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Kia's Forte Super Bowl ad features violent android lady

There's no Jimmy Cliff or Flaming Lips in Kia's Super Bowl ad for the new Forte, but we can't help thinking they're the second company this week to miss out on co-opting seminal New Jersey punk outfit the Misfits' “We Are 138.” While attaching the song to the unveiling of Ferrari's new F138 was a no-brainer from a numerically synergistic standpoint, the track's poppy brutality and ominous query, “Is it time to be an android, not a man?” dovetails perfectly with the rise-of-the-sexy-machines theme of the Kia clip. Clearly, the android in this spot -- portrayed by former Miss USA Alyssa Campanella -- has the upper hand over the poor schnook oiling up the new Forte with his greasy mitts. We can't help thinking the whole ad would've been better if the Misfits' original pint-size vocal dynamo Glenn Danzig had been involved somehow.

Smart Forspeed concept signals new design direction

Smart will unveil a new concept at the forthcoming Geneva motor show that signals a new design direction, hints at future product and confirms parent company Daimler's renewed commitment to the brand. Car Design News was granted early access to the concept, baptized Forspeed, at a secret photography studio in Stuttgart last week and heard the head of advanced design, Steffen Kohl, explain how the two-seat, electric-powered vehicle prefaces design themes in both the next Fortwo and the revived Forfour, which will be launched in 2014. "The fullness of this concept's exterior surfaces is important and will be reflected in future production models," said Kohl, "Smart will still be short, spacey, agile, and with wheels at the corners of the car, but with an added sporty and emotional design and without losing all the brand's iconic elements like its ‘plastic fantastic' aspect and the safe and hi-tech modular tridion shell assembled with all these changeable body parts.

A look at Dodge's future product

With Ram pickups no longer part of its lineup, Dodge is repositioning itself as a sporty brand for all ages. As the brands diverge, Ram keeps the distinctive ram's head logo, while Dodge will have a new script logo that will be revealed this year on the restyled Charger sedan and the Durango replacement. Sources say Dodge may eventually lose its cross-hair grille, which will stay with Ram.