2016 Kia Sorento Ex on 2040-cars

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In the Kia Niro Super Bowl ad, no good deed goes unpunished

After a few teasers, we finally get to see Kia's Super Bowl ad for the Niro hybrid. The ad shows Melissa McCarthy rushing off to all corners of the world to help environmental causes of all types. As soon as a call comes over the speakers of her navy blue Niro, she's ready to go. Unfortunately, as you'll see in the video above, none of her experiences go according to plan. She has a close encounter with a whale that sends her flying, rides a tree down to the ground while trying to save it, and runs from an angry rhino. The end message is that "it's hard to be an eco warrior, but it's easy to drive like one." The ad is admittedly funny, but the end message isn't exactly ideal. Fuel-sipping cars like the Niro are generally better for the environment than thirstier machines, but it's a little disappointing to see it proposed as a viable alternative to actual volunteer work to help the environment. It's a bit like wanting to go overseas to help people in struggling countries, but deciding it's too hard and buying a Fair-Trade chocolate bar instead. But hey, it's just a Super Bowl commercial, so we're probably overthinking this. And if you liked the commercial, or maybe you're just a Melissa McCarthy fan, Kia will be giving away 40 props from the commercials. You can win one of them by chatting with the NiroBot chatbot on Facebook Messenger, which provides information about the car. Related Video:

The best Super Bowl car commercials from the last 5 years

If you've been dipping into the Autoblog feed over the past days and weeks, you wouldn't even have to be a sports fan to know the Super Bowl is coming up. Automakers have been teasing their spots for the big game, dropping them days early, fully-formed onto the Internet and otherwise trying to amp up the multi-million-dollar outlays that they've made for air time on the biggest advertising day of the year. And, we're into it. The lead up to the Super Bowl is almost akin to a mini auto show around these parts; with automakers being amongst the most prolific advertisers on these special Sundays. The crop of ads from 2015 looks as strong as ever, but we thought we'd take a quick look back at some of our favorite spots from the last five years. Take a look at our picks – created from a very informal polling of Autoblog editors and presented in no particular order – and then tell us about your recent faves, in Comments. Chrysler, Imported From Detroit Chrysler, Eminem and a lingering pan shot of "The Fist" – it doesn't get much more Motown than 2011's Imported From Detroit. With the weight of our staffers hailing from in and around The D, it's no wonder that our memories still favor this epic Super Bowl commercial (even though the car it was shilling was crap). Imported really set the tone for later Chrysler ads, too, repeated the formula: celebrity endorsement + dramatic copy + dash of jingoism = pulled car-guy heartstrings. Mercedes-Benz, Soul teaser with Kate Upton One of our favorite Super Bowl commercials (and yours, based on the insane number of views you logged) didn't even technically air during the game. Mercedes-Benz teased its eventual spot Soul with 90-seconds worth of Kate Upton threatening to do her best Joy Harmon impression. (Teaser indeed.) It doesn't win points for cleverness, use of music, acting, or any compelling carness, but it proved that Mercedes' advertisers knew how to make a splash in the Internet Age. And, hey, it's still classier than every GoDaddy commercial. Kia, A Dream Car. For Real Life Like the Mercedes video above, the initial draw here is a pretty lady; in this case the always stunning Adriana Lima. But this Kia commercial really delivers the extra effort we expect while scarfing crabby snacks and homemades, too. First of all, Motley Crue. Second, a cowboy on a bucking rhino. Enjoy yet again.

Kia's Detroit concept is called Telluride

Remember that Kia concept we told you about earlier this week? It's called Telluride – you know, like the ski resort town in Colorado. Kia just released this second teaser image of its big SUV concept, giving us a sneak peek of the interior. Design-wise, it looks cool, but there's more here than meets the eye. Kia is, as expected, short on details. But the automaker confirms many of the interior bits – including elements of the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel – use 3D-printed components. We'll have to wait until next week's Detroit Auto Show to see exactly what Kia's talking about, though. In its short press release, Kia once again mentions its concept's "unique in-cabin health-and-wellness technology," but doesn't offer any more details. Maybe it's something similar to the Fit Driver stuff that Audi unveiled at CES this week. Look for the Telluride to debut during Kia's press conference at 2:15 PM Eastern on Monday, January 11, and click here to see the original teaser showing the SUV's shape. DETROIT CONCEPT TEASER #2 The boldly designed Telluride, set to unveil at the 2016 North American International Auto Show next week, pushes the boundaries of technology and luxury with unique in-cabin health-and-wellness technology. The concept highlights Kia's first use of 3D-printed components, which add a distinct, modern design element to the dashboard, door panels, and steering wheel.