We love a good publicity stunt, and one of the most impressive viral automotive publicity stunts was when Land Rover used a Range Rover Sport to climb the 999 steps of the Heaven’s Gate on China’s Tianmen Mountain. I’ll be honest, I didn’t perceive the challenge to be all that difficult, but that’s a testament to the Range Rover Sport’s capabilities — it made climbing 999 wet and narrow steps at an average gradient of 45 degrees (in some sections exceeding 60 degrees) look easy. Chinese automaker Chery must have thought the same thing, but when it sent a Chery Fulwin X3L range-extender EV up those 999 steps, it failed miserably.
Chery Automobile issued a statement on Thursday apologizing for the incident, and stated that a preliminary investigation revealed the direct cause of the accident was the “unexpected detachment of a shackle from the safety rope’s anchor point of the test device.” Sure, Chery. Sure.
Safety equipment made the stunt unsafe
Chery said the failure exposed oversights and insufficient risk assessments on its part, which led to the safety rope detaching and becoming entangled in the X3L’s front right wheel. When this happened, the SUV lost drive power, causing the backslide down the flight of stairs and ultimately the collision with the guardrail and subsequent destruction of part of the fence. After the vehicle hit the fence, the video shows the driver attempting to resume the climb, but a safety rope can be seen wrapped around the front wheel impeding the remainder of the climb. According to Car News China, “The company expressed deep regret for the damage caused to the Tianmen Mountain site and pledged to repair it and bear all compensation responsibilities fully.”
The Chery Fulwin X3L comes in rear- or all-wheel-drive configurations, but naturally the X3L that was attempting the climb was the dual-motor variant, so it had a combined output of 422 horsepower and 372 lb-ft of torque from its pair electric motors and 1.5-liter range-extender engine. It looks like a Land Rover Defender clone on the outside, and boasts 8.9 inches of ground clearance and approach and departure angles of 22 and 30 degrees, respectively. It costs between $16,500 and $22,000 in its domestic market. The Fulwin X3L was aiming for a viral success, but a viral failure is all Chery got. Any publicity is good publicity, I guess. Plus, at that price point, it’s hard to complain.
