Re: Official sponsorship
Fake cars in non-live media isn't an issue. They can imagine almost any car they want and get away with it. The trick is when they need an actual, working car for use in a live-action show. Then it becomes cheaper to buy an actual car than to make one from scratch.
As for product placement, it all comes down to the terms of the sponsorship. Product placement was still there before it really took off in the late 80's. It was just more subtle ("Vehicles provided by Dodge" in the credits, for example), and manufacturers accepted this as a plug. Then things went overboard when outside or competing firms started ragging trademarks ("Energizer Bunny" lawsuits). Since under USPTO rules trademarks need to be used and defended to remain valid, companies started to get a bit touchier on the use of their products.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
