China woman in labour unable to start car due to software update, undergoes emergency C-section
Story quickly gains traction on mainland social media with related topics amassing 35 million views
A pregnant woman in China, on the verge of going into labour, was unable to start her car due to a system upgrade. In pain, she walked to a taxi to reach the hospital, where she later underwent an emergency C-section.
On December 5, a man from Shandong province in eastern China posted a video on Douyin, explaining that his wife, while experiencing labour pains, found their car requiring a 51-minute over-the-air (OTA) update and unable to start.
Their vehicle was an SUV from Li Auto, a Chinese smart electric vehicle manufacturer, with average prices typically exceeding 300,000 yuan (US$41,000).
The man, who chose to remain anonymous, explained that he inadvertently activated the system upgrade prompted on the car’s screen.
When he called Li Auto customer service to cancel the upgrade, he was informed that it could not be stopped.
With their driveway blocked by other cars and an ambulance unable to enter, they walked out of their community in the cold and eventually took a taxi to the hospital.
