Mercedes welcomed its upcoming line of 2012 cars with a first-ever Super Bowl spot, this 60-second  fourth-quarter commercial by longtime Mercedes shop Merkley & Partners and director Peter Thwaites.

It features generations of Mercedes starting up and driving without human intervention to meet the new kids on the block. (Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs gets a humorous cameo.)

Mercedes would skip the 2012 Super Bowl but return to advertising's biggest stage in 2013 with "Soul," a more involved and elaborate narrative.

Production companies: Gorgeous Enterprises, Anonymous Content. Producer: Anna Hashmi. Director of photography: Joost van Gelder. Production supervisor: John McColpin. Production designer: Steve Summey. Executive producers: Jeff Baron, Dave Morrison. Head of production: Sue Ellen Clair.

Agency executive creative director: Andy Hirsch. Creative director: Chris Landi. Agency producer: Chris Ott.

Editing: Rock Paper Scissors.

BRAND: Mercedes-Benz

YEAR: 2011

AGENCY: Merkley & Partners

SUPERBOWL: XLV

QUARTER AIRED: Q4