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BMW i8 plugin makes Olympics ad debut

BMW i8 and i3 plugins made their advertising debuts in two ads that aired over the weekend during NBC's Olympic coverage. The BMW i8 ad, called 'Sightings,' follows people trying to describe the futuristic coupe after it has whizzed past. 

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Saurabh Das/AP/File
BMW Group India President, Philipp von Sahr, left, and Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar pose with a BMW i8 hybrid car at the 12th Indian auto Expo in Noida, India, last week. BMW i8 and i3 hybrids were featured in an ad that aired during the Olympics over the weekend.
  • By Antony Ingram Guest blogger

The Winter Olympic games in Sochi, Russia, are now underway, and official partner BMW is using the games to promote its two plug-in offerings, the i3 and i8.

Three different commercials will be broadcast during NBC's coverage of the games, focusing on different aspects of the BMW-i lineup.

One spot, 'Hello Future', will cover the BMW-i brand itself. Another, 'SHHH', focuses on the i3, the automaker's recently-launched electric and range-extended city cars. The third spot carries the name 'Sightings' and advertises the eagerly-awaited i8 plug-in hybrid sports car.

'Hello Future' is a light-hearted look at Sir Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, apparently proving that with BMW's i-cars, the world is as good today as he predicted.

'SHHH' covers a boy sneaking out in his dad's BMW i3 to impress his dream girl. While the technique works, his dad is still alerted that something is amiss, as the BMW i Remote App alerts him when the car is plugged back in to charge.

The final full spot, 'Sightings', follows people trying to describe the vehicle they've seen--the i8, naturally--after the futuristic coupe has whizzed past.

These adverts will be joined by a series of BMW i-related shorts, all featuring the BMW i3 and i8's unique attributes, fun nature and low-emissions benefits. Further BMW adverts will cover the BMW X5 and the brand new 2-Series coupe.

The commercials will certainly make BMW's electric range very visible over the next few weeks, though their message is arguably less important than that which Chevrolet is sending out with its own Sochi adverts.

The brand, already a strong supporter of LGBT rights, will air commercials featuring same-sex couples during the Sochi coverage--a very public message of support during an event criticized over Russia's homophobic messages in the run-up to the games.

You can check out BMW's adverts above and below, or head over to The Car Connection for more on Chevrolet's campaign and a look at the ads.

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