The gloves are off in China’s electric vehicle market, as major automakers unite to combat a rising tide of malicious “black PR” campaigns. Companies like BYD, Li Auto, Zeekr, and Deepal are leading the charge, offering substantial rewards for information that exposes those behind the smear tactics.
The Alarming Rise of “Black PR”
This isn’t just a few disgruntled customers posting online, we are seeing organized “internet troll armies” flooding social media with fake, damaging content about competing brands. These campaigns aren’t just annoying, they have a real impact, capable of wiping billions of yuan off an automaker’s sales figures in a single month. One executive even admitted that delaying a rival’s momentum by just one day with negative trending topics could net them thousands of extra vehicle orders. It’s a cutthroat world out there, as evidenced by one recent sales battle where over 700 attack articles, including bogus quality complaints and rigged comparison tests, were uncovered.
Automakers Strike Back with Major Countermeasures
Chinese automakers are not taking these attacks lying down. Deepal Automotive has launched a “Defence Fund” to safeguard its brand, and Avatr, a Changan Auto subsidiary, has already received nearly 200 tips since starting its anti-black PR drive in April 2025.
Other key players are stepping up too:
Zeekr is publicly seeking reputation protection services and offering rewards as high as 5 million yuan, roughly 70,000 USD.
Nio is enticing tipsters with rewards ranging from 10,000 to 1 million yuan, which is about 1,400 to 140,000 USD.
BYD successfully sued a social media influencer for defamation, securing a victory of approximately 2 million yuan, or 280,000 USD, in damages.
An Industry-Wide Call for Order
The severity of this problem is highlighted by Nio founder William Li’s stark comment that “black troll armies make money more easily than car manufacturing.” These shadow operations reportedly charge tens of thousands of yuan for their services, with even higher fees if their negative narratives gain traction on social media.
In 2023, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers along with 14 automakers pledged to fight against the use of internet trolls. More recently, the National Development and Reform Commission officially condemned malicious smears and false advertising at the 2025 China EV100 Forum. Experts are calling for stronger regulatory enforcement and severe penalties to deter these criminal activities. Additionally, industry associations could establish self-discipline agreements to ensure fair competition and restore integrity to the market.
