Saab Criticised For Claims Over CO2 Emissions

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Fri, 07 Mar 2008

Scandinavian carmaker Saab has been criticised for over-stating the environmental credentials of its new BioPower range.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has responded to a Saab BioPower national press advert which claimed, "more horsepower and a smaller carbon footprint," by stating that the advert broke rules on ‘environmental claims, truthfulness and substantiation’.

The advertisement stated that Saab's bioethanol engines, which run on fuel part-made from crops, helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 70 per cent.

However the ASA ruled: "We considered that readers were likely to infer that bioethanol did not add a significant amount of CO2 to the atmosphere."

"We considered that a 30 per cent net addition to atmospheric CO2 was significant, and therefore concluded that the claim was likely to mislead," it added.

A spokesman for Saab said only the car manufacturer had received just three complaints regarding the advert, but admitted that some of the detail in the small print accompanying the advert could be expanded and ensured there would be no repeat of the problem.