Will Nissan’s decision to yank ads from Facebook drive others to pull their ads?

By Marcus Amick Published May 31, 2013

Facebook lost a significant friend in the automotive world this week when Nissan pulled its advertisements from the social media site − and it could prove to be damaging in more ways than one.

According to a New York Times report, Nissan joined a dozen or so other smaller companies that have decided to pull ads from Facebook due to offensive content posted on the site glorifying violence against women. Nissan spokesman David Reuter said the carmaker has temporarily stopped advertising on Facebook until the site can guarantee that the company’s ads will not appear on pages with offensive content.

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The Times article indicates that Nissan and the other companies were prompted to pull their ads at the urging of a group of female activists, led by Women, Action, and the Media and The Everyday Sexism Project, who sent more than 5,000 emails to Facebook’s advertisers and 60,000 Tweets protesting the ads.

At is issue is the fact that under Facebook’s current system, ads follow users onto whatever pages they visit, which could potentially include posts with offensive content.

Noting that Facebook is still a significant part of Nissan’s digital advertising strategy, Reuters indicated that the carmaker is intent on working with the social media site to resolve the issue. “I expect we will work through those specific challenges quite quickly,” Reuter told The Times.

Nissan’s own Facebook page, which has nearly 6 million likes, is still up.

In a company blog, Facebook noted that its “systems to identify and remove hate speech have failed to work as effectively as we would like, particularly around issues of gender-based hate.” The social media site also issued a statement saying that it has “no tolerance for hate speech or content that is threatening, or incited violence, and we will not tolerate material deemed to be directly harmful to anyone.”

In addition, Facebook indicated it will work more aggressively to address offensive content, including updating the site’s guidelines and increasing accountability for users whose posts are “cruel or insensitive.”

Still, as a social site that thrives on people sharing everything from baby pictures to political opinions, clamping down on offensive content is more than a notion.

Couple that with the fact that General Motors, one of the world’s largest advertisers, just recently started running ads on Facebook after pulling them last year, and things could even get more troubling for the social media site down the road.

However, it essentially might all boil down to the ongoing question with Facebook – is there anything that can be done to control what people post?

[Image via Business Spectator]

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Marcus Amick has been writing about the world of cars for more than ten years and has covered everything from new automobiles…

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Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?

jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii 4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Cars

Tesla just scrapped the Cybertruck range extender

Tesla CEO Elon Musk behind the wheel of a Cybertruck.

The writing was pretty much on the wall for the Cybertruck range extender last month when Tesla removed the option from its website. Now, it’s officially scrapped it and is refunding the $2,000 deposits that customers put down for the $16,000 battery pack.

“We are no longer planning to sell the range extender for Cybertruck," Tesla said in a message to customers on Wednesday, adding, "As a result, we will be refunding your deposit in full.”

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Zoox recalls robotaxis after Las Vegas crash, citing software fix

Amazon's self-driving vehicle unit, Zoox, has issued a voluntary safety recall after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a minor collision in Las Vegas. The incident, which occurred in April 2025, led the company to investigate and identify a software issue affecting how the robotaxi anticipates another vehicle’s path.
The recall, affecting 270 Zoox-built vehicles, was formally filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Zoox said the issue has already been addressed through a software update that was remotely deployed to its fleet.
Zoox’s robotaxis, which operate without driving controls like a steering wheel or pedals, are part of Amazon’s entry into the autonomous driving space. According to Zoox’s safety recall report, the vehicle failed to yield to oncoming traffic while making an unprotected left turn, leading to a low-speed collision with a regular passenger car. While damage was minor, the event raised flags about the system’s behavior in complex urban scenarios.
Establishing safety and reliability remain key factors in the deployment of the relatively new autonomous ride-hailing technology. Alphabet-owned Waymo continues to lead the sector in both safety and operational scale, with services active in multiple cities including Phoenix and San Francisco. But GM’s Cruise and Ford/VW-backed Argo AI were forced to abandon operations over the past few years.
Tesla is also expected to enter the robotaxi race with the launch of its own service in June 2025, leveraging its Full Self-Driving (FSD) software. While FSD has faced heavy regulatory scrutiny through last year, safety regulations are expected to loosen under the Trump administration.
Zoox, which Amazon acquired in 2020, says it issued the recall voluntarily as part of its commitment to safety. “It’s essential that we remain transparent about our processes and the collective decisions we make,” the company said in a statement.