The Discovery Channel has a series about GM’s car of the future (not to be confused with Chef of the Future) which is basically a radical (no pun intended) new platform for building cars. Why do we care? The basic chassis system is officially called “The Skateboard.” It’s powered by fuel cells and has no central motor, allowing different body configurations to be bolted on at will. Also, the steering is fly-by-wire, meaning the turning impulse is controlled electronically like a jet plane instead of mechanically. And yes, it looks like a skateboard. Catch the video after the jump. [Source: AutoblogGreen]

I thought I was going to run out of commercials to showcase, but lucky you, I dug up this old VHS tape I had in a box. Continuing the yogurt industry’s obsession. with skateboarding, here’s an ad from around 1999 or 2000 for Yoplait brand GoGurt, which is yogurt in a tube. Please excuse the clipping of the beginning which was due to not giving the VCR enough time to cue up properly. That was the best I could due at the time. I blame Y2K.

I’m a little confused on this commercial for Capri Slims from 1995. We don’t allow cigarette commercials on TV in the U.S., but I don’t know what’s the norm in Canada. Lisa Whitaker was the stunt double for this commercial and she posted it. I contacted her for more info but it’s been over a week with no word yet. This commercial follows the typical “creative person amidst a sea of stuffed shirts finds an unusual way to take care of business.” Actually, it’s almost exactly like a Mentos commercial, except Capri Slims aren’t exactly a freshmaker. There’s nothing hotter than a barefoot career woman reeking of polyester, pantyhose, and cigarette smoke. Watch the commercial after the jump.

I get the whole deal with German engineering and all, but all I get from this commercial for the Audi TT is a sterile computer animation vibe. I barely noticed this when I saw it on TV. Catch the commercial and links to the other “Car as skateboard” posts after the jump.

What’s the deal with naming it Nike SB? I mean, do we ride skate boards or skateboards? Even if you have a beef with Nike getting back into skateboarding, you have to admit they have always done their commercials right, starting with the famous “what if we treated all athletes they way we treat skateboarders” series. Actually, I should have posted those first, but this newer ad is almost equally as good. I’m including Nike SB in this series because Nike is primarily a company that is not skateboarding centric. Catch the commercial and a behind the scenes vid after the jump. [Source: Brettner.com]

Yesterday we did Australia, so today we’re in Europe with Pierre Andre, the other, other freestyler. This is a commercial for a French yogurt drink called Yop. If it were English, it would have been appropriate to call it Fop, considering the fashion and demeanor of freestyle in the 80’s. The highlight of this commercial is the Primo slide, Primo being the other, other, other freestyler. More Pierre Andre love after the jump.

Short, sweet, and to the point. This is a commercial for the Sun Herald newspaper. Which one? Well, it’s not the one in Mississippi or Florida, so that leaves the one in Australia. Heck of a nice backside 180 ollie. Catch the commercial after the jump.

Here’s a short commercial for the free paper LA Weekly. LA Weekly is giving a nod to skateboarding culture without resorting to the easy way out with Extremeâ„¢ stereotypes. That’s what you’d expect with a “hip” paper. Appears to be shot on super 8 and looks authentic. Hmm… I wonder who made this. Sound familiar? Watch the video after the jump.

Coca-Cola Road Trip: I think this aired in the summer of 2006. In the story line, some kids get bored building their miniramp so they go on a road trip to find some full pipes in the desert. They skate for five minutes and get kicked out. Someone did some cultural research, throwing in terms like “desert water project” and having full pipes in the first place, except the pipes are small and metal. The punch line is “At least someone got to skate.” Gee, maybe if you hadn’t brought seven guys to the session in the middle of the day it wouldn’t have been a problem. These kids need to learn about stealth. All in all though, a fairly innocuous effort. Catch the video after the jump.

A lot of commercials featuring skateboarders have been popping up lately. Yesterday I posted the CarMax advert, so starting today I’m going to see how long I can keep it going. Nissan has a fetish for skateboards. Here’s a commercial featuring Danny Way for another Nissan vehicle.