Will Ferrell and GM take on Norway for EV supremacy in Super Bowl ad

General Motors wants the United States to topple Norway's extremely high per-capita EV ownership, and the automotive giant hires Will Ferrell, Kenan Thompson, and Awkwafina to get that message across with humour for the brand's 2021 Super Bowl ad. They take a Cadillac Lyric and GMC Hummer EV to the chilly country to show the Norwegians the future of emissions-free motoring.

The ad opens with Ferrell getting angry about Norway being such a strong EV market. He gets behind the wheel of a Lyriq to pick up Thompson. Then, Farrell goes to Awkwafina who inexplicably is practising archery.

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Ferrell talks a little bit about GM's Ultium batteries before pulling into a cargo container and setting off for Norway by boat. Meanwhile, Thompson and Awkwafina are in a GMC Hummer EV.

Ferrell finally reaches his destination but quickly notices how beautiful the place is. Thompson and Awkwafina are lost in Finland but at least have a reindeer keeping them company. As a final stinger, Ferrell finds out that he's in Sweden, not Norway. A bit of text on-screen shows GM's pledge to launch 30 EVs by 2025.

Previous Will Ferrell teaser:

From a layman's perspective, the ad doesn't really explain what it is about Norway's number of EVs that makes Ferrell so angry. It also never names the Lyriq or GMC Hummer EV. The company seems to expect that everyone knows what they are. The commercial also forces viewers to assume a link between them and GM's Ultium batteries because there's never a direct statement indicating these vehicles are using the tech.

A 60-second version of this commercial will air during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. The version embedded above is the extended, 90-second cut.