ECola is a soft drink brand featured in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and Grand Theft Auto V, its color implying it is a caricature of Coca-Cola and the logo is similar to Pepsi Cola.
Description
The ECola name first appears in GTA Vice City Stories in the form of red non-interactive vending machines scattered throughout Vice City. In GTA IV, however, ECola vending machines, like those of Sprunk, may be used by the player to replenish their health - however, they only dispense Orang-O-Tang. The player can also purchase an ECola background for their upgraded phone via Vipluxuryringtones.com. Because it competes with Sprunk in the soft drink market, ECola and Sprunk machines can often be found together. There is some ECola stores in East Holland, Algonquin and Industrial, Bohan. In GTA, Yankee trucks may appear with an all-red ECola livery, complete with ECola logos on the sides.
In Grand Theft Auto V, the player can purchase and drink ECola cans that can be bought from convenience stores and vending machines.
The ECola name is a play on the E. coli bacteria and the Ebola virus; the company's slogan even states the drink is "Deliciously infectious!", which could imply that the drink is contaminated. The name also sounds like "Ricola", a brand of cough drops.
Gallery
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
GTA IV
GTA Chinatown Wars
=== GTA V
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Trivia
- The ECola glass bottles on the vending machines are much like older Dr. Pepper glass bottles.
- ECola is mentioned, according to a website in GTA V, to have been founded in the late 19th century, and to have used cocaine as an ingredient before substituting with sugar. This is a nod to the original history of Coca-Cola, which was created in the late 19th century (which is 1866), and to have used cocaine as it was originally intended as a medicinal product).
- The ECola logo has some similarities with the Orangina logo.
- In GTA IV, Sprunk and ECola were competing against each other in the market but in real life Sprite and Coca-Cola are both owned by the same company.
- Similar to Coca-Cola, ECola was once produced with cocaine as an ingredient.
- ECola's trademark "Deliciously Infectious!" is a reference to e coli., a strain of bacteria known for its exposure in contaminated food products