The Hot Wheels™ Legends Tour is heading to the automotive capital of Canada on Saturday, July 16 to celebrate Windsor’s deep-rooted, eclectic car culture and showcase the area’s best custom builds. Located just across the river from Detroit, the Windsor event follows the July 9 Tour stop in the Motor City, where a 1931 Dodge Rat Rod swept the competition. This event is set to feature everything from American muscle and custom trucks, to imports and coveted marques not offered in the United States, and limited-edition collectibles available exclusively on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. Submissions for the July 16 Tour stop are now open.
The winner of the Canadian event will advance to the Hot Wheels Legends Tour competition for a chance to compete in the Global Grand Finale later this year. Once chosen, the 2022 champion will have their one-of-a-kind car immortalized as the next 1:64-scale official Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle sold in more than 150 countries around the world.
“When expanding the Hot Wheels Legends Tour schedule for 2022, we felt it was important to include a stop that would showcase the best of Windsor’s custom car culture, especially since the city is known for being the automotive capital of Canada,” said Ted Wu, Vice President, Global Head of Design for Vehicles, Mattel. “We’re excited to see which Canadian fan car will move on in the global competition and potentially be immortalized as the next 1:64-scale official Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle.”
The event will be held at the Walmart Supercenter in Windsor Canada located at 7100 Tecumseh, Windsor, ON N8T 1E6.
Now in its fifth year, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour spans five continents and 14 countries, making it the largest traveling car show in the world. Each stop is a platform for custom car builders to showcase their passion projects with other automotive enthusiasts. The winner of the July 16 stop in Windsor will move on to compete in the Global Grand Finale later this year, where the champion will have their car inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and immortalized as an official Hot Wheels 1:64 die-cast.
Hot Wheels™ Legends Tour to Host Live Event in Windsor, Canada on July 16
Presented by Mobil 1 and in partnership with Walmart the world’s largest traveling car show is headed to the automotive capital of Canada on Saturday, July 16
This family-friendly event will take place at the Walmart Supercenter in Windsor from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT
One Canadian fan car could be the next Hot Wheels die-cast sold in more than 150 countries around the world – submit your entry now!
The Hot Wheels™ Legends Tour is heading to the automotive capital of Canada on Saturday, July 16 to celebrate Windsor’s deep-rooted, eclectic car culture and showcase the area’s best custom builds. Located just across the river from Detroit, the Windsor event follows the July 9 Tour stop in the Motor City, where a 1931 Dodge Rat Rod swept the competition. This event is set to feature everything from American muscle and custom trucks, to imports and coveted marques not offered in the United States, and limited-edition collectables available exclusively on the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. Submissions for the July 16 Tour stop are now open.
The winner of the Canadian event will advance in the Hot Wheels Legends Tour competition for a chance to compete in the Global Grand Finale later this year. Once chosen, the 2022 champion will have their one-of-a-kind car immortalized as the next 1:64-scale official Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle sold in more than 150 countries around the world.
“When expanding the Hot Wheels Legends Tour schedule for 2022, we felt it was important to include a stop that would showcase the best of Windsor’s custom car culture, especially since the city is known for being the automotive capital of Canada,” said Ted Wu, Vice President, Global Head of Design for Vehicles, Mattel. “We’re excited to see which Canadian fan car will move on in the global competition and potentially be immortalized as the next 1:64-scale official Hot Wheels die-cast vehicle.”
The event will be held at the Walmart Supercenter in Windsor Canada located at 7100 Tecumseh, Windsor, ON N8T 1E6.
Now in its fifth year, the Hot Wheels Legends Tour spans five continents and 14 countries, making it the largest traveling car show in the world. Each stop is a platform for custom car builders to showcase their passion projects with other automotive enthusiasts. The winner of the July 16 stop in Windsor will move on to compete in the Global Grand Finale later this year, where the champion will have their car inducted into the Hot Wheels Garage of Legends and immortalized as an official Hot Wheels 1:64 die-cast.
Additional North American stops include:
July 30: In-Person Event in El Segundo, California
September 10: In-Person Event at Walmart in Phoenix, Arizona
September 24: In-Person Event at Walmart in Dallas, Texas
October 8: In-Person Event at Walmart in Los Angeles, California
Below is one of the amazing fan-built custom vehicles that will be competing for the chance to have their one-of-a-kind ride turned into the next official 1:64 Hot Wheels
Vice President – Head of Marketing at Lexus, Toyota Motor North America
*Listen to Vinay Shahani’s full conversation with Vaughn Lowery on the 360 MAG Podcast HERE.
As a crowded child growing up in and around Detroit, Vinay Shahani was exposed to the motor industry at a very young age. He started working at the Ford Motor Company when his father (of Sindhi descent) emigrated from India to the United States in the 1960s. Vinay became a car lover under the influence of his father: “He was in the car business, and I was also in the car business because I was his son, and I loved that.” Once he moved to Michigan, Vinay earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University. Currently, Vinay lives in the Dallas area.
Vinay is Vice President of Marketing for Lexus, a Japanese high-end car brand created by Toyota Inc., a position he has held since January 2021. He is responsible for Lexus’ marketing activities, including advertising campaigns, media and digital, product marketing and lifecycle management, auto shows, incentive and experiential marketing, and motorsports. He creates a “speak up” environment to make the opinions of all members of his team visible (agency partners and internal staff). Identifying social and commercial values helps expand the brand to various groups of consumers who may not align with the preferences of the Asian population, such as Walton Isaacson (black, Hispanic, and LGBTIQ community) and the IW group.
In addition, he oversees motorsports, engagement marketing, car shows, and other consumer events throughout the United States. Vasser Sullivan is a race team, with worldwide competitors such as Cadillac, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, that Lexus empowers with some of the best drivers – “We definitely want to win, and we have a winning team.” Meanwhile, Lexus also helps improve consumers’ skills in car track by providing the opportunity to study professionally at Performance Driving School.
Since the brand is determined to treat consumers as valued guests, one of Vinay’s top initiatives iis Lexus Hospitality, as it is inspired by the Japanese spirit of hospitality and is committed to providing excellence in customer service.
Another dimension within the marketing field is monitoring and analyzing the results after experimenting with the Lexus IS 500 model and the Lexus RC F Track Edition.
Under the massive influence of the metaverse today, Vinay mentions that Lexus is creating its own Mark Netscape plus Upstream to figure out what the role of Lexus is as a brand in the metaverse. In addition, they are in talks with global partners like Lexus International to find out what is being sought out in Japan while identifying markets in the US, Canada, and Great Britain. Based on the diverse target audience of Lexus in the United States, Vinay seeks to use digital media and the National Brand Day to show brand culture and emotion, even
creating a TikTok account to get closer to younger audiences.
As a high environment-friendly brand, by 2035, Vinay plans for Lexus to be a ‘global 100% battery electric’ vehicle brand to reduce fossil fuel consumption and emissions. With these measures, it’s great to see the carbon footprint will be reduced thanks to the company’s shift.
Finally, Vinay adds that “it is important that we know who we are as a brand from a strategic perspective.” With this, they are trying to add attractive and technological accessories to their vehicles that give the driver great confidence in the handling and control of their car. “Maintaining a love for performance cars gets your heart rate up, it excites you, and that’s something we definitely want to associate with different brands.”
To honor the 30th birthday of Reebok comes one final Pump Omni Zone II drop for the year. The motor-city inspired “90s Rules” color up drops on New Years Eve in adult sizes from Reebok.com, Foot Locker, Finish Line and Champs, amongst other retailers.
The Reebok Pump Omni Zone II “90s Rules” (H01315) retails for $150. The shoe showcases an innovative take on the original high-top design made for Dee Brown in ’91 with pump technology that provides additional support. The shoe displays a combination of red and blue colors, nodding ‘90s motor city hoops and the “bad” icons that originally wore the shoe.
Today, Detroit icon Icewear Vezzo shares the music video for his latest single “Balance” featuring multiplatinum superstar and fellow Motor City son Big Sean.
BET Jams and BET Hip-Hop hosted the exclusive broadcast premiere.
The video, directed by Kid Art [Meek Mill Ft Drake, “Going Bad”], resembles nothing either rapper has ever done in the past, the cinematic clip immediately stands out. Whether it be luxury foreign purple whips balancing on top of each other or a gold chain link high wire connecting skyscrapers, these set pieces speak to the larger-than-life nature of this union between Icewear Vezzo and Big Sean. As they rap above the skyline on the flossy trapeze line, their undeniable and explosive chemistry practically bubbles over. Fittingly, the video culminates in an underground room with stacks of cash as our hometown heroes celebrate.
Icewear Vezzo proudly leads a new era of Motor City hip-hop. His explosive discography encompasses the fan favorite Clarity mixtape series and breakout Moonwalken, which boasted beats from heavyweights such as Zaytoven and TM 88. Following a stint in Federal Prison, he ignited 2018 as his biggest year yet. In addition to a triumphant return to the stage at Detroit’s Hot 107.5 Summer Jamz, he dropped the acclaimed 337EP with Earlly Mac and set the internet ablaze with the brash and blunt banger “Drank God Back Freestyle.: Mass Appeal predicted, ”Detroit’s best hope at a singular star is Icewear Vezzo,” and Hypebeast dubbed him, “The King of contemporary Detroit rap.” A pillar of his community, he also owned the local haunt Chicken Talk restaurant.
With his surefire spitting and slick storytelling, he ushers in the next generation of Detroit legends.
The world’s largest restoration company supports Detroit’s ongoing renewal through training center naming rights partnership with Olympia Entertainment and The District Detroit
BELFOR Property Restoration will be the naming rights partner of the BELFOR Training Center (Red Wings practice facility), which will also be the home to the Little Caesars AAA Hockey club. Established by Mike and Marian Ilitch in 1968, the Little Caesars Amateur Hockey program celebrates its 50th anniversary season in 2017-18 and has provided opportunities for tens of thousands of youngsters to play the great game of hockey over the years. Hundreds have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, universities and top junior leagues throughout North America.
The partnership also includes exterior signage on the entrance to the Training Center and branding throughout the space. In addition, BELFOR Property Restoration will have an in-ice logo at Little Caesars Arena main center ice.
Birmingham-based BELFOR Property Restoration’s global headquarters has been providing clients 24/7 disaster recovery and emergency property restoration services for more than 70 years. The Little Caesars Arena Landmark sponsorship reflects BELFOR Property Restoration’s continuing commitment to the city in which it was founded.
BELFOR Property Restoration works with insurance companies to get customers back up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible when a home or business suffers from manmade or natural disasters caused by elements such as fire, water, mold or storm damage.
“We are delighted to have BELFOR Property Restoration as a long-term partner,” said Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment. “It’s a familiar, family-owned and Detroit-based company success story, much like the Ilitch family and Ilitch companies. We’re proud to have a company so committed to the city associated with Little Caesars Arena.”
BELFOR Property Restoration joins Anheuser-Busch, Comerica Bank, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola, Huntington, Labatt, Meijer and St. Joseph’s Mercy Healthcare as Landmark Partners at the new arena.
“We’re proud to build on our existing relationship with the Ilitch family and Olympia Entertainment through our landmark sponsorship,” said Sheldon Yellen, BELFOR Property Restoration CEO. “Little Caesars Arena is going to be one of the finest arenas in the world, right here in our own backyard. This is a great opportunity to connect with the fans, residents and businesses in Detroit to support the Detroit Red Wings, and the unbelievable entertainment that will come as a result of this amazing building.”
Home to the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Pistons and other sports and entertainment events, concerts, family shows and community functions, the new Little Caesars Arena will feature a dramatic arena bowl, proximity to the action and great sight lines. Rich with the tradition of the Original Six™ Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Pistons and Detroit’s incredible musical heritage, Little Caesars Arena will also feature state-of-the-art technology and fan amenities.
Mike and Marian Ilitch, the founders of Little Caesars Pizza, began sponsorship of amateur hockey in 1968. The Little Caesars AAA Program celebrates its 50th anniversary this season, honoring 72 State Championships, 14 National titles and more than 100 players who have gone on to play in the NHL, along with hundreds in the NCAA, OHL and top junior leagues throughout North America. The Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League was created in 1978 to increase the level of competitive play and provide more opportunities for metro Detroit youth hockey players. Today, the league consists of more than 600 travel and house teams competing for trophies at a variety of levels.
BELFOR Property Restoration, globally strong yet locally focused, is the premier worldwide disaster restoration company serving 31 countries with more than 300 offices employing 7,400 full-time experienced restoration specialists. Based in Birmingham, MI, BELFOR Property Restoration takes great pride in helping clients return to normal operations after property damage by providing the most extensive network of personnel, equipment, resources and innovative strategies. From water and flood restoration services, fire and smoke recovery, structural damage repair and clean-up to the recovery and restoration of equipment and vital documents, BELFOR Property Restoration has a rapid and proven response in “Restoring More Than Property” for homes, businesses and communities affected by disaster.
For more information, please visit www.belfor.com; “Like” BELFOR Property Restoration on facebook.com/belforgroup; or “follow” @BELFORGroup on Twitter and Instagram. Immediate assistance is available 24/7 on our National Emergency Hotline: 800-800-BELFOR.
(Images courtesy of Instagram— District Detroit & Detroit Red Wings)
