An advert for the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid has been banned after the car maker couldn't provide evidence of its eco claims.
The press ad for the £58,000 motor, stated: “More performance, less fuel … The new Cayenne S Hybrid can even travel to a speed of 37mph without using its V6 petrol engine”.
However, the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) judged the ad contravened its strict rules regarding truthfulness.
The watchdog launched an investigation after a complaint challenged whether the ad misleadingly implied that the vehicle could operate without using petrol and producing emissions, because the vehicle could only operate without a V6 petrol engine for a limited distance.
In its response, Porsche explained that the Cayenne S Hybrid could be powered by an electric motor without support from the V6 petrol combustion engine. They said the car could cover short distances whilst travelling up to a speed of 37 mph, without using the V6 petrol engine.
Porsche argued that, because the ad did not claim the car could remain at a speed of 37 mph for a specified distance, they did not need to include the distance in the ad.
Furthermore, they argued that external conditions and individual driver behaviour would determine how far a car could travel without engaging its petrol engine, so it would be impossible for them to specify a particular distance.
However, in its ruling the ASA referred to the ad statement, and stated: “We considered that the claim implied that drivers could travel for any distance without engaging the petrol engine, thus realising a saving in emissions and fuel, so long as the driver remained at, or below, 37 mph, which was not the case.
“Although we understood that Porsche were unable to provide a definitive distance of travel using the electric motor only, we nonetheless considered that the ad should have made clear the car could only travel for a limited distance at up to 37 mph before it would need to engage the petrol engine.
“In the absence of that clarification, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead.”
The advert can no longer be displayed in the UK.
hannah, alderley edge around 1 year, 7 months ago