Rolls-Royce Motor Cars pulls commercial over PR fiasco in China

The Chinese unit of British luxury automobile maker Rolls-Royce Motor Cars withdrew a commercial from its Twitter-like Sina Weibo social media platform after it sparked controversy among netizens, many claiming to be owners or potential buyers of Rolls-Royce limousines.

Netizens blamed the commercial, featuring a road trip on a Cullinan made by Lin Han and Lei Wanying in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, for poor taste and did not reflect the social status of owners of Rolls-Royce cars.

Lin and Lei are a couple who shot to fame as internet celebrities in China, although many netizens view them in a negative light for being hypocritical and arrogant.

Over 2,000 comments flooded the Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Weibo account, which previously attracted little attention from netizens, financial news portal 36kr.com reported.

Wanda scion Wang Sicong also weighed in, describing the commercial as “low” and said that he will not buy cars from the brand in the future.

Many who claimed to be owners of the limousine say they are disgusted with the commercial due to the negative image of the couple and the belief that the couple does not share their values.

Others blamed the company for failing to conduct due diligence and causing the fiasco.

Lin reportedly personally challenged some netizens over their identity as true car owners, drawing more criticism from unidentified owners and escalating the controversy.

Facing pressure, RollsRoyce Motor Cars’ Chinese unit said on late Thursday that it has taken note of the debate caused by the recently uploaded test drive video.

The company said it is treating the matter “seriously” and withdrawing it from Weibo.

China is a key market for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. The latest financial report in August showed that the company, now owned by BMW, delivered the highest-ever first quarter sales in its 116-year history in first quarter of 2021.