Here are the car-themed ads coming to Super Bowl LVI!
While the game itself is still more than a week away on Sunday, February 13, automakers are already jumping out the gate with their Super Bowl commercials. There are always a few fun ones each year, and I’m excited to see what’s right around the bend. This time around, Nissan and Kia are the first two out the gate. Since then, BMW, General Motors, Polestar and Toyota have shown what they’re bringing to this year’s big game.
Check out the videos below for a round-up of this year’s Super Bowl ads in one place (with more updates to come, of course — so look back often)!
BMW: The iX is the ‘Ultimate Electric driving machine’
I mean, what is the best way to get the message across that your brand’s going electric? BMW’s pulling out the stops in their ad this year, bringing in Arnold Schwarzenegger and Selma Hayek as mythical Greek figures Zeus and Hera. Even though we’re dealing with the god of lightning here, he struggles with everyday earthly electronics — until the BMW iX comes along that is.
“All-electric?”, he exclaims. Yeah, this is the sort of car the chief Olympian can get down with — and both figures have a grand time in BMW’s latest crossover, singing Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue”. It’s the first time both actors have costarred in a national ad, and I thought they played off each other well here. It made me chuckle, and you’ll have the opportunity to see it during the first quarter of this Sunday’s Super Bowl.
GM: Dr. EV-il Returns
It’s only been 20 years since Austin Powers wrapped up (Sorry, I need a minute to reflect on that…). For folks who’ve been wanting more, and I count myself among that crowd, this one will be a delight. GM is bringing Dr. Evil back to life to take over the world — after he takes over GM’s transition to Ultium platform EVs and saves the world, of course.
Less details means more here, I think, so check out the video above to see how that plays out.
Kia: EV6 saves the day
In my experience, you can’t necessarily know what to expect with Kia’s ads from year to year. I enjoyed the fun Stinger ad from Super Bowl LII back in 2018. The next year was a pendulum swing toward a more serious tone, as it carried the tag line “here’s to the great unknowns” against the backdrop of the new Telluride.
Coming back around to 2022, Kia will show off their new EV6 with a wide-eyed robot dog. The robo-puppy breaks free from an electronics store and takes off after Kia’s new electric crossover across the city, only to lose his battery charge just as he leaps toward the EV6 and its driver. But it’s okay, because the car’s Vehicle-to-Load capability saves the day, and the dog rides shotgun to his new home!
Okay, if you aren’t a sucker for dogs (or mechanical ones, at least) then this may not grab you, but I thought this was pretty dang cute. Between Kia and Hyundai — the latter of which always has some fun ads up its sleeve — we’re getting some nice, light-hearted ads, and that’s just fine by me.
Nissan: The Z’s the star
Brie Larson has been the face of many Nissan ads over the past couple years, but she’s by no means alone to carry this one. It’s a star-studded ad with Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara of Schitt’s Creek fame, Dave Bautista and Danai Gurira all checking out Levy in the new Z. O’Hara is also driving the new Ariya, which comes back around for a second cameo after the commercial goes all action blockbuster on you.
It does a decent job of showing off the latest iteration of Nissan’s iconic sports car, but the symbol of the company’s next electrified chapter hardly gets any screen time at all. I’m still sort of stewing on this one, but let me know your thoughts in the comments if you like it (or not).
Polestar: No Clichés (teaser)
While some other automakers are going the slapstick route with this year’s Super Bowl ads, newcomer Polestar isn’t having any of that here. At least, that’s what the teaser suggests — no distractions and no compromises. In fact, the ad focuses strictly on the Polestar 2 and emphasize its “minimalist” brand identity.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath says of the 30-second Super Bowl spot: “We are a young and ambitious brand. We believe in ‘no compromises’, for our design language, our sustainability efforts, and the performance of our cars, and we wanted to share that philosophy with this ad. This is the perfect place to further raise awareness of our brand in the US, and beyond.”
This is just a teaser (as of February 10), with the full ad coming on Sunday.
Toyota: ‘Start Your Impossible’ (Paralympics)
For the past several years, Toyota has reliably shown its support for the Paralympics — this year emphasizing “belief in mobility for all” in a stirring ad featuring the McKeever brothers, Robin and Brian. The commercial documents Brian’s struggle with Stargardt Macular Degeneration, a condition which affects a person’s central vision. The two fell in love with cross-country skiing as kids, and the two persisted despite Brian’s diagnosis — an amazing journey that led to the pair winning ten Paralympic medals.
Brian is a Global Team Toyota athlete, and is currently the most awarded Canadian winter Paralympian.
Toyota: The Joneses (3 teasers)
The second ad Toyota’s bringing to the game, as you’d probably expect, centers around the all-new Tundra pickup. These three ads each feature a Jones — be it Tommy Lee Jones, Leslie Jones or Rashida Jones.
The three videos above are just teasers for the full ad. I love Leslie’s teaser in the TRD Pro the most, as she says “I’m about to make a grown man cry.” Some stuff’s about to go down in the desert, and this ad (along with a few others in this year’s roundup) should be a fun one to watch.
More to come — stay tuned for updates!
As of February 11, these are the first two ads out. But more are certainly on the way and we’ll keep updating this post with new commercials when they’ve aired.
Super Bowl LVI between the LA Rams and Cincinnati Bengals starts at 6:30 PM EST on February 13.
