A controversy over the drag coefficient claims of Avatr vehicles has unexpectedly gone viral overseas.
To put it simply, a Chinese automotive blogger @苏黎世贝勒爷 questioned the repeated claims of low drag coefficients by a series of electric vehicles. So he sent the Avatr 12 to a wind tunnel laboratory in Tianjin for testing.
The test results showed the car’s drag coefficient was 0.28 Cd — 33% higher than Avatr’s official claim of 0.21 Cd. The blogger described this drag performance as comparable to that of a fuel-powered car from 20 years ago.
The test video was quickly reposted by other netizens on the X platform, and it attracted Elon Musk’s attention and repost.
Subsequently, Avatr issued a statement on Weibo, stating that Elon Musk reposted inaccurate information about the drag coefficient of Avatr 12. The company will conduct an official wind tunnel test in the near future and formally invite Elon Musk to witness it on site.
At present, the original test videos have been taken down from major Chinese platforms. The blogger @苏黎世贝勒爷 stated that the takedown was not voluntary but the result of complaints, and promised to release a longer, more detailed video explaining all the hidden details behind drag coefficient testing.
Such incidents are not uncommon on China’s internet. These debates often attract widespread attention partly because the public tends to support voices that dare challenge automakers, and partly because the more executives and PR teams rush to clarify or control the narrative, the more it fuels public skepticism and curiosity.
This time, Avatr’s management responded promptly, but with both sides sticking to their own version of the story, the truth may only become clear after the official test results are made public.
In an era of rapid development for new energy vehicles, technical transparency, public scrutiny, and corporate credibility are all indispensable.
Automakers need to rely on solid products and verifiable data to respond to the market, rather than winning applause solely through clever messaging and marketing.
Meanwhile, both the industry and consumers must carefully evaluate the sources of information to avoid being misled by traffic-driven accusations or media hype.
Avatr is a premium new energy brand jointly created by Changan Automobile, Huawei, and CATL, positioned as an intelligent luxury offering.
Discover more from ChinaEVHome
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
