Polestar took a shot at Tesla in a Super Bowl ad

The Polestar ad doesn’t just make fun of $Tesla(TSLA.US)$ . It begins by stating simply “No epic voice overs,” and goes on to state “No dieselgate. No dirty secrets. No hidden agenda.” The first thing listed is a clear nod to the $VOLKSWAGEN A G(VWAGY.US)$ emissions scandal of 2019. A few seconds later, though, it states “No conquering Mars.” In that moment, the company’s ambition of criticizing its rival comes sharply into focus.

Fans were excited for Polestar’s Super Bowl ad debut. Unfortunately, it may have missed the mark, as the company has created as much buzz for Tesla as for itself. Shares are only up for one of those companies today, and it isn’t Polestar. It’s also bold of the tiny EV producer to take such a clear shot at the leader of its industry. The company clearly wants to paint itself as the picture of social responsibility in the EV sector. However, that doesn’t instantly make it a good investment. InvestorPlace contributor Josh Enomoto recently speculated that despite the company’s reasonably priced vehicles, inflation could easily work against it. Competition is also mounting all the while as other automakers work to concern the affordable EV market.

TSLA stock has seen plenty of obstacles lately, chiefly in the form of negative headlines. But through it all, the company is trading well today. Polestar, on the other hand, is down on a day when most of EV stocks are up.