Chinese state media have disclosed coordinated online smear activities targeting the new energy vehicle industry, highlighting how misinformation, orchestrated attacks, and reputational manipulation have affected automakers, commentators, and ordinary consumers. The exposure reflects growing regulatory scrutiny of online misconduct amid intensifying competition in China’s automotive market.
According to a report by China Central Television, malicious online activities in the new energy vehicle sector have expanded beyond disputes between companies to include attacks on individual car owners, some of whom faced harassment because of their vehicle brand choices. The report stated that online attacks occur across digital platforms and offline interactions, illustrating the social impact of coordinated misinformation campaigns.
The investigation found that influential automotive commentators leveraged their online reach to publish misleading information and damage corporate reputations. A prominent automotive influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers was ruled by a court to have engaged in reputational defamation and was ordered to issue a public apology and pay compensation. Authorities noted that some accounts reappeared under new identities after being banned to evade oversight.
State media also reported that organized networks employ artificial intelligence tools to generate large volumes of negative content, which is distributed through simulated accounts to rapidly amplify rumors before vehicle launches or major industry events. The same investigation found that some content presented as objective automotive reviews had misled consumers and contributed to distorted public opinion.
State media reported cases in which large volumes of negative content appeared online before vehicles entered the market, with thousands of critical posts published weeks before official launches, indicating the use of coordinated accounts and automated content generation. Reports also noted that some automotive influencers charged higher fees for publishing negative promotional content than for standard commercial posts.
The report stated that online conflicts have also involved automakers, with some companies using social media channels to disseminate negative information about competitors, while industry executives have at times participated in public disputes that influenced online discourse.
Earlier CarNewsChina reports have documented multiple court rulings in which automakers prevailed in defamation disputes involving online content creators. In December 2025, courts ordered individuals to delete defamatory content, issue public apologies, and pay compensation of up to 2.0187 million yuan (283,000 USD) in cases involving BYD, Great Wall Motor, and Xpeng. In January 2026, a court ruled that a blogger who published misleading claims about the Denza B5 SUV’s fuel consumption must pay BYD 2.01 million yuan (290,000 USD) in compensation.
Regulatory authorities have intensified enforcement actions against online misconduct in the automotive sector. The Cyberspace Administration of China has directly handled tens of thousands of corporate complaints and guided platforms to remove large volumes of defamatory content, while thousands of accounts have been restricted or shut down. Government agencies launched joint campaigns targeting false advertising, malicious defamation, and online opinion manipulation, requiring companies and platforms to correct irregular practices.
The disclosure of online smear networks coincides with the rapid expansion of China’s new energy vehicle market, where annual production and sales exceeded sixteen million units in 2025, and the segment accounted for more than half of domestic new vehicle sales.
The report concluded that authorities will continue enforcement actions to address misinformation and reputational attacks affecting the new energy vehicle industry.
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