Category Archives: cm

Toyota GR86 meets its Initial D and MF Ghost predecessors in new ad

Toyota has teamed up with the creator of Initial D and MF Ghost again in a new ad. The spot features the new GR86, the old 86, and the really old AE86 on a late night touge run while a … Continue reading

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Nissan Z haunted by ghosts of Z-cars past on a sleepless night

We’ve seen the formula before. A commercial for the Nissan Z brings out generations of older Z-cars to support the new one. Not a single word is uttered in the whole ad and the narrative couldn’t be simpler. A man … Continue reading

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1970 KE10 chases Toyota GR Corolla in new ad that is cringe

In Toyota’s latest ad for the raucous GR Corolla, a cameo by a 1970 KE10 almost threatens to steal the show. Not only that, but there are several references to past Toyota commercials, some obscure enough that only Toyota nerds … Continue reading

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The Honda Legend is Han Solo’s preferred transport on this remote backwater planet

The Millennium Falcon might be a fast ship, but when Han Solo visits a primitive Outer Rim world that has yet to develop repulsor technology the galactic smuggler needs to blend in with the locals. That’s why he chooses the … Continue reading

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The Acura Integra Type S will take anime to Pikes Peak

It seems stupid, but it took Japanese manufacturers until 2022 to embrace anime as an advertising tool. It’s only been the most influential Japanese medium for about, oh, the last 30 years. Ironically it’s Acura, the first brand created for … Continue reading

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Initial D Toyota AE86 gets schooled by GR86 again, with a different master behind the wheel

In January a series of commercials for the 2022 Toyota GR86 reunited it with the famous Initial D AE86. In those commercials tofu delivery boy Takumi is defeated by none other than the Drift King himself, Keiichi Tsuchiya (or at … Continue reading

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Toyota GR Corolla joins the family — Rate This Ad

The Toyota GR Corolla is hitting the showrooms soon, so it’s time for some new ads. For Americans, the 300-horsepower AWD hot hatch is probably the most anticipated Toyota in decades, especially if you count only the cars fully developed … Continue reading

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Rate This Ad: Subaru intensifies the Eurobeat with Initial D-style ads

An illustrated car speeds down a mountain road at night. That image will forever be linked to the artistic style of Shuichi Shigeno. The Initial D creator captured the thrill and speed of Japan’s underground touge battles even when it … Continue reading

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Rate This Ad: Nissan off-roads through the decades

A new Nissan commercial takes viewers on a ride through the decades. Titled “60 Years in 30 Seconds”, it features spokeswoman Brie Larson time-jumping from the 1959 to present day in various Nissans. If you think that sounds familiar, it’s … Continue reading

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Rate This Ad: Multi-generational Toyota family

Normally “national sales events” ads are pretty boring. You have the latest models zipping along a city street while APR financing options are recited at Micro Machine Man speed. For this summer’s Toyotathon, however, Toyota is pulling out the classics … Continue reading

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As part of Star Wars ad campaign, C-3PO and R2-D2 once helped sell Mitsubishi cars in Japan

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away a couple of droids landed on a remote, unremarkable planet of mostly water. Its primitive inhabitants had yet to discover interstellar travel, but for some reason these advanced droids got … Continue reading

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Classic Toyota Celica and Truck appear in 2022 Superbowl commercial

Toyota has released their 2022 Superbowl ad, and it features a couple of classics. Toyota has chosen to focus not on the cars, but on two real-life brothers, Brian and Robin McKeever, who are Olympic and Paralympic medalists. Much of … Continue reading

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That new Nissan Z Superbowl ad is not like the old one at all, because it’s terrible

Nissan misled us big time when they released a trailer for their upcoming Superbowl ad. The trailer promised big stunts and chases with motorcycles, helicopters, and Max Maxian Firebirds, but it wasn’t about that at all. In fact, it’s not … Continue reading

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Let the Toyota Carina ED help you celebrate the Year of the Tiger

Four-door coupes might be all the rage today, but the Toyota Carina ED debuted as one way back in 1985. It was a style-setting car in Japan, a pillarless four-door that shared a platform with the sporty Celica. When the … Continue reading

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2023 Nissan Z Superbowl ad starring Eugene Levy recalls Ridley Scott’s 1990 Z32 TT spot

Nissan has teased its upcoming Superbowl ad starring the 2023 Nissan Z. Called “Thrill Driver”, it also features some human stars in the form of Eugene Levy, Danai Gurira, and Dave Bautista. The bulk of the action, however, appears to … Continue reading

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Toyota AE86 meets 2022 GR86 in stunning Initial D-inspired commercials

We promise we are not turning into an Initial D blog, but this was too cool not to share. We’ve not been shy about crapping on Toyota’s terrible ads before. So consider us flabbergasted that the same company, just before … Continue reading

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Toyota GR86 commercial proves, like the car, that less is more

Toyota commercials have been extremely bad since the “I love what you do for me” jump was discontinued. Like completely, utterly, forehead-slappingly bad. Even with the Supra they tried to be cool but ended up sounding like a stepdad trying … Continue reading

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Honda brings out all the classics in new ad, “The Origin of Determination”

Every once in a while Honda will put out an ad that reaches deep into its past and pull out all the classics. Sometimes the results are downright beautiful, sometimes they’re terrible. The latest one, released today, falls somewhere in … Continue reading

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History’s greatest Toyota trucks converge in new commercial

Toyota ads have been pretty lame for a while now but if they asked us how to make one, their latest new ad is exactly how we’d do it. The Big Three have been leaning into their heritage for decades … Continue reading

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Nissan’s 300ZX “Toys” commercial had a sequel where GI Joe rescues Barbie with a Pathfinder

Last week we asked what your favorite car commercials were. In any list like that, the 1996 Nissan spot “Toys” was bound to show up. In it, a GI Joe-esque action figure comes to life, drives a Nissan 300ZX remote … Continue reading

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