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Weekly Recap: Matthew McConaughey's star shines brightly for Lincoln

The commercials were a little strange at first, but the ensuing spoofs were hilarious. And all jokes aside, Matthew McConaughey has made a difference for Lincoln. Advertisements starring the Oscar winner launched in September, and the results have been impressive. The number of customers clicking on Lincoln.com to check out the MKC – the crossover McConaughey pitched – has tripled since the ads began airing, a spokesman told Autoblog. They also generated 4.4 million views on YouTube and spawned parodies by Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O'Brien, South Park and Jim Carrey on Saturday Night Live, which racked up another 15 million views. Most importantly, Lincoln's sales have increased 15 percent through November, helped significantly by the strong launch of the MKC. Without the addition of the MKC, Lincoln's sales would have been essentially flat last year. The MKC has received solid reviews from consumers and the press, though it has had several recalls. "The overwhelming response to the MKC campaign sparked truly great awareness for Lincoln," Andrew Frick, Lincoln group marketing manager, said in a statement. Now Lincoln has launched another round of spots, which kicked off New Year's Day during college football bowl games. This time, McConaughey is hawking the MKZ sedan and its hybrid sibling. The spots, called Diner and Balance, use the same artistic formula as the earlier ads, with McConaughey intoning seriously about the cars in dramatic settings. They were shot over two days in Los Angeles and were directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, a Danish filmmaker who directed the 2011 move, Drive. The ads continue Lincoln's multiyear deal with McConaughey, who has said he's been long been interested in the brand. He starred in the 2011 thriller, The Lincoln Lawyer, as a defense attorney who worked out of a Town Car, though that was before his deal with Lincoln. In one of the earlier ads, McConaughey claims: "I've been driving a Lincoln since long before anybody paid me to drive one. I didn't do it to be cool. I didn't to it to make a statement. I just liked it." That sentiment appears to have worked for the MKC's launch, and with this new advertising blitz, Lincoln hopes it carries over to the MKZ. Other News And Notes Infiniti Q30 spied in winter testing Infiniti is continuing development work on the Q30 small crossover, and we've recently captured it during winter testing.

2020 Infiniti Edition 30 cars debuting at Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance

Infiniti is celebrating its 30th anniversary at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance next week, and itÂ’s rolling out a special edition for several models in its lineup. The anniversary cars are to be called Edition 30, and all of them feature similar changes. YouÂ’ll be able to get an Edition 30 for the Q50, Q60, QX50, QX60 and QX80. ThatÂ’s two sedans and three SUVs that are said to arrive in dealers this fall as 2020 model year cars — even though Infiniti launched in 1989, the first car it sold was a 1990 model year, so this matches up perfectly. Pictures of the Edition 30 cars are scant, but weÂ’ll be able to check them out in person at Pebble next week. Infiniti says they all feature special dark chrome accents in the exterior grille surround, fender trim and a little around the rear end, as well. YouÂ’ll get black side mirrors, dark gunmetal gray wheels and a body color rear apron. Additionally, all of them will be equipped with the ProAssist package as standard. This package includes driver assistance features like adaptive cruise control, distance control assist, a 360-degree camera, backup collision intervention and predictive forward collision warning. Pricing isnÂ’t available at this point for the special edition models, and we don't know if production numbers will be limited, either.

Infiniti serves up ‘Carigami’ models to ease coronavirus quarantine boredom

To the list of things car enthusiasts can do to combat coronavirus quarantine boredom, or keep their restless kids diverted, Inifiniti is serving up what it’s calling “Carigami.” ItÂ’s exactly what it sounds like: origami for cars, more or less. Three models are offered — the Q50 sedan, QX80 SUV and the now-discontinued FX crossover — all in 1:27 scale. All you need is a printer and paper, a craft knife and some glue. ItÂ’s not the first time Nissan has turned to the Japanese art form, having commissioned a full-scale origami version of the Juke on its fifth anniversary in 2015. Outside the Nissan realm, we also recently saw a downloadable origami version of the Tesla Cybertruck. You can download all three Infiniti templates and instructions at Infiniti.com. We especially dig the use of a record turntable as a way to replicate the life-size design turntable automakers display new models on at auto shows.