfully complete the challenges without losing their cool have a much higher chance of succeeding in a long-term relationship.”

GM Holden Communications Director Sean Poppitt says the experiment wasn’t about prurient interest. He calls it a distinctive way of communicating the Cruze’s strengths as a connected, feature-packed car that can mitigate traditional causes of tension between couples on the road.

“With its easy-to-use features like remote start, keyless entry and award-winning infotainment system, the Cruze makes the everyday less every day and lets passengers focus on enjoying each other’s company, rather than winding each other up,” he says.

GM Holden’s research also finds 73% of Aussie men prefer to be at the wheel while driving with their partner, compared with 58% of Aussie women.

Some 29% of those surveyed say arguments about road directions cause the most tension between couples on the road, followed by frustration with their partner’s driving skills at 18%.