The long-simmering rivalry between Gree Electric and Hisense has reached a boiling point, as a public dispute over the raw materials used in air conditioning motors exposes the fierce competition within China’s maturing home appliance market. What began as a trademark spat over marketing slogans has evolved into a high-stakes "disassembly war," with executives from both firms trading barbs over the use of copper versus aluminum in their hardware.
The conflict ignited when Gree’s Chief Marketing Officer, Zhu Lei, accused Hisense of plagiarizing Gree’s "True Copper, Real Material" slogan. Zhu challenged Hisense to prove that all its household units utilize copper windings in their motors, a material traditionally associated with higher durability and efficiency. This maneuver was intended to position Gree as the uncompromising guardian of quality in an industry often accused of secret cost-cutting.
However, Hisense responded with a tactical counter-strike that has resonated with price-sensitive consumers. Yang Xiangxi, Hisense’s brand director, released a video allegedly showing a Gree unit containing aluminum wiring, directly contradicting Gree’s "zero-aluminum" pledge. While Gree dismissed the finding as a discontinued commercial model rather than a retail unit, the optics of the teardown have forced the industry leader onto the defensive.
Beyond the technical allegations, Hisense has shifted the battlefield to economics, arguing that the era of charging a 500-yuan premium for a few cents worth of copper is over. According to Hisense's calculations, the actual cost difference between copper and aluminum windings in a standard unit is a mere 5 yuan (roughly $0.70). By highlighting this discrepancy, Hisense is attempting to frame Gree’s premium pricing as a marketing-driven markup rather than a functional necessity.