If you're a "value" brand and want to add a luxury model to your lineup, you've got your work cut out for you. Just ask Volkswagen. Well, that didn't keep Hyundai from launching its Lexus LS¬–baiting Equus sedan, and it's not keeping Kia from introducing its much-anticipated 2015 K900. But a good launch needs a good launching pad, and the Super Bowl just happens to be the Cape Canaveral of campaign launch sites. Now let's see if "The Truth" can deliver the payload.
The commercial opens on nicely turned-out couple approaching the valet desk in front of what appears to be an upscale urban restaurant. The regular attendant must be getting someone else's car, because this guy is Laurence Fishburne, and something heavy clearly is about to go down, because Morpheus doesn't need tips. Understandably, the couple is a little unnerved by the whole thing. "We just want our car," the husband says. But that's not to be. Morpheus uses his best cunning to encourage them to pick the red pill, um, I mean key fob, and discover the truth: That for years they've been duped into thinking what a luxury car should be, when all along it was a Kia—a Kia—that would define real luxury.
And boy, are they impressed. "It's unreal," the husband proclaims, but Fisheus magically materializes in the rear seat to assure them it's very real indeed. Then he puts a pitch pipe to his lips and commences to deliver a soul-stirring rendition of Puccini's "Nessun Dorma," one of the most emotional arias in all of operadom. Meanwhile, everything outside the car goes slow-motion/fast-motion Matrix-like, and when Larry hits the high note all hell breaks loose—streetlights explode and cars fly wildly into the night, but the K900 keeps its cool. Even its windows remain unbroken. Like the unknown prince in Turandot, the opera from which the aria originates, when dawn arrives, the Kia too shall "vincerò, vincerò!"—be victorious.
- First Drive: 2015 Kia K900 V-8 Sedan
- Official Photos and Info: All-New 2015 Hyundai Genesis
- Flat-Pack Comparo: 2014 Kia Soul vs. 2014 Fiat 500L
Whew. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. "The Truth" is a rollercoaster ride that makes absolutely no logical sense. It combines mixed metaphors, a character from a 15-year old movie, massive explosions, hypnotic pyrotechnics, and opera, of all things, all in one commercial that's supposed to convince you that the K900 isn't just a good deal, it's the real deal, fully worthy of consideration against its German and Japanese competitors. And I say it works.
The huge fanbase for "The Matrix" surely now includes a ton of people who are now both in the demographics for and able to afford a $60,000 luxury car. Will they remember the red pill and the revelation of reality versus the false existence that civilization succumbed to? Enough of them will. And therein lies Kia's hope. Because nobody who has their heart set on a Mercedes or BMW or Audi will likely accept that the same company that makes the Soul can make a serious luxury car; they're trapped in the Matrix forever. But if you rooted for Neo and Trinity, just maybe you'll believe there is an alternative reality—and an alternative luxury car.
Award-winning ad man-cum-auto journalist Don Klein knows a good (or bad) car commercial when he sees one; the Ad Section is his space to tell you what he thinks of the latest spots. The ad's rating is depicted via the shift pattern at the bottom, but everyone has an opinion when it comes to advertising, so hit Backfires below and tell us what you think, too.
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