I think car makers often do "surprising" marketing campaigns -- more often than companies selling other products. I would guess it's because buying a car is a very big purchasing decision for most people. You can't really sell them on impulse, to people who aren't in the market.

So car makers may rely more on advertising that builds their brand, rather than convincing you to buy a specific product today.

Building a toy app that people actually want to play with is a great way to get your brand name and logo visible installed semi-permanently on people (and their devices).