Take a look at Renault’s teaser picture and you’ll notice the 1970′s Alpine A110, a car which competed successfully in the 1971 Monte Carlo rally and went on to win the World Rally Championship outright in 1973.

Success. That’s what Renault are seeking to recapture with the A110-50 Concept, which has been built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the A110 Berlinetta.

But of course the A110 wasn’t the last car produced by Alpine’s Dieppe factory, the rear-engined 2+2 Alpine A610 coupe ended production in 1995, whilst the Renault Spyder was produced there between 1995 and 1997. I remember driving one of the last A610′s for a feature in Performance Car that year, but the combination of turbo lag and its awful gearbox made me eager to swap its keys for the Porsche 968 Sport we had on the same test.

Renault’s Spyder, which launched Jason Plato’s career into BTCC, was created in the mid-90s to promote Renault’s sporting credentials and whilst its mid-engined handling was inspired, it arrived in a market already defined by the Lotus Elise – but weighing 200kg more. To add insult to injury, the Spyder was initially offered without a windscreen or roof, sealing its fate as a car which Renault just couldn’t sell.

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So what can we expect of the A110-50 Concept?

While the Alpine factory’s recent history might not be something to brag about, the fact that Renault’s new sports concept is inspired by the A110 should provide some comfort. Unlike previous Renault sports cars, the A110-50 will be developed by Renaultsport but sold under an Alpine badge – so the hugely talented team responsible for the Megane 265 and Clio RS are behind this new car.

The A110-50 Concept is based on the tubular chassis and rear-mounted 395bhp 3.5 litre V6 engine from Renault Megane Trophy racer, but with a body based on Renault’s DeZir concept – first shown at the 2010 Paris motor show. However, unlike the DeZir we expect the A110-50 to use a conventional combustion engine and proven components.

We’ll learn more about the A110-50 Concept when it’s officially revealed by @Renault_Live at 13:00 CET tomorrow. Let’s hope our optimism is justified and that Renault finds a way of bringing it to production at a price real enthusiasts can afford.

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The film, entitled “McLaren 12C finds ‘The Perfect Line’ at Yas Marina Circuit”, shows an MP4-12C driving through the desert and urban Abu Dhabi scenery before taking to the famous Formula 1 track at Yas Marina.

Harrison, said: “We wanted to produce this video to highlight our presence across the Middle East and reaffirm our commitment to establishing our brand in the region.

“The 12C is as comfortable on the road as a premium sedan, yet faster than any competitor car in its segment and this excellent video shows this fact; capturing the beauty of the desert, the emotion of the urban environment and the drama of a world famous Formula 1 circuit – three locations where the 12C is supremely confident.”

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For the film and photography buffs, I can tell you that the film was shot over a period of six days using the latest in RED camera technology; a cutting-edge approach to film-making (that we used to use in some of our DR videos), which provides high definition quality footage more commonly found in cinematic films.

An additional benefit of the RAW footage, which is shot in four times higher resolution than traditional High Definition (HD), is that it is extremely versatile – although editing requires a high-speed processor for your computer, plus super-quick broadband if your work-flow is spread over several locations. Additional footage was shot on a pre-release of Canon’s latest flagship DSLR camera, the 1DX.

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The new film marks the opening of McLaren Automotive’s Abu Dhabi showroom and their commitment to the Middle East, a region renowned for its passion for high-end sports cars and luxury vehicles.

McLaren’s Abu Dhabi showroom is the fourth retailer in the new McLaren Middle East network, which will grow to six state-of-the-art locations by summer 2012. These include McLaren Abu Dhabi, McLaren Bahrain, McLaren Doha, McLaren Dubai, McLaren Jeddah and McLaren Kuwait.

It’s a great looking video and no doubt appropriate when displayed on 52″ screen in McLaren Abu Dhabi’s air conditioned showroom, but we’d have preferred to see more of the MP4-12C rather and somewhat less of the slow-mo mood shots from the emirate locals.

Don’t agree with us on the Fry’s Turkish Delight analogy? Take a look at the ad (try playing both videos at the same time) and see for yourself – meanwhile I’m off to buy some chocolate..

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After Bahar joined Lotus in 2009, he set to work on replicating the Ferrari experience for the Norfolk sportscar maker. Lotus Originals opened its first retail store at the Hethel factory last December, and is due to launch its prestigious flagship store on London’s Regent Street during the next few months.

However, Ferrari and Lotus are not the only car maker to embrace the brand retail concept – L’Atelier Renault situated on the legendary Champs-Elysees in Paris, welcomes over two million visitors each year and there are numerous ‘brand experience’ centres off the high street including Mercedes-Benz World at the site of the famous Brooklands racing circuit in England.

Automotive brand retailing is now transforming from its humble origins as a catalogue business (tucked away in an official dealer’s parts and service department), to an independent service provided by car makers in ever-more prominent locations.

Now it’s BMW’s turn to show what it can do.

Earlier today Ian Robertson, Head of Sales and Marketing at BMW AG, opened the car maker’s first ‘BMW Brand Store’ on Avenue George V, one of the most luxurious areas in metropolitan Paris.

The store was designed by the well-known, luxury retail architect, Eric Carlson and his team from Carbondale Architects and Version Architects.

Ian Robertson said at the launch, “The world of retail has changed significantly – customer behaviour, needs and expectations have changed, as well as communication technology. As part of our corporate Strategy Number ONE, we critically reviewed our processes and customer feedback. We will now build upon our strengths and implement a comprehensive programme named Future Retail. This will entail a whole range of initiatives and tools designed to enhance the customer experience and to set new standards for retail in the automotive industry and beyond.”

With Future Retail, the BMW Group has three objectives – first, to increase the number of possible contact points with customers and prospects, second, to increase the services and benefits offered in its retail channels, and third, to enhance the retail experience at all touch points.

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For those of you unfamiliar with the attributes of multi-channel marketing, the phrase ‘touch point’ is management-speak for any physical or virtual contact between the customer and a brand. During the past decade consumer product retailers have been grappling with the issues created by the diversity of these contact opportunities (telephone, internet, retail stores, temporary exhibition centres) where a customer either acquires information about the brand or provides information about themselves to the brand.

Either way, the challenge for the brand is to ensure the information they provide (or collect) is the same (across all touch points) and that contact with the customer builds a memory that informs future contact (through whichever contact point the customer then chooses to use) so that the contact can be personalised and the experience enhanced to make customers more likely to buy and remain loyal.

It’s tricky, but quite fun to crack and often a brand’s retail presence is the best point to use when bringing all these elements together. It’s also usually the only point where the entire customer experience can be delivered in a consistent and controlled manner.

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In the future you will see a number of BMW and MINI retail centres, together with other initiatives to help deliver BMW’s Future Retail goals.

According to BMW’s statement today, Stage One seems to be these branded retail centres, but Robertson still sees its dealer network as being a critical part of the customer experience offered by the brand.

To this end, they have created a new dealer-based role, dubiously called ‘Product Genius’, which will be mobile rather than office-based. These product management gurus will be equipped with a state of the art Information Management System on a tablet device, allowing, for example, product configuration and in-depth explanation of features supported by visuals and films.

Robertson’s ambitions are considerable, “We aim to be the benchmark in automotive retail”, but they’ll start their move towards world-domination initially in just four countries – France, UK, China and the Netherlands.

Presumably America’s ‘Have a Nice Day’ culture was a bit too much to swallow in the first stage, but then Rome wasn’t built in a day and there’s a lot of work to do before Robertson’s vision of a single customer experience can become a reality.

In the run up to this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Mika has been joined by Nico Rosberg and a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. Despite the obvious staging of their conversation, the insights are worthwhile reading and do a pretty good job of whetting our appetite for the race ahead.

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It’s a scene that happens hundreds of thousands of times a day around the world: two people meet in a lift, greet each other and begin to chat about work and life. The twist in this particular story, though, is that the elevator is in Monte-Carlo; the two men are resident in the same apartment building, separated by little more than a few floors; and both have written their own chapters in the very exclusive grand prix racing history of Mercedes-Benz.

Mika Häkkinen was the first Mercedes-Benz world champion of the modern era, and a two-time title winner in 1998 and 1999 with McLaren Mercedes; Nico Rosberg is the first man to win a Grand Prix at the wheel of a Silver Arrow since the great Juan Manuel Fangio, in the third season of the return of the Silver Arrows. On the eve of the race around their home streets, the two men met to discuss their experiences as part of one of the most spectacular events in world sport.

The histories of Mika Häkkinen and Nico Rosberg have been intertwined for more than twenty years, when Nico was just a young boy and Mika worked with Keke Rosberg, who led his management team.

“I don’t remember when we first met – maybe Mika does!” laughs Nico when the question comes.

“Well, I started working with Keke at the end of 1987,” recalls Mika. “I think the first time we met must have been down here in Monaco in the early ‘90s. I was visiting Keke, and you were playing in your room! It’s possible I was his first sponsor in karting – do you remember that?”

“Yeah, sure,” laughs Nico. “It was 1997, I was 11 years old and competing in the French go-karting championship. I had a poster in my room with all my sponsors on there, and one of them was you!”

“My son is eleven now,” says Mika, picking up the thread. “I’m sure I did a contract with Keke that one day, when Nico will win races and be world champion, he has to start supporting my son Hugo!”

If the early stages of Nico’s career were supported by Mika – who today himself is a partner with Didier Coton in Aces Management and has, among others, young Finn Valtteri Bottas under his wing – the parallels between the two have only grown stronger as time has passed. Both Mika and Nico had to wait until their seventh Formula One season before climbing the top step of the podium – Mika after 96 races, at the 1997 European Grand Prix in Jerez; Nico in his 111th start, at this year’s Chinese Grand Prix. And both in their third seasons driving Mercedes-Benz-powered cars.

“Your first victory in Formula One always feels like it is a long time coming,” explains Mika. “And especially in my case – but when it arrives, the feeling is just amazing. But problems are part of life, and winning or losing, they don’t disappear. You need to keep understanding the cause of disappointments and where you and the team can improve.

“There is no point having your face upside down for one week – it’s better to pick up the phone, travel, see people, talk, organise yourself. Then you know that at the next event, you will be stronger – and if not the car, then yourself; you can always be better. Because the day when you have a car to win, you have to be ready. If not, it’s too late. I knew that one day I was going to win, it just took a long time.”

“I had exactly the same feeling – Ross, all the guys, kept telling me that the win would come, I just needed to stay patient and take my opportunity,” agrees Nico. “Of course, you get frustrated if it doesn’t go perfectly, but time takes that away and you keep going, follow the development, communicate constantly with the team.”

“Nico did a perfect weekend in China and deserves full credit for that win,” emphasises Mika. “It was not depending on circumstances or luck, but purely on his hard work. As a Mercedes-Benz ambassador, it was great not only to watch his achievements, but to enjoy seeing Mercedes-Benz back on the top step of the podium.”

Inevitably, the conversation soon turns to the unique challenge of racing around the Monegasque streets, which have been home to both of them for more than 20 years. For Nico, the tunnel was once the route to school, in the passenger seat next to his Mum or on the school bus. And that ‘local’ feel is one that Mika says remains throughout the weekend.

“I had some great victories in my career, but Monaco was something special,” remembers Mika. “I have lived here for 20 years and the thing you realise is that the people who work on the race track are also the people who live and work in Monaco – the police, the pompiers. In everyday life, these are the guys you see in the street and they say ‘hi’ as you walk past. To win in Monaco is like winning in your home streets, and you recognise faces all through the weekend.”

“It’s home for me too, of course,” picks up Nico. “I’ve grown up here, all my friends are here and my family, I know everybody and it’s very special to race here. Mentally, it’s quite a demanding weekend. You have a lot going on, a lot of PR events and appointments. Plus on track, too, it’s a bit more intense – but not so much. You need to be super concentrated at every circuit.”

“That’s true. But what changed for me was that, when I got a car that I would win races with, Monaco became more important for some reason. When you are hunting pole position in Monaco, your mind changes; you put yourself in a higher power, even though you think you are doing it already. When you are fighting for P11 or P12, you always think you are doing your maximum.

“But when I started fighting for pole, it just happened that I was working even harder to reach my goal – but not purposely. And of course, we changed the car, too: the steering lock, and the seating position to sit higher in the car, because the aero was not so important and we wanted to see the Armco properly.”

“That’s interesting, because we definitely make changes, too,” says Nico. “But I don’t think it’s common practice, even today.”

With that, the two men are off to inspect the circuit at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. Over the years, Mercedes-Benz has been synonymous with success in Monaco – from the three consecutive victories in 1935, 36 and 37 for Fagioli, Caracciola and von Brauchitsch respectively; to the seven Formula One victories for Mercedes-Benz power, including three of the last five.

And the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team will be working hard to add a new milestone to the company’s heritage this weekend.

Credit: words and pictures, Mercedes-Benz

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Jaguar has a long and proud history in endurance racing with the likes of the XJR-9, D-Type and XK120 based C-type, but the responsibility last weekend lay with the humble XF 3.0 Diesel S to uphold the marque’s honour.

The XF run by Carvell Motorsport, with Nathan Freke, Colin White and Rob Carvell at the wheel, was powered by a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine producing 296bhp and 452lb-ft of torque and used the standard car’s 8 speed ZF Transmission.

The car – named by the team as ‘Jaguar XF24 Endurance’ – was built and run by a team of Jaguar factory employees working in their spare time, but with the blessing of Jaguar UK.

Whilst broadly standard, the XF24 Endurance was fitted with 380mm Alcon brake discs and Alcon 6-piston calipers up front, and 355m discs plus 4-piston calipers at the rear. Bilstein dampers kept the XF24 glued to the track, together with Pirelli tyres. BTB Exhausts provided the bespoke racing system, liberated by an HJS racing catalyst.

It completed 109 laps of the 14-mile Nordschleife track – overcoming changeable and often challenging weather conditions to lead its class for much of the race. By the end, the XF finished 10 laps ahead of its nearest rival – and winning the D3T class.

Ian Carvell, Team Principal, commented: ‘We had very little running prior to the race, meaning our aim was to put in a solid performance and finish. To win our class and complete the race as the leading diesel is an incredible result for us – and testament to the strength and efficiency of the XF. It was quick and consistent over the 24hrs.’

Andy Whyman, Chief Programme Engineer, XF, commented: ‘The team did an incredible job – on behalf of Jaguar Cars I would like to congratulate them on a fantastic result. I’m proud that they chose an XF as the basis for their Nurburgring race effort and their faith in the car was rewarded in such spectacular style.’

Jaguar supported the Carvell Team by donating the use of its Nürburgring Test Centre for the duration of the race and its build up.

Well done chaps, I’m sure William Lyons would have been very proud of you.

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Nine months later and 17.8 million views in the bag, DC Shoes and Ford Racing have put together a raw, more focused action edit – 4 minutes shorter, less Monkey and no Bollywood.

Gymkhana Four – The Edit, takes a closer look at Ken Block’s behind-the-wheel driving precision, incorporating never-before-seen shots and all-new angles of previous shots.

If you think you’ve seen all there is to see of Gymkhana Four, think again.

There’s still a long way to go before Gymkhana Four closes in on the whopping 43 million views earned by Gymkhana Three, but this new edit should certainly help.

When I spoke with Ken back in December, he voiced his concerns about the ideal length for a Gymkhana video – Gym3 ran for 7:32 mins, Gym4 for 9:15 mins, so at 5:10 mins for this Bonus Edit, he’s clearly testing appetite water before going to work on Gymkhana Five – which is due out in the Summer.

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Once Aston Martin priced their Cygnet city car at £32,000, it wasn’t long before BMW’s MINI raised the bar to £41,000 with its 184bhp MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD. Not wishing to be outdone, Fiat first responded with its £29,600 180bhp Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari and now a £32,000 Abarth 695 Maserati Edition – also packing a 180bhp version of Fiat’s 1.4 Turbo T-Jet 16v engine.

From L to R: MINI INSPIRED BY GOODWOOD, Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari, Aston Martin Cygnet.

Just 499 of the 180bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged superminis will be produced, which I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear, comes with a set of stunning Tramontano leather luggage and fabric convertible roof as standard.

Whereas the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari from 2 years ago was a fixed-roof pocket rocket, the Abarth 695 Maserati Edition is more of a Gran Turismo – with handling and ride comfort more suited to the every-day driver.

The Edizione Maserati features exclusive styling details and special technical features developed by Abarth engineers for Maserati. The 1.4 Turbo T-Jet 16v engine is linked to an electrically-operated manual Abarth Competizione gearbox with steering wheel controls, while performance tyres on 17-inch Maserati-inspired Neptune design alloy wheels come fitted as standard.

The chassis has also been engineered to cope with the extra power. Front brakes feature Brembo monobloc callipers with floating 305mm discs while special Koni shock absorbers deliver the supple ride combined with Abarth handling. A variable back-pressure ‘dual mode’ exhaust improves engine performance and delivers a uniquely inspiring sound above 3,000 rpm.

The car is finished in Pontevecchio Bordeaux – a colour from Maserati which is achieved with special three-layer paintwork to reflect light and accentuate its shine. The same paintwork is added to the door mirrors while the electrically controlled soft top is made of grey fabric.

Inside, the seats are upholstered in sand beige leather, with a 695 logo embossed on the headrests. The dashboard and gearbox trim are distinguished by a special matt-finish carbon lining, further enhanced with the 695 logo, while the door panels and rear panels undergo a special UV-LUX treatment, to give an elegant grey ‘flocking’ effect.

The black leather steering wheel is characterised by beige leather inserts and tricolour hub and houses the steering wheel gearbox controls, while the instrument panel has been specifically produced by the Jaeger brand.

Other details include the aluminium pedal unit and sill plates, the carbon fibre kick plate with customised Abarth 695 Maserati Edition graphics, and a plate with the car’s series number from 1 to 499.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re spoilt for choice. But if you really must blow £30,000+ on a city car, there’s a lot to be said for it being a Maserati (sort of).

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Aston Martin’s 1964 DB5 is back, bearing the original number plate, BMT 216A, as used in the 007 classic, Goldfinger. But the DB5 looks like being the only Aston making an appearance this time, albeit as Bond’s personal set of wheels.

Also, whereas Quantum of Solace saw heavy (i.e. excessive) product placements from Ford, SkyFall will be a strictly Jaguar and Land Rover affair – although with more than 70 cars provided for the film it will be interesting to see just how covert the film makers manage to be.

A Range Rover Vogue TDV8 SE stands in for official MI6 duties, whilst Jaguar’s long-wheelbase XJ provides a tranquil means of transportation for ‘M’.

Land Rover’s venerable Defender will be used in some of the ‘chase scenes’, whilst the Evoque will also be make an appearance. The 4×4 will be driven by Bond’s fellow MI6 field-agent Eve, played by Namoie Harris (below).

Directed by Sam Mendes, the 23rd Bond film also stars Dame Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Bérénice Marlohe, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw.

Five-time Bond composer David Arnold, who’s scored every 007 film since 1997, turned down the roll on SkyFall and has been replaced by Thomas Newman, who has previously worked with Mendes.

Arnold, who we interviewed about his Bond movies back in 2010, is musical director for the 2012 London Olympic Games – as can also be seen on BBC 1′s comedy show, The Matt Lucas Awards.

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For little boys who’ve never grown up, there will be a SkyFall Scalextric set (1:32) to accompany the film and mark the 50th anniversary of the world’s best known secret agent.

For a retail price of £119.99 you can re-enact scenes from the film on track or make up your own exciting chase scenes using the gravity defying flying leap (Scalextric’s words, not mine).

The set comes with a 532cm track, two hand controllers and an Aston Martin DB5 and Range Rover Vogue. That’s my Christmas present sorted then..

So, what happened to Bentley?

The rumour mill went into overtime last year when the author Jeffery Deaver, launched his new 007 novel, Carte Blanche.

In Ian Fleming’s books, Bond drives a Bentley, so it seemed only fitting for Deaver’s publishers, Hodder & Stoughton, to collaborate with Bentley at its inaugural launch in Dubai and thereafter at London’s St Pancras station.

But a multi-film deal had already been signed by Jaguar Land Rover’s owner (Indian carmaker Tata Motors), after the three-film contract between EON Productions and Ford came up for renewal in 2008.

Julian Jenkins, VP, Aston Martin the Americas, said in this month’s Variety Magazine, that his company is delighted to see James Bond continue his “love affair” with Aston Martin.

“Aston Martin is now synonymous with James Bond and undoubtedly this long-standing association has enabled us to achieve greater brand awareness globally, particularly in areas and nations where our brand is perhaps otherwise not as well known.”

SkyFall is scheduled for release on November 9th, 2012.

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As you’ve already guessed, the Bentleys were not competing in the race, but instead leading all 170 competitors around the legendary Nürburgring Nordschliefe circuit for the official parade lap.

Modern-day Bentley Boys Juha Kankkunen, Guy Smith and Eric van de Poele joined Chairman and Chief Executive Wolfgang Dürheimer in a Bentley line-up, including the Continental GTC W12, Mulsanne, 630 bhp Continental Supersports and new Continental GT V8.

Bentley Continental GT, Mulsanne, Supersports, GT V8 and GTC W12 lead the parade lap at the Nürburgring 24-Hours.

They were joined by a pair of Flying Spurs that are on VIP shuttle service duty throughout the gruelling 24-hour race.

CEO Dürheimer said, “Bentley is proud to help support this year’s Nürburgring event, one of the most punishing endurance tests on the motorsport calendar. As a regular visitor to the Nürburgring during the development of our cars and with a personal passion for driving the track, I am delighted that Bentley is here in a race environment this weekend. I’d like to wish all the drivers the very best of luck for the long race ahead.”

It would certainly have been fun to see at least the Conti Supersports compete in the race, after all, Aston Martin has fielded their 4-door Rapide in the past, but then I suspect a 2-tonne Bentley might wreak havoc to a set of brakes and driveshafts around the Green Hell – but it would be fun while it lasted.

We’re talking about ‘Range anxiety’ – The fear that a vehicle has insufficient range to reach its destination and would thus strand the vehicle’s occupants.’

Well, what did you think we were talking about..? (stop sniggering at the back)

It’s a genuine problem which has limited the take-up of electric cars as a viable alternative to our trusty fuel-burners. Battery capacity can vary depending on the ambient temperature, how the battery has been cared for in its lifespan and of course how the car has been driven.

That’s why several alternatives to the battery electric vehicle have developed – Hybrids and Extended Range Electric Vehicle (or E-REV), such as the Chevy Volt/Vauxhall Ampera.

Unlike Hybrids, which run on either a battery powered electric motor, combustion engine or both, range extended vehicles are electrically driven at all times. In the case of Chevy’s Volt once its lithium-ion battery is depleted (after 25-50 miles), power is seamlessly inverted to the electric drive unit from its on-board petrol powered generator for a further 250 miles.

But if your daily journey is short and you’re able to plug your Volt into a socket every night to recharge it, you could conceivably never use a drop of fuel ever again.

A 1.4-litre, 85 bhp petrol engine is used to power the generator and this is fully integrated with the Volt’s 148 bhp electric drive unit consisting of two electric motors, three clutches and a planetary gearset.

The Volt’s electric drive unit delivers 370Nm (279lb-ft) of instant torque, which goes someway to disguise the Volt’s otherwise languid performance – 0 to 60mph is yours in just 9.0 seconds, but you’ll never reach 100mph (and I mean NEVER) – so stay away from the autobahns.

But that’s not what the Volt is all about. Rather than comparing it head-to-head with other £30,000 saloons, Chevy are promoting the peace of mind gained by owners who want an electric vehicle, but also want to cover combustion-engine mileages. In fact a sample of early Volt customers in the US, shows that many drive up to 1,000 miles before re-filling the fuel tank.

Some other benefits include qualifying for the government’s Plug-In Car Grant worth up to £5,000, while the Volt is also exempt from the London’s daily congestion charge, saving owners up to a further £2,000 per year. That still leaves you with its £29,995 purchase price, which although expensive is not unaffordably so.

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Sponsored video: Chevy Volt – Range Anxiety

The Volt officially went on sale here in the UK on May 1st, with first customers receiving their cars shortly thereafter. So the real question now is, how will Chevrolet market the Volt to motorists weaned on the convenience of petrol and diesel engines?

Well, to start with Chevrolet has gone 100% digital with their new advertising campaign, using a multi-ad video format developed together with Unruly Media.

The ‘Range Anxiety’ ads were created as part of the MoFilm Barcelona film competition, with the top four entries being run in the player below.

The first film, ‘Zombie Ride’, seeks to highlight the benefit of the Volt’s extended 300 mile range, demonstrating its eminent suitability as a getaway car… from zombies.  Two ‘dudes’ break down in their (petrol engine) car in the middle of nowhere, whereupon they are pursued on foot by a gang of animated ‘flesh eating’ corpses.

Luckily for them a hot girl drives up in a Chevy Volt (this never happens to me), just in time, thereby saving the day (and their skin).

‘Free Range’ is a film that, at first glance, has nothing to do with the Chevy Volt, but builds its story around the zoology of the human species – “For centuries, the human condition has been adversely affected by attempts of domestication. A condition known to the experts as range anxiety. While he longs to be with his wife, he’s paralysed by the fear he may become stranded and not make it home to his shelter by nightfall..”.

In the story, the one ‘evolved’ member of the group breaks out of the holding pen, confronting his range anxiety and taking his rightful place in the wild.

‘My Kingdom for a Volt’ is set in Avignon, 1191 D.C. featuring a character introduced to us as ‘The Hero of our Video Games’ who fears nothing.. except for the discharging battery on the player’s console. He spends the next 40 seconds complaining that he and other characters within the game, live in fear (sic) of the console switching off at any moment leaving them stranded between levels.

The final film is called ‘Range Anxiety Anonymous’ which parodies a self-help group, opening up about their bad electric vehicle experiences. After one particularly distraught mother-of-two, Sheryl, explains how buying an electric car has given her range anxiety – she’s been stranded 17 times, whilst the kids haven’t seen their grandmother in 8 months – the group then turns to ‘Steve’ for his story.

It’s at this point the group leader realises Steve is missing, only to discover that he’s bought a Chevy Volt.

How is the campaign performing?

‘Alternative comedy’ is a term that originated in the 1980s and which I always took to mean ‘comedy which isn’t funny’. Well, the winning film, ‘Zombie Ride’, is almost funny, but I had to watch the other films several times in order to ‘get’ what they were about.

That’s normally a disadvantage for social videos, where audiences have short attention spans and the first 30 seconds are crucial in retaining their interest.

Likewise, when we reflect on the psychology of ad effectiveness, there is neither a persuasive style of engagement (reasoning why the Volt is better than other electric vehicles) nor an association with positive ideals, apart from when the dudes in ‘Zombie Ride’ get saved by the hot girl (did I mention that never happens to me?).

It’s perhaps not surprising therefore that the films have yet to challenge the Viral Video chart Top 100. They’ve only been out a week, so there’s still time for them to catch on, but I suspect the audience Chevy are really aiming for are those people who have already owned an electric vehicle and can identify with the anxiety of being stranded.

Has Chevy assuaged these fears, or merely made more people aware that such a problem exists? We’ll let you be the judge of that.

Credits: all data provided by Unruly Media’s Viral Video Chart.

Disclosure: This article is sponsored in part by Chevrolet, however all views expressed within are entirely our own. Sponsored articles are accepted at our own discretion and only where we believe such focus or analysis will benefit our readers. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this article further, then please get in touch via email or using the contact tab on this page.