EV start-up Polestar takes shots at Tesla’s Elon Musk in Super Bowl

Electric vehicle start-up Polestar, which is expected to go public this year, used its first-ever Super Bowl ad to indirectly take shots at its competitors, including Tesla and Volkswagen.

The 30-second spot, called “No Compromises,” is simple and to the point. It features shots of the company’s Polestar 2 electric vehicle with the word “No,” followed by words and phrases directed at other traditional Super Bowl commercials and car companies.

Words following “No” during the ad range from general terms such as “epic voiceovers” and “dirty secrets” to “dieselgate” – referring to a former diesel emissions scandal with Volkswagen – and “conquering Mars” – a critique on Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, who has plans to land humans on Mars by 2026.

The commercial ends at “No. 2” and then “Polestar 2,” the company’s all-electric performance car.

“The Super Bowl is an iconic event and I’m excited to bring Polestar’s message to such a wide audience,” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said in a statement. “We are a young and ambitious brand. We believe in ‘no compromises’, for our design language, our sustainability efforts, and the performance of our cars, and we wanted to share that philosophy with this ad. This is the perfect place to further raise awareness of our brand in the US, and beyond.”

Polestar is controlled by Volvo Car AB and its owner Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. In September, the company announced a deal to go public during the first half of this year by merging with a U.S.-listed blank-check firm backed by billionaire Alec Gores and investment bank Guggenheim Partners at an enterprise value of $20 billion.

Here’s the ad: