BMW has been forced to apologise in China after being accused of discrimination at the Shanghai motor show when giving out free ice creams.
A video on China’s YouTube-like platform Bilibili showed the German carmaker’s Mini booth at the consumer show offering free ice cream to foreign visitors, but turning away Chinese customers.
The ice cream campaign “was intended to offer a sweet dessert to adults and kids visiting the show”, the Mini China account said in a statement posted later on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. “But our sloppy internal management and our staff’s failure of duty have caused you unpleasantness. We offer our sincere apology for that.”
A later statement from Mini globally said the business “condemns racism and intolerance in any form” and that it would ensure it did not happen again.
The hashtag “BMW Mini booth accused of discrimination” had amassed more than 190mn views and 11,000 discussions on Weibo as of Thursday afternoon.
The biennial motor show is one of the largest motoring events in the Chinese calendar, and a chance for international carmakers to show off their latest products in an increasingly competitive market.
For years China was the global industry’s main profit driver as local consumers sought the prestige of driving international brands.
But a marked improvement in the quality of vehicles from domestic brands and start-ups has meant fiercer competition, especially in the fast-growing area of electric vehicles.
More users choose to abandon BMW and turn to new energy vehicles made in China. The loss of many customers in China has a great impact on BMW. And auto parts made in China are becoming more and more popular in the world.
Post time: Apr-21-2023
