6 celebrity car endorsem*nts, from Sydney Sweeney to Beyoncé (2024)

Celebrity endorsem*nts are the auto industry’s bread and butter. Almost every car brand, or at least the ones with a marketing team, have employed Hollywood’s legion of fame for a commercial or three.

Some are well-known classics, like Sam Elliot’s voiceover in Ram’s “Guts. Glory. Ram,” or Ricardo Montalban for Chrysler. Others are only remembered for their incredulity, like when Eddie Murphy promoted the Toyota Celica or Bruce Willis showed off Subaru’s Outback and Legacy in Japan.

And as the years have continued and social media makes it easy to get attached to the rich and famous, celebrity endorsem*nts are still being used. Some are as simple as flashy commercials, while others are major licensing and merchandising deals.

Here’s a look at some of the more recent partnerships between carmakers and their handpicked celebrities.

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New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter and his wife, model and former TV host Hannah Jeter, in September embarked on their latest advertisem*nt for a Stellantis brand — Jeep.

The Jeter’s multiyear partnership resumed in September with an ad campaign promoting the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. The 30-second TV spot, “Drove all Night,” shows Derek Jeter’s flight getting grounded due to bad weather. But, thanks to a Grand Wagoneer L, he’s able to make it through the storm and get home back in time to take his kids to school.

The Jeters currently own a Grand Wagoneer, as did both of Hannah Jeter’s parents. A year earlier, they had been featured in a 60-second ad titled “Eyes Wide Open” that also promoted the truck.

“We try to do things that are authentic to who we are,” Jeter told reporters during a media briefing at the time. “I’m from Michigan, so I’m a couple hours away from where Jeeps are built. I’m well aware of the values of the brand, and they align perfectly with not only ours as parents, but how we want our kids to be as well.”

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In a double-whammy that no one — well, except BMW’s marketing department — saw coming, noted singer/songwriter Usher and actor Christopher Walken teamed up for a joint ad for the Super Bowl.

The 60-second commercial is led by Walken, a prolific actor known for film from Pulp Fiction and Dune: Part Two to Hairspray and Disney’s live action remake of The Jungle Book. Despite his acting chops, many know him best for his unique voice — something that BMW took full advantage of.

Throughout the ad-spot, Walken encounters several people who show off their — bad — impressions of his voice, before Usher — who hosted the Super Bowl in 2024 — steps in to dance away.

“There’s only one Christopher Walken and only one ultimate driving machine,” an announcer blares as the commercial comes to a close, before adding in their own impersonation, “The rest are just imitations.”

Walken, who began the ad by hopping in the all-electric BMW i5, said in February that he “really enjoyed” working with BMW and touted the importance of electric cars.

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Despite being a relatively new entry to Hollywood, Sydney Sweeney is everywhere these days, from fights on X to the big screen.

So the marketing experts at Ford Motor Co. decided to take advantage of her popularity coming off a lead role in HBO’s Euphoria and teamed up with the actress on a series of fronts. It certainly helped that Sweeney was already well-known as a Ford fan, having chronicled her restoration of a 1969 Ford Bronco on TikTok.

Their first collaboration came in March 2023 as part of the “Built Ford Proud” campaign, which also highlighted stunt driver Dee Bryant’s and surfer Kai Lenny’s history with Ford. Sweeney hosted an Auto 101 series on TikTok and debuted a female-focused workwear collection made with Dickies.

In November, a second collection debuted, inspired by Sweeney’s 1965 Mustang. Ford also released two films showing Sweeney working on her Mustang and — of course — wearing the new collection.

“I love working in the garage and was so excited to partner with Ford on a clothing line that’s comfortable in and out of the shop,” Sweeney said in a statement last November. “Being able to take my car into my own hands has been so empowering for me —and I hope this can inspire others who may have never considered working on their vehicle themselves to give it a try.”

Sweeney also designed a custom 2024 Mustang GT for the company, which held a contest to decide the recipient. It was eventually won by a woman identified as Brittley, who grew up in Washington State and owns a 2005 Mustang. In April, at the New York International Auto Show, Brittley told Motor Trend that she intends to drive the Mustang daily.

“What’s the point in getting a cool car if you’re not going to go have a blast in it every day?” Brittley said.

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Glenn Powell — best known for his roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Anyone But You (alongside Sweeney) — is the latest celebrity to score a car partnership. Powell last month began working with RAM, owned by Stellantis, and stars in two ads for the truck maker.

The first, titled “The Calling,” introduced the 2025 Ram 1500. The second, “The Convoy,” introduced the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO, an off-road-focused truck that replaces the 1500 TRX in the company’s lineup.

“I grew up in Texas in an adventurous family in which fun rarely stayed just on the pavement. I can relate to truck owners and their needs, and I’ve always been a huge fan of how Ram does it,” Powell said in a statement.

“I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity to team up with the brand bringing the thrill of adventure to truck owners and truck enthusiasts everywhere,” he added.

The partnership will also be viewable on the big screen: RAM’s trucks will be featured in Twister, a sequel to the 1996 film of the same name, that comes out in July.

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Actor and comedian Will Ferrell can make — almost — anything at least a little funny. And General Motors hired him to do just that for its pricey 60-second Super Bowl commercial in 2023.

Ferrell, who had also worked with GM for the carmaker’s 2021 Super Bowl commercial, doesn’t hesitate to start the pitch.

“General Motors is going electric and Netflix is joining in by including more [electric vehicles],” he can be heard saying from inside a GMC Sierra EV Denali. Oh, that also takes place while he’s driving through the ruins of Las Vegas as seen in Army of the Dead and a horde of zombies stumbles toward him.

The comedian pulls up in the backseat of a Chevrolet Blazer EV driven by a masked henchman from Netflix’s Squid Game, before entering other Netflix properties: Ferell shows up in Bridgerton with a Cadillac Lyriq, Stranger Things with a Chevrolet Silverado EV, and alongside Love Is Blind host Vanessa Lachey near an electric GMC Hummer.

A few years earlier, Ferrel took the stage in GM’s “No Way, Norway,” alongside Kenan Thompson and Awkwafina to “crush them” with the GMC Hummer and Cadillac Lyriq. Them, of course, referring to Norway.

“Well I won’t stand for it,” Ferrell said in the Super Bowl LV commercial as he punched a globe. “With GM’s new Ultium battery, we’re going to crush those lugers. Crush them! Let’s go America.”

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Unlike the other endorsem*nts mentioned on this list, none of these celebrities — as far as the general public knows — have been paid for their support. Rather, they just really like the look and feel of Tesla’s heavily-mocked and often criticizedelectric pickup.

The Cybertruck has been spotted with enough celebrities that Business Insider has put together its own who’s-who of owners. That includes: Kim Kardashian, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Justin and Hailey Beiber, Steve Aoki, Katy Perry, Bad Bunny, Pharell Williams, Theo Von, Anthony Williams, Jason Kelce, Ye, along with Lady Gaga and Spike Lee.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian were among the first to receive a Cybertruck last November, when Ohanian drove away from Tesla’s official launch event in Texas with the pickup. Longtime Tesla fan, former talk show host, and car reviewer Jay Leno has also taken the Cybertruck out for a spin.

“Inherently, a status symbol is something that will turn heads, and it’s difficult not to turn heads in the Cybertruck,” Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury told Business Insider in March.

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