Chery Automobile’s attempt to climb the “Heaven’s Staircase” at Tianmen Mountain in China has ended in failure.
The Chinese automaker was trying to replicate what the Range Rover Sport achieved in 2018 by driving its Fengyun X3L SUV up the 999 steps. However, the car couldn’t make it to the top, causing a lot of embarrassment in the process.
A video shared by the Global Times shows the X3L attempting to scale the steps. At one point, the SUV starts to roll back, causing significant damage to the structure.
NEW: Chinese automaker appears to try recreating the viral Range Rover “Stairway to Heaven” climb, crashes through guardrail.
Chery Automobile has apologized after the crash at Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, China.
The company is promising to pay for a complete repair of the… pic.twitter.com/5Ew38cC9lK
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 13, 2025
The company, in an official statement, said that a metal shackle on the safety rope’s anchor point detached unexpectedly, causing the rope to wrap around the vehicle’s right rear wheel, which obstructed power transmission and led to the slide.
Chinese automaker Chery Automobile apologized for an incident involving a test at Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, Central China’s Hunan Province, during which a vehicle slid down the steps and broke part of the guardrail while climbing the “Heavenly Stairs.” The… pic.twitter.com/cvwcwMdMb0
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) November 13, 2025
“We sincerely apologise to the public and Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area for the damage caused,” Chery said. “The outcome has exposed our insufficient assessment of potential risks and lapses in detail control during the planning and execution of this test. In particular, we deeply reflect on the public concerns caused by choosing to conduct the test in a public scenic area,” the statement added.
