To promote the latest update of its famous Hilux pickup, Toyota Australia shared an ad showing multiple dogs “stacked” in the truck bed.
The commercial, shared on December 10, 2025, on Toyota Australia’s YouTube channel, depicts several dogs leaving their owners to chase the Hilux.
After a jab at pickups from other brands, including the Ford Ranger and the Mitsubishi Triton, the following slogan appears at the end of the ad: “Even dogs know you don’t send a pickup to do a Hilux’s job.”
However, to reach the pickup, the animals are shown jumping into the truck bed while it is in motion. This led the Australian Ad Standards Community Panel to receive multiple complaints.
According to the regulatory body, Toyota violated the safety code in the commercial, as the way it portrayed animal transport in the vehicle is considered dangerous and potentially illegal.
The site Drive Australia notes that in the country, dogs are allowed to be transported in pickup beds as long as they are properly secured.
In response, the Japanese manufacturer submitted a report to the community panel revealing that the dogs used in filming were, in fact, secured to the bed by harness, but this detail was removed using CGI in post-production.
Meanwhile, the portal Carscoops reported that the Japanese brand responded to the history of complaints by commenting that the ad was intentionally exaggerated and intended to show canine loyalty inspired by the Hilux.
Even so, an order has already been issued for Toyota to modify the content of the commercial if it wishes to continue airing. Drive Australia shared this week that a brand representative confirmed the intention to modify the ad to align it with the country’s advertising policies.
+ Click here to watch the Toyota commercial
Photo and video: YouTube @toyotaaustralia. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
