With every new model, carmakers are currently striving to bring something to their vehicles that would help them stand apart in the very crowded market. Chinese automakers have been no exception: they pushed the envelope as far as possible in terms of technology and performance, not to mention an increasingly long list of quirky and outlandish gimmicks. One of the most talked of town items is the new product of consigned hotpots, which, for sure, tells one of the levels of desperation Chinese manufacturers would do just to make sense in the domestic consumers’ market. Is this collision of food and horsepower a stroke of marketing wizardry or an absurd gimmick taken too far?
How Hotpot Started in Cars
In 2023, internet frenzy followed Chinese carmaker Geely after it rolled out a new model called Geely Icon that came equipped with a built-in hotpot feature. For the uninitiated, hotpot is a rather popular Chinese dish in which diners cook all manner of meats, vegetables, and other ingredients at their tables in a simmering pot of broth. It’s social and highly enlightening in culinary learning in the Chinese culture. Yet few could have predicted where the meeting point with the automotive world would be.
The concept was simple: an automobile with a little electric hotpot unit with which passengers could cook food on the go. Geely’s bold campaign targeted young, tech-savvy consumers who embrace both traditional Chinese culture and modern conveniences. Suddenly, social media was filled with viral hotpot-fueled cars by pop influencers and celebrities. The carmaker described it as a way of having fun cooking and eating with friends in the car on a road trip or warming up a quick meal after a long day of work.
Still, with all the brouhaha, however, people in the auto industry started asking if this device was a step too far.
Novelty or Nonsense?
This integration of a hotpot in a car further develops this theme of combining elements of lifestyle with vehicles. In-car karaoke machines and elaborate massage seats are already given to Chinese auto manufacturers, but when it comes to functionality, they have been really innovative – and it isn’t just some entertainment space. But the more highlighted issue of the hotpot is the risk of fire and its hygiene concerns.
The first is the risk of fire and hygiene concerns. Hotpots exemplify boiling broth, oil, and so many mixed ingredients that they splash and spill inside a car. How will the integrated units stand high heat and liquid confined within a car? What if a pothole is hit when cooking? Grease stains, lingering odors, or hot oil splashes can be expected on passengers. Skeptics still are unconvinced, however much of a reassurance that the system is safe and that easy-to-clean surfaces provide some kind of contrast around the hotpot.
The question remains: Do people really need to have a hotpot inside their car? It sounds too novel, but critics say it really seems like a marketing gimmick, trying to draw attention rather than something that’s actually a value-added feature. “It’s creative, sure.”. But creative doesn’t always mean practical or necessary,” comments auto industry analyst Zhang Wei. “Car buyers, especially young professionals, are drawn to novelty, but at some point, they’re going to ask if it’s worth the money.”
Beyond Hotpot: Other Quirky Car Gimmicks
There is this hotpot car, for instance, but it does add BYD and other Chinese automakers to a list of some pretty quirky in-car features. This heated auto market of China is giving rise to wacky add-ons for vehicles, and the drives seem to favor features that are sure to go viral. Added to this hype-ridden set list is BYD, Nio, and Xpeng.
For example, Nio’s in-car air purification systems are a notable case in point. Popularised at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it deals with a seriously at-issue health problem. However, it has made Nio extreme in offering systems that look more like high-end air purifiers one would find in a luxury apartment.
Then there is Xpeng’s in-car drone, which is meant to take off from the roof of a car to capture aerial views of scenic drives. Impressive in theory; many have questioned, however, whether it really has real-world usefulness. After all, how often do people need aerial views of their daily commute?
Even BYD, which is now an international name due to its electric vehicles, has also dived into gimmicks. The new electric car by BYD comes with in-car fragrance system with various fragrances so that the driver can change between different fragrances by pressing a button. Nice smells are a great complement, yet this again raised a question: to what extent can auto manufacturers go to attract attention?
Cultural Element: An analysis of these attributes cannot overlook the cultural rationale, more especially hotpot. The auto market in China is unique for not only its volume, but also how vehicles have become an integral part of the lifestyle. For most Chinese citizens, a car means more than just a vehicle; it symbolizes a lifestyle. With this concept in mind, automakers are now tapping into that mentality: designing cars that go beyond traditional functions and blend well with the way consumers live, eat, and entertain.
“Chinese automakers are very attuned to the taste of their domestic market, which values technology, connectivity, and lifestyle integration,” says Fang Li, automotive marketing specialist. “Things like hotpots built into the car or drones might seem ridiculous abroad, but they say a lot to the cultural context in which these cars are sold.”
Gimmicks in the Auto Industry Tomorrow
So have Chinese car gimmicks gone too far? Answer: it all depends on whom you ask. Some consumers will point to these features as the apotheosis of convenience and high technology – an interesting mixture of technology and culture. Others just think them meaningless idioms of distraction from what a car should really do: drive.
The hotpot car and its quirky siblings are most likely just a sign of the new century in automotive design where manufacturers, especially in China, experiment with how far they can integrate lifestyle and transportation. Some will fade into oblivion, but others will surely be the next big thing in global car design.
For now, it appears the debate about hotpot mixed with horsepower is far from over. And as Chinese automakers continue to push the envelope, the world will be watching-and possibly laughing-at the audacity of it all.
