Who knows why Audi America made this short nine-minute promo. What we can say is we wish we had disposable money like Audi. It produced this extravagant film, titled “Led Balloon,” and then almost immediately deleted it from its social media platforms. Just like that, it was gone.

So, what’s this Audi film about?

It is in many ways like the silent pictures pie-throwing scenes of 100 years ago. Except with water balloons. And lots of Audis. Everything from its earliest production incarnations, to race cars going back to the exquisite Auto Union rear-engine Grand Prix cars of the 1930s. 

There is also a gang of famous race car drivers, too. Filming was credited to having been shot in California, Virginia, Florida, and Germany. Between the rather large cast, priceless vintage race cars, and multiple locations, Audi spent some serious cha-cha. 

Then, according to Tire Meets Road, Audi immediately pulled the posting. It says that someone way up in the echelons of Audi-dom didn’t like how new Audi cars were used. Say, what? Maybe we’re missing something but nothing depicted in this promo was displayed in a weird or wrong way.

Once Audi pulled the plug, everyone got curious about it

But then we factor in the fact that once something is forbidden, everyone wants it. Or in this case; wants to see it. And some were able to download the film before Audi yanked it. So did someone really want it gone or was this just a little trick to get everyone interested in what it is? 

With lots of investors watching your every move, it is fairly hard for even the head of Audi, Markus Duesmann, to burn up a few million dollars. Either there is something more compelling than the reason given for pulling it, or it was a successful ploy. 

It is an “inside baseball” kind of promo. You either have to be an ardent Audi admirer or racing fan to appreciate it. As you wind your way through the nine-minute film its reason for becoming less apparent. It really is just some kids and adults throwing water balloons at each other.

Audi’s message is to live for the moment

The premise behind it is to live in the moment. It is a great premise, but it never goes any deeper than just showing scenes of water balloon tossing. Or are we missing something? You’re left waiting for the big ending or reveal that never comes. 

After it ends the credits fill you in on the famous drivers and unknown cast. If you hadn’t seen Hurley Haywood or Hans Joachim Stuck in a while, you might not recognize them. Now, if you’re curious or otherwise a racing or Audi fan, you need to see it. But if you own stock in Audi, you might not.