How Chinese automakers began to protect their reputation - and is it true?

Reports that BYD, Great Wall and Xpeng allegedly sued bloggers for more than $300 thousand have not been confirmed by official sources.

As of December 2025, no reliable confirmed data was found in international and authoritative industry sources that BYD, Great Wall Motor and Xpeng actually won a lawsuit against bloggers in the amount of over 300 thousand dollars. There are no official press releases from the automakers themselves, court decisions or reports from agencies like Reuters, Bloomberg or Caixin on this topic.

However, in recent years, Chinese automakers have indeed tightened their control over their reputation in the digital space. There have already been cases in China where brands have sued content creators for spreading false information, such as fake crash tests, fabricated EV “breakdowns,” or false claims about accidents involving self-driving cars. However, compensation comparable to $300 thousand remains extremely rare in such cases.

Moreover, judicial practice in the PRC in the field of protecting business reputation (Article 1024 of the Civil Code of the PRC) does allow companies to demand compensation for losses, but in practice such claims often end in public refutations and symbolic compensation - in the amount of several thousand yuan.

Thus, the claim that BYD, Great Wall and Xpeng “sued bloggers for more than $300 thousand” is currently not supported by facts and is likely either an exaggeration or an interpretation of a rumor.

Nevertheless, the very idea of such a lawsuit reflects an important trend: Chinese automakers are no longer “silent suppliers” - they protect their name as resolutely as the world’s leading brands. And if today this looks like isolated episodes, tomorrow such practice may become the norm - especially in conditions when the reputation of an electric car decides everything: from sales to access to European markets.

In the meantime, in the interests of accuracy and professionalism, it is worth refraining from disseminating unconfirmed information - especially when it comes to legal and financial consequences.