Hyundai pulls suicide ad, apologizes

Korean automaker Hyundai has apologized for producing a TV commercial depicting a man attempting to commit carbon monoxide suicide with exhaust fumes from one of its SUVs, CNN Money reported.

The ad's punchline was that Hyundai's iX35 SUV runs on hydrogen and thus only emits water vapor, so in the end the man can't kill himself.

According to Hyundai, the commercial was created by an European advertising agency and was not approved by the company before it was leaked and went viral on the internet.

"Hyundai Motor deeply and sincerely apologizes for the offensive viral ad," Hyundai said in a statement. "The ad was created by an affiliate advertising agency, Innocean Europe, without Hyundai's request or approval. It runs counter to our values as a company and as members of the community. We are very sorry for any offense or distress the video caused. More to the point, Hyundai apologizes to those who have been personally impacted by tragedy."