China star’s 20-car giveaway backfires as winners discover only have 5-year usage rights
Wealthy actor, singer Huang Zitao insists he did nothing wrong over free electric car offer, millions unfollow him amid ‘no integrity’ accusations
Chinese singer and actor Huang Zitao has found himself embroiled in a controversy after his fans accused him of lacking integrity over the giveaway of cars.
In early January, Huang, 31, boasted that if the number of his social media followers exceeded 15 million, he would give domestic-made cars as gifts to tens of lucky people drawn from his fan base, the Red Star News reported.
Huang implemented the plan by holding a live-streaming session on January 10 when the number of his fans surged to 45 million.
Twenty people were chosen to receive the presents from Huang, but it turned out they were only granted the five-year usage right of the Baojun-brand electric car, instead of the full ownership of a car they had anticipated.
The car, made by a Shanghai manufacturer, costs around 120,000 yuan (US$16,000).
Many other fans were also disappointed with Huang, and accused him of having no integrity. Four million people subsequently unfollowed him.
