Chinese carmaker Chery attempts the Dragon Challenge that Range Rover did with ease, but fails miserably – Jalopnik

We love a good publicity stunt, and one of the most impressive viral publicity stunts in the automotive sector was when Land Rover used a Range Rover Sport to climb the 999 steps of the Gate of Heaven on China’s Tianmen Mountain. I’ll be honest, I didn’t find the challenge that difficult, but that’s a testament to the Range Rover Sport’s capabilities: climbing 999 wet and narrow steps with an average slope of 45 degrees (over 60 degrees in some sections) seemed 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 Thursday apologizing for the incident, saying that a preliminary investigation revealed that the immediate cause of the accident was the “unexpected separation of a bracket from the anchor point of the safety rope of the test device.” Sure, Chery. Certainly.

Chery said the failure revealed mistakes and inadequate risk assessments on his part, which led to the safety rope becoming loose and tangled in the X3L’s right front wheel. When this happened, the SUV lost traction, leading to a fall back down the stairs and ultimately a collision with the guardrail and the 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 cable can be seen around the front wheel hindering the remainder of the climb. Autonieuws China reports this, “The company has expressed its deep regret for the damage caused to the Tianmen Mountains and promised to repair it and fully bear all responsibilities for compensation.”

The Chery Fulwin It looks like a Land Rover Defender clone from the outside and features a ground clearance of 8.9 inches and an approach and departure angle of 22 and 30 degrees, respectively. It costs between $16,500 and $22,000 in the domestic market. The Fulwin X3L aimed for viral success, but viral failure was all Chery got. Any publicity is good publicity, I think. Plus, for that price, it’s hard to complain.