There's no getting around the stigma of anything stamped with "Made in China." Which is why Chinese media think Aston Martin is trying to use that as a cover for its counterfeit plastic accelerator pedal arm recall. They're not going to take it, though.
According to Reuters, various Chinese media outlets claim Aston Martin is using "Made in China" as an excuse for its 17,000-car recall and that it was its own irresponsible management and quality control that led to the ordeal. Pretty much, they think a fake plastic part scandal like this could happen in any country.
Local news agency Xinhua said, "Higher levels of technology and quality are the ultimate solution for the unjust stereotype of 'Made in China' as cheap and copycat." One question: How do you explain the Geely Rolls-Royce knock-off?
This whole recall is turning into a big embarrassment for Aston Martin. Worse still, when Reuters went to go try and find this third-tier company responsible for the fake arms, they only found a "small legal and secretarial firm where the company had registered its business but had no actual presence." Uh-oh.
Photo: Aston Martin