LONDON (Thomson Financial) - The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) told Toyota Motor Corp today to modify a television advertisement which it found misled consumers about how much the Japanese carmaker's Prius car benefited the environment.

The advertisement claimed that the hybrid gas-electric vehicle emitted up to one tonne of carbon dioxide less per year than a similar family car with a diesel engine.

But the advertising watchdog said Toyota's data was based on the 20,000 kilometre (12,000-mile) average annual distance driven by cars in the United States, instead of the 13,440 kilometres average in Britain.

More on the Thomson Financial website.

And here's what the ASA said, the original "adjudication" (never heard that word before):
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Pu...F_ADJ_42615.htm

Edit: added a link to the ASA adjudication.