“Mapgate” incident: How hypocritical is Audi China’s apology?

Nearly 24 hours after the "Map Gate" incident, Audi China finally came out to "sincerely apologize" for the behavior that "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people" at the Audi headquarters' annual global news conference on March 15, saying that "this was a serious mistake" and Audi will learn from it.

This is a really strange apology. The father is enjoying himself while the son comes out to review his mistakes. It is really a bit nonsensical. Rather than a sincere apology, it is more like a false and flawed public relations show. Do you really think that all Chinese people are rich and stupid?

Interestingly, according to netizens, after the incident, Audi's official Weibo account's first reaction was to delete the comments. In addition, some self-media outlets also revealed that the apology statement had once disappeared from Audi China's official website homepage.

If the above statement is true, then this so-called "sincere apology" is not necessary. Rather than an apology statement, it is more like a "deception". Do you think that Chinese netizens and Chinese people are all "naive" and will be moved to tears by a few words of "knowing that I was wrong"?

Even if Audi China's attitude is sincere and it deeply realizes that this is a "serious mistake", can an apology really solve the problem? Do you think showing this with a "problem map" is a joke? This is an infringement of China's territorial sovereignty. If it rises to the political level, it will be a diplomatic storm. Can Audi bear it?

What's more, Audi is an old automobile company that has entered China for 30 years and has gained huge benefits. Isn't such a low-level mistake too inappropriate?

Interestingly, this "problematic map" is not the first time it has been used. The same situation also occurred at Audi's 2016 global annual meeting, but the organizer ignored the reminders of relevant personnel and responded that the map was only used for sales business purposes and refused to make corrections. In addition, the same "problematic map" has been hanging on Audi China's official website for a long time.

It can be seen that both Audi headquarters and Audi China have ill intentions towards China. Data shows that Audi's cumulative sales in China have reached nearly 4 million vehicles, of which 591,554 vehicles were sold in China in 2016, accounting for 32% of total sales. What Audi cares about and what they care about is nothing more than the money in the pockets of the Chinese.

Although some people speculate that the reason why Audi has not changed its ways is that its Asia strategy is shifting to China's neighboring country India. But no matter what the reason, the Chinese people will never tolerate, nor should they tolerate, any company that makes money from the Chinese while doing things that harm China's interests. At the same time, it is also necessary to intervene comprehensively through the rule of law and the market, so that Audi, which violates the bottom line of our nation and the bottom line of the rule of law, will pay a heavy price.

Of course, even without the "map gate" incident, Audi China is not having a good time. Since December last year, Audi's sales in China have collapsed. Instead of making such a hypocritical apology, Audi should worry about how to survive in China in the future.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.