Toyota SUV ads banned for promoting irresponsible driving

author: FutureCar Staff    

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA/PA) has banned an ad for the Toyota Hilux SUV that showcased the vehicles being driven over natural terrain. The ad was criticized for promoting off-road driving without considering the environmental impact.

The banned ad, featured on Facebook, showed multiple vehicles driving in unison across an open plain, with mountains on either side and crossing a river bed before joining a tarmacked road. The voiceover described it as "one of nature's true spectacles" and emphasized the vehicle's ability to roam. The ad concluded with a shot of the car parked in a rocky, natural environment.

Another ad, displayed at a bus stop, also used the slogan "Born to Roam" and depicted two SUVs driving on a rocky incline in a savannah-style landscape. In the background, around 50 identical vehicles were shown being driven.

The campaign group Adfree Cities lodged a complaint with the ASA, arguing that the ads encouraged behavior harmful to the environment. Toyota defended the ads, stating that the video was filmed in Slovenia on private land with permission, and the use of multiple vehicles was purely fictional, aiming to prevent consumers from emulating the ad and driving irresponsibly in large numbers.

Toyota maintained that no reasonable viewer would interpret the ad as encouraging UK consumers to drive irresponsibly and cause environmental harm. The poster, which was entirely computer-generated, caused no damage to the natural environment.

The ASA ruled that the video scenes and messaging in both ads conveyed a disregard for the environmental impact of off-road driving. It stated that the ads presented and condoned the use of vehicles in a manner that disregarded their impact on nature and the environment. The ASA concluded that the ads lacked a sense of responsibility to society and ordered Toyota not to run them again.

Veronica Wignall, co-director at Adfree Cities, welcomed the ruling but argued that regulating SUV adverts was not enough. She called for the termination of SUV promotion altogether, highlighting the harm caused by SUVs to nature, air pollution, city congestion, and loss of life.

A spokesperson for Toyota emphasized that the company does not condone environmentally harmful behavior. They highlighted Toyota's efforts in reducing carbon emissions across its vehicle range and sharing royalty-free licenses for electrification technology. Toyota also stated that their SUVs cater to customers who require reliable mobility in off-road and remote settings. The footage used in the ad was obtained in a non-UK location on private land with all necessary permissions and in a non-ecologically sensitive environment. The static image in the display ad was computer-generated and had no environmental impact.

FutureCar Staff