In addition to markdowns on home goods and electronics, did you know there are plenty of Black Friday deals for cars? Car shopping at the end of the year is a great way to get the newest models at the lowest prices. Dealerships also usually throw in several perks like zero down payments and low financing.

However, one thing a dealer usually doesn’t supply is the wrapping paper. While gift-wrapped cars are often featured on commercials, you’ll have to find one of those big bows yourself. Who popularized giant bows for cars and where can you buy one this holiday season?

Where giant bows on cars started

While several automakers have picked up the trend, Lexus was the first one to feature car bows in its commercials, according to CNBC. Its holiday advertising campaign, December to Remember, began in 1998 and still produces new commercials each year. Many of these involve a parent asking their child to ask Santa for a shiny new Lexus.

The additional “Driveway Moments” theme this year is a little more generic, but each commercial still features a gift-wrapped Lexus. Each year, the campaign garners a lot of success for the automaker. In 2019, the automaker sold over 30,000 units in November and over 35,000 units in December.

The best time of the year for car sales

Black Friday is a great time to snatch the latest 2021 models of several great cars. CNBC did discuss how sales are going to be scarcer than last year however.

While these are still great deals, there are 23% less of them than last year, according to Edmunds (via CNBC). This is because dealers don’t have as much extra stock to move off the lots due to COVID-related delays. Automakers are now struggling to keep dealer lots full during the holiday season.

Because of the inventory shortages, you might want to shop for a new car as soon as you can. Discounts for new luxury models, which always sell more during the end of the year, are in limited supply. U.S. News claims a new BMW 5-Series comes with a $5,000 rebate, while the Infiniti QX60 comes with two free maintenance appointments.

The most famous giant car bow manufacturers

Nowadays, you can find several car-sized bows on sites like Amazon and Etsy. If you’re an artsy individual, you can even attempt to make one yourself. However, there are a few famous companies that specialize in car bows. 

King Size Bows in California was founded by Lynda King in 2000. She started the business after fruitlessly searching for car bows before deciding to make her own. From there, she would go on to provide bow prototypes for several auto brands, including Lexus. 

The bows you see in the automaker’s yearly commercials are made by King Size Bows, The ribbons themselves are usually about 41 inches in length and retail for $50. The company sells around 25,000 bows each year, including mass orders for celebrities like Oprah Winfrey.

Car Bow Store, a Pennsylvania-based company, also sees a lot of traffic during the holiday season. The company sells the majority of its bows to auto manufacturers and local dealerships. The bows are slightly smaller than King Size’s, but still big enough to adorn any car’s hood.