In the latest development of what looks like a trend of car commercial controversies, General Motors has pulled its now notorious "Fu Manchu" ad for the new Chevrolet Trax SUV because of "offensive" content, according to multiple reports.
The car ad, which is a parody of the Woody Allen movie "Midnight in Paris," features a song called "Booty Swing" by Austrian musician Parov Stelar. The lyrics reference the racially-cast Asian villain Fu Manchu, Chinese females who say "ching ching, chop suey!" and Japanese females who call Americans "Amelicans."
It's important to note the lyrics come from a sample of a 1930s tune called "Oriental Swing" by Memphis jazz singer Lil Hardin Armstrong.
Here's a sample verse from the song:
Now, in the land of Fu Manchu,
The girls all now do the Suzie-Q,
Clap their hands in the center of the floor,
Saying, "Ching, ching, chop-suey, swing some more!"
The Chevy ad "received some negative feedback regarding the lyrics in the commercial's soundtrack," General Motors Communications Director Faye Roberts told the South China Morning Post. "Once the issue was brought to our attention, GM immediately removed the offensive content from the commercial."
Canadian television networks stopped playing the original version of the ad a week ago and replaced it with a version that leaves out the song's controversial lyrics, the Post reports.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg confirmed General Motors had pulled the ad. The outlet reported the auto maker was reviewing its advertising approval processes to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
"Our intent was not to offend anyone and we’re deeply sorry if anyone was offended," Detroit-based GM spokesperson Ryndee Carney told the news outlet.
The commercial also appeared on the Chevy Europe website and on Chevy Quebec's YouTube page, the Post notes, but the ad has been taken down.
Watch the original ad in the video above.
(h/t Business Insider)
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