End-of-the-World Prediction Sparks Free Car, Tire Offers

Toyo Tires has a doomsday counter on its Facebook page with the chance to win free tires for life for everyone on the planet if the prediction comes true.

One Dodge Challenger car club in California recently hosted an "End of the World" cruise.

Other auto-related doomsday promotions include the offer of free cars from a group of Canadian GM dealers if the apocalypse does take place and an end-of-the-world auto loan special being offered by a South Carolina credit union. A Maryland car wash is offering free full-service car washes on December 21.

One New York artist fashioned an "Apocalypse Car" made from a 1997 Honda Civic. GM got the ball rolling on this trend in February, with its 2012 Chevrolet Silverado Super Bowl ad that claimed the GM truck can survive the apocalypse while Ford trucks can't.

The Maya civilization, noteworthy for its accomplishments in art, architecture, mathematics and astronomy, has lately become even better known for its calendar, which, according to modern interpretations by some observers, appears to end at December 21, 2012. Although most scholars of the ancient culture agree that this idea is total nonsense, the concept of the "Doomsday Calendar" has sparked worldwide interest.