Li Xiang crossed the line in his WeChat Moments, turning the 200,000-yuan market into a slaughterhouse. It's a big no-no for a car company CEO to lose control of their emotions.
On April 11, Li Xiang, the founder of Li Auto, suddenly swore in his WeChat Moments. This Moments post was quickly deleted, and then he posted another one, saying, "A certain Japanese brand has hired a large number of [marketing accounts] to [belittle and compare] our products and used a large number of blank accounts as [trolls] to [fabricate false information] and flood the comment sections of our products, seriously affecting the normal operation of Li Auto. This is the most heinous behavior stipulated in the anti-involution regulations."
He said that he would use legal means to safeguard his legitimate interests and would not allow unregulated overseas brands to undermine the good results and market atmosphere of anti-involution in the automotive industry.
On April 11, Wang Qian, the general manager of the new energy brand of Dongfeng Nissan, responded in a post, saying, "Today, I noticed the relevant online remarks and also received inquiries from many media friends. Dongfeng Nissan has always abided by industry rules, advocated healthy competition, and respected every peer working hard for the Chinese automotive industry, including Li Auto."
It is worth noting that on April 9, the Dongfeng Nissan NX8 was just launched. Subsequently, many posts about "Dongfeng Nissan NX8 competing with Li L6 and Li i6" suddenly emerged on some mainstream social platforms. In the comment sections of the articles, there were also many replies and comments with high similarity. As of now, most of the relevant articles have been "taken off the shelves" by the platform, leaving only the message "The current content cannot be displayed."
Li Xiang of Li Auto angrily criticized a Japanese brand, tearing off the veil of the cut - throat competition in the new energy vehicle industry. This means that all car companies are under great pressure now, and the involution in the 200,000 - level red - ocean market has escalated.
Some consumers said, "I drove the NX8 for three days during the holiday. To be honest, it's good in all aspects. However, due to different budgets, the target customers are also different. With a budget of 250,000 yuan, the Li i6 is the first choice. With a budget of about 180,000 yuan, the Nissan NX8 is really a good deal. With a budget of about 100,000 yuan, the Aion i60 is also sufficient. There is an optimal solution for each price range, and there is no need to deliberately belittle anyone."
In the case of Li Auto, although it is indeed a victim, there are signs of a backlash in public opinion to some extent. Because his current evaluation is a bit extreme, and the term "puppet army" is very inappropriate.
After all, Dongfeng Nissan is a Sino - Japanese joint - venture enterprise, with the Chinese side holding a 50% stake. It is produced in China, hires Chinese employees, and pays no less tax to the Chinese government than Li Auto every year. Once the label of "puppet army" is attached, it is difficult to remove.
There are many joint - venture enterprises in China, such as Dongfeng Nissan, GAC Toyota, GAC Honda, and a bunch of German and American joint - venture brands. Are these car companies all born with original sins?
This reminds people of He Xiaopeng. Back then, He Xiaopeng and Huawei had a heated argument about the AEB issue. But later, He Xiaopeng apologized actively, focused on product development, and spent his energy on technology and the industrial chain. As a result, the sales of XPeng Motors increased steadily. This shows that arguing cannot solve problems, but products can.
If Li Xiang thinks that a certain car company has problems in public relations, he can just take legal action instead of using the banner of nationalism to gain an advantage in public opinion and trying to stir up more emotional public opinion. This tendency has gone beyond the scope of business. Li Xiang may have realized this problem. He has now deleted the Moments post with the term "puppet army" and said that he will no longer tolerate black public relations and will take legal action.
Now, zero - tolerance for black public relations will indeed arouse disgust. Some media reported that in the training materials of Dongfeng Nissan's franchised stores, there are clear statements such as "compete with Li Auto upwards, replace fuel vehicles with extended - range vehicles" and "understand family use better than Li Auto."
But in the automotive industry, it is normal for car brands to have competitors for comparison. If normal product - level comparison is regarded as belittling, then car manufacturers can only talk to themselves. You know, in the mobile phone industry, when domestic manufacturers launch new phones, who doesn't compare their battery life, performance, imaging, and other indicators with the iPhone and claim that they are better than the iPhone in a certain single performance?
If this kind of comparison is regarded as belittling, then it can be said that domestic mobile phones have been belittling and comparing with Apple for many years. Over the years, many indicators of the iPhone have been outperformed by domestic phones in comparison. However, celebrities and mobile phone KOLs still prefer the iPhone, and Apple has never said a word about it. This is the magnanimity and pattern of a brand. In the end, a good product will naturally become a benchmark.
If we look at the automotive industry, in the process of the development of new energy vehicles in China, how many car companies have not taken Tesla as a benchmark and tried to catch up with and compare with Tesla in many indicators?
It can be said that many mainstream new energy car companies have grown up in the process of comparing with Tesla. If this kind of comparison is regarded as belittling, then how many car companies in the automotive industry can say that they have never belittled Tesla? And when Tesla launched the updated Model Y, it said bluntly, "Feel free to compare," showing the clear difference.
In the end, if it is completely not allowed for others to compare with oneself, it is actually a bit of an over - correction.
Because when consumers buy a car, they need to compare various performance parameters, prices, etc. to make their own choices. The reason why Li Xiang reacted so strongly is essentially because the i6 is too important to Li Auto.
On April 10, the 100,000th mass - produced Li i6 rolled off the production line. Since its launch, this car has been the mainstay of Li Auto. In March this year, Li Auto delivered 41,053 vehicles. Among them, the monthly delivery volume of the Li i6 exceeded 24,000, accounting for more than half of the total sales.
To some extent, Li Auto has achieved a transformation. In the past, people mainly bought Li Auto because they wanted an extended - range family car. But now, extended - range is no longer a strong label for Li Auto. So at this critical moment, Li Xiang does not allow any mistakes.
But in fact, if it were Apple or Tesla, they would hardly care about any public opinion or labels.
Because they know that standing at the top of the pyramid, they must bear these. It is obvious that the NX8 cannot be a competitor to the i6, with a price difference of tens of thousands of yuan. Just like the comparison between MONA M03, Leapmotor B01 and Model 3 at their press conferences, it's just self - entertainment.
The correct approach is either to respond politely: A good product will naturally become a benchmark. Or just pick up the legal weapon to fight back.
The 200,000 - yuan market has become a slaughterhouse. Emotional outbursts of car company CEOs are a big taboo
Moreover, the emotions of a CEO have a leverage effect. When an ordinary person posts a Moments post, it may affect dozens of people. When Li Xiang posts a Moments post, it will be a hot topic across the network, cause fluctuations in the stock market, and trigger industry discussions.
After this Moments post was posted, the next day, major financial media were analyzing "Li Xiang's swearing affects the brand image of Li Auto." Nissan elegantly responded with "respect for peers," while you swore a lot. In the end, who will people remember? It's the person who swore, not the problem he complained about.
When a corporate founder starts to lose control frequently, it is usually not that his temper has become worse. It means that the company is facing some anxiety that he himself cannot digest, and it may even make people think about the current state of Li Auto.
Li Auto delivered more than 40,000 vehicles in March, returning to the monthly delivery mark of 40,000 vehicles. The Li i6 alone sold more than 24,000 vehicles, seemingly showing a great situation.
But if we look closely, the 200,000 - 300,000 - yuan pure - electric SUV market where Li Auto's main model i6 is located is the most crowded price range. In 2026, with the new national subsidy, to get a 20,000 - yuan new energy vehicle scrapping subsidy, the vehicle price should be at least 167,000 yuan. It can be predicted that car manufacturers will focus on launching new cars in the 200,000 - yuan price range in 2026.
BYD's Han and Tang, Haima 06, Fangchengbao Titanium 7, Song L, Tesla's Model 3, Geely's Galaxy, Shangjie H5, Wenjie's M5, Leapmotor C16, etc. are all in this price range.
The cars in the 200,000 - yuan price range represent the real level of the Chinese automotive industry. This price range will witness a fierce battle this year and become a cruel slaughterhouse. Car companies should strengthen their internal strength, and build solid competitiveness in product innovation, technological progress, and cost control, instead of swearing in the Moments or playing the national card, trying to profit from patriotism under the banner of "patriotism."
This is actually a kind of speculation, which is not beneficial to the brand premium and product reputation. Car company CEOs should manage their emotions well to have a chance to win in this battlefield.
Let's quote a widely - circulated wisdom in business history: An emotional CEO may win a war of words, but in the long run, those who can remain rational in a fit of rage are more likely to survive.
This article is from the WeChat official account "Hotspot Micro - Review" (ID: redianweiping), written by Wang Xinxi, and is published by 36Kr with authorization.