The Ideal is experiencing its second "MEGA moment".

Recently, Li Auto has been caught in a serious public opinion storm. A large amount of negative information about Li Auto owners has spread rapidly on the Internet, labeling Li Auto owners as "uncivilized". However, this public opinion crisis is not accidental but shows obvious characteristics of aggression, organization, and concentration.

Take August 3 as an example. On just one platform, from 0:00 to 7:00, there were 45 identical videos with the theme of "all Li Auto owners park illegally". These videos were posted frequently and had highly homogeneous content, suspected of organized illegal and criminal activities. In addition, Li Auto also disclosed the operation mode of online trolls, including collecting photos and videos of Li Auto's non - standard behaviors for payment and posting malicious comments under notes or videos of Li Auto owners.

One wave subsides, another rises. Is it the second "MEGA moment"?

Not long ago, the collision test between the Li i8 and a Chenglong truck sparked controversy. Finally, Li Auto, China Automotive Engineering Research Institute, and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor issued a joint statement explaining the problems that occurred during the test and apologized to the affected parties.

However, before this storm subsided, Li Auto was caught in a new public opinion whirlpool. A large amount of negative information about Li Auto owners appeared on the Internet, labeling them as "uncivilized". The rapid spread and wide range of this information have seriously damaged Li Auto's brand image.

Coincidentally, after the release of the Li MEGA, it also suffered large - scale online violence. Maliciously tampered and defamed pictures spread wildly on the Internet, causing significant negative impacts on the brand. The police in Hebei confirmed that at least three car companies were involved.

Labeling: From joking to stigmatization

It is not uncommon for car brands to be labeled. For example, BMW owners are called "nouveaux riches", Cadillac owners are joked about as "bathhouse kings", and Land Rover owners are considered "less educated". These labels are often in a joking nature, but the public opinion attack against Li Auto owners is completely different.

The comment section is filled with netizens' comments "sarcastic about Li Auto"

It not only stigmatizes Li Auto owners but also seriously damages Li Auto's brand image. In the "illegal parking snapshot" video released by the Lianyungang traffic police, Li Auto became the focus of the comment section, and a large number of netizens expressed dissatisfaction and criticism of the behavior of Li Auto owners. This labeling phenomenon may lead consumers to have prejudices against Li Auto, thus affecting its market performance.

The "information cocoon" constructed by platform algorithms

The online public opinion field is like a prism that should reflect diverse voices, but Li Auto owners have been hit by a torrent of malicious attacks. Driven by profit, online trolls collect so - called "violations" of Li Auto at a set price, such as taking pictures of illegal parking and lane - changing without signaling. They even use AI technology to synthesize false videos just to create traffic and mislead the public.

These false information, through the precise feeding of social platform algorithms, form an information cocoon, making users repeatedly exposed to similar content and further strengthening the negative impression of Li Auto owners.

As a leading new - energy vehicle manufacturer, Li Auto's expanding market share has triggered dissatisfaction among some traditional luxury brands. Some car companies may suppress Li Auto by organizing negative public relations and creating public opinion storms.

However, this public opinion crisis is not just a confrontation between traditional luxury brands and new - energy vehicle manufacturers. In the fierce market competition, enterprises should adhere to business ethics and legal bottom lines and jointly create a fair, healthy, and orderly market environment.

Micro - business "ruined" Maserati

Maserati was labeled as a "micro - business car" because it was widely purchased by the micro - business group. This label greatly damaged Maserati's brand image, and its sales plummeted.

In 2016, a micro - business rewarded 10 Maseratis to its agents, which attracted wide attention. Since then, Maserati has become synonymous with micro - business, and its brand image has been gradually destroyed. In 2017, Maserati's sales in China reached a peak but then began to decline significantly. In the first five months of 2025, Maserati only sold 384 vehicles in China, with an average monthly sales of less than 80 vehicles. Once a brand is labeled negatively, its market performance will be severely impacted, and its brand value will also shrink significantly.

Li Auto has accumulated a large user base

In the face of this public opinion crisis, Li Auto has taken a series of countermeasures. On the one hand, Li Auto uses legal means to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, suing accounts and organizations that post malicious information, demanding that they stop the infringement and compensate for losses. On the other hand, Li Auto continuously strengthens product innovation and brand building, improves product quality and service levels, and responds to doubts with practical actions.

Li Auto has accumulated a large user base with its "family technology" positioning. Extended - range SUVs remain its cornerstone, but the transformation to pure - electric vehicles and market competition are driving strategic adjustments. As of July 2025, Li Auto has 1.34 million family users. This large user base is the foundation of Li Auto's development over the past decade.

Whether future sales can reach the target depends on the market performance of the new models i8/i6 and the cost - control ability. However, the labeling phenomenon not only damages Li Auto's brand image but also has a negative impact on a large number of owners. Many owners have suffered unnecessary troubles and misunderstandings in daily life because of these false labels.

To completely get out of this public opinion crisis, Li Auto still needs to make continuous efforts in brand communication and user communication to regain public trust and support.

We should view it rationally and not blindly label

The "pregnancy effect" means that when a person pays special attention to a certain phenomenon, they will find that this phenomenon seems to be everywhere. For the negative information about Li Auto, once users have a preconceived impression, they will pay more attention to relevant negative content during the information - acquisition process, thus further strengthening the negative impression of Li Auto owners.

This psychological effect makes the labeling phenomenon of Li Auto owners more serious and puts Li Auto in a more passive position in the public opinion field.

As onlookers, we should not blindly label any brand.

This public opinion crisis has sounded an alarm for the entire automotive industry. In the fierce market competition, enterprises should adhere to business ethics and legal bottom lines and jointly create a fair, healthy, and orderly market environment. Car companies should focus more on technological innovation and product improvement rather than suppressing competitors through improper means.

At the same time, the media and the public should also view the competition among car brands rationally and avoid blindly following the trend and spreading false information. Only in this way can we jointly promote the healthy development of the Chinese automotive industry and provide consumers with better - quality and safer products and services.

In short, this public opinion crisis of Li Auto being labeled has not only seriously affected Li Auto's brand image and market performance but also exposed some problems in the online public opinion environment and industry competition. It is hoped that Li Auto can learn lessons from this storm, continuously improve its strength, and better cope with future challenges. At the same time, it is also hoped that the entire automotive industry can reflect on this and jointly create a healthier and more orderly market competition environment.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Sanyan Finance" (ID: sycaijing), author: DorAemon, published by 36Kr with authorization.