There is often a fine line between what's funny and what's in poor taste - but this twisted commercial from Toyota doesn't merely straddle that line, it crashes through it like a runaway train.

"Animals love being killed" is the rather disturbing message behind the popular carmaker's latest ad for its Hilux line of trucks. The short video spot, uploaded to YouTube last month by Toyota New Zealand, shows a range of wild animals waxing poetic about their desire to die if it means coming in contact with a Hilux.

"Oh joy! To be upon the new Hilux, transported," intones an elk approaching a group of hunters. "We'll not be hunted - but happily courted!"

Seriously, WTF, Toyota?

While the animals in the ad are clearly computer-animated, the morbid glorification and manner of their deaths is deeply rooted in the real world. In fact, according to Toyota general marketing manager Andrew Davis, who ordered the commercial, killing animals is what enjoying nature is all about.