Who knew the humble Mini could cause such a stir? The iconic British car, now owned by German auto giant BMW, was the subject of internet outrage after staff at the Shanghai Auto Show were accused of snubbing Chinese people as they offered ice cream to foreigners.
And the carmaker didn’t help itself with a series of statements that shifted its ground in the wake of what was seen as a racist slight.
In an initial statement, Mini China reportedly said the giveaway had been “intended to give sweetness to friends big and small”.
It subsequently clarified that it had indeed focused on a small group of foreigners but said that these were Mini employees who had manned the stand at the show. It is understood they were not BMW staff but people hired locally specifically for the event.
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“In addition to distributing 300 portions of ice cream per day [to show visitors], we also reserved a very small portion for our hardworking colleagues on-site,” Mini China said. “The four to five foreigners you see in the video are colleagues who are wearing employee badges,” it added.
However, it also said that it was “deeply sorry for the negative mood the incident brought on everyone”.
“Our sloppy internal management and our staff’s failure of duty have caused you unpleasantness. We offer our sincere apology for that.”
A later statement from Mini globally said the business “condemns racism and intolerance in any form” and that it would ensure it did not happen again.
The timing of the incident is unfortunate for BMW, whose chief executive Oliver Zipse earlier this week talked up the importance of the Chinese market to the group, saying many of its cars’ features were inspired by China and how the country was ahead of the global curve in auto trends.
The hashtag “BMW Mini booth accused of discrimination” had amassed more than 190 million views and 11,000 discussions on Weibo as of Thursday afternoon. Chinese consumers have in recent years more closely monitored the behaviour of big brands, becoming increasingly critical of foreign companies or local businesses over perceived slights or for not respecting China’s territorial claims. – Reuters/Financial Times Limited 2023
