People are not too happy with this Audi ad

Chinese consumers are up in arms over the latest ad by Audi China which highlights how picking a bride is the same thing as choosing the right car.

In the 34 second ad a young couple, about to get married, is rudely interrupted by the groom’s mother who starts inspecting the bride to be. Pulling her nose and ear after a close inspection the mother approves her son’s choice, however, changes her mind once she takes a closer look at the girl’s chest.

In the next scene, an Audi drives through the city accompanied by the voice-over saying “an important decision must be made carefully.” The advertisement ends with a plug for used Audi vehicles and mention that “Only with official certification can you be rest assured.”

According to a report in CNN Money, Chinese consumers are not too happy about the ad and have expressed their anger via Weibo. Many users have commented that the ad was racist and have called to boycott Audi cars. The Weibo hashtag “Audi second-hand car ad” had been viewed more than 300,000 times by midday today.

The report also carried a response from Audi’s head of corporate communications in China, Michael Wilkes, who stated that the advert was produced by the used car division of parent company Volkswagen’s joint venture in China. The local company did comment on the advertisement’s backlash.

*Update: In a statement to USA Today Audi issued an apology for the ad: “The ad’s perception that has been created for many people does not correspond to the values of our company in any way,”*

Check out the ad for yourself below:


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