Car-maker Ford has apologised for a series of adverts in India. One shows women bound and gagged in the boot of a car with a cartoon image of Silvio Berlusconi in the driver's seat flashing a victory sign.

Another has Paris Hilton driving with fellow reality stars the Kardashians tied up in the back. The car manufacturer says it deeply regrets the ads for the new Ford Figo which is made in India.

The campaign appears to have been designed to show the large cargo capacity of the small car.

"We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened" Ford said in a statement. "The posters are contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford and our agency partners".

"We take this very seriously and are reviewing approval and oversight processes, and taking necessary steps to ensure nothing like this ever happens again" Ford spokeswoman Sethi Deepti told The Economic Times.

WPP Group which holds ad agency JWT has also apologised. "This was the result of individuals acting without proper oversight and appropriate actions have been taken within the agency where they work to deal with the situation" it said.