Mixing Hotpot With Horsepower. Have Chinese Car Gimmicks Gone Too Far?

China’s carmakers have been known to push the envelope when it comes to dreaming up new functions to attract buyers. There’s in-car karaoke, steering wheels that turn into gaming consoles and seats that recline into comfy lie-flat beds.

But a fresh feature from Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co.’s premium EV brand Zeekr has Chinese social media users wondering if these designs have gone a step too far. In videos released on Oct. 11 to promote the MIX minivan, Vice President Yang Dacheng enjoys a hotpot meal in the spacious interior, which can seat four people and, evidently, a table packed with ingredients to dip into a large pot of pungent soup stock.