Toyota Fortuner is not ‘all new’, rules advertising board

When it comes to car advertisements one has to get the semantics exactly right.

This is what Toyota South Africa Motors learned when the Directorate of the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) ruled in favour of a consumer who felt an advertisement for the “all-new Toyota Fortuner” was misleading.

The complaint was about a television commercial depicting a fantasy scenario involving a child imagining the car is on a new planet, with the tag line: “The all new Toyota Fortuner. Reimagine the luxury of freedom.” The complainant felt the commercial was misleading by stating the Fortuner was brand new whereas it has only been given a facelift including new lights, bumpers and wheels, among other cosmetic changes.

In response, Toyota told the ARB it was evident the advertised vehicle had undergone material changes and improvements. In addition to those already mentioned, updates to the popular seven-seat SUV included a front skid plate, LED fog lamps, sequential indicators and improved suspension, among others. There were also interior upgrades including a new USB point for rear passengers and revised instrument clusters.

As such, consumers were not likely to be misled about the new offering, argued Toyota.

But the ARB ruled in favour of the complainant and found the issue came down to one word. While the vehicle can justifiably use the descriptor “new” it is not “all new”, noted the ARB.

“‘All new’ promises something more than just ‘the new Fortuner’. In the context of vehicle marketing, it implies a new model of an existing range; or at least significant changes to the existing vehicle in all aspects. In the context of ‘all new’, the words ‘re-imagine’ also become problematic — although the directorate wishes to emphasise that they are not so in isolation. However, in this context they serve to create the impression that such are the changes to the car that you need to completely shift your thinking.”

As sanction, the directorate advised members of the ARB not to accept advertising from the advertiser referring to the advertised vehicle as “all new”.

The current Fortuner is seven years old but remains the country’s best-selling large SUV with a 40% market share in its segment. Toyota has kept it fresh with a number of cosmetic, technical and safety upgrades, but the next-generation, truly all-new Fortuner is expected in about three years’ time.