Car Town, launched yesterday forward social media site Facebook, is a social game centred around, unsurprisingly, cars.

The valorous allows users to perform tasks such as washing cars, joining a house and delivering pizza in order to earn virtual currency, which be able to be exchanged for cars, accessories or upgrades to your garage.

But in that place is a business plan behind the fun. Developer Cie Games declared: "Car Town provides automakers with a new way to purchase gaming, social media, online advertising, customer interaction and product placement."

The cars featured in the enterprise are stylised versions of real models, and car manufacturers earn a puny fee each time a player buys one of their virtual vehicles.

Honda has gone single in kind step further, and plans to insert a virtual car showroom and billboard into the heroic to promote its imminent CR-Z sport hybrid.

"Introducing the CR-Z to Car Town allows Honda to be ~ed with customers at their point of passion," said Steven Center, error president of national marketing operations at American Honda. "With Car Town, participants be able to engage with and experience Honda in a fun and casual environment that is not overtly skilled in commerce."

Other Car Town licensing partners include Dodge, Ford, Fisker, Nissan, Opel, Ram Truck, Scion, Lotus, Mazda, Vauxhall, Land Rover, McLaren, Toyota, Volkswagen, DeLorean, General Motors, Lamborghini and Mercedes-Benz.

"Car Town provides a constructive case study for the way brands can use social media to commit consumers," said Justin Choi, president and CEO at Cie Games. " We are providing grade interaction in a social and entertaining way. We expect Car Town to be changed to a major automotive media property."