VIDEO: 2017 Honda Ridgeline makes the sheep sing

Super Bowl 50 is happening this weekend, but aside from the big game between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, there will be plenty of ads to enjoy as brands jostle for attention. Here’s a cute one from Honda promoting its 2017 Ridgeline truck.

The 60 second ad, dubbed “A New Truck to Love,” highlights the Ridgeline’s unique in-bed audio system which utilises six exciters inside the bed walls in place of conventional speakers, with up to 540 watts of power. The outdoor audio system gives a bunch of sheep singing lessons, and they do pretty well with Queen’s “Somebody to Love.”

Honda says that the ad will be shown in the third quarter and that it studied the movement of sheep’s mouths to determine how their facial muscles might react while singing. What? “Great Super Bowl spots are entertaining for the fans while communicating an essential value of the product, and we believe our Honda Ridgeline commercial accomplishes both objectives in dramatic fashion,” said Honda senior VP Jeff Conrad.

Audio system aside, the new Ridgeline’s has a lockable In-Bed Trunk and a dual-action tailgate that can swing downwards or sideways, all unique in its class.

Unveiled at the recent 2016 NAIAS in Detroit, the mid-size truck is powered by a 3.5 litre i-VTEC V6 mated to a six-speed auto, available in both FWD and AWD. Best-in-class acceleration and fuel efficiency are claimed. Full details on the 2017 Honda Ridgeline here.