Very few automakers are getting involved in this year's Super Bowl, and Toyota and Cadillac are the exceptions. The latter will be presenting its livery for its debut in the upcoming Formula One season, while the former is focusing on family and three decades of the RAV4. The ad was put together by the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi and is titled Superhero Belt. You can watch the 30-second spot for the big game further down in this article, but the title refers to the term that the ad's grandfather uses with his grandchild at the beginning of the clip to get him to see buckling up in a first-gen RAV4 as a positive. 30 years later, in the latest iteration of the RAV4, the grandson uses the term with his ancestor, bringing the story full circle.
The Superhero Belt
The clip begins with the grandfather grabbing a set of car keys off a counter, inviting his grandson to go for a drive before hoisting him into the rear of the first-generation XA10 RAV4 (first appearing in 1994 in Japan and 1996 in the U.S.). Once the grandson is in the child seat, the grandfather buckles him up with the "superhero belt." Fast forward three decades, and the grandson is the one encouraging a pleasure cruise. After helping his grandfather into the front passenger seat, he walks around to the driver's side and makes a similar comment to the one his grandad used all those years ago: "Superhero belt?" The grandfather smiles and buckles up, and off they set. It's a wholesome clip that highlights how a car can be a medium for encouraging personal connections that last a lifetime.
As noted by Carscoops, director Rodrigo Saavedra's goal was to show that "people are the destination." Similarly, Toyota Motor North America VP of Marketing Communications, Dedra DeLilli, said, "At Toyota, we believe the most meaningful journeys aren't defined by where you're going, but by who is beside you along the way. Superhero Belt captures how vehicles can become part of the moments and relationships that shape us, connecting generations through everyday experiences."
The RAV4 Is an Important Part of Car Culture
Toyota
The RAV4, or Recreational Active Vehicle with 4WD, may have been viewed by some as a wannabe off-roader in its early days, with the original sitting on a Corolla platform and being powered by the Camry's 120-horsepower four-pot. But buyers quickly learned that it was a capable hauler with car-like handling and a commanding driving position, and Toyota later added a two-door soft-top model. It got more power and a more conventional look for its second generation, and it continued to evolve through subsequent revisions, but as it changed, it continued to collect happy buyers, becoming a best-seller for Toyota, both in the U.S. and globally, ending 2024 with some 475,000 deliveries to American buyers. It managed nearly half a million sales last year, too. The RAV4 arguably kicked off the soft-roader craze that has led to countless crossovers around the world, and as it celebrates its 30th anniversary in the States, this Super Bowl ad spot reminds us just how long it's been a part of American families' everyday routine.
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