Hurst super-sizes its efforts with 2011 Ram Hemi Hauler

Filed under: Aftermarket, Truck, Dodge

2011 Hurst Ram Hemi Hauler

Hurst is thinking bigger for its next automotive offering. Rather than turning wrenches on the Camaro, Challenger or Mustang, Hurst has focused its attention to the 2011 Ram 1500 pickup.

Starting with a 2011 Ram 1500 R/T regular-cab, Hurst adds its signature white-and-black paint scheme, badging, interior upgrades, Hurst colors on the factory 22-inch wheels, and a numbered dash plaque.

Looks are only part of the package. Hurst adds power underhood by fitting a supercharger to the Ram’s 5.7-liter Hemi V8, then adding a performance exhaust system. Unfortunately, we don’t have any figures yet. We’re anxious to hear what the Hurst Hemi Hauler is putting down to the pavement.

Only 50 of these sport trucks will be built annually, and each comes with a letter of authenticity. No word yet on pricing, but expect to pay more than $50,000 and less than $100,000.

[Source: Hurst]

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Hurst super-sizes its efforts with 2011 Ram Hemi Hauler originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl ad director’s cut reveals C-Class Coupe, SLS AMG Roadster

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz Ad

Mercedes-Benz reveals new models in Super Bowl ad – click above to watch the video

Mercedes-Benz is throwing its hat into the Super Bowl advertising fray with a pretty new 60-second spot designed to celebrate the company’s 125th anniversary by heralding in a wave of five new models. The spot marks the very first time that the company has ever advertised during the NFL’s ultimate game. In the spot, Mercedes-Benz features four new vehicles, including a very quick peek at the upcoming C-Class Coupe and the SLS AMG Roadster.

The spot features many of the company’s past and current models escaping their owners in a bid to pay homage to the newborn Benz fleet. There are plenty of fantastic vintage Silver Arrows in the spot, along with a soundtrack by Janis Joplin and at least one celebrity cameo (we won’t spoil the surprise on that one). Hit the jump to check out the video for yourself.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz via Facebook]

Continue reading Video: Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl ad director’s cut reveals C-Class Coupe, SLS AMG Roadster

Video: Mercedes-Benz Super Bowl ad director’s cut reveals C-Class Coupe, SLS AMG Roadster originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: Chevy drops entire load of Super Bowl commercials on us

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, Humor

GM Super Bowl Ad

Chevrolet Silverado HD Super Bowl ad – Click above to watch video after the jump

General Motors has gone ahead and saved us all the agony of waiting until the Super Bowl this Sunday to see all five of the company’s new ads. The automaker has officially yanked the veil of secrecy off of the spots well before kickoff, which means you can check them all out for yourself after the jump. The spots feature the Chevrolet Silverado HD, Cruze, Cruze Eco, Volt and Camaro in some very clever marketing. While we’re big fans of the Camaro “Miss Evelyn” spot that we saw earlier this week, the new clip for the Silverado HD is no less grin-inducing.

This year looks to be a good one for fans of clever advertising. With automakers from Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen to GM and Audi jumping into the fun, the commercial breaks are almost bound to be more fun than the actual game itself. Click past the jump to see the slew of Chevrolet ads before anyone else and to check out the press release.

[Source: General Motors]

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Videos: Chevy drops entire load of Super Bowl commercials on us originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Epic Kia Optima Super Bowl ad stars Poseidon, aliens

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Kia

2011 kia optima one epic ride screen-grab

2011 Kia Optima ‘One Epic Ride’ Super Bowl ad – Click above to watch the video after the jump

We know the 2011 Kia Optima is an excellent sedan, but apparently it’s so desirable that anyone and everything across time and space are clamoring to get it.

In the Korean automaker’s new Super Bowl ad, a police officer playing ‘bad cop’ decides to take the car off the hands of a couple, now cuffed to his parked motorcycle. The constable, in turn, is no match for a super villain, his slick helicopter and a waiting mega-yacht. The Optima nearly falls into the villain’s hands, but by then, the all-new sedan has piqued the interest of the gods (we would have pegged Poseidon as a Maserati guy), and that’s when things get really interesting.

Click past the jump to watch the elaborate and visually impressive journey unfold.

Gallery: Kia Optima goes on One Epic Ride

[Source: Kia via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Epic Kia Optima Super Bowl ad stars Poseidon, aliens

Video: Epic Kia Optima Super Bowl ad stars Poseidon, aliens originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hot Rod pits Shelby Cobra against Super Snake, baddest crowned

Filed under: Classics, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ford

Shelby Cobra and Super Snake

Shelby Cobra vs. Super Snake – Click above to watch the video after the break

We submit to the record that the Shelby Cobra is the coolest American car ever to go into production. Whether or not you agree, there’s no denying the fact that the car that Carroll built is a legend in both street and racing circles, and it was the first car from waving the Stars and Stripes to truly upset the German and Italian motorsports hierarchy. Impressive credentials, then.

But is the Cobra the fastest car ever to wear the Shelby badge? Ah, now that’s an entirely different matter altogether, and one the boys from Hot Rod decided to put to the test. In one corner we have the incumbent 427 SC Cobra. Its challenger, bringing 750 supercharged horsepower to the ring, is none other than the 2011 Shelby GT500 Super Snake.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall… which is the baddest of them all? To find out, Hot Rod lined the two track-tuned beasts against each other for two separate tests: a road course and the drag strip. And the winner is? See for yourself in the video after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Jason!

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Hot Rod pits Shelby Cobra against Super Snake, baddest crowned

Video: Hot Rod pits Shelby Cobra against Super Snake, baddest crowned originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Second Camaro Super Bowl commercial features blondes, red heads and brunettes

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Chevrolet

Chevrolet Camaro Super Bowl Ad

Chevrolet Camaro Super Bowl Ad – Click above to watch the video after the jump

A long-standing favorite past-time of beer-drinking buddies everywhere is coming up with absurd movie and commercial plots. With the unfortunate exception of The Love Guru, none of these ill-conceived scripts have ever made it past the six pack and into the harsh, unforgiving light of reality. That is, until now. General Motors has just dropped the longest of its Super Bowl commercials for the Chevrolet Camaro, and thanks to the hilarious navigation and off-the-wall sequence of events, the clip is an absolute winner. The one-minute commercial covers nearly all of the bases without breaking a sweat.

There are beautiful women blasting through the open desert, hay bales, helicopter chases, mirrors and death-defying feats. In fact, this ad is one explosion away from being the next Michael Bay Transformers flick. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Hit the jump to check out the full-length spot for yourself, and keep an eye out on Super Bowl Sunday for the real deal.

[Source: Camaro5]

Continue reading Video: Second Camaro Super Bowl commercial features blondes, red heads and brunettes

Video: Second Camaro Super Bowl commercial features blondes, red heads and brunettes originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Audi Super Bowl ad features Kenny G as prison warden

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising

Kenny G Audi ad

Kenny G is Head of Riot Supression – Click above to watch the videos after the break

Audi today announced that Grammy-winning saxophonist Kenny G will make a “humorous” appearance (we could assume it would try to be humorous…) in the brand’s 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLV.

The ad, set to air in the first break after kick-off on February 6, 2011, will feature an adventurous prison escape scene that culminates with a comical cameo by Kenny G as the luxury prison Riot Suppressor.

The german automaker launched a couple of online long-form teaser videos – neither of which actually features an automobile – for the commercial that you can find after the break, along with details on how you could win prizes from Audi, including the chance to drive an R8 at a racetrack.

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Continue reading Video: Audi Super Bowl ad features Kenny G as prison warden

Video: Audi Super Bowl ad features Kenny G as prison warden originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chevy leads this year’s pack of Super Bowl car commercials

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM

Chevrolet Camaro Super Bowl commercial

You don’t mess with the Bumblebee – Click above to watch the video after the break

General Motors is back and back big in this year’s Super Bowl. The automaker will have eight 30-second ads in and around the game, including the pre-game show.

“We’re looking to win the day,” says Chevy marketing director Chris Perry

GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick, who came to GM in April 2010 from Hyundai, with a short six-week stint at Nissan in between, is big on big media venues. He likes the Super Bowl, Academy Awards, Olympics, Presidential debates and the like.

Don’t look for big yucks, though, which is a mainstay of Super Bowl ad themes. All of the ads will be for Chevrolet, with ads by San Francisco ad agency Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, which launched the “Chevy Runs Deep” campaign last fall.

Ewanick told the agency to focus on telling stories that convey information and product benefits about Chevy’s newest and most important vehicles – the Volt, Cruze and Silverado pickup. There are two ads running in pre-game, five within the game and one during the post game show.

“We’re looking to win the day,” said Chevy marketing director Chris Perry. Among auto marketers, Chevy will be competing against Volkswagen, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW, Kia and Chrysler. Toyota, Honda and Ford, which have bought time in the past, are sitting this year out.

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Chevy leads this year’s pack of Super Bowl car commercials originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: Hyundai spotlights Elantra and Sonata Hybrid for Super Bowl

Filed under: Marketing/Advertising

2011 Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai Elantra Super Bowl ad – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Hyundai will run three TV ads in this weekend’s Super Bowl, all supporting the 2011 Elantra and Sonata Hybrid.

The ads for the Elantra continue a theme begun two weeks earlier in the NFL Conference Championship games in which Hyundai is trying to show that the Elantra surpasses expectations most consumers have about compact cars. Both ads play to a theme of hypnosis and the idea that people need to “snap out of it” and get deprogrammed about their ideas of what a compact car can and should be. A third ad, which has already aired, shows a sheep driving an Elantra. The 40-mpg highway rating of the Elantra plays prominently, and may, indeed, be the most memorable bits of these ads… though the driving sheep is a pretty good image too.

The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has a stronger idea behind it, putting across the message that we should never settle for the first thing to come along an indirect jab at Toyota Prius and perhaps Ford Fusion Hybrid.

Images of bikes with enormous front wheels circa the 19th century, a stoner carrying a stereo turntable around his neck, and a guy using a cellphone the size of a raccoon provides some decent visual jokes. This spot will probably get remembered better than the hypnosis Elantra ads.

Hyundai’s in-house ad agency, Innocean, created the ads. Follow the jump to see the videos and read Hyundai’s official press release.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Videos: Hyundai spotlights Elantra and Sonata Hybrid for Super Bowl

Videos: Hyundai spotlights Elantra and Sonata Hybrid for Super Bowl originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW Super Bowl XLV spots push new New Beetle and Passat

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Humor

VW Super Bowl XLV Black Beetle spot

Volkswagen Black Beetle Super Bowl XLV spot – Click above to watch the videos after the break

Volkswagen of America will run two ads in the Super Bowl XLV February 6, one for the 2012 New Beetle and one for the 2012 Passat, neither one of which is on sale yet.

The first ad, “Black Beetle,” doesn’t show the actual car, but rather shows a black beetle, as in insect, racing its way passed other insects in the forest. This beetle has a unique shape, apart from the other beetles, and at the end of the ad, gives way to the silhouette of the 2012 New Beetle. The ad is meant to mimic a movie car chase, though I wouldn’t exactly compare it with with Bullitt or The French Connection.

VW Super Bowl XLV spot: The ForceThough the new New Beetle won’t go on sale until this Fall, Volkswagen started hyping its arrival last December when it promised Oprah Winfrey’s studio audience each a free one as part of the show host’s “Favorite Things” string of shows.

When Volkswagen launched the New Beetle as a 1999 model, after almost 20 years with no VW Beetle in the German automaker’s lineup, it re-ignited the company’s fortunes in the U.S. In the early 1990s, VW came close to leaving the U.S. market. But the reveal of the Concept 1 car at the 1994 North American International Auto Show in Detroit lit a fire under interest in VW and sent consumers to showrooms to see the latest Jetta and Passat in droves.

VW is hoping for a build in interest in a new New Beetle this year that will help drive showroom traffic even before it arrives.

Continue reading (and see the commercials)…

Continue reading VW Super Bowl XLV spots push new New Beetle and Passat

VW Super Bowl XLV spots push new New Beetle and Passat originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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