Two ads for Nissan’s Qashqai hybrid model have been banned for failing to make sufficiently clear the extent to which it needed petrol to run.
The first TV ad, seen in May and September, opened with small text stating: “*e-Power comprises a 100% electric motor-driven system, powered by a lithium ion battery and a petrol engine.”
The ad featured stylised footage of a car driving through a city at night while a voiceover said: “Who said electrification can’t spark excitement when unplugged?”
The second TV ad, seen in June, included an additional closing shot depicting DC superhero The Flash running around two Nissan cars and leaving a trail of sparks in his wake, with a voiceover stating: “Nissan Qashqai and X-Trail with e-Power. Get your own electrical superpower like The Flash.”
Four viewers complained this did not make the car’s source of power sufficiently clear.
Nissan said the ad made clear that the vehicle was part of their “e-Power” range that was neither hybrid nor fully electric but used a petrol engine and lithium-ion battery to power an electric motor which solely turned the wheels.
This was different from conventional hybrids where the wheels were powered by a petrol engine, electric motor, or a combination of both.
Nissan said the ads were no longer being broadcast in the form complained of, and that in future they would include additional wording to clarify that the vehicle was not a fully electric vehicle and required petrol to fuel the electric motor.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said viewers would understand the ads to mean that the car used “e-Power”, a new, electric technology that did not require it to be plugged in in the same way as electric-powered vehicles.
While the ad did not include any explicit claims in relation to the car’s environmental impact, the ASA said consumers were likely to understand that the car was a better choice for the environment than traditionally fuelled vehicles.
“However, because the ads did not make sufficiently clear the nature of the vehicle’s power source and because it required petrol to power the electric motor, which would produce tailpipe emissions, we considered that the ads were also misleading in this regard,” the ASA said.
“We concluded that the ads did not make sufficiently clear the extent to which the car required petrol and were therefore misleading,” the watchdog concluded.
It ruled that the ads must not appear again in their current form, adding: “We told Nissan to ensure that their future ads made sufficiently clear the nature of a vehicle’s power source.”
Nissan said: “We are disappointed with the ruling made by the ASA although of course we will respect their decision.
“We remain fully committed to helping our customers understand the different technologies available to them, including hybrid, e-Power and full electric. e-Power uses a petrol engine and a lithium-ion battery to power an electric motor. The electric motor alone drives the wheels, providing a uniquely exciting technology that brings customers who are not quite ready for a fully electric vehicle as close to the excitement of EV driving as possible.”