There has been a question in the back of my mind how car ads flash through paint jobs, I thought that must have been a lot of rotoscoping. I never questioned if the car was even real.

Even then, the ads with the cgi cars just look the slightest bit off, no? The inauthenticity in general becomes somewhat melancholy.

I've long ago stopped being able to tell when the cars are fake, they're easy to do well these days.

This reminded me of "Cog", a British Honda ad from 2003. Two tracking shots stitched together (~100 painstakingly set up takes, no CGI). Great stuff. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl2U1p3fVRk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cog_(advertisement)

How is this not considered a bait and switch?

Look into how food ads are made. It's often completely inedible stuff covered in glues and paints and fake sheens. At least this thing is actually drivable with similar characteristics, I guess, unlike the Bic Mac in the picture made out of cardboard.

All advertising is a bait-and-switch. How is this any different?

Very interesting development with affordable photorealistic cgi possible now.