Porsche‘s first Super Bowl commercial since 1997 is seemingly just the beginning of something bigger—a statement that applies not only to the short version of the ad below, but also the brand as a whole.
Dubbed “The Heist,” the 60-second spot starts in the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, where a bevy of security guards mull about the premises unaware that a Porsche Taycan is silently moving about. While the Taycan’s electric powertrain allows it to slip through the halls of the museum undetected, the modern powertrain is unable to do anything about the car tripping the building’s alarm.
In short order, security is on alert and the crew of guards quickly slip into some of Porsche’s most vaunted vehicles in search of the elusive Taycan. Engines spin to redline, tires howl into the night, and then … it’s over. Or is it?
It turns out the shorter Super Bowl spot merely serves as a sort of opening sequence to a longer version available to watch on Porsche’s YouTube channel and video site, NewsTV—or as embedded below. If the 60-second spot feels like a Mission Impossible film, the longer clip’s second half plays like Bad Boys, as more than a half dozen Porsches race through the German town of Heidelberg in pursuit of the stolen Taycan. Epic oversteer and various sight gags lighten the mood, which ultimately concludes with a twist.
As mentioned, the entire commercial is analogous to the Taycan’s impact on Porsche’s future as it moves from the maker of some of history’s most legendary fossil-fuel-burning machines to a more electrified future. Indeed, as the first mass-produced electric vehicle by the German automaker, the Taycan previews a Porsche era that promises driving engagement and environmental conscientiousness. And if “The Heist” is anything to go by, then we have no doubt Porsche’s electric future will be as exciting as its gas-driven past.
