(February 8, 2011) SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Edmunds.com, reports that site traffic for Chrysler, Volkswagen and Chevrolet saw the most significant spikes after their ads ran during Super Bowl XLV. The traffic spikes represent important returns on investment for companies that reportedly spent as much as $3 million on a 30-second ad spot during the big game.

Highlighting the surge in traffic on Edmunds.com was Chrysler, who made a big bet with its two minute "Imported From Detroit" ad that aired during the third quarter. Traffic for the Chrysler brand overall shot up 267% on Edmunds.com in the hours after the commercial aired, including a 1619% spike for the Chrysler 200.

"Chrysler's ad reaffirmed the company's loyalties to Detroit in an emotionally powerful way, and it looks like viewers responded to that message," said Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Edmunds' AutoObserver.com

Other car brands and models seeing a boost in traffic on Edmunds.com include:

    • Volkswagen had two big winners with the Beetle and the Passat. Traffic rose 271% for the Beetle after its ad aired in the fourth quarter. The Passat, whose second quarter ad featuring a child dressed like Darth Vader, saw its traffic spike 114%.
   
    • Chevrolet ran several commercials for a few of its models. There were noticeable spikes for the Camaro (+69%) and Cruze (+63%), with smaller boosts coming for the Volt (+15%). Overall, interest in Chevrolet shot up 21% on Edmunds.com in the hours after the Super Bowl.
   
    • Hyundai ran two commercials for the Elantra and saw a surge of 79% on Edmunds.com. They were less successful with its Sonata Hybrid, whose traffic ticked up only slightly (+4%) after its ad ran in the fourth quarter.
  
     • Luxury brands were less successful in driving interest through Super Bowl advertising. The Audi A8 gained a 14% lift in traffic following its "Release the Hounds" ad in the first quarter, while Edmunds.com measured no lift at all for BMW after the "Defying Logic" ad for the X3 in the second quarter.

A full recap of automotive Super Bowl advertisers can be found on Edmunds' AutoObserver.com