Shift the focus of the NEV industry from “traffic wars” back to “product wars.”
On September 10, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and five other departments jointly issued a notice on “Launching a Special Campaign to Rectify Online Misconduct in the Automotive Industry.”
This initiative focuses on carrying out a three-month nationwide special campaign to combat illegal profit-making, exaggerated false propaganda, and malicious defamation in the automotive industry.
The campaign specifies three key areas for rectification.
Topping the list is the issue of illegal profit-making, which includes practices such as creating fake images and videos, fabricating stories, hyping and spreading negative topics about automakers, maliciously interpreting fluctuations in corporate sales, and attacking business development strategies to gain traffic and commercial benefits.
It also includes actions conducted under the guise of “news supervision” that essentially involve “using business to support testing and using testing to support business,” or even extorting companies for “protection fees.”
Exaggerated and false propaganda is another focus of the campaign. This includes making false or misleading claims about vehicle performance, features, quality, and sales figures; automakers manipulating institutions or review accounts to conduct fake evaluations; and creating hype topics by leveraging industry events.
Another key area is malicious defamation and attacks, which include discrediting automakers or products to suppress competitors; organizing and manipulating internet trolls and “black PR” to spread false negative information; and automakers’ executives engaging in online “drama” to provoke conflicts.
Following the notice issued by the six departments, several automakers quickly responded.
HIMA took the lead by announcing its results in combating black PR. According to its official statement, as of September 10, over 500 accounts under four MCN agencies of a certain cultural media company, 36 accounts under 25 MCN agencies of a certain network technology company, and several self-media accounts have been held legally accountable, facing criminal, administrative, or civil liabilities.
The next day, Li Auto and NIO also followed up with their own actions.
On September 11, Li Auto’s legal department issued a statement saying that some black PR agencies had maliciously defamed the brand’s image and product quality by fabricating false information and spreading malicious smears, severely disrupting market order and harming consumer rights. After investigation, it was found that 332 accounts under 13 MCN agencies of a certain network technology company had long been attacking Li Auto by reposting plagiarized content and mass-producing false information. Li Auto has already secured relevant evidence and will take actions, including criminal reports and administrative complaints, to pursue legal liability.
At noon the same day, NIO’s legal department also updated on the progress of its recent rights protection actions: those who published thousands of defamatory statements against NIO have been ruled illegal.
In fact, automakers’ efforts to combat black PR did not begin only with the launch of this “special campaign.” In recent years, various new energy vehicle manufacturers have continuously invested resources and actively engaged in actions to counter black PR. For example, at the end of 2023, BYD announced a reward of up to 5 million yuan for information on black PR, stating that the reward would be long-term.
This time, with the supervision of official departments and industry associations, the online environment in the automotive industry is expected to improve, shifting the focus of new energy vehicles from “traffic wars” back to “product wars.”
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