Advertisement shows animals jumping into the bed of the moving pickup; brand says it has erased safety ropes with visual effects
A commercial for the new generation Toyota Hilux has become the target of controversy and regulatory intervention in Australia. The country’s advertising watchdog, the Australian Ad Standards Community Panel, ordered the automaker to modify the piece because it considers that the video promotes the dangerous and illegal transport of animals in the bed of the pickup.
Titled “The Pied Piper” and released in December 2025, the humorous film shows dozens of dogs abandoning their owners to chase and jump into the bed of a moving Hilux. Did the scenario generate complaints from spectators, who pointed out disrespect for local laws? The legislation requires that dogs transported in cargo compartments be properly tied.
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In its defense, Toyota’s Australian subsidiary argued that the commercial is “purposely exaggerated” and that no animals were put at risk. According to the manufacturer, all the dogs in the recording were bound by safety guides, which were later erased in the editing with the use of computer graphics. The brand also tried to justify the scene by citing an exception in the law for herding dogs on rural properties — an argument rejected by the council, which did not identify this clear context in the images.
The film also takes the opportunity to provoke direct rivals in the segment: during the journey, the Hilux passes a bogged down Ford Ranger, a Mitsubishi Triton struggling on a hill and a stopped Mazda BT-50, ending with the slogan: “Even dogs know that you don’t send a pickup truck to do the work of a Hilux”.
Despite the creative justification, Toyota was instructed to adapt the material to the standards to keep it in the air, which the company has already confirmed that it will do. The episode takes place at a time when the pickup, renewed after ten years, prepares its commercial ground — the debut in Brazil is scheduled between the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027. Last December, the same Australian division had to take down an advertisement for the GR Yaris sports car for showing maneuvers considered irregular in traffic.
