A seemingly sexist Audi ad which aired in China is coming under fire for comparing women to used cars. Understandably, people are both shocked and outraged.
In the ad, a mother-in-law inspects her son’s bride before the couple says “I do.” She pulls on the woman’s nose, ears and mouth then gives an A-OK sign to signal she approves. At that precise moment, however, she sees the woman’s breasts and the commercial switches to sleek footage of a car speeding down a highway. A voiceover then advises, “An important decision must be made carefully.”
Immediately, people began slamming the ad on Weibo, a Chinese social media site similar to Twitter. CNN reports that one user wrote, “This is unacceptable.” Another simply called it “disgusting.” As the news spread to English-speaking countries, others began expressing similar outrage.
In response to the backlash, Audi issued a public statement, saying it “deeply regrets” the commercial. Additionally, the ad has been removed from television.
“The ad’s perception that has been created for many people does not correspond to the values of our company in any way,” said the statement. ”The responsible department of the joint venture has arranged a thorough investigation,” the statement continued, “so that an incident like this can be excluded in the future.”
Watch the controversial ad below:
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