Buying a car is often an emotional decision—especially when it comes to high-performance models.
It’s widely believed that purchasing a car is driven as much by emotion as by logic, particularly when performance models are involved. So how do you advertise something like the GR Yaris? The obvious answer is to showcase its outstanding handling and performance. But not every country is comfortable with seeing that kind of “driving excitement” on screen.
The concept of the commercial itself is fairly straightforward. The setting is chosen so the car isn’t weaving through traffic or interacting with other road users, and at times it genuinely feels like a rally stage—which makes sense, given that the GR Yaris was developed to homologate a WRC-class car. There are dramatic slides, airborne moments over jumps, and plenty of high-energy driving throughout.
Despite that, the ad was ultimately banned from television after being ruled non-compliant with Australia’s motor vehicle advertising code. Regulators concluded that the driving shown could be interpreted as unsafe or reckless if viewers attempted to replicate it on public roads, even though the commercial clearly depicts a professional driver operating in controlled conditions.
After receiving a complaint, the review panel determined that the visual message crossed the line by effectively normalizing maneuvers that violate traffic laws. As a result, Toyota pulled the commercial from television broadcasts in Australia.
It’s not the first time Toyota has run into this issue there. Earlier GR Yaris commercials in Australia were also taken off the air after drifting scenes triggered complaints. Looking back at how aggressive and high-octane car ads were 20 or 30 years ago, it’s clear how much the landscape has changed. Which raises an obvious question: how do you market cars that are genuinely fun to drive in today’s climate?