- lincoln's 494-hp plug-in-hybrid version of its mid-size crossover, the 2020 aviator grand touring, stars in a new commercial in a cloud of billowing purple smoke.
- perplexingly calm actor matthew mcconaughey is behind the wheel of the ad, which debuted over the weekend.
- the new aviator grand touring starts just under $70,000.
if you imagined the confluence of a lincoln luxury crossover, oscar winner matthew mcconaughey, breaking bad director johan renck, and billowing smoke in a color that brings to mind the hendrix classic "purple haze," it would look something like this. the newest commercial from ford's luxury brand made its tv debut during the notre dame vs. new mexico football game over the weekend—because symphonic music and purple smoke are exactly what college-football fans crave, apparently.
the ad, called "fresh take," features mcconaughey driving a lincoln aviator grand touring, the 494-hp plug-in-hybrid model, through smoke created by other cars doing donuts and drifting. this is just one of many quirky lincoln ads that mcconaughey has been featured in. he comments in his usual laconic style that lincoln's performance isn't like that of the tuned street-mod-like cars that circle like sharks around him as he passes through the smoke, but instead "just leaves you feeling better."
if mcconaughey alone wasn't enough to get your attention, the advertisement features music from the detroit symphony orchestra, which also recorded several car alert noises used in the aviator.
in recent years lincoln has been trying to cement its status as ford's luxury brand and has done a good job so far with the navigator and now aviator. we recently drove the aviator for the first time and praised its luxurious appearance and powerful performance. we couldn't have foreseen mcconaughey and purple smoke, but maybe we should have.
in addition to marking the premiere of the ad, this past saturday also marked the start of the aviator's "experiential" u.s. tour of 11 cities, including boston, philadelphia, atlanta, new york, and los angeles, between now and november.