SUV Maker's Inconvenient Truth in Advertising

HOT RIDE The Mitsubishi Endeavor ad on cbc.ca

Here in America, sales of sports utility vehicles have dropped as temperatures—

and concerns over global warming—have risen. But up in chilly Canada, the prospect of planetary climate change seems less worrisome.

At least that would explain an ad for the Mitsubishi Endeavor running now across a range of Canadian media. The online version of the ad features a happy snowman who melts into oblivion as the Endeavor, an SUV, rolls into view. "Now that's a hot ride," reads the tagline.

Indeed. According to a recent report by the Sierra Club, the average SUV emits 43 percent more greenhouse gases than the average car, and 47 percent more pollution. What's more, "when it comes to wasting energy, SUVs are unrivaled," notes the report. (FuelEconomy.gov, a site maintained by the U.S. Department of Energy, gives the Endeavor middling scores on both pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.)