Audi has sparked controversy following an advert in China that likened women to second hand cars.
In the advert, a wedding ceremony is interrupted by the groom’s mother who examines the bride’s teeth and behind her ears. Satisfied, the mother walks off, giving the betrothed couple an OK sign.
The mother then signals that she forgot to check the bride’s breasts. An Audi car is then shown with the voiceover: “An important decision must be made carefully”. Viewers are then directed towards Audi’s second hand car sales website.
Shown on Chinese websites and in Chinese cinemas, the advert resulted in a backlash online.
“Has Audi lost its mind to compare women to second hand cars,” said one comment on Sina Weibo.
“Withdraw the video from the Internet and apologise in public!” said another.
Others slammed Audi for stereotyping a Chinese family with a feisty mother-in-law.
“From the inception of this idea to its broadcasting, was there a single woman who worked on this commercial?”, asked one Weibo user.
Some even suggested boycotting Audi, whilst another called it “a terrible ad!” and others, “disgusting”.
“I will not buy an Audi in this lifetime,” one user said, and another called it “disastrous marketing”.
A spokesman from the German car company told SCMP that an investigation has been launched.
