Toyota off-road commercials banned in France

By Tim Beissmann
October 31st, 2012

FIND DEALS

A judge in France has ordered Toyota remove all advertisements showing its 4×4 vehicles driving off-road, ruling that they “promote environmentally unfriendly behaviour”.

Non-profit organisation France Nature Environment (FNE) filed the lawsuit last April against print and television commercials that feature Toyota HiLux, LandCruiser and RAV4 models driving through sand, snow, streams, green scrubland and over rocks, performing typical off-road manoeuvres.

Although Toyota’s lawyers argued that the advertisements were filmed and photographed overseas and therefore not subject to French law, the judge from Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, sided with FNE, ruling that the ads encouraged destructive behaviour.

“These advertisements promote environmentally unfriendly behaviour that goes against the preservation of natural resources,” the judge said, as reported by AFP.

Toyota Hilux

Toyota was one of five automotive manufacturers found to be in breach of France’s advertising ethics code in December 2011 in relation to its commercials that showcased the off-road ability of its vehicles. The other four car makers chose to remove their ads while Toyota resisted, leading to FNE’s legal action.

Toyota released a statement following the judge’s ruling insisting that it had no plans to file an appeal and has started removing its banned advertising material.

The French division of the Japanese manufacturing powerhouse said it was surprised by the ruling as it has always sought permission to film in off-road locations and in some circumstances has even filmed off-road scenes in studios.

The judge gave Toyota one month to remove the banned commercials from print, billboards, TV and the internet, and faces a fine of 100 euros ($125) per ad per day if the ads have not been removed after that point.

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Pro346

What a joke! What’s next no ads with cars being driven on roads.
save it for the track

Political correctness gone mad. Its a wonder the green movement haven’t tried it here. I wonder if Top Gear airs in France? It’s probably banned for all the antics they do.
Guest23

What on earth is happening to this world ?
I’m beginning to really hate the Greens…forcing their beliefs upon everyone else.
They’re the modern day Nazis for sure.
davie

Disappointing left wing thought-police type behavior from the new Socialist Government which France voted in recently.
3D4

Haha, please do not promote the 4wd capability on this 4wd vehicle..!!

Reminds me of NSW and their ads for 4wd cars.. Soft and slow music, que to a bunny in the field happily jumping around (aaaaaaahhhh), kids quietly sit in the back watching all the beauty of this country, slow start of the vehicle, smiling dad engaging first gear, releasing brake, car slowly start to move on freshly cut grass area in the middle of outback aaaaaaannd CUT…!! hahahahaha
Grantj

one of my favourite areas north of Cairns, Wangetti Beach, years ago had most of its rainforest foreshore and trees destroyed by lazy 4WD ers bashing there way along tracks instead of getting off their fat arses and walking. I think this is a positive move by the French who obviously care for the environment, unlike Australia, where the majority of people appear to need a huge 4WD just to drive to Coles.
- Aleks
  
  I’m sure that if they remove 4wd-iving commercials, that would solve your issues. Get real! People don’t go off road because they saw it on tv, it’s like if someone started murdering people because he saw a horror movie. This is such a ridiculous move. How dare they show their off road vehicle off road :@ grrrr lol
  - nick
    
    grantj was expressing an opinion through an anecdote I found interesting. In my opinion, nothing you said in response was relevant or interesting…
- Amlohac
  
  Theres a tree that needs hugging mate, go cry to the pines.
  - Luke Brinsmead
    
    Yeah but without the greenies we would have probably lost our second tallest tree (tallest flowering tree in the world) in Tasmania. The first was lost in Victoria over a 100 years ago. Reminds me of Avitar.
    - Grr
      
      And we give a s##t about this because ?…….
      Too many PC do-gooders and hippies – im going bush bashing!!
      - nick
        
        why did you have to reply to a legitimate and inoffensive comment with an asinine and aggressive one?
      - Jylng09
        
        The only true wilderness left is the space between a greenies ears
Dave W

Remove it from the internet? Easier to turn a gay guy into a straight guy.

The Greens are the neo-communists, responsible for all the nanny state speed rules, the cyclist lanes and probably other BS rules. Keep it up and our future would be like in that movie Demolition Man.
- Phil
  
  Who are you actually talking about? The Greens as in the Australia Greens political party? They have nothing to do with French advertising standards, state speed limits or communism.
  Also, do you think the Greens are in power? They only have 2 state seats across the whole country and one federal seat – do you seriously think our parlimentary system allows tiny minoritys to change laws? Any law changes that have occured would have to have been supported by at least one of the two major partys. The Greens party cannot and has never been able to any changes without Liberal and/or Labour also being in agreement.
  - Daz
    
    +1 to this.
    
    Having studied politics, my pet hate is people who have a political opinion yet know nothing about politics. Just embarasing themselves.
    - save it for the track
      
      Surely Phil was being ironic….
    - Dave W
      
      Admittedly, I have very little knowledge in politics, I merely lump all those eco-mentalists into one category, “the Green”.
      
      Who’s trying to ban recreational fishing? The Green!! Whose idea was it to let those fkin cyclists loose on the road? The Green!! What about the cyclists lanes that hardly ever get used? The Green!!
      - Phil
        
        Dave, you obviously also know very little about a lot more than just politics.
        
        Cyclists has ALWAYS been allowed “loose” on the roads! In fact the laws set in place by the LABOR government and held in agreement by the LIBERAL government forbid adult cylists from using the footpath, thus they must by law use the road.
        Then you follow on your complaint about cyclists on the road by complaining about Cylists lanes? Irony much? Naivety much?
        
        So you don’t want cyclists on the road and you don’t want cyclists lanes…..yet your complaining about banning recreational fishing but at the same time you appear to want to ban cycling? Again – Irony much? Naivety much?
      - nick
        
        +1 phil for someone who seems to have an irrational hatred for suzuki (perhaps only arbitrarily) I think you have a very reasoned and informed point here and I thank you on behalf of myself and many others for shutting down his annoying and laughable comments
      - Dave W
        
        Blah blah blah… Whatever Phil. You obviously have never gotten stuck behind some selfish pr!ck on his bicycle during rush hour traffic taking his time. And the best part is, when the traffic light turns red and you’re stuck, he keeps on going using the pedestrian crossing.
        
        Or even gotten yourself stuck behind a cyclist riding on the road while a cyclist lane stays empty to his left on Talavera Rd.
        
        Or perhaps you’ve never seen any cyclist on Epping road riding happily on the Bus lane right next to the cyclist lane provided.
        
        Or see a cyclist on the 70 zone nearly causing accident and his own death on Victoria Rd.
        
        Or maybe you’ve never seen cyclist lane that stays empty pretty much the whole day on Bourke Rd.
        
        Or maybe you’re one of those cyclists…
        
        I spent quite a bit of time on the road last year, around 30,000km worth, and I know what I saw on the road. Those cyclists are pain in the a$$, so can the theatrics alright, mate?
      - Phil
        
        Ah Dave, your showing yet more ignorance.
        
        You do realise that the Bourke St cycleway is in the electorate of SYDNEY which has NEVER been held by a Greens candiate?
        Here’s a revelation for you: CLOVER MOORE, INDEPENDENT. She’s been in charge of that electorate for over TWENTY YEARS, yet you still think it’s run by the Greens?
        How about another one, in the electorate of EPPING which covers Epping Rd, Talavera Rd and Victoria RD: GREG SMITH, LIBERAL PARTY – and has been held by the Liberal party for over TWENTY YEARS.
        So all these local issues you have ARE NOT with the Greens, nor are theFrench advertising standards.
        
        Your showing yet more irony too with your accusation that I’m the one being theatrical…..
      - Dave W
        
        So we’re back into politics again now aye? I thought we were talking about how little I know about more than just politics?
        
        I know what I see on the road and judging from how you replied, I’d say you’re one of those weekend drivers that don’t spend much time on the road.
        
        So why don’t you shove that politics up yours along with our incompetent government who cry about pollution but can’t even provide an efficient and reliable public transport and instead, exacerbate the problem by making the road smaller to provide cyclist lanes that barely got used for the sake of being seen as an environmental champion to get votes.
      - Yetiman
        
        Is this Barnaby Joyce?
      - Yetiman
        
        So much anger, you should be banned from driving. More cyclist is good. Less traffic and Fat people.
    - Igor
      
      Our Universities are a breeding ground for left wing loonies.
      But studies show that most people become more conservative as they get older…older means wiser I guess.
  - jekyl & hyde
    
    Phil you jest,surely. google up Murry Darling Basin Committee.a party set up purely by the greens and their muppet master julia,to please penny and the other s.a. independant’s,at the expense of EVERY single australian that eats food,and get back to me,won’t you.
    
    p.s. don’t expect a fair argument…
    - Lindsay
      
      If you’ve found no argument to be fair, when that’s the best you’ve got I think you might have found the reason.
    - Barnaby
      
      This is a car forum……no Politics please.
  - Guest23
    
    But when the Greens hold power with a desperate ‘rule at all costs’ Labor Party, then they unleash a huge amount of destructive power disproportionate to their election polling. I know, I live in Tassie.
    - Phil
      
      Oh, so I guess your suffering under extremely low speed limits and cyclists have special holds over the roads that they don’t have in any other state and recreational fishing is illegal?
      I’ve been to Tas a few times and the open road limit was 100kmh – same as every other state and I don’t remember seeing any cyclists, but I did see plenty of people fishing.
      - Guest23
        
        My response is to your original post about politics, not cyclists or fishing.
        I’m referring to the current forestry debate (or should I say debacle) ..just one example of Green Party thuggery, abuse , deceit & economic sabotage that’s been going on down here for years.
        Btw, I was sure we have many cyclists down here, especially pelotons at peak hour in the mornings. But if you didn’t see any during your visit then I must be wrong.
- Schn
  
  You do realise this is about the French taking down an ad, not Australia… so the Greens have nothing to do with it, if you’re referring to the Australian Greens. Plus, Chinese politicians are proper neo-Communists and they’re pretty good at running the country in a few certain areas.
Schn

In the words of the ex-Frehnch-Mitsubishi CEO, that judge is a “retard”
MK

Maybe a Hilux recovered the judge’s Peugeot 4008…
Michael Lock

I think the French government should be more concerned about sorting out their terrible economic affairs and the European Union rather than worrying about topics like this.
It just goes to show that useless and bloated governments that achieve nothing meaningful except move the ‘Musical Tax Chairs’ around is not only a specialty of our 2 main political parties.
When the Euro crashes I am sure the French government would love Toyota to spend whatever on advertising whatever, idiots.
Did you all also hear that the French government is trying to charge Google to show links to French business sites, it’s all gonna get a lot worse before it gets better including Australia.
- Phil
  
  I think you should read the article again. The French Government didn’t file a lawsuit against Toyota, it was a non-Government organisation.
Douglas9305

I do think some of these 4WD commercials are pretty poor – showing vehicles splashing through the sea and rivers at high speed, jumping over the crest of dunes – seriously?
Amlohac

Just…. ugh. This is why you lost the war… twice. Stoopid French.
- Doctor
  
  They were on our side…. but you wouldn’t know it!
Amlohac

Just…. ugh. This is why you lost the war… twice. Stoopid French.
falcodore

Dear Germany, can you please invade France again? This time we won’t stop you.

Regards, sensible people of the world.
F1orce

I honestly think this is very scary.

All these rules and regulations and control.
Force-15

This reminds me of a few years ago when the Australian Pedestrian Council (I believe Harold Scruby is particularly to blame) whinged to the Advertising Standards Board about ‘aggressive driving in car commercials’. As a result we can’t even be shown footage of a Suzuki Swift driving around an empty underground carpark on telly anymore, especially with the tachometer showing its engine spinning close to a dizzying 4,000 RPM…
Guest

Hey Toyota, it is just $125 per day, I will keep posting for an extra month. I think it is worth it considering all the controversy. Considering the stupid ruling, your competition’s advertisement would not be anywhere near as good.
Blitzkrieg

Envioroment eh,it did not worry the french only a few years ago when they
detonated atom bombs in the pacific close to our shores,the hipocracy.
BP

Give me a break, every car ad seems to be cut and/or edited these days. These include The Suzuki Swift Sport Ad, Ford Falcon Mk II Cane Toad Ad & a Volvo Ad.

None of these ads mean anything offensive or direct anyway and no one gives two hoots about it. Grow up!
Jonno

Lol the French are complaining about an ad! How about the 200 nuclear test they carried out in muruora, which has led to catastrophic environmental damage not to mention the increase of thyroid cancer in the region as a result.
Hypocrites.
E210

The French have mostly been an arrogant race of people. This is why we like them. We need people to make fun of. Go frenchies, stick your nose up in the air and walk tall. Need an island to test bombs…..anyone got a spare. Blew the last one to the crapola.
Mysoot

Is it just me or does anyone else get their blood boiling at every car add on tv showing “overseas model shown” in tincy letters at the bottom of the screen… Like wtf? why not show me something i can buy in this country?
G Ligon

World has doomed to greens ‘nd France leads!
Clodwig

I think the lawsuit was a little exaggerated because I think none of the tracks in the advertising looked like a sensible ecological area…but I cannot be sure.
On other aspect some of you ou can trash talk all you want about the “greens” but I’m a landscape architect and I also drive a Hilux all the time in the woods, sometimes for work, other times for recreation and I know it’s very important to be very careful where to go as to not damage the ecossistem.If some of you think its fine to cross the dunes or go along on top of riverbeds I tell you that will only weaken the vegetations that supports those structures…. Without the plants the beach will become smaller… and the rivers will become faster… if you weaken the waterlines it could initiate floods and mudslides… And that’s not talking about the biodiversity… which I thinks it’s something some of you may not grasp…So its all fun if you respect the nature and know how to travel without being a gearhead jerk and turning the forests and beaches into a “little kids playground” which, unfortunately, I have seen many times done by the 4WD crowd. Oh, and because of that I saw several houses being taken by the sea and mudslides…

And I hope that will help everyone understand some of the issues here.