A Chinese automaker has apologised after their SUV failed to recreate the viral Range Rover ‘Stairway to Heaven’ stunt and crashed through a guardrail. Chery, one of China’s largest auto manufacturers, has promised to pay for the damage caused to the guardrail.
Here’s what happened
On Wednesday, an SUV from the Chinese car company Chery attempted to scale the staircase at the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in an attempt to recreate Range Rover’s famous stunt.
The orange SUV almost managed to reach the top before it started sliding down the ancient 45-degree staircase — eventually crashing through a section of the guardrail and coming to a stop.
What was Range Rover’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ stunt?
In 2018, Land Rover took the Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid (PHEV) to Tianmen Mountain in China for a marketing campaign to demonstrate its capability. As part of the stunt, the Range Rover Sport attempted to climb the imposing “Stairway to Heaven” — 999 steep stone steps rising at a 45-degree incline.
The successful completion of the stunt made global headlines, demonstrating the engineering behind the Range Rover Sport PHEV.
China’s recreation goes awry
{{/usCountry}}The successful completion of the stunt made global headlines, demonstrating the engineering behind the Range Rover Sport PHEV.
China’s recreation goes awry
{{/usCountry}}Unfortunately, Chinese automaker Chery’s SUV failed to recreate the stunt. The car slid down the steps and broke part of the guardrail while climbing the "Stairway to Heaven" at Tianmen Mountain.
In a statement posted on Weibo, Chery Automobile apologised for the mishap, Global Times reported.
The company explained that the accident was caused by the unexpected detachment of the safety rope’s fixing point on the test vehicle. This led the rope to wrap around the right wheel, cutting off engine power. As a result, the vehicle slipped down the steps and struck the guardrail, damaging a portion of it.
“Fortunately, this accident did not cause any personal injuries or damage to the natural environment,” the statement said.
The company also apologised for the damage caused to the iconic tourist hotspot and promised to fully repair it.
"The outcome has exposed our insufficient assessment of potential risks and lapses in detail control during the planning and execution of this test. In particular, we deeply reflect on the public concerns caused by choosing to conduct the test in a public scenic area," it said.