Gary Zhou 
The Tesla Semi was featured in Renault Truck’s most recent advertisement, mocking Tesla’s timeline for Semi introduction.
Some jokes require no translation, effectively achieving a laugh no matter what language you speak or where you come from. Chief of which is mockery which the French brand Renault has exemplified in their most recent Renault Trucks ad. The ad makes fun of the upcoming Tesla Semi while showing off Renault’s commercial electric trucks already for sale.
In the lighthearted ad, a worker is seen putting up a billboard ad for the new Tesla Semi, the sign reading “Fully Electric. Semi. The future of trucking.” The worker returns to his van, only to drive off in his electric Renault truck while whistling the French national anthem.
While Renault has peppered the video with a couple, likely mocking, comments across the screen, the viewer needs to understand precisely zero of them to understand the joke; the Tesla Semi is later than many expected, and even Mr. Musk knows it.
For the curious, the first message displayed in the ad says, “There are those who make announcements,” followed by, “and there are those who go kilometers.” The ad concludes by saying, “more than 300 electric vehicles already on our roads,” while the man whistling seems to clarify the point; Renault beat Tesla to the punch.
Lighthearted and funny ads like these are why many are disappointed that Tesla doesn’t have a traditional marketing presence of its own, but who knows, Renault might even get an Elon meme or two sent in their direction.
The truck Renault shows off in the video is their Renault Trucks E-Tech Master. This medium-duty electric truck would commonly be seen as a city delivery truck or construction materials truck here in the states. And while it’s unclear if Renault plans to introduce an electric semi of their own in the future, this ad certainly points to the opportunity for friendly competition.
