BMW M760Li xDrive advert BANNED by the ASA. Don’t they have anything better to do?

BMW M760Li xDrive advert BANNED by the ASA

An advert for the BMW 760iL xDrive, which appeared in The Telegraph Magazine, has been banned by the ASA for promoting speed and acceleration.

An advert for the range-topping BMW 760iL xDrive, which appeared in The Telegraph Magazine earlier this year, has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) because it “condoned or encouraged irresponsible driving”. After just one complaint.

It seems the single Telegraph reader thought BMW shouldn’t be promoting the performance of its car, and that using phrases like “Luxury just lost its manners” and “for some, the climb to the top is quicker” were encouraging and condoning reckless driving.

BMW and The Telegraph defended the advert by suggesting the quoted 0-62 times were valid as they’re within national speed limits, and that the phrases used in the advert were nothing more than “advertising puffery”. And they’re right.

The whole point of a car like the BMW 760iL is that its offers luxury and performance, and the acceleration times are nothing more than a statement of fact.

The ASA’s verdict said:

We considered that the cumulative effect of the claim “Luxury just lost its manners”, the vehicle’s acceleration and power statistics, and the claim “for some, the climb to the top is quicker” made speed and acceleration the main message of the ad. We therefore concluded that the ad breached the Code.

This upheld complaint follows a similar case with the Jaguar XE and an advert in the Guardian for “encouraging” drivers to keep connected in the new XE, after just two complaints.

This ruling follows a similar daft ruling in March, when the ASA banned an advert for the Jaguar XE in The Guardian for encouraging people to stay connected when driving.

For the record, the BMW 760iL is a terrific luxury car which handles like a sports saloon (and can go round bends really quickly) and can get to 62mph in 3.9 seconds. That’s as quick as a Ferrari F40.

Which is exactly what BMW should be telling prospective buyers.