ASA Upholds Complaints Against Peugeot

The ASA has upheld complaints against a national press ad for Peugeot which claimed its new car was “environmentally friendly.”

The complaint was made by the National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection which insisted the ad was misleading.

Peugeot said it withdrew the ad as soon as it received notification of the complaint. It argued that the claims referred to the car’s new diesel engine, which it believed to be the world’s cleanest, even though the car depicted in the advert was not fitted with the engine. The company claimed it was an oversight and future adverts would feature the right model.

In response the ASA said that the advertisers had not justified the claim that the car was environmentally friendly and welcomed Peugeot’s decision to withdraw it. They warned the company not to repeat the claim and advised them to take more care before publishing future ads.

ASA: 020 7580 5555 www.asa.org.uk

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