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Lexus NX, BMW i3 to get Super Bowl commercials

At this point last year, we'd been getting news on automotive-focused Super Bowl commercials for more than two months. The teasers hadn't come out yet, but manufacturers lined up for the super-expensive spots were making their intentions known. This year? Almost nada, until this week. BMW has said it will air a 60-second spot promoting the i3 during the first quarter of the game, the Munich firm returning to The Big Game after a four-year absence. BMW says, "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." We say that pitching a tiny range-extended hatchback during the beer-iest American sports orgy of the year should make for some neat commentary afterward. Lexus is putting its new NX crossover in the second Super Bowl commercial it's ever aired, eschewing the glitter of celebrities and glamor for a straight-shooting spot and the tagline, "Be seen, be heard, make some noise." Joining those two are Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Toyota. The six confirmed carmakers are down from eleven last year, when car spots made up a quarter of the total ad time. The price to do business for 30 seconds this year: reportedly around $4.5 million, up a stacks from last year's $4 million. You can watch the Lexus commercial in the video above, and beneath that, the BMW press release below has a bit more information on its effort. BMW to Advertise All-Electric BMW i3 during Super Bowl XLIX. The all-electric BMW i3 is featured in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 15, 2015... Today, BMW announced plans to feature the all-electric BMW i3 in a 60-second spot during Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. After a 4-year hiatus, BMW will be returning to the big game with a commercial during the first quarter. "As one in three Americans will tune in to watch the Super Bowl, we are thrilled to use this platform to educate viewers on the importance of electric mobility," said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. "Big ideas like the BMW i3 take a little getting used to, and the creative idea surrounding our spot will play on this analogy." BMW i is BMW's forward-looking and sustainable brand dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the world's most densely populated cities. The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber.

The Lexus Sriracha IS is the hottest Lexus ever

For this year's Los Angeles auto show, Lexus created its hottest IS ever: the Sriracha IS. And the company did so by putting Sriracha sauce in everything! It's in the paint, the steering wheel, and even in the trunk! Check out the video if you don't believe us. Ok, so Lexus didn't really put Sriracha in everything. In reality, the company partnered with Huy Fong Foods to produce this one-off car, and turned to West Coast Customs to execute it. It features a custom paint job designed to emulate the look of Sriracha sauce, and green accents on the grille, mirrors, brake calipers, and exhaust tips are a call back to the food company's sauce bottles. View 13 Photos Inside, West Coast Customs created some clever and surprisingly subtle changes. The climate controls only show increasing heat levels, and the seat heater buttons are bright red with little flames above the seat icons. The drive selector trades sport mode for "Sriracha" mode. The seats get red and green inserts along with logos stitched into the seat backs. Other parts of the interior have green contrast stitching, too. The steering wheel is a particularly unique piece. West Coast Customs found a liquid that looks similar to sriracha, put it a resin container and shaped it to fit the steering wheel, so now it looks like there's sriracha in the steering wheel. It also has a warning sticker for "hot handling." And lest you think there isn't any real Sriracha anywhere in the car, you'll find 43 bottles of the stuff in the trunk, and the key fob dispenses some as well. As for how Lexus tops this, perhaps they could make a habanero or ghost pepper car. Or maybe they could show us a real IS F successor. We think another V8 Lexus would come across as pretty hot. Related Video:

Lexus US execs want the LF-1 Limitless concept or something like it

Many years ago, Mercedes-Benz counted many blue moons debating about and then hinting at a full-sized SUV, before the GLS-Class arrived in 2007 (known then as the GL-Class). After that, Audi and BMW each grabbed a gilded handle on The Waffler's Cup, equivocating for years about a Q8 and an X7, respectively; both of those luxurious load-haulers are expected in showrooms soon. Having seen the Lexus LF-1 Limitless Concept at the Detroit Auto Show, we wonder if Lexus intends to hoe that same row - dodging years of questions about a production version of the LF-1 Limitless before finally committing. Lexus US general manager Jeff Bracken hopes that's not the case. His address to the unveil audience at the NAIAS included the appeal, "We have to build this vehicle," aimed at his boss, Lexus global chief Yoshihiro Sawa. Bracken stoked the flames of his own desire after the reveal, telling journalists, "We couldn't be happier if we turned this into a production vehicle," and, "We clearly have a gap at the high-end premium cross-utility segment." We're certain plenty of his colleagues share the sentiments, and why wouldn't they? A Lexus LS-based family functionary begs the question, "Why isn't this already a thing?" The LF-1 Limitless does fierce, futuristic service to its Ghost in the Shell design philosophy of "molten katana," and Lexus needs a proper three-row crossover. Not the three-row RX, nor the opulent, cretaceous GX and LX SUVs, but a unibody crossover to challenge the aforementioned German rivals. If Lexus really does "want to be the brand which is emotionally connected with the customer," it would do well to begin its courtship with this rose-copper gem. Related Video: Featured Gallery Lexus LF-1 Limitless Concept: Detroit 2018 View 13 Photos News Source: Wards Auto Detroit Auto Show Lexus Crossover Concept Cars Luxury lexus rx lexus crossover