USA Today Transformers Question

In a USA Today article, Summer Preview Q&A, Michael Bay comments on fans and why Bumblebee is a Camaro rather then a Beetle.

10: Will Transformers fans be won over July 4 by the movie's changes to the 1980s toys?
The shape-shifting alien robots disguise themselves as Earth vehicles, but certain characters have a different appearance in director Michael Bay's movie.

Die-hard fans have griped that the Bumblebee character is now a Chevy Camaro instead of a Volkswagen Beetle, while others are incensed at things as subtle as painted flames added to robot leader Optimus Prime.

"They're gonna (complain) about everything, you know what I'm saying? Then you'll see them accept it," Bay says. "The things that really matter are there." Internet chat that Volkswagen didn't want the Beetle involved in an action movie are false, Bay says: "I just liked the other car better. I didn't want anything to do with the Bug because it reminded me of Herbie the Love Bug ." —A.B.

You want to attack him for that opinion, but its a true statement. Its what happens when have die-hard fans who are passionate about Transformers and then start to change things. The key is to hear the constructive critisism over the noise. Which occured in some cases such as casting of Peter Cullen and use of Frank Welker.

As for the Volkswagon rumor is a result of the Alternators toyline where supposedly Hasbro approached Volkswagon to release Bumblebee as a current version of the Beetle and they refused on grounds of not wanting to be associated with war toys. Considering the nature of the film, its not a reach to assume the same.

However, we have since learned that at least part of the reason for the change is because of the agreement between Ford GM and the film studio. More then likely to save costs on the probable dozens of cars needed for production, GM provided them for free or at discount in return for the advertising push. By dozens, I mean they don't use just one car but many copies of the same car. Maybe a few for stunts, few to damage, few to drive in, couple to blow up, some to strap to trucks for road filming, and so on. Depending on what is needed, each car has to be rigged a certain way to meet the need and that usually means one car per. Considering the number of cars as central to the movie, that can get quite expensive.

To be honest though, the Camaro looks good, both the '76 and '08 versions. Its almost a car I might purchase. Can't really complain about the choice and its makes sense in this day and age for a male to want to buy such a car. Call it sexist, but in general the modern Beetle just isn't a male car of choice so Sam Witwicky doing that would seen odd to say the least, even odder when it updates to an '08 per the script.