UK: Misleading Prius Advert Banned

This is the second ad banned for Toyota/Lexus in the UK.

They banned it because the ASA went over the vehicle list that Toyota compared the Prius to, and compared the Prius to other 1.5L cars. The problem with this is that the output of the Prius is 1.5L PLUS the output of the electric motor, and that the ASA does not seem to agree that 1.5L is the displacement of the average family vehicle in the UK.

In 2005, the average car registered in the UK emitted 172g/km. The Prius emits 104g/km. Enough said.

But really UK, lighten up.

They banned it as it was misleading...as good as the Prius is, why do they need to bend the truth?

and why compare to the average car? compare to similar sized vehicles, comparing to the average means nothing...you could do the same with a non hybrid civic/fit/etc and the nubmers would be similar...enough said.

"In its ruling, the ASA said that: "none of the cars with 1.5-litre engines featured in the chart emitted one tonne more CO2 than the Prius and less than half of those new cars that had engines of less than 1.8 litres emitted one tonne more CO2 than the Prius."

Comparing a Honda Fit with the rest of the pack will not yield similar results. The Fit emits a total of 5.9 tons a year. The Prius emits 4. The people of the UK should ban their government for misleading them.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm

Where do you get these tons per year measurements?
Do 104g/km times 16000 km divide by 1000 and divide by 1000 again and you get 1.664 metric tons.
Oh and the Jazz (Fit) has smaller engines in Europe, the biggest is a 1.4 with 80hp. There's also a 1.2, but no diesel in the UK.

I got it from that link above your comment.

To be honest, I have no idea how to calculate the average ton emitted per year, that and I'm too lazy to truly care.

All I know is the Prius emits less than even non-hybrid cars like the Fit.

Key thing - that measurement is "Greenhouse Gas" emissions, which apparently means: "The greenhouse gas estimates presented here are "full fuel-cycle estimates" and include the three major greenhouse gases emitted by motor vehicles: carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane. Full fuel-cycle estimates consider all steps in the use of a fuel, from production and refining to distribution and final use."

So it counts its emissions based on all greenhouse gases as well as the emissions caused by producing, refining and distributing the fuel? Madness. Perhaps that's why Huu's figures are so odd, he uses this measure.

Yet again. I guess marketing from Toyota can only go well in North America.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive”

Well Toyota did lie in the stuff they sent to the ASA, the ad said diesel family hatches, Toyota included petrol in the ASA stuff, and they used an average of 20000km, which is the American average mileage, the Uk does about 13000km on average.
In its ruling, the ASA said that: "none of the cars with 1.5-litre engines featured in the chart emitted one tonne more CO2 than the Prius and less than half of those new cars that had engines of less than 1.8 litres emitted one tonne more CO2 than the Prius. We did not consider their evidence demonstrated that it emitted one tonne less than equivalent vehicles with diesel engines or that it took into account the average annual distance driven by private cars in the UK."
The ASA ruled that "the headline claim was likely to mislead."

The UK is laughable?
Why would you say that?

And PLEASE learn the difference between their, they're and there.

This is why we shouldn't have car salesmen on autospies...remember the BMW one? bimmerman or something? He got banned for making racist remarks about Japanese people.

Yeah, the UK is laughable - we expect not to be lied to, that's really terrible - I'd much rather be spoon fed manufacturer sales propoganda.

Well, it looks like Toyota doesn't even know how many miles per year does an average car in UK, and they try to sell cars there. If my car emits just 10% more than your car than it's 10% per year. But if you say (like toyoyota) that we both drive double than what we actually do of course those 10% will mean more, and that's how they got to those numbers for the commercial. Even so, if you read the whole article, they were wrong from the start to the end. From their own paperwork. Hihihihi

so when is that rage virus being released in the UK?

Hmm, being creative and lying are totally different things?

Prius got the "Car of the Year" award for fourth time in a row "TOP FUEL ECONOMY". Its in the end of its lifecycle and still emits less than any other "modern" car (CO2, HC, NOx, PM actually it does not).

If an average car in UK emits 172 g/km and prius emits 104 , then prius emits 40 % less CO2 than an average car.

Is there any video to see of this ad?

If everyone woke up tomorrow and their car was replaced by a new Ford Expedition there would be a hell of a lot less green house emissions in the U.S.

Now fuel economy is a different story.

But it is those old, un-maintained vehicles that people drive around that give us the majority of the smog and crap in the air.

Another banned? Oh, well. They don't deserve it more than anyone else, but...

You should have been aborted.

My God, Bill.