First iPhone, then Tesla - Pinduoduo catches attention again for offering Rolls-Royce cars 1.22 million yuan cheaper
- The e-commerce site drew attention when a merchant offered to sell Roll-Royce Phantoms worth US$1.6 million at a discount
- Since its debut on the Nasdaq three years ago, Pinduoduo has garnered over 731 million active buyers and has become one of China’s largest e-commerce firms
British marque carmaker Rolls-Royce is the latest luxury brand to have its name linked to China’s online discount marketplace Pinduoduo after a merchant offered subsidised Rolls-Royce Phantoms in a promotion similar to an earlier one involving Tesla cars.
The e-commerce site drew the public’s attention this week when a merchant offered to sell the Roll-Royce Phantoms worth 10.68 million yuan (US$1.6 million) at a discounted price of 9.46 million yuan including consumption tax, saving 1.22 million yuan (US$186,680).
The promotion requires interested buyers to pay a deposit of 99,999 yuan to initiate a group purchase with others. If enough people proceed with the purchase, the deposit will go towards the final payment, but if the sale does not go ahead, it will be refunded.
As of Thursday night, more than 100,000 users had expressed interest in the deal, according to the merchant’s page on Pinduoduo.
The promotion also generated heated discussion on social media, with some netizens wondering if it was another marketing campaign by Pinduoduo to attract more premium consumers. The platform conducted a similar promotion in July, when it partnered with a merchant to offer Tesla Model 3 cars that were 40,000 yuan cheaper than the official price.
Tesla immediately distanced itself from Pinduoduo and the merchant involved, saying that Tesla’s official site was the only authorised purchase channel for its new cars. In October last year, French luxury cosmetic brand La Mer excluded Pinduoduo from a list of authorised sales channels after the platform offered discounts on La Mer facial creams.