Super Bowl Car Ads: I’d Score It Kia 1, Chevy 0

Let’s face it: if your team isn’t playing in the Super Bowl, half the game’s entertainment value is going to come from the ads. Every single advertiser pulls out all the stops to film a budget-blowing spot for the Super Bowl, because it ensures they’ll get their product in front of millions of beer and hot-wing fueled television viewers. Short of staging your own halftime “wardrobe malfunction”, there’s no better way to build brand awareness than with a Super Bowl ad that stands above the rest.

Kia is on a roll these days, launching one successful new model after another. The new Optima is a stunning car, and its quality is on par with anything else on the market these days. Kia’s already known for their Super Bowl ads, since it’s kind of hard to forget a marital aid getting down with a sock monkey on a road trip. How to top that for this year? I won’t spoil the video (below), but I’ll say this: it’s got super villains, aliens, and hopped up Mayans (or Aztecs; I always get them confused).

Chevy’s ad for the Camaro, on the other hand, just doesn’t cut the mustard. Sure, it’s got good visuals (and a stunning blond), but where’s the plot? where’s the build-up, where’s the conflict, where’s the resolution? Why do I get the feeling that the narrative is exactly how the ad agency came up with the idea? Like the bulk of their “Chevy Runs Deep” ads, this one just leaves me scratching my head and thinking about what could have been.

GM President Says Chevrolet will Debut Two New Models at Chicago Including a Camaro-Based Car

Speaking at a J.D. Power forum in Detroit, General Motors North American President Mark Reuss announced that Chevrolet will unveil two new models at the upcoming 2011 Chicago Auto Show, which kicks off on February 9. Mr. Reuss said one of the models will be a new vehicle based on the Camaro-platform, however, he declined to divulge further details about the car.

"It will be fun," Mr. Reuss told reporters in regards to the Camaro-based model. "I'm not going to give you guys any product information other than what I gave (in the presentation.) I'd ruin the whole show."

Now, the inevitable question that arises is, what are the two models Chevy is planning to introduce in Chicago?

Well, the Camaro-based model could be anything from the range-topping, V8-supercharged Camaro Z28 to a civilian version of the Caprice PPV or even something totally new. As for the second model, there's a chance it could be a successor to the Malibu sedan (seen in the patent drawings above and below), which is due for replacement soon, but we could be wrong. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

This 1980 Toyota Corolla TE71 Packs a Big-Block 454 / 7.4-liter Chevy V8

Let us introduce you to our find of the day; a 1980 Toyota Corolla TE71 Coupe retrofitted with a big brawny classic American V8 powerplant. This wolf in sheep's clothing was once powered by a small four-cylinder engine but now comes with a 454 cubic inch (equal to 7.4-liters) big block Chevrolet V8 powerhouse that drives the wheels through GM's Turbo-Hydramatic 400 transmission.

According to the eBay seller, "with 13 inch tires it only goes about 65 [we'll assume he's talking about mph here] at 4000 rpms, but it gets there in about 4 seconds" and while driveable, the car needs some TLC to be road-worthy. The current bid on eBay is $3,251 but the reserve has not been met yet.

VIDEO: Chevrolet Camaro Transforms into Bumblebee for Super Bowl XLV Ad

Next up on our list of automotive-related commercials that will air during the Super Bowl XLV game on Sunday is the Chevrolet Camaro ad from General Motors. Once again, the Detroit carmaker is playing the Transformers card with the Camaro turning into Bumblebee, and well, you can see the rest in the video that follows.

All in all, Chevrolet will air five 30-second commercials during the big game including “Misunderstanding,” featuring the Cruze Eco; “Discovery,” with the Volt; “Tommy,” showcasing the Silverado HD; and “Al’s Chevrolet,” starring the Camaro.

The company will also air a longer-form Chevrolet spot during the “Glee” episode following the Super Bowl as well as a second Camaro ad named "Ms. Evelyn,” which will be shown after the presentation of the MVP Award.

All of Chevrolet's ads at this year’s Super Bowl were created by the Goodby, Silverstein & Partners agency. Chevrolet returns to the Super Bowl after a four-year absence.

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback: Production Model to Debut at Geneva Motor Show

Chevrolet today announced that the production version of the Cruze hatchback will make its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Considered to be a critical model for Chevrolet in Europe, the 5-door Cruze was first teased at last year’s Paris Motor Show with a pre-production study.

“Hatchbacks play a critical role in many markets. The total compact segment in Europe represents over a quarter of the total market, with hatchbacks representing around 65% of that volume”, said Wayne Brannon, president and managing director of Chevrolet Europe. “The new Cruze hatchback cements that Chevrolet's claim for a place among the mainstream brands in Europe, and it's a vehicle that will bring new levels of value against some of the more established competition”.

With its sweeping lines, short overhangs and, in our opinion, better looking rear quarter compared to the sedan, the hatchback is said to be “particularly well suited to European driver tastes”. To achieve this, it uses the same body-frame integral system (BFI) chassis complemented by some fine-tuning and the four-door model’s engine range, plus new additions, such as the Orlando MPV’s 163HP 2.0-liter diesel powerplant.

From a practical standpoint, the new model loses 50 liters of cargo space for a total of 400 liters, but the large liftgate and 60/40 split rear seating should compensate in terms of practicality.

The Cruze hatchback is due in Europe in mid 2011 and prices will be announced closer to the launch date. It will also be available as a Holden in Australia.

Chevy Spark to Make its German Market Premiere in Frankfurt

General Motors' new city car, the Chevrolet Spark, will make its German market debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The Spark, which was shown in final production form at the Geneva Salon earlier this year, is due to go on sale in the majority of European markets at the beginning of 2010 where it will be offered with a choice of two newly-developed, all-aluminum 1.0 and 1.2-liter gasoline engines, generating 66HP and 78HP respectively.

Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox with the 1.2-liter unit expected to deliver zero to 100km/h (62mph) acceleration in 12.4 seconds while returning a combined fuel consumption of under 5.0lt/100 km (47+ mpg US).

The Spark is expected to arrive at U.S. showrooms during the first half of 2011.

Pontiac G8 to be Reborn as the Chevrolet Caprice in the USA, According to Lutz

No sooner that we learned that Bob Lutz reversed his decision to retire from GM at the end of the year, deciding to extend his career as the firm's vice chairman in charge of all "creative elements of products and customer relationships", and the 77-year old is offering American car nuts a reason to celebrate. In an interview with Automobile Magazine, Lutz revealed that the Pontiac G8 isn't dead after all.

Despite the fact that only a month ago, in a live chat with online readers, GM CEO Fritz Henderson supported that the rear-wheel drive Pontiac sports sedan won't live in another brand, Lutz told the magazine that the G8 will be reborn in the USA as the Chevrolet Caprice.

"The last time we looked at the G8, we decided that we would continue to import it as a Chevrolet," Lutz said. "It is kind of too good to waste." Can't disagree with Lutz on that one....

He also added that other key factors in this decision were the export agreements with Australia and the fact that the Holden Commodore is already sold in many countries as a Chevrolet.

What Lutz didn't say is in what form the G8 will survive in the USA - as a Holden Commodore / Pontiac G8 with a Chevy grille or will GM prefer to import the longer-wheelbase Holden Statesman / Caprice? That's probably a good point to start the conversation in the comment section below.

In addition to the G8, Lutz told the magazine that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe could be closer to production than we think, noting that that members of the government taskforce were quite interested in the BMW M3-challenging sports coupe during the presentation of the firm's product plan.

"When we went through design and looked at the future product, the procession stopped at the model of the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe," Lutz said. "I think that some of these guys are personally going to buy CTS-V Coupes."

Source: Automobile , Via: Autoblog.com