Melissa McCarthy Will Star in Kia’s 60-Second Super Bowl Ad for the Niro Hybrid

After putting Christopher Walken in a Super Bowl commercial for the Optima sedan last year, Kia is turning to another celebrity, Melissa McCarthy, to hype its Niro hybrid crossover on this year’s game.

The actress and comedian, 46, provides the voiceover for two 15-second spots breaking this week, titled “Many Names” and “Need/Want.” She will appear on camera in the :60 on Super Bowl LI, which is happening Feb. 5.

UPDATE, Jan. 23: The automaker just released this teaser, showing McCarthy in safari gear, running in a panic from … something.

The automaker tells Adweek: “Starring Melissa McCarthy and scheduled to air in the third quarter, the ad traces a heroic and harrowing journey stretching from the polar ice caps to an arid desert, and continues to prove why the Niro is ‘a smarter kind of crossover’ with its no-compromise package of style, utility and fuel economy of up to 50 miles per gallon combined.”

The Niro, which is Kia’s latest hybrid, offers the “no-compromise combination of driving enjoyment, eye-catching design, functional utility and hybrid efficiency,” according to the automaker.

See the two :15s here:

The Nero recently set a Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption while driving across the U.S. from coast to coast.

“The Niro blends great looks, real-world utility and outstanding fuel economy together in a way that consumers haven’t seen before, and these initial marketing elements focus on the fact that there’s now ‘a smarter kind of crossover’ out there for consumers to discover,” Michael Sprague, COO of Kia Motors America, said in a statement.

“We’ve got a fantastic story to tell about the Niro’s uniquely alluring yet practical package, and the incredibly talented Melissa McCarthy is the perfect partner to help us do it.”

The :60 on Super Bowl LI will be Kia’s eighth consecutive appearance on the game.

For more Super Bowl LI news, check out Adweek’s Super Bowl Ad Tracker, an up-to-date list of the brands running Super Bowl spots and the agencies involved in creating them.