Chery Fulwin X3L attempted recreating Range Rover's viral 2018 Heaven's Gate stair climb, failing halfway up and sliding backward into barriersSafety rope reportedly detached and tangled in wheel causing power loss, with Chery issuing public apology for November 12 incidentRange Rover's original 2018 climb up 999 steps has 6.7 million views, while Chery's failure went viral for entirely wrong reasons In 2018, Range Rover went viral after driving a Range Rover Sport up the 999 steps to China's Heaven's Gate. As of this writing, the seven-year-old video has 6.7 million views and remains one of the automaker's most memorable adverts of all time. Not to be outdone by the British, China's Chery attempted recreating the stunt with its own Fulwin X3L SUV, a new hybrid off-roader that bears more than passing resemblance to current Land Rover and Range Rover models and produces up to 422 horsepower in the right configuration. With that in mind, Chery took a bright yellow Fulwin X3L to the base of Heaven's Gate to promote its new SUV. Unlike Range Rover's successful attempt, however, Chery's climb ended in spectacular failure. Ground-level video shows the Fulwin X3L making it about halfway up a staircase before beginning to struggle. The driver floors the accelerator in an effort to reach the next landing, but the SUV slides backward down the steps and slams into a large section of the barrier, sending debris over the cliff's edge. Not exactly the viral moment Chery had in mind. When copying goes wrong Unsurprisingly, Chery failed to replicate Range Rover's viral moment. The company quickly issued a public apology, saying that the November 12 test was "interrupted due to an unexpected incident, which has attracted widespread attention," likely not the kind of attention it had hoped for. According to the automaker, a safety-rope issue caused the mishap. The rope reportedly detached and became tangled in one of the SUV's wheels, leading to a loss of power that sent the Fulwin sliding back down the staircase. If you're not familiar, Heaven's Gate is a significant historical landmark in China. Its ancient staircase is centuries old, leading to the 1,700-year-old Tianmen Cave. Needless to say, Chery has some apologizing to do, both for the failed stunt and for potentially damaging a historical site while attempting to copy someone else's marketing brilliance. Range Rover managed the climb successfully seven years ago, cementing the Range Rover Sport's off-road credentials. Chery's Fulwin X3L, despite producing 422 horsepower and bearing suspicious resemblance to British luxury SUVs, couldn't manage the same feat. The video of the failure spread rapidly online, proving that sometimes going viral isn't always beneficial for your brand. One commenter summed it up perfectly: "Can't beat the GOAT." Indeed, you cannot.
