Toyota rapped over Prius green claims

Toyota rapped over Prius green claims

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Toyota has been criticised by Britain's advertising watchdog for exaggerating the environmental credentials of its Prius hybrid car model.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has ordered the Japanese carmaker not to broadcast a television advert from Saatchi and Saatchi that claimed the Prius emits "up to one tonne less CO2 per year".

Following a viewer complaint the ASA investigated whether the ad, which carried the strap-line "what if all cars were like the Prius, with its hybrid synergy drive technology; it emits up to one tonne less CO2 per year", had breached advertising rules.

At the same time as the above message, on-screen text said: "One tonne of CO2 less than an equivalent family vehicle with a diesel engine. Average calculated on 20,000km a year. Toyota Prius: CO2 emissions: 104g/km."

In response to the investigation Toyota submitted a chart to the ASA that compared the average CO2 emissions of new cars registered in 2005 with the Prius.

The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre-validated evidence showed that the average car emitted 172g of CO2 per km, compared to 104g per km for the Prius.

Toyota said that its "one tonne less CO2 per year" claim was based on the difference of 68g per km multiplied by 20,000km, which it said was a reasonable average annual distance for a car to travel.

But the ASA ruled that Toyota had misled consumers in that the average distance a car travels in the UK is 13,440km, significantly less than the 20,000km witnessed in the US.

Concluding that the advert had breached five sections of the advertising code, the ASA ruled that it should not be broadcast again.

Source: [url=http://www.inthenews.co.uk/money/finance/autocodes/autocodes/united-states-america/toyota-rapped-over-prius-green-claims-$1095471.htm]InTheNews.co.uk[/url]