Why This Buick Ad Has Been Censored in China

Buick appeared to pull promotional material for its $95,000 flagship minivan in China after an advertisement about its comfortable seats unwittingly hinted at Xi Jinping's seemingly endless terms as president.

Buick teased its 2023 GL8 Century, a luxury multipurpose passenger vehicle sold only in the Chinese market, ahead of its release on November 3. In the days leading up to the launch event, the company advertised specific features that it felt increased the vehicle's desirability.

Three days before, Buick's social-media accounts showed off the GL8's 366-star-studded ceiling. Two days before, it was the MPV's sound system made by Bose.

A day before launch, however, a video on its online channels carried images of the minivan's signature reclining seats: "After one day, you'll be invited to sit in this chair you'll never want to leave, to enjoy freedom and experience the clouds."

The otherwise benign 12-second video apparently evoked images of Xi, who defied two decades of tradition to retain power over China and its ruling Communist Party in October.

At the Chinese Communist Party's twice-a-decade national congress, Xi was re-elected for an unprecedented third five-year term, while installing loyal technocrats in leadership positions around him.

The move wasn't universally popular in China, but the government has used its powerful censorship tools to silence dissent, as well as all hints of ridicule or opposing views, which Buick appeared to find out.

The video in question was deleted from the car maker's verified accounts on Weibo, WeChat and Douyin, the Chinese market's version of TikTok. Buick's promotional slogan for the luxury minivan seats was also censored, with researchers returning no relevant results from the past week.

On Chinese search engine Baidu, a search for the phrase returned an index of Buick's video on Douyin dated November 2, but after opening the link, the web page reads: "The video you want to watch does not exist."

Newsweek wasn't able to confirm independently speculation that Buick's promotional activities at the fifth annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai had been canceled. Xi delivered a virtual address at the event, which runs from November 5 to 10.

SAIC-GM, the Shanghai-based joint venture between SAIC Motor and General Motors that manufactures the GL8, didn't respond to a request for comment.

Buick remains popular among minivan buyers in China, which is also its biggest market. Its latest GL8, which comes in four- and six-seat variants, is priced from $73,000 to $95,000.