A newspaper advert in which Toyota's Lexus luxury car line claimed one of its hybrid vehicles was “perfect for today's climate” breached advertising rules, a watchdog ruled Wednesday.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld complaints made by readers of a press ad for the Lexus RX 400H that stated it was “Perfect for today's climate (and tomorrow's)”, and added: “Driving the world's first luxury hybrid SUV makes environmental, and economic, sense.”
The watchdog said the advert had broken rules regarding truthfulness and environmental claims, and added that readers would likely conclude that the car had little or no impact on the environment.
Lexus defended the advertisement, however, insisting it was intended to reach readers on different levels by referring to economic conditions as well as an offer to buy the car.
The company has since amended the ad, however, and it now states the car is “Perfect for today's economic climate (and tomorrow's)” and removes references to it making environmental and economic sense.
Lexus was launched by Toyota in 1999 for the North American market, and was later expanded elsewhere, though was only introduced in Japan in 2005.
