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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.

Race Recap: 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans defines 'endurance'

Commenting on the rush of events that rocked beginning and end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Paul Truswell of Radio Le Mans said "the race is about the ability to endure, not just the ability of drivers to do what they do for a long time." The entire race machine, all the way down to the pit boards and radios, has to survive the stress and abuse of the entire day. This was the race to prove those words.
There were two Toyotas, two Porsches and three Audis, five of the seven led the race at some point, six of the seven ran in the top three. Toyota will be hugely disappointed that it didn't win when its car and drivers were so, so strong, but they gave Audi the kind of scare we haven't seen since the best of Peugeot's days, and Toyota did a better job of it even in the loss. Porsche blew away everyone's expectations, falling 3.5 hours short of a fairy tale ending that would have made Disney cry.
But Le Mans doesn't really do fairy tales. Well, not that fairy tale. Audi's Twitter handle during the event was #welcomechallenges. As usual, Le Mans answered for the entire field.

Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan Leaf earns IHS Loyalty Award, people actually care about the environment

The Nissan Leaf has earned the IHS Automotive Loyalty Award. It won the award for best Non-Luxury Traditional Compact Car, and it is the only plug-in vehicle to earn the Loyalty Award. IHS Automotive analyzes loyalty and gives the award for vehicles that bring households back to buy the same make or model. "Our Leaf fans are some of the most loyal customers in the world, and we're thrilled to see that validated with this IHS award," says Toby Perry, marketing director for the Nissan Leaf. Read more at Hybrid Cars or in the press release below. A new study shows that environmental benefits could be more influential than money when purchasing EVs. The study, called "Altruism, Self-Interest, and Energy Consumption," found that subjects conserved more energy when reminded that it helps air pollution than when they were only told it would save them money. This is despite more subjects saying that they thought messages about money would be more influential at the beginning of the study. Researchers attributed the results to the dual benefit of clean air to oneself and to others. See the study at the PNAS website and read more at Green Car Reports. Group Bollore will receive government backing to build a nationwide EV charging network in France. The French conglomerate will spend $172 million to build 16,000 semi-fast chargers over the next four years. "Wherever you are on the map there will be at least one recharging point every 40 kilometres (25 miles)," says Bollore. The network will also provide wifi hotspots and carpooling services. Bollore's Blue Solutions division also already operates EV carsharing services and is working with Renault to build EVs in France. Read more at Reuters. Nissan LEAF only plug-in vehicle to receive 2014 IHS Automotive Loyalty Award NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Following a record-breaking sales year in 2014, the Nissan LEAF continues to earn praise and was named the best Non-Luxury Traditional Compact Car in the annual IHS Automotive Loyalty Awards. The all-electric LEAF – the only plug-in vehicle to be included in the IHS Awards – received this honor during the Automotive News World Congress at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The IHS Automotive Loyalty Awards are presented annually to automakers and brands that demonstrate a manufacturer's ability to retain owners over repeat buying cycles. They are the only fact-based awards of their kind in the industry.