Mixing hotpot with horsepower. Have Chinese car gimmicks gone too far?

CHINA’S electric vehicle (EV) makers have been known to push the envelope when it comes to dreaming up new functions to attract buyers. There’s in-car karaoke, steering wheels that turn into gaming consoles and seats that recline into comfy lie-flat beds.

But a fresh feature from Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s premium EV brand Zeekr has Chinese social media users wondering if these designs have gone a step too far. In videos released on Oct 11 to promote the MIX minivan, vice-president Yang Dacheng was seen enjoying a hotpot meal in the spacious interior, which can seat four people and, evidently, a table groaning under a range of ingredients to dip into the large pot containing pungent soup stock.

The videos went viral, racking up nearly one million views and over 4,100 reposts on Weibo alone. Netizens debated whether it’s practical to eat a meal with boiling soup in a car and wondered what the smell may do to the interior. Others denounced it as a clear marketing gimmick while some conceded the MIX, being able to accommodate different uses, would make outdoor activities more fun.

Whether hotpots in cars in China takes off, Zeekr’s campaign underscores the lengths EV makers will go to to stand out in an ultra-competitive market that’s also weathering a bruising price war as sales growth slows. While plain good old drivability has been the forte of foreign carmakers trying to crack the Chinese market, local manufacturers are increasingly turning to high-tech software features that target a younger demographic or wading heavily into design elements to cater for more family-minded users.

It’s not uncommon, for example, for some people in China to use their EVs – most of which come with big screens – to watch entire movies in their stationary vehicles such as a sort of second lounge room, keen to escape multi-generational family members living in the one apartment.

Most of the gimmicks may be harmless but some can have deadly consequences.

A Poer pickup truck from Great Wall Motor was involved in a freak accident earlier this year during which a person died after getting their neck stuck trying to deploy a tent that can be set up over the back of the vehicle, according to media reports.

Great Wall Motor issued a statement at the time expressing its condolences and said it was closely monitoring the investigation into the incident. Wild Land Outdoor Gear, the supplier that provided the tent, said that according to initial findings, it appeared the owner had entered the tent while it was being raised by the built-in electrical instrument. Wild Land is cooperating with authorities.

Geely’s Yang, for his part, responded with another video on Oct 13, which said that for people going camping where there are no restaurants, it’d be fun to have hotpot in the MIX.

“The interior space can be modified a lot, [people] can play cards, drink tea and chat,” Yang said in the video, adding that even more jazzy functions will be revealed once the MIX is launched next week.

As for the smell, well, Yang said the van comes equipped with a strong ventilation system. BLOOMBERG