Australia tries to ban another ad for the Toyota GR Yaris

The Toyota GR Yaris has been on everyone’s lips for a long time thanks to its status as a rally car with a registration plate. And no wonder, since the market had gone far too long without a homologation special like this Japanese city car. With all this, the GR Yaris has won over nearly everyone’s heart. And we say nearly everyone because surely there are some people who don’t like it as much as the Australian Government, which has once again tried to ban an ad for what many consider the car of the moment.

And this is not the first time Australia has managed to take down an ad from the Japanese brand, which had one of its ads removed relatively recently. For now, this second attempt has not gone through, but it is clear they will not stop until they reach their goal and prevent ads that encourage reckless driving from going ahead.

This is how Australia interpreted the latest Toyota ad for the GR Yaris after receiving several complaints about its content. In it, the latest Japanese powerhouse can be seen drifting on dirt tracks with Australian driver Harry Bates at the wheel, before entering a paved area and signing off with a message: the rally car for the road.

This has led to several complaints and reports to the Ad Standards Community Panel, a body that oversees advertising and prevents misleading or potentially harmful communications. On this basis, complaints were made claiming that “this kind of driving doesn’t create legends, it creates dead people.” Toyota decided to respond immediately to the situation.

The Japanese brand has appealed, stating that its ad does not breach any industry code, as “the ad shows that normal Toyota cars are driven safely and in compliance with all applicable road regulations.” At the same time, Toyota has stated that during filming the legal speed limit was never exceeded and that the cars were closely monitored at all times.

https://youtu.be/rplvCnIfm1A

Despite the complaint filed, Australia’s independent advertising regulator ruled that the scenes filmed off-road were not unsafe. In this way, Toyota comes out unscathed from a situation that had recently become complicated for it after publishing an ad showing a GR Yaris drifting out of a garage driveway.

Technical specifications of this car

HatchbackToyota Yaris9 versions · from 24,550 €