• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Kia and Honda will be back with what have become annual activations for the two automakers. 

Honda will once again leading the Rose Bowl Parade on New Year’s Day as the automaker continues its tradition as presenting sponsor. Honda has partnered with the Tournament of Roses for more than 60 years and became the Rose Parade's first-ever presenting sponsor in 2011.

Kia is back in Times Square on New Year’s Eve, this time using the NYE Countdown to focus on the people behind the new 2027 Telluride.

As the final minute of 2025 unfolds, cinematic visuals of the Telluride will transition to the Kia manufacturing team members who assemble the SUV in West Point, Georgia, positioning them as the heroes of the moment.

Created with AOR David & Goliath, the activation reframes the flagship vehicle launch as a human-first cultural statement, capped by a personal father-son moment (two longtime Kia factory employees) to ring in the New Year.

Kia started its major New Year's Eve activations in Times Square for the 2021 celebration, beginning its cross-country numeral tour in December 2020, making this its first official sponsorship of the countdown moment itself.

Meanwhile, on Jan. 1, Honda’s “Power of Teams” float spotlights a Team USA athlete, a Honda race car driver and a Honda engineer, all made out of flowers.

With deep roots in Los Angeles—Honda’s American home for over 60 years—this year’s Rose Parade celebrates Honda’s new role as founding partner of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Official Automotive Partner of Team USA.

An elevated track above the float represents a striking display of unity, showcasing a Honda-powered race car, Team USA Bobsled and all-new 2026 Honda Prelude hybrid.

The float was created by the design team at Fastport, Honda’s B2B micromobility venture based in Torrance, California. The Fastport eQuad, the zero-emissions quadricycle cargo delivery vehicle, will be featured during the 2026 Rose Parade.

Paced by the 2026 Honda Prelude hybrid, Honda marks 32 years as the Rose Parade’s official vehicle and will feature the Acura ADX as the 2026 official sound car, along with a fleet of other vehicles.

Cruising along with the parade floats will be 100 Motocompactos — the ultra-compact Honda e-scooter designed for urban mobility — plus Honda Metropolitan scooters, and Pioneer side-by-sides and Fastport eQuad, plus the all-electric Honda Prologue, CR-V hybrid SUV and the Odyssey minivan serving as Parade volunteer vehicles.

Honda first collaborated with the Tournament of Roses by providing two-wheeled vehicles for the 1962 parade, and has been a float participant since 1977.