Watch Every Car Commercial From Super Bowl LVI, 2022's Big Game
Miss the Big Game this year? Maybe you don't get into the whole "sports thing." Either way, the commercials are always a huge part of the Super Bowl broadcast. Seeing as how you're reading about those game-day ads here, on MotorTrend, guess what? We're going to talk about the car commercials from Super Bowl LVI, of course! Here's a quick recap of the car spots we spotted during the game:
Chevrolet | "New Generation"
Fans of "The Sopranos" probably spat out their drinks and sat up when the HBO series' theme song "Woke Up This Morning" started oozing from their speakers while the show's opening sequence driving from New York City to New Jersey rolled on. But something in the iconic opening is different...James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano isn't peeking at us through the rearview mirror...it's his on-screen daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler). And there's something different about Tony's '90s Chevy Suburban...the dashboard looks way too modern. Without giving away the ending, "New Generation" reimagines the Sopranos' original family ride as the new Silverado EV pickup. Cool.
Hyundai | "History Of Evolution"
Starring actor Jason Bateman in his more usual comedic guise—as opposed to his darker turn in the drama "Ozarks" on Netflix—this Hyundai ad runs viewers through major technological developments throughout history while reminding them that those developments always had a rough start. This pivots, eventually, to the concept of an electric vehicle, which Bateman says is now reaching maturity—thanks to, of course, the new Ioniq 5 electric crossover. We're not sure about the Ioniq 5 being the be-all, end-all of EVs, but it is a darn good battery-electric SUV. And affordable, too.
Kia | "Robo Dog"
This Kia spot is cute and includes a dog, ripping a page out of Subaru's advertising playbook. But while general audiences might find the robot-puppy-finding-a-new-home-with-a-human plotline endearing, it takes a closer read to realize Kia is plugging (pun intended) the new EV6 electric crossover's ability to power other things using its battery. To wit, at the end of the commercial, the robo-dog is "saved" by an EV6 driver using its "vehicle-to-load" charging function, which can deliver electricity from the battery to external sources, be it a large appliance during a power outage or a stricken robotic puppy.
Nissan | "Thrill Driver"
Viewers should by now be familiar with actress Brie Larson making appearances in Nissan ads. For the Super Bowl, Nissan throws in a few more stars, including Eugene Levy, Dave Bautista, and Danai Gurira, to shill an unlikely car: The 2023 Z sports car. Hey, we're all for sports cars, but it's definitely unusual for an automaker to use such high-dollar ad space for a low-volume, two-seat sports car.
BMW | "Zeus & Hera"
BMW's ad leverages the high-wattage star power of Arnold Schwartzenegger and Salma Hayek but fails to generate much of a spark for the new iX electric SUV. Basically, Arnold plays Zeus and Hayek plays Hera; the god is retired yet is always being asked to charge up dead electronic devices using his lightning power (thunder?). Clearly tiring of his role as a god-smartphone-charger, Zeus is relieved to be given an iX by Hera, presumably because it zaps up Zeus rather than the other way around.
GM | "Dr. EV-il"
Reprising his role as Dr. Evil from the iconic Austin Powers comedies, Mike Myers holds court in one of his classic boardroom scenes with other original castmembers, including his son Scott (Seth Green); number two, Number Two (Rob Lowe); and Frau Farbissina (Mindy Sterling), while discussing his latest plans for world domination. Only one hitch: Climate change, which is billed as a pressing issue to first surmount. Dr. Evil must save the world in order to take it over, in essence, and needs to lower his carbon footprint to help. This is where GM's growing lineup of EVs comes in to play, and explains why Dr. Evil has anything to do with GM's EV lineup—Dr. EV-il, get it? The gang drives off in a new Hummer EV, a Silverado EV, and what appears to be a Cadillac Lyriq.
Porsche | "Topgun: Maverick x Porsche"
Porsche is one automaker that likely doesn't need to advertise, but here they are! This is less a commercial for a specific Porsche model than a crossover ad for its sports cars and the upcoming sequel to "Top Gun." If you remember the original fighter-jet bromance cinematic masterpiece, then you remember the love interest of Tom Cruise's character drove a classic Porsche; we assume, based on this ad, that a Porsche will feature in the new film, "Top Gun: Maverick." Really, it doesn't matter, because Porsche has wisely leveraged one of the best theme songs ever for a car ad.
Polestar | "No Compromises"
The brief, simple commercial from Polestar, Volvo's all-electric offshoot, seems effective. Listing several "no" phrases while flashing over the body of a Polestar 2 EV, "No Compromises" is a quiet introduction for Polestar on a stage as big as the Super Bowl, but it'll surely get people talking, and that's exactly what an upstart automaker wants.
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Everyone by now is familiar with the Radwood formula: Gather a bunch of 1980s and 1990s cars in one place, invite enthusiastic nostalgists who pine for those cars to a location local to them, and encourage attendees to dress in period-inspired outfits. Rinse, repeat. Our latest visit to a Radwood show, at Laguna Seca raceway in California, provided a welcome respite from the Monterey Car Weekend usual. You know, exotics, supercars, and eye-wateringly expensive classics mingling among the idle rich.That's great eye candy for sure, but all the revving V-12s and flashy new metal can be a little exhausting. If ever you could be reminded in real time, over and over again, that you're relatively poor, Monterey Car Week doles out such lessons incessantly. So Radwood and its motley collection of fellow car enthusiasts' more attainable rides—though there are some near-priceless vehicles that qualify for entrance—offer up a dose of pleasant reality. These cars are excellent, obscure, or survivors (sometimes all three), all representative of the '90s and '80s.We walked the show this year, which was hosted by Hagerty in the paddock of Laguna Seca, and snapped photos of some of the highlights for those of you who couldn't make it out to NorCal for the event.
It seems that Ford is ready to do nearly anything to protect the upcoming F-150 Lightning EV pickup from negative news or a poor customer experience. The automaker is hoping to head off a big potential doozy that's endemic to hotly anticipated new car debuts: Egregious dealer markups on new F-150 Lightnings. Dealers are being warned against asking for additional deposits or any other presale payments. It also puts in a new "no-sale" provision upon purchase for the customers, to prevent folks from flipping their Lightnings for a quick buck.Extra Deposits The warning memo to the Ford dealers—that was originally screenshot and posted on the F150Gen14.com forum before it was deleted at the request of Ford—is more of a way to protect the brand from negative reviews from customers after much of the debacle from new Bronco sales. That is, customers put up a deposits to reserve their new Ford 4x4s on Ford's site only for franchise dealers to come back and demand more money before they would sell that customer a new Bronco.Ford already has a tool on their franchise dealer agreement under "Paragraph 6(i)" that states: "The Dealer shall conduct dealership operations in a manner that will reflect favorably at all times the reputation of the dealer, other company (Ford) authorized dealers, the company, company products and trademarks and trade names used or claimed by the company or any of its subsidiaries." This includes a provision that the dealer "shall avoid in every way any 'bait,' deceptive, misleading, confusing, or illegal advertising or business practices." Any dealer caught doing this by Ford will have their allocation of F-150 Lightnings "redirected" for the entirety of the 2022 model year.Scalper PreventionA later portion of the Ford memo answers the potential scalper issues seen with many limited products, be it by design or by supply issues. The "No-Sale Provision" laid out by Ford prevents new owners of the 2022 F-150 Lightning from immediately reselling their new truck after getting it from the dealer. Ford said its dealers may add the following paragraph to their closing documents or as a new, standalone document."Purchaser hereby agrees that it will not sell, offer to sell, or otherwise transfer any ownership interest in the vehicle prior to the first anniversary of the date hereof. Purchaser further agrees that seller may seek injunctive relief to prevent the transfer of title of the vehicle or demand payment from purchaser of all value received as consideration for the sale or transfer." In other words, you buy the Lightning, you're stuck with it for a full year from your purchase date. It's a similar solution tried by Ford for the GT supercar, but we also know how that actually worked.However, the one problem Ford didn't address in this letter? Anti-consumer markups. We understand the need for markup due to market demand and that it's a part of the capitalist marketplace. It's the markup of nearly half or even double the price of MSRP is what ruins the dealership experience for consumers and gives the biggest blackeyes to the automakers. This also needs to be curved, but it seems like this isn't a priority for any OEM with a franchise dealership model, at the moment. So prepare to possibly pay more for your Lightning, but not in the form of extra deposits or the like.
Mini may have only one EV in its current lineup, but it is well on its way to meeting the BMW Group's directive of having at least half of its vehicles go electric by 2030. Mini is starting to tease that electric future one concept model at a time. It wasn't long ago that the brand bought a "skunkworks" Mini Cooper SE convertible to Miami, Florida as a feeler.Now Mini is pulling back more of its electric curtain with the debut of its Concept Aceman. The Mini Concept Aceman would be the brand's first EV crossover and "provides a glimpse of a completely new vehicle, bridging the space between the Mini Cooper and the Mini Countryman in the future of the model family," says Stefanie Wurst, Head of Mini in a release.The Mini Concept Aceman is supposed to "reflect how Mini is reinventing itself for its all-electric future and what the brand stands for: an electrified go-kart feel, an immersive digital experience and a strong focus on a minimal environmental footprint," according to Wurst.Mini's new design languageUnlike the Mini Cooper SE convertible (or the Cooper SE hatch on which that model is based), the Mini Concept Aceman is more than a drivetrain swap into a current Mini chassis. The Aceman also serves as a preview for Mini's new design language. Obviously, Mini wouldn't completely abandon the major design elements that are synonymous with the brand but it is looking to make changes that better align with its so-called "reinvention.""With this approach, we are redeveloping the Mini design icons, with all their analogue strengths, for the digital future," said Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design.According to the official press release, Mini officially refers to its new design language as "Charismatic Simplicity." One of the most noticeable elements is the octagonal front "grille" which is really more of an illuminated outline that borders the radiator area. The geometric theme continues to the headlights. It's different for Mini, but there aren't so many angles and creases that the overall design isn't relatable to the classic rounded headlights that Mini is known for.The interior is a study in tech minimalismPassengers face a dashboard that is nearly devoid of tactile buttons, vents, or gauges. There is a round OLED touchscreen in the center of the dash, which serves as the hub of all of the infotainment as well as readouts like speed and battery range. Underneath the OLED screen is where traditional Mini toggle switches can be found.The infotainment system utilizes the Mini Companion software which offers "sensor based animation" that choreographs light and sound for what Mini calls a "holistic user experience." These animations extend into light arrays that are hidden in the dashboard and door panels. Different animations will playout through the OLED screen, dashboard, and door panels as passengers enter and exit the vehicle.Moving image projections can also transfer graphics and animations from the Mini Operating System to the dashboard for an added wow factor. These animations can create "diversified interactions" on the OLED screen when stopped at a light or charging the battery.The Mini Concept Aceman is set to make its debut physical appearance at the Gamescom video game fair in Cologne, Germany on August 23, 2022.
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