British watchdog forces Toyota to change "misleading" advertisement

LONDON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The British advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) claimed on Wednesday that it has forced Toyota to change its "misleading" advertisement in a newspaper advertisement for Lexus, in which it claim to be "perfect for today's climate."

The ASA upheld at least four complaints by its readers, charging that a press advertisement for the Lexus RX 400H breached British advertising rules.

The Toyota driving in front may not be as environmentally friendly as it has claimed, the advertising watchdog has ruled.

Toyota has been rapped over a hybrid car advert in which it described its luxury Lexus as "perfect for today's climate."

The promotional said the vehicle was "perfect for today's climate (and tomorrow's)", adding that "driving the world's first luxury hybrid SUV makes environmental, and economic, sense," while it has small-print at the bottom the ad stated "CO2 emission 192 g/km."

The ASA ruled the advert had broken rules regarding truthfulness and environmental claims, and concluded that the ad was "likely to mislead."

Lexus, however, defended the advertisement, 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 made amendments to the advertisement.