Guides · AI commercials and advertising

AI car commercials: how to keep the vehicle accurate

By Toni RieraArt director and digital retoucher, Toni Riera AI Studio. Published: 19 October 2026.

Short answer

The car is the hardest product for AI: reflective bodywork, wheels, headlights, badges and an exact colour that must be the same in every shot. In an AI automotive commercial the car isn’t generated: it starts from official images, renders or a 3D model of the vehicle, is composited and retouched in every keyframe and is only animated once approved. That keeps it accurate even when the setting is invented.

What usually goes wrong with an AI-generated car

The logo and badges warp or change shape.
The wheels change design from shot to shot.
The grille and headlights lose the model’s signature.
The paint colour varies with each scene.
The proportions shift as the camera moves around the car.
The reflections don’t match the setting, and the car looks pasted in.

Stock image. Audi Q3 Sportback, national campaign for DDB with Wild Pony. Left, the stock street; right, the CGI car integrated with contact shadows, environment reflections and consistent light. — Audi Q3 Sportback, national campaign for DDB with Wild Pony. Left, the stock street; right, the CGI car integrated with contact shadows, environment reflections and consistent light.

Car integrated — Audi Q3 Sportback, national campaign for DDB with Wild Pony. Left, the stock street; right, the CGI car integrated with contact shadows, environment reflections and consistent light.

How I solve it

Real vehicle material

I start from the brand’s official images, renders or, better still, a 3D model or the car’s technical drawings. If there’s a model or drawings, I build a 3D version so the keyframes are even more accurate. When there isn’t one and the project needs it, I work with a 3D partner specialised in automotive.

A consistent setting

When the commercial needs the setting to hold from shot to shot, I build a basic 3D environment as a reference. That keeps light and reflections on the bodywork consistent across the sequence.

Retouched keyframes and discarded takes

Every shot starts with the car composited and retouched by hand: contact shadows, reflections, paint colour, wheels and badges. I animate in short shots and discard any take where the car changes. The number plate is replaced or removed.

Examples

Audi Q3 Sportback (national campaign for DDB, with Wild Pony): CGI car integrated into cleaned-up, extended stock streets, finished at high resolution for bus-shelter posters.
Hyundai Kona (demo): a 20-second spot from the brand’s real images, with the same car and characters from start to finish.
Peugeot E-3008 (demo): the real car in a futuristic city that doesn’t exist, matched in light and colour. 24 seconds.
Audi SQ5 (demo): an emotional 46-second spot with generated characters and settings and the car accurate in every shot.

Car commercials at Toni Riera AI Studio

The real car from official images, renders or 3D, keyframes retouched by hand and only the takes where the vehicle is the real one. A social spot starts at €800 and a 30–60 second campaign spot at €2,500.

AI commercials →See pricing

Frequently asked questions

Do you need the physical car?

No. The brand’s official images, renders or a 3D model of the vehicle are enough.

Can the brand’s CAD or 3D model be used?

Yes, and it’s the best starting point: from the model or drawings I build a 3D version so the keyframes are even more accurate.

What about the number plate?

It’s replaced or removed in the keyframes, depending on what the campaign needs.

How much does an AI car commercial cost?

From €800 for a 12–20 second social spot and from €2,500 for a 30–60 second campaign spot. A 3D partner, if needed, is quoted separately.

Send me your product. I’ll set it in motion.

Photos, renders or whatever you have. Within 24–48 h I’ll tell you how I’d turn it into video and what it costs.

Let’s talk about your video AI commercials