The Detroit Free Press quoted Stellantis’s Diane Morgan explaining that “with a continued focus on preserving business fundamentals to mitigate the impact of a challenging U.S. automotive market, we are evaluating our business needs and will take the appropriate decisions to protect our North America operations and the Company…In light of this assessment, we will not be participating in the Big Game this year.”

In recent iterations, GM and Stellantis have used Super Bowl slots to promote a range of automotive concepts. Everything from the latest models to industry commitment to EVs and various cultural alliances has seen airtime. While pandemic-era supply chain issues resolved, interest rates increased. Consumer fatigue over the cost of new and used cars cooled the market, triggering lowered retail prices. Now, margins are even tighter for American manufacturers.

In a statement, General Motors spokesperson Arianna Kughn said, “We continually evaluate our media strategies to ensure they align with our business priorities.”

Ford hasn’t advertised during a Super Bowl in years and reiterated that won’t likely change anytime soon.

Last fall, Hyundai also announced it would pass on Super Bowl LVIII. This is despite the widely recognized “Smaht Pahk,” commercial from 2020.

In general, this year’s commercial lineup was nearly sold out by November 2023. We’ll at least see BMW air an EV-oriented 60-second spot.

If you’re missing the big car commercials of yesteryear, you can still watch them. Find them all in AdAge’s Super Bowl ad archive.

Historically, Super Bowl commercials are treated as special opportunities for unique and interesting pop cultural partnerships. The Big Three are clearly not interested now. Since EVs are so much a part of automaker narratives these days, and margins are so tight, if not downright unprofitable – just look into Tesla’s numbers – fiscal conservatism is the name of the game.