Audi Makes Super Bowl an Offer It Can’t Refuse

Audi’s returning to Super Bowl advertising, and it’s making the NFL and FOX an offer they can’t refuse--a commercial that lifts themes from the Godfather movies and stars the R8 supercar.

The point of the commercial, Audi says, is to point out Audi’s assault on the traditional luxury brands, like Mercedes and BMW. The Godfather triptych inspired the commercial, Audi says, “ because the film expresses the idea of a new power rising in an established hierarchy.”

Sounds heavy as lead--until you get to the star and centerpiece of the 60-second ad, the new R8 sportscar. A best-of winner for the 2008 model year and the recent star of Audi’s Detroit auto show display in diesel guise, the R8 is the halo car for a resurgent brand that sold 93,506 vehicles in the U.S. last year, a nearly 4-percent rise over 2006.

The ad was created by Audi’s ad agency, Venables Bell & Partners, and the spot will run in the first quarter of the game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.

In case you’re planning on avoiding the big game--live from Glendale, Arizona!--on February 3, 2008, on FOX, you can tune into the Audi Web site to catch the ad.

And while we’ve got your attention...who’s going to win the big game? Tell us in a comment below!