Many of the most memorable commercials during past Super Bowls have come from automakers, but fewer will be participating in the expensive marketing during the event this year.
Paul Eisenstein of TheDetroitBureau.com says most auto ads this year will not being coming from domestic carmakers. Toyota, Mercedez Benz, Kia, BMW and Nissan will all be paying for spots, while there are mixed reports about whether Chrysler will have an advertisement during the game.
Eisenstein suggests he lack of advertising may indicate Detroit Three don't feel they have to spend the money on ads when their products are doing so well.
Sitting out the game may be an economic choice as well, when prices for spots during the game continue to rise. According to Eisenstein 30 seconds of airtime can cost $4.5 million this year, and that's without including production costs and paying celebrity sponsors.
