Mazda Noth America did a skateboard trick with their Mazda3 "Little Blue Car" campaign way back when the revamped nameplate was launched in the US.

http://209.250.27.28/ep1_high.mov

But it's no where near the same class as the Qashqai film.

I never noticed the car alarm before, but you're right, what an odd thing to "promote".

It works both ways, yaknow. I think the continental version looks weird!

The continental version also seems to show more of the car with its alarm going. It's almost subliminal in the UK version. Still seems a strange selling point.

How weird to see him park the "wrong way around" when I'm used to seeing the film like this!

We have the Qashqai-as-skateboard ad here in the UK as well. Colin and I are always struck by the fact that, at the very end as the car is manoeuvring into the parking space, it just clips the car parked next to it. You can see the lights flash and hear the alarm, so it's an intentional part of the script, not just a special effects glitch.

"You can't park a Qashqai without banging into the neighbouring car" doesn't seem like much of an idea to close a commercial on. But it must be what they wanted...

PS - That closing "parking" scene is mirror-imaged in the two countries, presumably in case you glimpse which side the steering wheel's on. I notice that the Qashqai's number plate is made to be mirrored (80 MXM 08).

I've seen another cars as skateboard commercial recently, but I can't remember what it was for (it was not a car brand). Must be something in the water.

Yeah, I think ideas work on their own agenda - which makes for some really interesting brainsyncs at times.

Though, some people steal too.