The Most Banterous Car Ads Ever

Sod your 'JOY' and Vorsprung Durch Technik. We prefer our car ads with sarcasm, thanks

Updated: 10 Oct 2024

After years of BMW and Mercedes ruling the roost of sports saloons, Audi has now become a pretty credible (if ridiculously common) alternative posh German badge to put on your drive. Each brand has their die-hard fans: are you more M5, AMG, or RS6?

Even the advertising teams have broken into all-out war. On TV, web, and good old-fashioned billoboards, these adverts are car banter at their very best.

So Audi started it, with this dig at BMW with their standard A4...

...to which BMW wheeled out their flagship M3. In white. Lush.

Audi then invited its Photoshop-savvy fans to come up with their own response. That was then trolled by BMW-lovers. Because there is no greater weapon than the fanboy...

Audi's board-game comeback was this. Try harder guys, the A4 sucks as a driver's car!

BMW got a bit underhand next, sending cheeky promo material to owners, like this...

If that wasn't naughty enough, they also managed to troll an entire Audi dealership - by pasting one of their ads over the top of it. Ouch!

Audi aren't stupid though - they know BMW's weakness. And that is? That the makers of 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' don't actually build a supercar, and Audi meanwhile build one of the very best. So here's how to riff off that, and make one owner feel very special indeed.

And why do one advert showing off the R8 when you can do two?

Leave it to BMW to hit back with a snipe at Audi's trophy cabinet.

It's not just Audi and BMW though. Jaguar isn't safe, as this subtle nod to scaring off the old XJ shows...

And if Mercedes thought it was being the bigger man by sitting out of all this banter, it's about to get dragged straight in, thanks to its 'Attention, Attention Seekers' GLK ad.

Merc's flaghsip S-class even got a starring role in Audi's Superbowl ad, showing the A8 beating out the big S as the best modern luxury car. Talk about ambitious...

Strange then that Audi's finest recent advert doesn't take the mickey out of any of its rivals. It just laughs at The Godfather instead. Turn your speakers up...