German Volkswagen Faces Racism Controversy Over New Golf Advertisement

▲Controversial advertisement for Volkswagen's new Golf. A white person's hand appears, throwing a Black man.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] German automobile company Volkswagen has been embroiled in a racial discrimination controversy over an advertisement it released on social media (SNS). Volkswagen issued an official apology and immediately withdrew the controversial advertisement.

According to major foreign media on the 20th (local time), the controversial advertisement is a video ad for the '8th generation new Golf' released by Volkswagen on Instagram and Twitter. The 10-second video features a yellow Volkswagen and a Black man. As the Black man approaches to get into the car, a white person's hand appears and blocks him. Then, the white person's fingers flick the man away, pushing him into a cafe. The background music features a woman's laughter.

German media and netizens criticized the ad, saying, "The white person's fingers look like a 'power' dominating the Black man," and "The white person is mocking the Black man."

Additionally, the cafe's name in the ad, 'Petit Colon,' also sparked controversy. It means 'little settler' in French, and combined with the problematic ad, it drew criticism that "it looks as if white people are driving out Black people."

Volkswagen stated, "We will investigate how this advertisement came to be" and promised a thorough investigation into the production process of the ad.

They added, "Even from our perspective, this advertisement is hateful," and "We were insensitive, and we fully understand why people feel insulted by this ad."

J?rgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Director, also posted an apology on SNS, saying, "This is an insult to all good people, and we deeply apologize especially to those hurt by the racist content."

This is not the first time Volkswagen has been involved in a racial discrimination controversy. In 2013, an advertisement aired in the United States featured a model wearing a T-shirt with a white man depicted, speaking in Jamaican dialect saying, "Enjoy life leisurely," which caused issues.

Volkswagen Group's Audi brand also faced backlash across China in 2017 for an advertisement comparing women to used cars.

In 2019, an ad was banned in the UK for containing sexist elements.