<p>I was disgusted by the Audi Super Bowl ad which showed an environmentalist police state in which people were arrested for not composting or using an incandescent bulb. The ad showed a roadblock with police searching for environmental violators - and then an Audi swerving around the roadblock unmolested.</p>
<p>I got a response - below - and it’s pretty obvious they’ve received more than 1 complaint. As they should have because the ad was not funny and was in poor taste and, frankly, gave the impression that someone who drives an Audi is an a-hole:</p>
<p>Every Super Bowl brings with it advertising that takes a humorous slant,
engages in hyperbole and presents viewers with wry storylines. And it
is in that spirit that Audi presented its tongue-in-cheek Green Car
commercial. Any attempt to read more into our ad strains the bounds of
credulity.</p>
<p>We believe it is possible to agree that we all try to do the right thing
in our daily lives to measure our use of resources, no matter where we
fall on the political spectrum. Our Super Bowl ad was simply making the
point that driving an A3 TDI, the 2010 Green Car of Year, is one of
those right things to do.</p>
<p>That’s not just talk. The A3 TDI registers 42 mpg in highway driving,
according to the EPA. That’s the best mileage number of any luxury car.
The A3 TDI also produces 30% less carbon dioxide. And it does this
without forcing motorists to drive a vehicle devoid of luxury features
or impressive performance. In general, Audi is developing practical ways
to make today’s automotive technology more sustainable. That is a goal
aimed as much toward meeting current worldwide consumer demands as
staying steps ahead of the competition in the years to come. </p>
<p>Here’s what the Audi Green Car Super Bowl ad was not. It was not a tacit
call to form some strange One World Green Police force or a suggestion
that we should surrender our individual freedom. It was not a
condemnation of people who feel passionately about the environment. </p>
<p>And to those who truly see shadows in the dark, the Audi Green Car ad
was not a revival of World War II imagery. Rational-thinking people will
grasp that if the nation of Israel uses the term “Green Police” for a
branch of its law enforcement efforts, then that term does not have
Holocaust connotations. This is a conclusion affirmed by leaders of the
Anti-Defamation League and the Holocaust Museum, among others.</p>
<p>Audi likes to have a certain amount of smugness in their ads. MB is understated expensive and BMW is understated performance. Where does that leave Audi - somewhat of a wannabe?</p>
<br>
<br>
<p>Kind of. I think that Audi drivers are the sort to break the rules.</p>
<p>I drove Audis for 18 years back when they were more performance cars than luxury cars. They went for luxury in the 1990s and it was the right financial move as their finances and image improved. I didn’t like the new stuff though. Too in-your-face.</p>
<p>Everything that receives any publicity receives complaints. Particularly everything that’s intended to be tongue-in-cheek. I’m not surprised that they had a canned response ready to send.</p>
<p>Umm, I thought it was funny (and I am here in the crunchy granola uber green PNW- perhaps that is why I thought it was funny, it hit home! I have friends who feel nearly as strong as those make believe Green Police)</p>
<p>The Audi was waved around the blockade as it was judged to be green. I don’t know why, but I was surprised how offended people were. Can’t we laugh at ourselves?</p>
<p>The A3 TDI diesel that was being advertised is a car that I’ve looked at myself because it gets 34 mpg and runs on an easily available fuel and has a fairly conventional engine. It was waved around; the driver did not swerve around. </p>
I assume that was a rental. I’ve rented cars numerous times in Switzerland, Germany, and elsewhere in Europe and have never seen a Toyota for rent but that was a few years ago - maybe it’s changed. In Switzerland I rented cars from VW and BMW which makes sense given where it is. However, as the head of a car company, you’d expect that it’d be important to them to ensure that he was driving in a Toyota/Lexus product. Maybe he didn’t trust the stuck accelerators and defective brakes on those mountain roads!</p>
<p>A couple of years ago I rented an Audi A5 diesel and drove all over Scotland in it and I actually thought there might be a problem with the fuel guage because it went a long time between fillups. I never checked the exact mileage but it was good.</p>
<p>I didn’t see the commercial - I’ll have to look for that. I heard it generally ended up appealing to both the greenies and the driving enthusiasts.</p>
<p>You know what Audi should also be worried about? I thought it was a Volkswagen commercial. On second thought, as the commercial wasn’t such a huge hit, maybe that’s a good thing for them.</p>
<p>I did have one of those Audi’s that were targeted in the 1980s for unintended acceleration; we always thought it was pedal placement, that car stayed in the family for over 20 years, no problems</p>
<p>I didn’t like the ad, because I know people who think that the “green police” is a reality and this just seemed to feed their fears. I felt like I was watching Fox News. For example, a co-worker said that she thought it showed the direction the country is going now that we have a “socialist” administration.</p>