Chevrolet Bashes Volt Competitors In New Ads

2016 Chevrolet Volt (Credit: Chevrolet )

Chevrolet lately has been putting out some controversial commercials, and this time it’s lashing out at the Volt’s competitors. The ads follow the same general formula of so many others. People are brought to a building under the guise that they’re participating in some sort of a market study. The company really emphasizes that the people in the videos are real and not actors, so supposedly their reactions are unscripted.

In one video, Chevy concentrates on how the Volt has a far better driving range than the Nissan Leaf. People get into an elevator supposedly to reach a focus group session. Instead of the elevator operating normally, it “breaks down” and leaves the people stranded for a time. That feeling of being stranded is then likened to driving the Leaf, which can only go 84 miles on a single charge (or 107 miles, depending on the model). When compared to the 2016 Volt and its estimated range of over 400 miles, the Volt looks like a less-pleasant option. Chevrolet is banking that consumers will find the Leaf to be impractical, while viewing the Volt as an option for their next vehicle.

Even more entertaining is a commercial that bashes the Toyota Prius. Again, “real people” are in a pretend focus group. They’re sitting around a table with items covered up by a black sheet. The moderator says he wants to show them some cutting edge technology, then he removes the sheet to reveal devices such as a personal CD player, flip phone, VHS tapes and a computer with a CRT monitor. The people are understandably baffled as the moderator tries to say that all of the technology is brand new and that they’re some of the first to have seen it.

The commercial then highlights how Toyota is trying to spin old technology by putting a new package on it. As the moderator points out, the Prius uses battery tech that was developed 15 years in the past, while the new Volt comes with batteries created with new technology.

These commercials show that Chevy is serious about pushing the Volt as more people start to seriously consider purchasing an electric vehicle.