Tesla's Model X, Autopilot, and Summon recently took center stage in US Presidential hopeful Andrew Yang's political campaign ad. The ad, which features Yang's focus on automation and its effects on the economy, was well represented by the Model X, arguably one of the most technologically advanced vehicles on the road today.
In the short ad, titled "Right Now," Yang mentioned that one of the reasons behind Donald Trump's victory in 2016 was the loss of American jobs due to automation, which has been happening in multiple industries. Trump, during his presidential campaign, focused a lot on how he intends to bring back jobs to the people, tapping into the sentiments of many voters whose work is being or will be affected by emerging technologies.
Interestingly enough, Yang prominently featured a Tesla Model X in the ad, driving the all-electric SUV around and even engaging the vehicle's Autopilot driver-assist system at one point. The final moments of the ad showcased the Model X driving up on a driveway without a human operator using Summon, a feature exclusive to Tesla's Full Self-Driving suite and vehicles equipped with the now-retired Enhanced Autopilot package.
Announcing my new running mate - cybertruck! 😀👍 @nbcsnl pic.twitter.com/DbmpttU1S7
— Andrew Yang🧢 (@AndrewYang) November 24, 2019
The presence of the Tesla Model X in Yang's video perfectly highlights the emerging tech-driven changes to the transportation industry. Tesla's vehicles are all-electric, and they are equipped with software that is specifically designed to work with the company's self-developed hardware. This makes Teslas the equivalent of computers on wheels, and this also makes them very distinct compared to traditional vehicles.
Tesla's emergence as one of the key players in the auto segment is representative of tech's increasing reach. This is also one of the reasons why the Model X was the perfect vehicle for Yang's campaign. The message of the ad and its use of the Model X seems to be appreciated by the public, as could be seen in the comments on Yang's recent campaign video.
Andrew Yang has made it known that he supports Tesla, at one point even joking that his running mate will be the Cybertruck, the electric car maker's most radical vehicle to date. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also a known Yang supporter, previously stating that he is endorsing the presidential candidate.
There are several similarities between Andrew Yang's presidential campaign and Tesla. Just like Tesla, Yang's milestones have been frequently ignored by mainstream media. Yang, similar to the electric car maker, has also been largely underestimated. Yet, just like Tesla and Elon Musk, Yang's campaign is catching on through the internet and word of mouth, which could very well give the presidential hopeful a fighting chance in the upcoming 2020 elections.
Watch Andrew Yang's recent political ad in the video below.
