Chinese SUV Pulls Off Real 360-Degree Tunnel Loop - A Stunt Mercedes Was Accused of Faking

A Chinese automaker says it has completed a stunt that Mercedes-Benz was long rumored to have digitally faked. Voyah, a brand under the Chinese state-owned Dongfeng Motor, announced that its Passion S fastback SUV successfully performed a 360-degree tunnel loop, the same maneuver shown in a famous 2010 Mercedes SLS AMG advertisement featuring Michael Schumacher.

Voyah confirmed on Chinese social media on August 13 that the Passion S used in the stunt was a real car, with no special effects involved. The company also claimed its vehicle is the first production car in the world to complete the loop. Footage of the SUV driving up a tunnel wall, circling upside down, and landing on all four wheels went viral online.

However, a separate video circulating on the internet shows a camouflaged Passion S failing the same stunt, losing momentum on the second ramp and crashing back onto the road. Voyah did not address that footage in its announcement.

The Passion S comes in two versions: a rear-wheel-drive model with a single motor producing 300 kW (402 hp), and an all-wheel-drive variant with a dual-motor setup, 175 kW (235 hp) at the front and 300 kW (402 hp) at the rear, for a combined 475 kW (637 hp).

Regarding the Mercedes stunt, contemporary reports suggested that Schumacher's appearance was edited into the commercial and that a test driver actually performed the driving. Z. Berlin claimed the portion where the SLS travels around the tunnel and ends up upside down was digitally created.

Mercedes reportedly filmed real driving footage in and around the tunnel, but the authenticity of the full loop remains disputed. Voyah's claim of a real, unedited loop, if verified, would put it ahead of Mercedes in that regard.