Product placement will greatly enhance Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd’s image. PHOTO: FILE
A Chinese-made car is set to make its international movie debut in the fourth installment of the Transformers series, next year in a product placement aimed at raising the profile of Chinese models abroad.
The Trumpchi E-jet, a sleek, plug-in electric hybrid developed by state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd (GAC), will feature in Transformers: Age of Extinction, the fourth in the popular movie franchise due for release in mid-2014, said two people close to GAC, based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
The Transformers series has previously featured other Chinese brands, including those from PC and TV makers Lenovo Group Ltd and TCL Corp. The movies are among the most popular to be released in China, with Transformers 3, Dark of the Moon grossing $165 million in 2011.
“Product placements with Transformers would boost the profile of GAC’s car brands both at home and abroad,” said a source close to the carmaker, which has local joint ventures with Fiat Spa, Honda Motor Co Ltd, Toyota Motor Corp and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
A spokesperson for Paramount Pictures, the movie’s distributor, said the company wouldn’t confirm specific brands until nearer the release date. Paramount’s local partner, China Movie Channel, declined to comment.
The new movie is being filmed in both the United States and China, with Chinese singer/actor Han Geng making his English-language debut, according to a blog posted on Paramount Pictures’ Facebook page.
The film’s producer, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, told the Beijing News earlier this month that the movie would feature locally-made cars. “The world’s coolest, most exciting cars will appear in the film, including Chinese vehicles, so whether you’re a car enthusiast or not, it will be a feast for the eyes,” he said.
It wasn’t clear if the Trumpchi E-jet would be cast as an heroic autobot or evil decepticon — humanoid robots that turn into familiar machines and mechanical objects — or have a more limited non-transforming, drive-on role.
One of those close to GAC said the firm wouldn’t want the E-jet to be cast in an evil role. Ultimately, casting will be down to the movie’s director Michael Bay.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2013.
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