Over the decades, automotive advertising has given us some incredible moments, but it’s also produced some absolute disasters. As a lifelong gearhead, I’ve collected some of the most jaw-dropping examples of when car companies completely missed the mark. Some are just outright offensive while others are dangerous.
These advertisements make you wonder what exactly was happening in those marketing meetings.
Audi’s Chinese Wedding Commercial
The 2017 ad showed a mother-in-law inspecting a bride like a used car, checking her teeth, ears, and nose during a wedding ceremony. The ad sparked massive backlash in China for its blatant objectification of women. Audi was forced to apologize and remove the ad.
Skoda Groom Options
Skoda, the Volkswagen Group subsidiary, faced significant backlash over a controversial Irish advertisement. The campaign featured a distasteful wedding scenario where a groom contemplated three options regarding his bride: maintaining the marriage, returning her to her father, or pursuing her younger sibling.
When confronted with criticism, Skoda attempted to defend their position by revealing plans for a gender-reversed version of the same concept. However, this explanation fell flat, particularly given the company’s previous controversial marketing choices. The brand had already drawn criticism in the German market with another questionable advertisement that objectified women while promoting their vehicle’s dual-zone climate control system.
General Motors’ “Robot Suicide” Ad
Aired during the 2007 Super Bowl, the ad showed a robot jumping off a bridge after being fired for making a mistake. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention criticized it for portraying suicide as a viable option for job loss. GM pulled the ad after five days of backlash.
Fiat Stalking Ad Campaign
Fiat sent 50,000 anonymous pink love letters personally addressed to Spanish women as part of their marketing strategy for the Fiat 500 (Cinquecento). The letters contained romantic messages suggesting a recent encounter and proposing a “little experience together”
The letter read:
“Yesterday we saw each other again. We met on the street and I noticed how you glanced interestedly in my direction. I only need to be with you for a couple of minutes, and even if it doesn’t work out, I promise you won’t forget our little experience together”.
It resulted in women feeling threatened and stalked. Police reports were filed and marriages were affected because of jealousy. Fiat was sued and a court fine was issued. They also had to pay compensation and send apology letters to the women affected. Oh, and the second round of letters were never sent out – which is probably a good thing.
Hyundai’s Suicide-Themed IX35 Commercial
The 2013 ad depicted a man attempting suicide through car exhaust but failing because the vehicle was a hydrogen-powered IX35 that only emitted water vapor. The ad was pulled after severe criticism, particularly from people who had lost family members to suicide.
Volkswagen’s Racist Golf 8 Video
In 2020, VW posted a social media ad showing a large white hand flicking a black man away from a VW Golf into a café called “Petit Colon” (Little Colonist). The company apologized and launched an internal investigation, acknowledging it contradicted civil rights achievements.
Ford’s Bound Women Ad
In 2013, Ford India released ads showing celebrities driving cars with bound and gagged women in the trunk. One version featured Paris Hilton with the Kardashian sisters tied up. The ads were created by JWT India and allegedly meant for an internal competition but were publicly released, causing international outrage.
BMW You are Not The First
In 2008, BMW launched a controversial advertising campaign for their used car division that sparked significant public backlash. The advertisement featured a young, attractive female model with a seductive expression alongside the provocative tagline “You know you’re not the first. But do you really care?”
The ad was withdrawn after a lot of controversy and negative press. While it was meant to be witty and sarcastic, the sexual undertones could not be ignored. Aston Martin ran a similar campaign
Hertz Cars Beat Your Wife
Not sure what the ad company was thinking on this one. Of course, it is not promoting beating your wife, but consumers may have been put off from reading the fine print to get the play on words. The lead was meant to drive home the fact that renting from Hertz can get you home faster than your wife will get home in the family car.
Chevrolet’s “Real People” Campaign
The company faced backlash over reliability claims in their “Real People, Not Actors” commercials. Multiple manufacturers including Ford, Toyota, and Honda challenged the validity of Chevrolet’s claims, ultimately forcing them to pull the advertisements.
Authenticity was also questioned after it was found that some of these “real people” were in fact confirmed actors. Evidence was also found that some of the shots were used in different commercials. So all in all, the entire series of ads seemed to be a bit deceptive. The company would end the campaign, but stated the reasons as “changing world conditions”.
Volkswagen – “Women Hit Things”
Nothing like bashing half the population like Volkswagen did with this ad. All the sexism of several decades are crammed into this ad that implies your pocket book won’t hurt too much when your wife hits something. The ad was created to talk about how affordable parts repairs were as a selling point.
Cartoon Cars That Kept Us Entertained
Some of us watch cartoons just for the cool cars! From the Chopper Bunch to Batman, these cartoon cars were some of the most popular that kids of all ages could not wait to watch.
TV Shows and Movies Where the Cars were the Stars
Who is paying attention to the humans in these movies? If you love cars like we do, then once these famous cars hit the screen you probably never notices the actors! These classic shows are a great glimpse back in time to cars that kids today may be jealous of.