BMW Super Bowl pick for selling EVs: Arnold Schwarzenegger plus Salma Hayek

tech.hindustantimes.com:

If electric vehicle commercials were 1980s action films, Arnold Schwarzenegger would be, well, Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The former governor/Terminator will be at it again this weekend, plugging BMW’s new plug-in, the iX SUV, during the Super Bowl. In the 60-second spot, Schwarzenegger plays a grumpy Zeus (“the God of Lightning”), wiling away retirement in Palm Springs, occasionally charging the neighbors’ golf carts and hedge trimmers. Hera, played by Salma Hayek, surprises him with the BMW and — spoiler alert — his mood improves. 

“I always said ‘We have to create a movement,’” Schwarzenegger told Bloomberg Green. “So I would push alternative fuel vehicles from here to eternity.”

Electric vehicles are swiftly moving beyond early adopters to the mass market. As carmakers pour resources into battery-powered machines, auto marketing teams are hustling to shake the stigma of electric vehicles being earnest, often wimpy vehicles. Enter Schwarzenegger. 

“Somebody put that name out there and everybody was like, ‘Yeah, let’s stop the discussion right here,’” BMW North America Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Mackensen said.

Schwarzenegger has taken a winding road to his status as EV pitchman. Thirty years ago, he was pushing for the introduction of gas-guzzling civilian Hummers. He started building his reputation as an eco-warrior in the California statehouse where he signed a law to cap emissions on utilities and factories. He also was an early champion for making the Los Angeles Auto Show a showcase for alternative technology. In 2019, the actor played a smarmy car dealer in a series of videos for Veloz, a nonprofit consortium of companies and agencies trying to accelerate EV adoption.

BMW Chief Marketing Officer Jens Thiemer has