BEIJING — Potential car buyers in China have found that an online advert for a luxury sports car was just too good to be true.

A Porsche dealership in the city of Yinchuan listed the brand-new vehicle for 124,000 yuan ($18,300, £15,000).

That is just a fraction of what it should have been. The Panamera has a starting price of $148,000.

The promotion attracted hundreds of would-be buyers who rushed to secure what appeared to be a bargain.

A spokesperson for the German car maker told the BBC that the promotion "contained a serious mistake in the listed retail price", which was taken down immediately.

"As there was only one vehicle in stock, in accordance with the sales process, Porsche Centre Yinchuan has communicated with the first customer who made an online refunded reservation fee and has negotiated an agreeable outcome", they added.

The dealership also contacted "every bidder individually and explained the situation with apology".

The incorrect information was posted on 30 January and customers who paid the 911 yuan reservation fee have been refunded, Porsche said.

The incident caused a stir on Chinese social media, with one commentator posting "This is why I don't buy Porsche lol".

Others thought that it was just a promotional strategy that was "well conducted".

It was also suggested that the company had been "irresponsible" and should have honored the cut-price offer.

Another social media user claimed to be the first person to try to buy the car but had cancelled their order when they were told the real price. They said it would have been wrong to try to take advantage of a mistake.

Porsche started selling cars in mainland China more than 20 years ago.

In recent years the company expanded its footprint in the world's second largest economy as it opened new dealerships.

The country is now Porsche's largest single market globally, with sales totaling $6.2bn in the first six months of last year. — BBC