The reason was numerous complaints from viewers who felt that the video depicted dangerous and potentially illegal behavior when transporting animals.
The ad features dozens of dogs abandoning their owners to jump into the back of a moving Toyota Hilux. The final scene shows a parked pickup truck, the back of which is filled to capacity with dogs.
Australian authorities found that the video violated two points of the safety code. The decision states that the advertisement demonstrates an illegal and unsafe method of transporting dogs, which must be securely secured in the vehicle. Despite the humorous tone of the video, it does not meet generally accepted standards of safety in society.
Toyota Australia clarified in its response that the dog plot is a gaming metaphor. The company also assured that only trained animals were used in the filming, dangerous scenes were created using computer graphics, and no dogs were harmed. However, Australian authorities said the advertisement must be changed.
This is not the first time Toyota has had similar advertising problems in Australia. Last year, a GR Yaris advert was pulled from air for demonstrating dangerous driving, and in 2023 a Hilux advertising campaign was banned in the UK for promoting “environmentally irresponsible” off-road behaviour.
It was previously reported that UAZ is testing new diesel models in extreme conditions.
