Chinese Car Brand Tries to Replicate Land Rover, Ends Up Crashing at Stairway to Heaven

A Chinese automaker recently experienced an “egg on its face” moment which was followed by ridicule on social media. Chery Automobile tried to replicate Land Rover’s iconic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ challenge seven years ago at China's Tianmen Mountain but only ended up failing miserably. A clip of the same has gone viral on social media.

Chery Automobile later came out with an official statement which said that the company attempted a rather ambitious 999 step challenge at the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, an iconic tourist site in Zhangjiajie, Central China's Hunan Province with its new model — Fengyun X3L — on November 12.

Chery not on top

Leading up to the Tianmen Cave, the route features steps that are barely 30 centimetres wide with gradients that exceed 60 degrees in certain sections, making the ascent exceptionally challenging even for vehicles. The leaked footage shows that the SUV struggled to climb up the staircase midway then slipped backward and crashed into a guardrail, taking a massive chunk of the wall. 

According to a Global Times report, tourists screamed in shock as the incident unfolded, and the vehicle reportedly remained stuck on the steps for two hours. No injuries were reported. The staircase was closed to visitors on November 12 and 13, though access via the mountain-penetrating elevator continued to operate.

Chery issued a public apology on Thursday, clarifying the cause of the mishap. The company stated that a metal shackle on the safety rope’s anchor point unexpectedly detached, causing the rope to wrap around the vehicle’s right rear wheel. This obstructed power transmission and resulted in the vehicle sliding down the steps. 

The company admitted to lapses in its risk assessment and planning, stating, “We not only selected a well-known tourist site for the test but also failed to adequately evaluate potential risks and were negligent in our detailed control measures.” Chery confirmed that it would fully restore the damaged site, provide compensation, and strengthen safety protocols for future testing.

Chery Automobile in India

The fourth-largest carmaker in China, Chery Automobile filed patents with the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) in India. The company has filed design patents for at least 10 models in India or a variety of vehicle models and types between April and June this year. 

This suggests that Chery Automobile is eager to the enter the Indian passenger car market although there has been no confirmation of the same from the company yet. 

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