BMW And Toyota Targeted By European Parody Billboards Tackling Polluting SUVs

Jan. 18, 2023 6:56 AM ET byJarryd Neves Industry News /18 Comments

Climate activists are fighting automakers with a series of thought-provoking adverts in Europe.

Environmental activism group Brandalism is taking action against BMW and Toyota with a series of parody adverts across Great Britain and Europe.

These "hijacked billboards" are protesting the automakers mentioned above, both of which use "aggressive lobbying tactics," according to the organization. This is based on statistics fromInfluenceMap报告which deems Toyota to be the 10th worst company in the world regarding anti-climate lobbying.

"Toyota [has] pushed [its] 'Beyond Zero' sustainability adverts whilst lobbying governments around the world to weaken air quality plans and threatening legal action to protect their profits over a liveable climate. Their adverts are duplicitous," said Brandalism spokesperson Tona Merriman.

This isn't the first time the Japanese automaker has been accused of being environmentally unfriendly. Last year, Denmark's AkademikerPension said Toyota used "the pretext of customer choices to avoid answering the question about lobbying activities toslow the transition towards fossil-fuel-free cars."

A series of these parody adverts can be spotted in various cities such as London, Paris, Stuttgart, and Brussels and feature vehicles like theToyota RAV4, Land Cruiser, andBMW X5. These "highly polluting" vehicles are portrayed in a series of situations, with one particularly harrowing advert showing the Land Cruiser running over a cyclist while leaving a trail of pollution and destruction in its wake.

Another reminds passers-by about BMW's emissions cheating scandal. "When we test our emissions, the test dummy - is you," reads the caption, which is accompanied by an image of crash test dummies choking on BMW exhaust fumes.

"Toyota and BMW use slick marketing campaigns to promote oversized SUV models that clog up urban neighborhoods," said Merriman. "Electric SUVs are no solution - they're too big for most parking spaces, and their tall bumper size and excessive weight present an increased risk to pedestrians, especially children, involved in road collisions."

It's not just emissions and excessive waste that Brandalism is targeting. One of the organization's parody billboards attacks the degrading manner in which women are represented in certain automotive adverts.

Much like the advertisement of tobacco products was banned, Brandalism (and many more groups like it) desire a ban on products deemed destructive to the environment. This includes SUVs and fossil fuels. While this may sound absurd to many, the英国广播公司reports that a similar project has been implemented in the city of Bristol, where advertising for things like unhealthy food and gambling has been banned.

One resident told the news outlet, "If the council seriously wants to act to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions that harm the climate, why don't they follow other councils and ban this type of ad?"

不像世界上大多数汽车制造商,丰田的瑞玛ins steadfast in its beliefs and believes it has a responsibility to continue producing non-electric vehicles for customers across the world. While the automaker offers electric cars for sale (and has plans to introduce more), it has been accused of being slow to respond to climate issues. The company also continues to invest in hydrogen as an alternative energy source.

While BMW has several electric vehicles on sale, CEO Oliver Zipse pulls no punches about what he believes is apremature ban on combustion-engined cars. Like Toyota, BMW is taking a measured approach and hopes to offer its global customers something to suit their needs, wherever they may be.

This isn't the first time activists have targeted the automotive world. In October, a group of environmentalistsglued themselves to classic Ferrarisat the Paris Motor Show.