Mental health organisations in America have persuaded Volkswagen to withdraw a television advertisement in which a man, who is about to kill himself, has a change of heart after learning that he can afford a cut-price German car.

A commercial called "jumper" shows a man teetering on the ledge of a tall building. He changes his mind when a stranger drives past and informs him that three Volkswagen models, including the latest version of the Beetle, are available for less than $17,000 (£8,700).

A group of charities condemned the marketing strategy. A Volkswagen spokesman said: "While our campaign is all about the optimism inherent in the Volkswagen brand, sensitivity is also a key element."

It is the second time this month that a carmaker has used suicide as a selling gambit. General Motors agreed to edit a commercial which showed a cute yellow robot dreaming of jumping off a bridge when it was fired for dropping a bolt on a production line. The spot was supposed to stress GM's commitment to quality.

Robert Gebbia, executive director of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said: "Suicide is a terrible tragedy and it is not appropriate to use it as a theme to help sell products. You wouldn't do this with people dying of HIV or cancer and you shouldn't do it with mental illness."

More than a million people attempt to kill themselves in America annually and suicide has claimed 300,000 lives in 10 years. The foundation says media depictions of suicide methods can be dangerous for people in a delicate state of mind.