Chinese automaker’s attempt to recreate viral Range Rover ‘Stairway to Heaven’ climb ends in huge mishap
Published on Nov 14, 2025 at 4:38 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Nov 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Chinese automaker Chery attempted to recreate the viral Range Rover ‘Stairway to Heaven’ climb in China, but to cut a long story short – it went wrong.
Like, really wrong – much worse than you can imagine.
The thing is, the Range Rover made it look easy, but it wasn’t.
And Chery’s disastrous attempt proved it.
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The Range Rover made it look like a walk in the park
A while back, in 2018, Land Rover went viral after successfully climbing 999 steps on the ‘Stairway to Heaven” using a stock Range Rover Sport PHEV.
The location Land Rover picked for this challenge was Tianmen Mountain Road in the Hunan Province of China.
Specifically, they picked a section that is known as ‘Heaven’s Gate’ (hence why ‘Stairway to Heaven’), an extremely steep stairway comprising 999 man-made steps.
The Range Rover made it look easy, but, as Chery just proved, it’s not easy at all.
Chery’s attempt went wrong… and then it went ‘wronger’
Chery Automobile, a Chinese automaker, attempted to recreate the Dragon Challenge, but everything immediately went wrong.
And then, moments later, it went even ‘wronger’.
It became clear right away that the SUV (which appears to be a Jetour, not the new Exeed) wasn’t going to be able to climb the steps.
That was bad enough – especially when we remember this is home turf for Chery – but then things went from bad to worse.
After failing to climb the steps, the driver lost control of the vehicle and ended up crashing into the barrier.
Chery has obviously promised to pay for a complete repair of the damage.
That’s going to take some time – and some money.
As for the company’s bruised ego? Money can’t really fix that.
But, sooner or later, they are probably going to give it another go.
So good luck to them.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
