Kia is going all out for its new Super Bowl ad. While most people expect Super Bowl commercials to be more entertaining than the average 60-second sales pitch, this year Kia will be doing even more than just trying to convince people to buy the 2022 Kia EV6. Here’s what else you’ll see in the new electric crossover SUV commercial, as well as what’s behind Kia’s advertising decisions.

The Kia Superbowl commercial features a robot dog

Who doesn’t love a good robot dog? They’re cute, kind of cuddly, and they don’t shed or have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night (or ever). Unless, of course, they were poorly designed, in which case, steer clear of Robo Dog.

In Kia’s new commercial, Robo Dog is sad and at an electronics store, which is probably where you’d buy a robot dog unless you’re trying to avoid robot puppy mills which are probably like actual puppy mills but without all the abuse and neglect. Then you’d have to go to a robot dog shelter which doesn’t exist (yet), or a responsible robot dog breeder, which is probably Elon Musk.

Anyway, this Robo Dog is pretty sad because its metallic little heart craves human connection. (Just wait until your robot vacuum waits for you by the door.) You’ll have to watch the actual commercial on the Kia website because if you’re like a lot of other animal lovers, you’ll be watching the Puppy Bowl on Super Bowl Sunday, but if you’re into football, you can catch the commercial during the Super Bowl as well.

Sure, Kia wants to sell the new 2022 EV6

It’s not like Kia doesn’t want to sell cars with its new ad. Obviously, that’s kind of the overall point of the EV6 Super Bowl ad. After all, the 2022 Kia EV6 is Kia’s first real electric car, and considering how popular other Kia models are, people want to see what Kia will be contributing to the electric vehicle revolution.

The 2022 Kia EV6 is a brand new electric crossover SUV that shares a platform with the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5. It will have a single motor as well as a dual-motor option. The range for the Kia EV6 Long Range AWD is 250-270 miles on a single charge. However, if you opt for the Kia EV6 Long Range RWD, that number becomes 300 miles per single charge. The 2022 Kia EV6 price starts at just over $40,000. This price doesn’t include the $7,500 tax credit, which the 2022 Kia EV6 is eligible for. 

There’s a really good reason there’s a robotic dog in Kia’s commercial

Kia isn’t just incorporating an aluminum dog in its commercial spot because of how adorably fluffy it is, there’s actually a really good reason that Kia is highlighting dog adoption. Kia is partnering with Petfinder to draw attention to the thousands of dogs (and cats, bunnies, reptiles, etc.) that are in need of homes. In fact, the need for adoptive homes is pretty huge right now, in part because of the number of animals adopted during the pandemic that are now being returned to shelters.

The Kia-Petfinder partnership is part of Kia’s larger mission “Accelerate The Good Program.” Basically, it’s Kia’s way of giving back to the community in various ways, like helping people pay for college and battle homelessness.

Don’t be surprised if the Kia Super Bowl commercial makes you want to run out and adopt an actual dog. It’s a pretty cute commercial and even though the dog is a robot, its wide eyes and wiggly tail are pretty compelling. Sure, you might also want to buy the 2022 Kia EV6, but that’s likely to be an afterthought.