The University of Agder (Universitetet i Agder) in Southern Norway has responded to the 2021 Super Bowl ads by General Motors and Will Ferrell and kind of roasted the US while they were at it:
General Motors released its 2021 Super Bowl ad campaign just a few days ago focusing specifically on its commitment towards electrification in the coming years. The commercial features actor and comedian Will Ferrell in his fight against outselling Norway when it comes to electric vehicles.
Considering Norway is pulling about two-thirds of its total vehicle sales being EVs, and the fact that it is a smaller arctic country, proves that anywhere can push towards complete e-mobility. Using such a well-known and liked celebrity may help sway viewers towards total electrification, and the fact that it will run during the Super Bowl can’t hurt right? More than half of new vehicles sold in Norway are electric. In the U.S., EVs made up less than 4 percent of the market share.
Will Ferrell is joined in the ad by Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina. We even got a few sneak peeks of Cadillac’s Lyriq as well as a Hummer EV in the snow:
According to the automaker, the “No Way, Norway” is an extension of GM’s “Everybody In” campaign which they launched last month. The campaign aims to excite the new generation about electric vehicles and accelerate EV adoption; all while promoting the company’s Ultium battery platform.
Will Ferrell was noted saying “I’m excited to be a part of GM’s commitment to EVs,” adding “I’ve been driving an EV since the mid-80s… well, actually it was a regular car with four AA batteries taped to the carburetor, but it felt like an EV! We’re coming for you, Norway!”
According to GM’s global chief marketing officer Deborah Wahl: “The big game is the perfect venue for the incomparable Will Ferrell to encourage us all to reconsider what we know about electric vehicles, and to invite ‘Everybody In’,”
Fast forward a couple days when a video surfaced suggesting Will Ferrell prefers Tesla vehicles as he was caught driving a Model S.
Twitter users were quick to point out Ferrell’s use of a Blackberry cell-phone as well as the movie poster in the back proving this to be an old video. Some people believe, to date, GM still doesn’t have anything that stands up to a Tesla Model S, however, with the arrival of several new EVs to the market throughout the year, we will see if the comedian’s taste will change with a wider range of options.