Toyota amends UK ad for Lexus RX400h after rap from ASA

27 September 2008

A print ad by Toyota's Lexus luxury car line has been banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), on the grounds that it breached rules regarding truthfulness and environmental claims.

The body set up by the advertising industry to police the rules laid down in the advertising codes received four complaints against the ad. The press ad for the Lexus RX 400h had text that stated "The RX 400h. Perfect for Today's Climate. (And Tomorrows) ... Driving the world's first luxury hybrid SUV makes environmental, and economic, sense ...". The small-print at the bottom of the ad stated "... CO2 emissions 192 g/km''.

The ASA upheld the complaints against the ad, saying that the advertisement had violated rules regarding truthfulness and environmental claims. It said that readers would most likely conclude that the car had little or no impact on the environment.

Reports suggest that Lexus tried to defend the advertisement by insisting it was intended to reach readers on different levels by referring to economic conditions as well as an offer to buy the car.

On its website, the ASA says that in response to the complaints, Lexus said that the headline was intended to operate on two levels and the word 'Climate' was used to convey that the RX 400h was appropriate for the current economic market and suitable for today's environment.

Lexus said that due to the current economic market, the premium car segment was generally suffering and, in response to that, Lexus was offering attractive finance packages on the RX400h.