BMW rapped over figure in 'misleading' ad

A BMW campaign claiming low levels of carbon dioxide emissions has been ruled misleading to consumers, a watchdog said yesterday.

The ad said: "So you can step on the accelerator, knowing Joy will minimise the CO2 emissions" and "BMW EfficientDynamics, Less emissions, More driving pleasure."

The small print said fuel economy figures for the Z4 sDrive 35is Roadster put CO2 emissions at 210g/km.

Two people complained the ad implied that the level was low, when they understood it to be relatively high.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said: "Because an emission rate of 210g/km was relatively high for any car, despite being lower than BMW's previous model and some competitors' similar specification vehicles, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead without further qualification."

It ruled that the ad should not appear again in its current form.