Audi Apologizes for Ad's 'Insensitive Image' and Says It Will Investigate How It Happened

Critics say it was evocative of accidents involving children

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German automaker Audi has taken the rare step of publicly apologizing for an ad and pledging to investigate how the image was approved for sharing on the brand’s official Twitter feed.

However, some fans on social media said critics were reading too much into the ad, which was accused of bringing to mind accidents involving children and, by a smaller number of commenters, of sexualizing the child in the ad.

In its three-part apology on Twitter, Audi said it had intended for the child in the ad to symbolize the Audi RS 4 Avant’s safety features while, presumably, showing it to be fun to drive.

“We sincerely apologize for this insensitive image and ensure that it will not be used in future,” the brand wrote.

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