The fierce rivalry within the Chinese automotive market has spilled over into the legal arena as Li Auto, a titan of the domestic electric vehicle (EV) sector, officially accused a 'Japanese-affiliated brand'—widely identified as Dongfeng Nissan—of orchestrating a sophisticated smear campaign. Li Auto’s founder, Li Xiang, alleged that marketing accounts and 'black water armies' (paid internet trolls) were deployed to flood social media with fabricated comparisons and malicious reviews aimed at undermining the company’s L6 and i6 models. This public spat marks a significant escalation in the industry's struggle against 'involution,' or toxic competition.
Responding to the accusations, Wang Qian, the general manager of Dongfeng Nissan’s New Energy division, issued a statement emphasizing that his company adheres to industry regulations and advocates for healthy competition. Despite this measured rebuttal, Li Auto’s legal department confirmed it has completed evidence collection regarding what it describes as 'organized' and 'highly homogenized' content on platforms like Xiaohongshu. The company claims the IP addresses and posting times of these critical comments show clear patterns of coordination rather than spontaneous consumer feedback.
This conflict unfolds against the backdrop of the Chinese government’s 2025 initiative to curb 'anti-involution' practices within the automotive industry. For years, the sector has been characterized by brutal price wars and increasingly aggressive public relations tactics. Li Xiang noted that while the regulatory environment has improved the general atmosphere, the recent alleged attacks represent a 'flagrant violation' of the state's mandate for fair market play. The automaker has now signaled its intent to involve both public security organs and the courts to identify the masterminds behind the campaign.
The 'black water army' phenomenon has long been a plague on Chinese digital commerce, where the perception of a product can be manufactured through sheer volume of bot-driven commentary. As EV margins continue to thin due to overcapacity and price slashing, 'perception management' has become a critical, albeit often unethical, tool for survival. By taking this fight public and framing it as a violation of state policy, Li Auto is not just defending its brand, but testing the strength of the government’s resolve to police the digital behavior of its corporate giants.