A Bear Hug? Nissan Ad Raises Eyebrows - NYTimes.com

A Bear Hug? Nissan Ad Raises Eyebrows - NYTimes.com

How does it feel to own an all-electric Nissan Leaf sedan? Warm and fuzzy? Like getting a hug from a polar bear threatened by global warming, perhaps?

That’s the implication of a new television ad for the Leaf that made its debut Thursday night during a National Football League game. The minute-long spot follows a solitary polar bear on a trek south from a warming Arctic, through forests, along highways and into the city, finally reaching a driveway in the suburbs.

There, as a man prepares to open the door to his Nissan Leaf and set off on his morning commute, the massive bear rears up on its hind legs and — wait for it — gives him a big cuddly hug.