Chinese Audi ad compares women to used cars

GERMAN carmaker Audi has sparked outrage in China after it likened women to second-hand cars in an advert.

The advert depicts a wedding ceremony which is interrupted by the groom’s mother, who begins to examine the bride, checking her teeth and behind her ears, much to the young woman’s displeasure.

The ceremony continues after the mother gives the OK signal. But the mother then takes aim at the bride once more, signalling that she forgot to check her breasts.

The advert then cuts away to an image of an Audi car with the voiceover: “An important decision must be made carefully.”

Viewers are then encouraged to visit Audi’s second-hand car sales website.

The advert, which appears on the Chinese internet and at cinemas, has provoked a furious backlash online.

“Has Audi lost its mind to compare women to second hand cars?” said one comment on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.

“Withdraw the video from the internet and apologise in public!” said another.

Many people criticised Audi for stereotyping the Chinese family as one which is dominated by an overbearing mother-in-law who rules over the submissive daughter-in-law.

Ma Qiji, an expert from the China Advertising Association of Commerce, said he believed the advert could flout regulations.

Previous adverts that have caused outrage in China include one for a laundry detergent, which sparked racism claims. It depicted a woman summoning a black man into a washing machine who then came out lightskinned, much to her delight.