There are two reasons why people buy minivans and, contrary to common belief, one of them isn't because their lives are over: the first has to do with interior room, while the second is safety-related.
Kia knows that all too well and so has released a commercial spot highlighting the passenger cell's sturdiness in its Grand Carnival (Sedona) minivan. But this is not quite your regular safety test...
The first shots don't quite explain what's going on, but something is clearly off. Pigeons sitting on the length of a light post? What the hell is wrong with them? Well, nothing - it's just one of those cases when an upright construction is filmed as to appear horizontal, messing with our brains and what we've learned about gravity all this time.
The situation is somewhat explained when the camera starts rotating and we get to see the whole installation with the scaffolding holding the makeshift street in place. Still, one question remains: why build a vertical street, complete with scenery, bus line schedule and "people" watering the flowers?
Because showing us a plain and simple regular crash test would have made for the most boring commercial ever. This way, Kia made sure people were intrigued and wouldn't switch channels the instant the commercial started. Good thinking, Kia, good thinking.
The moment the poor minivan is hooked to a crane and is lifted along Vertical Street to a height of 12.6 meters (41.3 feet), it all becomes clear. The car will go down Vertical Street and will crush into the Horizontal Earth at the end of it. Yeah, we know the Earth is round, but it didn't look that way from where Kia's dummy driver was looking.
A small pyrotechnical charge unhooks the car and the rest is done by gravity. It accelerates over the 41.3 feet distance and hits the ground at a precise 56 km/h (almost 35 mph). The aftermath is clear for everyone to see, with the passenger cell unaffected in any way by the crash.
The ad makes for a pleasant watch and also sends a very clear message about Sedona's/Grand Carnival's safety rating, and we'd say that's the recipe for a successful commercial.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News