Toyota Ad Pisses Off California Pols

Frank Williams
by Frank Williams

You'd think auto ad writers would have learned that dissing the locals is best left to the Simpsons. The latest car company issuing a mea culpa for stepping on finely-tuned political sensitivities: Toyota. BusinessWeek reports that a recent ad by the Japanese automaker raised the hackles of Fresno mayor Alan Autry and California senator Dianne Feinstein. The commercial in question showed the miserly Toyota Prius in a future where "gas stations will become nothing more than low-budget tourist stops. Like ghost towns… or Fresno." After Feinstein complained to the company, Toyota pulled the ad and edited out the reference. What penance must be done? Fresno city councilman Henry Perea says Toyota should open a Prius factory in his patch. Given the cost of doing biz in The Golden State, Perea should've simply asked for cash compensation (if he hasn't already).

Frank Williams
Frank Williams

More by Frank Williams

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 19 comments
  • Kevin Kluttz Kevin Kluttz on Nov 13, 2007

    What's Fresno?

  • Kevin Kluttz Kevin Kluttz on Nov 13, 2007

    Just kidding.

  • Jthorner Jthorner on Nov 14, 2007

    "Fresno city councilman Henry Perea says Toyota should open a Prius factory in his patch." Now that is funny. A new major manufacturing facility in California? Nothing of the kind has been built since IBM put up a huge disk drive factory in San Jose decades ago ... which factory is even now being bulldozed to make way for yet another big box strip mall. California policy seems to clearly be that the state doesn't want anything to actually be made here.

  • Stuntnun Stuntnun on Nov 14, 2007

    didnt the simpsons first appear on a show hosted by a chick that was british ?the tracy(ulman?)show -i think it was called,then it spun off into its own show.-still think monty pythons one of the funniest shows ever.

Next