{"id":4410,"date":"2023-04-20T12:57:48","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T12:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.news25.org\/?p=4410"},"modified":"2023-04-20T12:57:49","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T12:57:49","slug":"bmw-crashes-into-an-ice-cream-melee-at-the-shanghai-car-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.news25.org\/bmw-crashes-into-an-ice-cream-melee-at-the-shanghai-car-show\/","title":{"rendered":"BMW crashes into an ice cream melee at the Shanghai car show."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chinese online users criticised the German car manufacturer BMW (BMWG.DE) on Thursday, accusing it of discrimination at the Shanghai auto show over accusations that employees at its Mini stand preferred foreign visitors over local ones during an ice cream giveaway promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mini expressed regret for the situation, blaming inadequate internal management and promising to enhance training in a statement posted on its official Weibo account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With over 93 million views and users reposting images and videos of an incident that local media reported happened on Wednesday, the topic “BMW Mini” rose to the second position in searches on China’s Weibo social media platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The debate occurs as BMW and other German automakers compete to keep on top of consumer trends in a nation where domestic competitors have been aggressively stealing market share at the Shanghai auto show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\u00a0video<\/a>\u00a0showed two Chinese workers telling some local visitors to the Mini stand that the free ice cream had run out, only to offer a tub moments later to a Western attendee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n