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Controversial VW ad runs during Super Bowl despite claims to pull it [VIDEO]

Volkswagen's "Get Heppy" commercial dubbed is dubbed racist for featuring a while male speaking with a Jamaican accent.
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CREDIT: <a class="tpstyle" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H0xPWAtaa8#aid=P7Qh4TVL5fA" target="_blank">Volkswagen</a>
CREDIT: Volkswagen
Updated Feb. 4, 2013 at 5:38 PM
Published: Feb. 4, 2013 at 12:01 PM

Volkswagen's Super Bowl commercial, "Get In. Get Happy," aired during its scheduled TV spot despite several claims to take it down because it was perceived as racist.

The controversial ad features a white American male from Minnesota who is the owner of a Volkswagen Beetle and attempts to cheer up his colleagues with positive phrases he slurs with a Jamaican accent.

The clip is set to a rendition of the song "C'mon, Get Happy," made famous by Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff, Yahoo News reported.

PHOTOS: Super Bowl XLVII

The commercial ignited multiple racism claims for featuring a white male speaking with a Jamaican accent and many called for it to be removed from the Super Bowl's playlist. But Volkswagen stood by the ad along with Jamaica's government.

"I think this is a very creative commercial which truly taps into the tremendous appeal that brand Jamaica and its hospitable people have globally," Jamaica's Tourism Minister Wykeham McNeill said in a statement.

The ad, which debuted on Volkswagen's YouTube channel on Jan. 27, has received over 8,600,00 views and both positive and negatives comments.

Do you think the "Get In. Get Happy." ad is racist?

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