GM pulls Chevrolet ad that includes song labeled as racist

General Motors Co., seeking to boost China sales 75 percent by 2015, apologized for a Chevrolet ad that included a song referring to "the land of Fu Manchu" where all of the girls sing "ching, ching, chop-suey," which one Chinese newspaper called racist.

"Our intent was not to offend anyone and we're deeply sorry if anyone was offended," GM spokeswoman Ryndee Carney said in a telephone interview. "We're reviewing our advertising approval processes to make sure this doesn't happen again."

The English-language ad for the Chevrolet Trax SUV featured a 1920s motif and included music from Austrian performer and disc jockey Parov Stelar, she said. The South China Morning Post earlier today reported on the ad, using the word "racist" in a headline.

GM wants to expand sales in China and plans to spend $11 billion through 2016 on new plants and products in the country. GM is targeting 5 million deliveries in China by 2015. Sales of GM and its Chinese joint ventures increased 11 percent to a record 2.84 million last year. The company already sells more vehicles in China than its home market.

The latest Chevy ad never appeared in China, Carney said. It began running in Canada on March 4 and was also available online through Chevrolet Europe Web sites, she said.

GM pulled the ad and replaced it with a revised version that doesn't include the lyrics and began airing in Canada on April 23, she said. The online version in Europe is being pulled down, she said. GM ceased the ads after receiving a complaint, she said.

Marketing blunders

The episode is one of several marketing blunders prompting public apologies by automakers this year.

Ford Motor Co. in March apologized for ads in India, including a version depicting former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with three tied-up and gagged young women.

The ads weren't requested by Ford or intended for paid publication, WPP Plc (WPP)'s JWT India unit said in an e-mailed statement in March. The unit fired an undisclosed number of employees.

Hyundai Motor Co. and a dealer for GM's Buick brand apologized for posting on Chinese social media while alluding to an outcry over the murder of a 2-month-old baby. Hyundai also apologized for a promotional video posted on Google Inc.'s YouTube depicting a man trying to kill himself in his vehicle.