Ford parks ads after outrage

Ford India has apologised for a series of advertisements featuring caricatures of bound and gagged women in the boot of a Figo car driven by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi.

The advertisements for the best-selling hatchback, created by the Indian unit of global advertising giant JWT, appeared on adsoftheworld.com, though Ford said they were not meant for commercial use.

They appeared online over the weekend, reportedly without Ford’s app-roval, at a time when India is under fire for its treatment and portrayal of women following a series of sexual assaults.