Blogger to Pay Nearly $300,000 for Criticizing BYD
Criticism of Chinese automakers can come with a real price tag, as one blogger just found out. After losing a lawsuit filed by BYD, he was ordered to pay 2 million yuan (approximately $294,000 at the current exchange rate) and issue a public apology.
The Essence of the Case and the Court’s Decision
The blogger, who posts under the pseudonym Long Ge Talks EVs, released several videos last year analyzing repair cases for various BYD models. The videos contained claims about the company’s batteries, engines, and electronic control systems, which, according to the court’s ruling, were not substantiated by evidence.
BYD did not let this go unnoticed and immediately filed a lawsuit, accusing the man of fabricating and spreading false information that damaged the corporation’s reputation. The court sided with the automaker, ordering the blogger to pay 2 million yuan ($293,700) in compensation and issue a public apology.
Last week, he did just that, releasing a video on local social media where he called his remarks about BYD’s batteries, engines, and electrical systems ‘incorrect’ and acknowledged that they had harmed the company’s reputation.
This is not the first time the blogger has incurred the wrath of local auto brands. He was previously sued for comments about Seres and Aito vehicles and was forced to pay compensation of 160,000 yuan ($23,500).
A Common Practice of Lawsuits
While there is no doubt that Chinese brands like BYD are creating very impressive cars, they also aggressively sue anyone who speaks out against them, spreading what they consider to be false information. Despite this, BYD’s General Manager of Public Relations, Li Yunfei, states that the company accepts what it considers objective criticism and factual reports.
BYD is far from the only automaker to file such lawsuits. Last year, Avatr sued another Chinese blogger for 10 million yuan (about $1.47 million at the time) after he claimed that the published drag coefficients for the fully electric Avatr 12 were inaccurate. Avatr suggested the blogger might have been part of a large ‘black PR’ campaign and hired by a company to spread negative information about the automaker.
This case is a stark example of how Chinese automakers actively defend their reputation in court, especially when it comes to technical specifications and safety. Although the companies claim to be open to objective criticism, multi-million dollar lawsuits create a powerful deterrent effect for bloggers and journalists. In the fiercely competitive electric vehicle market, such actions may be aimed not only at protection but also at controlling the information space, where any negative mention can cost a great deal. It also underscores how important the image of a technological leader is for Chinese brands, and how willing they are to spend significant resources to maintain it.