THE CAR COACH REPORTS:

February 3rd, 2017

Super Bowl LI Edition –  Super Bowl Car Commercials

Folks, it’s that time of year again. The Super Bowl is here and that means so are the commercials. The commercials, especially, the automotive ones, are one of my favorite things to see. No matter which team wins, or even if yours didn’t make it at least the commercials are entertaining.

This one, from Kia and starring Melissa McCarthy, had me laughing out loud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dQ9a5EFZeI. The commercial’s premise that being an eco-warrior is hard work but you can at least drive like one is pretty apt for the new Kia Niro which gets a combined 43 mpg—the model shown does. Car and Driver gave the Niro 4 out of 5 stars. Whether you care about driving a hybrid that doesn’t look like a hybrid or not, at least the commercial is entertaining.

Toyota has an automotive themed commercial as well for its hydrogen-powered Mirai: http://www.autoblog.com/2017/02/02/toyota-mirai-super-bowl-ad-flower-power/. However, don’t get too excited about it. If you don’t live in San Francisco or L.A., you won’t be seeing it during the game. The reason for the isolated showings is the isolation of the market but, that is another discussion for another time. On a side note, the Mirai will start at about $58,000, so double the cost of Kia Niro.

Something about this Honda commercial is a little disturbing: http://autoweek.com/article/super-bowl-commercials/super-bowl-li-honda-goes-celebrities-high-school-yearbooks-sell-cr-vs. I think it has to do with the yearbook photos talking and looking so unnatural while they do it that is so odd. Nonetheless, the commercial is pretty creative.

Buick is getting in on the Super Bowl commercials too with this Cam Newton Miranda Kerr collaboration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx2PMnSzCB4. This commercial is more about branding than a model and the whole Pop Warner-Cam Newton works for me.

In Ford’s 90-second spot entitled “Go Further” which will air before kickoff – Ford is taking mobility to the masses. The automaker flaunts its growing ride-sharing and bike sharing services, while also promoting self-driving cars that are still under development.

Ford’s theme proclaims ‘ there is a voice inside all of us that says go further…and that is when things start moving…from innovation to realization.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhtHflDrnAU

After sitting out last year, Lexus returns to the Big Game for the third time with “Man and Machine”. The spot features nimble moves by dancer Lil Buck, a funky soundtrack  from Sia, and narration by British actress Minnie Driver. The “Man and Machine” Super Bowl spot features the new LS 500. The 30 second version of the commercial is slated to air during the second quarter, you can see an extended version online. http://www.superbowlcommercials.co/lexus/

Hyundai will be making its commercial live during the game. The whole idea of a live-shot commercial should be interesting, so it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

Honda is back in the Super Bowl for the third time and this is the third time that a Honda CR-V will be featured during the big game! Millions of viewers will get a closer look at the newest edition of America’s best selling SUV, which is also celebrating its 20th birthday. The theme of Honda’s 2017 Super Bowl spot is to “believe in ourselves and the power of dreams.” Last year’s highly successful “A New Truck to Love” ad introduced the new Ridgeline pickup to Queen’s iconic “Somebody to Love”. http://hondanews.com/channels/cr-v/videos/2017-honda-cr-v

Audi returns to the big game with a 60-second spot titled “Daughter” which will air in the third quarter. This cinematic ad, which debuts the all new Audi S5 Sportback, that delivers an emotional message about a father, his daughter and her future. With a theme of “Progress” – we see the story of a fearless young girl competing in a downhill cart race as her father contemplates whether his daughter’s worth will be measured by her gender through a series of provocative questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6u10YPk_34&feature=youtu.be

I don’t know if this is nostalgia, or that the commercial is just clever, but I really like this commercial called “Easy Driver” by Mercedes-Benz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvHFM8c7cPM. The whole biker bar set up and tribute to Easy Rider and Peter Fonda just works for me. So does that really slick AMG GT Roadster.

So will you be watching the game for the game’s sake or for the commercials? Have any favorites?

Post your comments on Twitter @LaurenFix

Final Thought:

Say what you want, drifting a 1964 Impala takes talent. Impalas aren’t what we might call maneuverable by any means, which is what makes this clip so cool: http://autoweek.com/article/wait-theres-more/1964-chevrolet-impala-drift-missile-incredible

Post your comments on Twitter @LaurenFix

Love Your Car! See you next week!

–Lauren Fix