Toyota GR Yaris Advertisment Banned from Showing because it Promotes Dangerous Driving Style

JAKARTA - Toyota is once again under the spotlight of Australian regulators after a GR Yaris television commercial was found to violate the country's motor vehicle advertising standards. The broadcast was pulled from the air for promoting unsafe driving behavior, extending the list of tensions between the Japanese automaker and Australian compliance authorities.

Reported by Carscoops, Thursday, December 18, in the short ad, the GR Yaris is depicted as penetrating the interior of a gravel road with a rally-style driving style. The driver wears a helmet and racing gear, then stops at a fictional fast food restaurant called Up'n Down Burgers to order food.

While waiting for the order to be completed, the high-performance car sped up again aggressively, even showing a dramatic jump before gliding on the wet road to the port area. The maneuver, which featured the all-wheel drive system, GR-Four, was the main highlight, ending with a scene of a sideways stop next to the GR86 and GR Corolla.

This spectacular visual actually caught the attention of Australian regulators. After receiving complaints regarding the alleged promotion of dangerous driving practices, advertising authorities stated that the ad violated the Code of Ethics of the Federal Automotive Industry Chamber (FCAI). The regulator assessed that the driving style in the broadcast, if carried out on public roads, would almost certainly be illegal in all states.

Toyota Australia responded by insisting that the GR range has pure motorsport DNA, and the ad was created to represent a fantastic and unrealistic rally driving style in an environment closed by professional drivers. Toyota emphasized that the scene was not an invitation to perform wild acts on the highway, but rather to showcase the car's capabilities in a fictional context.

However, the regulator ordered the withdrawal of the advertisement from television and video broadcasts, which are no longer shown, although they can still be found on YouTube. A spokesman for Toyota Australia said the GR Yaris ad had been suspended while the company made adjustments in accordance with Ad Standards.

This controversy is not the first. In 2021, another GR Yaris ad was also banned in Australia just for showing a little action of turning the wheel when the car comes out of the garage for a short moment that was considered to promote risky driving behavior.

The situation shows how strict the rules for marketing high-performance cars in Australia are, putting manufacturers in a difficult position of highlighting capabilities without actually displaying performance. A similar phenomenon also occurred in the UK. In 2023, the country's Advertising Standards Authority banned Toyota Hilux ads because they were considered teaching offroad driving habits without considering the environmental impact.