Autoblog

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If the ad campaign is any indication, those of us born in the late 1970s are the demographic Pontiac's aiming at with the G8. First, there was the Spy Hunter themed TV spot, and now this one, which pays homage to the seminal car-guy experience of zooming around on a carpet in 1/64 scale. Hey, we're cool with that. The G8 GT does induce heart palpitations in many of us who still cling to our battle-scarred collection of now-vintage Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars with our initials etched into the underside. Like many of the other tiny cars we racked up miles on, a miniature G8 would have made us wish for either a shrink-ray, or a personal fortune by the time we hit 16 so we could buy a real one. Video embedded after the jump.

[Source: AdGabber]

The economy appears to be swooning, and before we land softly (or crash hard), company's have begun to circle their wagons and reduce unnecessary spending. This often translates directly into reducing advertising budgets. It's tough for an automaker to skimp on engineering and we've all seen what happens when beancounters design an interior. Advertising, however, is low-hanging budgetary fruit. Hyundai's concern over the U.S. economy is a motivating factor in the automaker's move to reconsider its pricey Super Bowl advertising.

Hyundai announced in October that it would be burning $5.4 million dollars for a mere minute of TV air time, committing to two spots during the February 3rd broadcast. Now, Hyundai's Chris Hosford tells Automotive News that they're looking at the strategy and asking themselves if that's the best use of their ad budget for the first quarter. Superbowl spots are usually expensive to produce, too, as the commercials stand a chance of garnering more banter on February 4th than the actual game does if they're interesting. Hugely expensive airtime and humongous charges from their agency all for just a minute of TV? Yeah, we'd be taking a second look, too.

That brings the total number of automakers advertising during the Super Bowl down to three: Chevy, Audi and Toyota. Oh yeah, we'll be watching.

[Source: AutoNews - sub req]

"So...wanna see a pensioner drive?"

Michael Schumacher casts a pretty big shadow over all of F1, and nobody knows it better than Kimi Raikkonen. That's bred a little animosity by Ferrari's latest world champion to his septuple-crown predecessor, but that hasn't stopped either from fulfilling their contractual obligations towards their corporate overlords at Fiat by appearing side-by side, swapping keys in a television commercial for the new Fiat Bravo.

The ad reminds us of a similar spot filmed with uber-rivals Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso earlier in the season for their employers at Mercedes-Benz. The same spirit of, ahem, "camaraderie" permeates this Fiat spot, filmed in German, in which Kimi and Michael take turns behind the wheel and riding shotgun. Follow the jump for the video, complete with – God bless 'em – English subtitles.

[Source: YouTube]

Oh, what fun, a luxury sport sedan advertising smackdown. Lexus has returned a volley after Audi made a shot across their bow with a TV spot swiping at Lexus and implying that a self-parking car is for non-driving drivers. Like that kid in class who never knew quite how to shoot back a response, Lexus has produced a couple of spots that are almost, almost badass. The spots, titled "Etiquette" and "Doughnut" juxtapose imagery of the GS 460 partaking in power oversteer antics to a soundtrack of operatic aria. That's cool, the Lexus 4.6 liter V8 does have a muscular snarl, and the GS can at least keep up with the pack. What's uncool is the snooty tagline, admonishing "just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." Yeah, nannying is such a come-on to purchase. The tagline for "Doughnut" is even worse - "Yes, you can. And no, you shouldn't." Doesn't that just makes the "screw you" center in your brain light up? To create spots with badass imagery and hooligan undertones, only to soft-pedal the tagline and shroud it all in some sort of veil of "that's beneath us" does not sound the klaxon for enthusiasts. The car itself looks to be fun, if they've managed to put some discipline into the suspension, a real manual transmission, and dial back the electronic joy-killers.

[Source: Brandweek]

As far as rivalries go in Formula One, the competition between two drivers in the same team is far more intense than that between rival squads. Few have articulated that point quite as vividly as Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, the two star drivers at McLaren-Mercedes. One's a returning back-to-back world champion, and the other a wet-behind-the-ears rookie if there ever was one. But yesterday's race notwithstanding, the rookie's been acing the champion in classic style. As anyone who's been following this post-Schumacher season can tell you, it's been pretty intense.

Leave it to the Germans to lighten things up a bit. (Yeah, the Germans.) Mercedes, who, don't forget, through its Ilmor subsidiary, supplies the engines for Lewis' and Fernando's cars, put together this commercial. The video after the jump reminds us of two things: (a) a scene from that *ahem* "classic film" Days of Thunder, and (b) just how childish men can get... especially when it comes to fast cars.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Gabe and his MINI minions were able to scrounge up the first two television spots advertising the forthcoming release of the Clubman, which live up to the funky brand image MINI has built for themselves. Much like the online teaser found on the MINI webpage, it doesn't divulge much, but at this point, we've seen so many spy shots, little is left to the imagination.

You can check both spots after the jump.

[Source: MotoringFile]

Click image for a gallery of the new Skoda Fabia

This is the ultimate car guy birthday cake. This advert for the Skoda Fabia is designed to hit you in the warm, gooey center. Right away, you're drawn in by dulcet tones from The Sound Of Music that trigger flashbacks to a Generation Y childhood and endless preschool sing-a-longs. Furthering the irresistible pull of the commercial is the fact that they're making cake. Anyone who can turn away from watching bakers at work is just dead inside. It's so much like what we gearheads do - look in the book, follow the instructions using your skills to ensure a proper result. Maybe it's just us wrench-turners who know our way around a kitchen, and are also suckers for confections. Whatever it is, even if it turns out to be subliminal flash frames (doesn't work, btw), the Skoda is so sweet, we want to take one home. Which is the point. Except, we still want it for dessert.

Thanks for the tip, Mr. Pink!

[Source: Skoda]

Assembled in the YouTube clip above are four brand new commercials from Chrysler that the automaker hopes will convey the message that its lineup offers "world-class quality and engineering at an extraordinary value". Thus, the new tagline for the campaign is "Engineered Beautifully".

The first spot, titled Technology Throughout, is 60 seconds long and uses the CGI technique du jour of taking us inside select vehicles to see various technologies at work. The second spot, called Key to Happiness, is 30 seconds long and highlights the new Sebring Convertible. The third, titled Success, is 30 seconds long and attempts to remind the collective that Chrysler's still keeping its stylish 300 sedan relevant with new technology. The final spot revealed by Chrysler today highlights the mileage of such vehicles as the 300 sedan, PT Cruiser and Sebring sedan. There's a fifth spot called Taking Care, which also highlights the new Sebring Convertible, that Chrysler didn't provide in the above YouTube video.

If you watch shows like Grey's Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, Conan O'Brien or the ongoing NBA Playoffs, then you'll likely come across these ads in the wild. Do they resonate with you, or is Chrysler just trying to remind folks it's still here? The press release from Chrysler is after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler]

Ford has commissioned writer and director David Mamet to produce two new commercials for the Edge CUV that will make their TV debut during tonight's episode of American Idol Their real debut is right here, however, where we've included both commercials for your viewing enjoyment.

Mamet is best known for the screenplays he's written, which include Ronin, The Edge, Glengarry Glen Ross, and Wag the Dog, among many others. He's also written and directed many episodes on TV for shows like "The Unit" and "The Shield". His two spots for the Edge highlight how Ford's CUV stack up against more expensive competition, specifically the BMW X5 and Lexus RS350. The commercials will inform viewers that it's faster than the former and quieter than the latter. We find the characters in the commercials a bit annoying, although it's clear their witty dialogue is what we're supposed to be paying attention to.

Check out the second commercial after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Back before engine bays were tightly packed, feline friends would sometimes hop up on a warm engine in the cooler weather. Proximity to the cooling fan would occasionally lead to ah, colorful results. We're sure that no tigers were harmed in the filming of this '65 GTO commercial that the guys at WheelsTV dug up. The Pontiac line was sold with the "Wide-Track Tiger" descriptor. The advertising guys did a nice job getting the Poncho to eat the tiger, though, and it's always fun to waste a little time watching vintage advertising. We can just imagine all the pointless ass-covering fig leaves that'd be supered at the bottom of the picture were this ad to play today.

[Source: WheelsTV]