Michelin MXT Green (partially found Japanese TV commercial; mid-1990s)
=== Introduction and commercial description ===
In 2019, a YouTuber named Ruben Thomas uploaded a video showcasing tire brand Michelin's logo history through commercials. 3 minutes and 45 seconds into the video, a logo endcap from a Japanese ad for Michelin MXT tires, especially the Green variant is seen. The logo features a logo for a technology called Green X, which saves fuel when driving. After a deep search for the MXT tire itself, a similar commercial was found. The latter ad also advertises the same tire and its fuel saving capabilities, and was found to be from 1996, due to some Toyota ads uploaded by the same channel being from that year. This suggests that the lost commercial is from the mid-1990s, possibly 1996/1997, also due to both also using the Michelin logo in the font Antique Olive used from 1968 to 1997, one year after the ads aired.
=== Patent information ===
Also, a trademark registration for the tire was found on the trademark website Justia.com. According to the application, "MXT" was filed in 1989, but registered in 1990, which suggests that the MXT itself was released in 1990/1991. However, on the same website, an application for Green X was also found. According to this one, "Green X" and its logo were filed in 1994, but registered in 1996. This is the same year that the similar commercial aired, and possibly the lost one, which suggests that these were to advertise the new-at-the-time Green X tech.
=== Results after searching ===
After thorough searches on Google, YouTube, Vimeo, Yahoo Japan, and Nico Nico, a Japanese website similar to YouTube, nothing has appeared beside the similar commercial, a couple of European commercials from 1991 for the regular version of the MXT, and promotional freebies and items like pins, patches, stickers, keychains, and press photos for the tire, possibly given away to people who bought a set for their vehicle. This suggests that the commercial in the logo history video may be partially found, with only the endcap known to exist.
=== Links ===
The video where the ad was found
The similar commercial
The trademark application for the MXT tire model
The application for Green X technology
