Volvo puzzles the greatest mysteries of the deep

Volvo Car Corporation holds global treasure hunt for real-life buried treasure as tie-in to Disney's new movie Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Join The Hunt now through May 29 at www.volvocanada.com/thehunt.

(IRVINE, Calif.  May 16, 2007) - Where in the world did Volvo sink its treasure? That's today's hottest mystery of the deep as tens of thousands of online treasure hunters across the globe vie to find a chest filled with $50,000 in gold doubloons and a key to a new Volvo XC90, at www.volvocanada.com/thehunt. To inspire, entertain - and possibly even distract - all would-be pirates on their quest for the treasure, Volvo Car Corporation offers up some other great watery mysteries from over the ages.

"Okay, okay. Maybe it is a stretch to call The Hunt one of the greatest mysteries of the deep, but it certainly has got a lot of people flummoxed," said Linda Gangeri, national advertising manager for Volvo Cars of North America. "We thought some of our more prodigious participants might enjoy pitting their wit and skill against some age-old mysteries...but even if they solve them, the only way to get your hands on Volvo's treasure is by joining our Hunt!"

• The Experiment in Suruga Bay - There's something in the water in Japan's Suruga Bay. In the past few years alone, there have been sightings of giant squid, giant eel and most recently, a prehistoric frill shark. The primordial soup that is Suruga Bay also has espoused certain legends that include a mythical sea monster akin to Loch Ness and the fictional sludge monster portrayed in 1971's Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster.
• The Mary Celeste - The archetypal "ghost ship," the Mary Celeste carried a crew of 10 and a cargo of industrial alcohol when it set sail in 1872. A month later, the ship was found drifting in the Mediterranean with no one aboard and nine barrels missing. While many theories have been introduced, none have yet been proven. However, one very important maxim comes to mind: "Don't drink and drive."
• The Bermuda Triangle - An imaginary area in the South Atlantic, "the Devil's Triangle," is infamous for the disappearance of ships and vessels. A persuasive (yet scientifically unproven) account of the phenomenon was made in the 1978 Scooby Doo episode "A Creepy Tangle in the Bermuda Triangle." The age-old culprit behind the mystery? Ghost pirates, of course.
•  The Sirens' Song - In ancient Greek lore, the Sirens lured sailors to their doom from a craggy island perch with a haunting melody. Perhaps more mythology than mystery (it's all Greek to us), was the music so distractingly beautiful or awful? 
• Waterworld - The 1995 post-apocalyptic epic is widely considered to be one of the greatest enigmas in film history. It remains a mystery of the cinematic age how and why such an expensive and convoluted film became an international box office success.
• The Blair Cuspids & The Sea of Tranquility - In 1966, the image of a rather unusual rock formation on the surface of the Moon's Sea of Tranquility casting remarkably long shadows confounded scientists and continues to do so to this day.
• The Philadelphia Experiment - An alleged government-sponsored experiment said to have taken place in late 1943, The Philadelphia Experiment purportedly used electromagnetic radiation and gravity to make a naval ship temporarily disappear off the Atlantic coast.
• Billy Ocean's "Mystery Lady" - This smooth classic cracked the R&B Top 10 back in 1985 and scores of Billy Ocean fans far and wide still wonder if the singer ever, in fact, managed to "get something started" with this unidentified temptress.
• The Great Face on the Pacific Ocean Floor - Some have argued that, when taken together, the topographical images of the vast ocean floor form the face of God. This supposition has met with resistance from similarly zealous believers who already are committed to the image of the Virgin Mary in a potato chip.

The Hunt, www.volvocanada.com/thehunt, part of Volvo's official promotion of Disney's upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, is a challenging and engaging series of online clues and puzzles, that ultimately will result in one finalist going to the "burial" location to retrieve $50,000 in gold doubloons and a key to a new Volvo. The Hunt is open to participants age 18 and over through May 29.

In addition to Canada, the United States, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom are participating in The Hunt.

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End opens in theaters May 25.

Participants in The Hunt are encouraged to visit thehunt07.spaces.live.com, Volvo's treasure hunt blog and message board, to learn more and discuss the Hunt's developments.

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Video footage available at:  http://www.thenewsmarket.com/volvo

Volvo treasure hunt blog:  http://thehunt07.spaces.live.com/

Volvo Canada media Web site:  http://www.volvocars-pr.ca/

The Hunt registration page:  http://www.volvocanada.com/thehunt

Media contact: 

Chad Heard

Marshall Fenn Communications

416-962-3366 x267

chadh@marshall-fenn.com

Kim McMartin

Haberman & Associates

612-372-6464

kim@habermaninc.com