Toyota’s attempts to convince the public that they are going for the green might have backfired in a big cloud of emissions at the LA Auto Show. The normally beloved darling of the left coast car fiesta has drawn the ire of environmentalist’s big time.

To get things started, after introducing a television advertising campaign that shows a car virtually becoming biodegradable before our eyes, the Japanese automaker unveiled a full-size SUV that literally repulsed those whose thoughts turn to clean air and reduced use of natural resources.

No sooner was the Sequoia introduced to the media when Brant Olson, an environmental activist from a group called the Rainforest Action Network, with video camera in hand, approached Toyota’s general manager for U.S. sales, Bob Carter, and asked why the company won’t withdraw from a lawsuit against California, which has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to establish tougher fuel economy rules.

Carter refused to answer and knocked the camera out of Brant Olson’s hands.

In this day of YouTube at your finger tips, the incident was obviously broadcast worldwide.

After the altercation, Carter said Toyota and environmentalists have more in common than not, and that Toyota supports tougher fuel economy standards but doesn’t want them decided at the state level in California.

“We believe its best applied at the federal level,” he said. “We’re a full-line manufacturer and we want to meet consumer needs.”

He added that despite the rise in fuel prices, many U.S. buyers simply need the utility and space of a full-size SUV. Environmentalists sort of concur about people’s needs, but wanted to know why Toyota bypassed the hybrid route with the Sequoia.