Renault's latest ad represents a bold move for a car brand—it's telling people not to drive its latest model.

It's actually a unique play to promote the brand's hybrid vehicle, the Renault Captur. It arrives as France anticipates new legislation (the Mobility Orientation Law) aimed at reducing the use of the car for daily journeys and encourages people to use other means of transport, such as bicycles, instead.

While other EV advertisers have flaunted their vehicles' climate-friendly credentials, the French brand's new TV spot plays with viewer expectations by depicting car owners looking as if they are about to jump into their shiny vehicle. Instead, they hop on a bicycle or take a stroll.

In one scenario, a man gets up and heads out of the house. He goes into his garage but comes out on a bike, leaving his Renault Captur E-tech hybrid untouched. Another scene sees a couple of women running towards their car in the rain; turns out they're only grabbing an umbrella. And in a third, a mother encourages her two kids to walk, even though they clearly want to get into the car.

The film, created by Publicis Conseil and directed by Natanaël Ericsson via Diplomats, is set to a cover of Shania Twain's love song "You're Still the One," underlining the idea that while we may still own a car, and indeed love it, perhaps we know it's not right to use it all the time.

"I wanted a bold approach, in line with the times," said Renault's Global Chief Marketing Officer Arnaud Belloni, in a statement. "For the first time, we are proactively suggesting to our customers not to use their car all the time, an unprecedented choice in the automotive industry."