Badvert of the month: Cupra (SEAT)
Company: Cupra (SEAT)
Model: Formentor
Location: UK train stations operated by Network Rail (picture above: Birmingham New Street station)
Pushing SUVs to rail users
What does an advert for a gas-guzzling SUV have in common with rail transport? Absolutely nothing. The choice of location for this SUV ad couldn’t be more at odds with its setting: right at the entrance of a major train station. But unfortunately, that should be of no surprise to anyone, because adverts that fuel the climate crisis are still not yet regulated either by public or transport authorities despite the huge collective threat they pose. In terms of tackling currently permitted adverts that pose a danger to public and environmental health, in the UK’s capital city, the Transport for London (TfL) authority has so far only ruled against ads for junk food products.
More recently, Amsterdam’s metro authority took a progressive step against advertising that promotes heavily polluting products and lifestyles in banning the promotion of cheap air flights, petrol and diesel cars.
In the UK, most local authorities (more than 480 as of November 2020, covering over 90 percent of the population) have declared a climate emergency. To implement their commitments, it is a logical step for these authorities now to take active steps to regulate adverts that further contribute to the climate crisis - not to do so would be a clear contradiction - and you can ask them to do so here.
Clogging our streets and lungs
In the midst of the pandemic, Cupra - a subsidiary of car maker SEAT - released its new SUV Formentor model. Launching a highly-polluting SUV amid a raging public health crisis might be considered in bad taste. Levels of air pollution have been found to correlate with an increase in the severity of Covid-19. Car industries too have received billions from Governments across Europe in financial support to their sector, with no environmental or public health strings attached (with the exception of some efforts by the French Government) to make them comply with climate change targets. As a result, the car manufacturing sector has kept pouring billions into advertising for their largest polluting cars. According to a Belgian study, advertising for SUVs was even found to have increased following the onset of the pandemic.
The reality in the UK is that all sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles like these will be phased out by 2030 - but even that will leave many still polluting roads and communities for longer still. Right now we must do everything possible to stop the sales of new gas-guzzling SUVs and avoid having them clogging our streets for an average of 6-11 more years - and that means putting an end to their promotion by advertising.
Company Background: Cupra
Cupra, formerly known as SEAT Sport, is a subsidiary of the Spanish automobile manufacturer SEAT. The sport division was founded in 1985 with the aim of increasing the brand’s promotional participation in rally and car racing championships, after it had won 11 titles between 1979 and 1983.
In February 2019, a year after its creation, Cupra released an SUV concept car which was to be commercialised in 2020 in the series of the Cupra Formentor. This model is the first to be developed by the brand. The brand has three other SUV models - the Cupra Ateca, León and Born - and one specifically designed for racing - the Cupra TCR.