A donation of vehicles to the American Red Cross, the return of BMW Films, a world record flag towing, and a public service announcement challenge were among the items promoted by automakers recently.

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[naviga:li]Mazda has announced that it is donating 16 vehicles to the American Red Cross, the company's largest in-kind vehicle donation. The vehicles will be delivered to regional Red Cross chapters across the United States, including four each to Florida and New Jersey, three each to Illinois and Texas, and one each to Kansas and Oklahoma. Mazda gave 15 vehicles to the Red Cross last year, and says it is the only U.S. automaker to donate $1 million or more to the organization's Annual Disaster Giving Program.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]BMW has announced that it is bringing back BMW Films with an entry dubbed "The Escape." BMW Films debuted in 2001 with eight short films, which included a number of prominent actors and directors. Clive Owen, who played "The Driver" in each film, will reprise the role for the latest production. Neill Blomkamp, director of "District 9" and "Elysium," will direct.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Chevrolet has set a Guinness World Record for the largest flag pulled by a moving vehicle. A 2017 Silverado HD pickup truck pulled a 40-by-80 foot U.S. flag for four laps around the Texas Motor Speedway's 1.5-mile track, exceeding the requirement that the flag had to be towed for a minimum of 100 meters. The truck was also used to pull a Texas flag in honor of the beginning of the State Fair of Texas. Chevrolet says it used special 40-foot riggings and a team of 20 people to ensure that the flags could be launched and retrieved without touching the ground.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Toyota has opened entries for its annual TeenDrive365 Video Challenge. This contest encourages teenagers to create short videos to promote safe driving behavior among young drivers. The winning team will receive a $15,000 scholarship as well as the chance to work with a Discovery film crew to reshoot their video as a professional public service announcement. Toyota will also award several other scholarships and a People's Choice Prize selected through an online vote. Entries must be submitted by Feb. 23, and complete details can be found at TeenDrive365inschool.com.[/naviga:li]

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