Hyundai is showcasing the features of its redesigned 2017 Alabama-built Elantra sedan in Super Bowl 50 commercials starring actor Ryan Reynolds and a pair of frightening but chatty bears.
The two spots are part of a Super Bowl blitz by the automaker, which has produced a total of four commercials for Sunday’s game. Hyundai is an official NFL sponsor and regular Super Bowl advertiser.
“It’s fitting that our most strategic Super Bowl marketing program every at Hyundai is happening during Super Bowl 50 and what is anticipated to be the most-watch TV event of all time,” said Dean Evans, chief marketing officer of Hyundai Motor America.
Hyundai debuted the sixth-generation Elantra at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, with production slated to launch soon after at the automaker’s $1.8 billion assembly plant in Montgomery.
The sedan’s safety and convenience features are highlighted in the Super Bowl 50 ads. In an ad called “Ryanville,” two women are driving the new Elantra through a city where all the men look like actor Ryan Reynolds. The car’s pedestrian-detection braking system prevents the distracted driver from hitting a Reynolds clone walking a group of cute dogs.
In the other spot, “The Chase,” a couple is running through a forest, trying to escape two pursuing bears. The man emerges from the woods and yells, “Start my car!” at his smartwatch, causing the Elantra to crank. Thanks to the Remote Start feature, the couple jump in the car and drive off to safety.
The bears then have an unexpected conversation. Frustrated the couple got away, one of them says: “I just wanted to hug ‘em.” But the other confesses: “I was gonna eat ‘em,” and brushes aside the suggestion that he’s a vegan.
Hyundai recently produced its 3 millionth vehicle in Alabama, and its Montgomery facility has an annual economic impact approaching $5 billion, according to an analysis. The Sonata sedan is also assembled at the plant, where the automaker is investing $52 million to add the Santa Fe Sport SUV to its Alabama production lineup later this year.
