Commercials

  • Screen capture from first 2016 Chevrolet Volt video ad, Jan 2015

    One of the biggest concerns among electric-car advocates is GM's ability to create and sustain a smart, coherent, clever, and explanatory marketing campaign for its new 2016 Chevrolet Volt. The plug-in hybrid with a 50-mile range will arrive on the market in the second half of this year, but Chevy just released its first commercial for the car on YouTube yesterday. DON'T MISS: 2016 Chevrolet Volt: 50-Mile Range, 41 MPG, Five Seats, All New (Photos) The ad has music--with an inoffensively techno sound--but no voiceover, which is refreshing. More than half the minute-long ad is simply shots of...

  • Screencap from Toyota Auris ad
    Toyota Auris Ad Complains About Auto Emissions, Doesn't Mention Electric Cars

    By now, you've probably seen it: the new ad for the Toyota Auris Hybrid. But on the off chance you haven't, here's the Cliffs Notes version: Sometime in the future, a man and woman awake in their stylish apartment. It's got enough bells and whistles and Roombas to give Michio Kaku a heart attack...

  • Fiat's 'Environmentally Sexy' matchmaking site
    Is Buying A Fiat 500e Electric Car 'Environmentally Sexy'?

    We liked the 2013 Fiat 500e electric car, a lot. It may be the best of the low-volume compliance cars, in fact--though the 2014 Chevy Spark EV and 2013 Honda Fit EV are pretty great too. We're less sure how we feel about the ad campaign Fiat is using to pitch the car, under the tagline...

  • Screencap from web ad for the BMW i3
    Who Will Drive BMW i3 Electric Cars? Waify Metrosexuals, According To Ad

    Although its arrival is still months away, we already know a lot about the all-electric BMW i3. We have a good idea of its range (with and without the optional range-extender), we've hypothesized about its sticker price, and a few lucky journalists have even gotten to drive around in it. But...

  • 2012 Chevrolt Volt Gas Station Advert
    What's Wrong With Chevy Volt Ads & How To Fix Them

    People are rarely lukewarm about the Chevrolet Volt. Like health-care reform or pajama jeans, the Volt inspires love, loathing, and little in-between. That hasn't exactly helped Volt sales, which aren't yet living up to expectations, but fans insist that the car itself isn't the problem. They blame...

  • Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Hall in an ad for the 2012 Nissan Leaf
    Ryan Reynolds Gets Funny With The 2012 Nissan Leaf: Video

    Isaiah Mustafa has ruined advertising. He may not have written his own monologues for those popular Old Spice ads, but Mustafa's deadpan delivery and sublime quirkiness have inspired a thousand would-be imitators. Even talented actors like Ryan Reynolds can't measure up, as we see in a new clip for...

  • Screencap from the 'People Person' spot for the 2012 Toyota Prius family

    To make its new ad for the 2012 Toyota Prius family, Toyota tapped some of the same talent that made its previous "Harmony" campaign a success. But as intriguing as the behind-the-scenes footage may be, we're not entirely sold on the new "People Person" clip. You might recall that when Toyota rolled out the now-famous "Harmony" spot for the 2010 Prius, it caused a minor sensation. While many automakers -- including Toyota -- had been content to stick with car-on-road footage and the occasional flourish of CGI in their ads, "Harmony" was an intriguing mix of live action and computer animation...

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