In the dictionary of new energy, there is no deletion of spontaneous combustion, but it is full of "backstabbing".

Riding on the wave of the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, almost all car manufacturers are launching new products.

There are new models, new technologies, new hardware, new benefits, and of course, new "backstabs".

In the new energy vehicle circle, there's a joke that has become a harsh reality: The earlier you buy, the earlier you enjoy; the later you buy, the more discounts you get. The second half actually has an unspoken subtext - the earlier you buy, the earlier you get backstabbed; the later you buy, the more likely you are to get a bargain.

If you're an electric vehicle owner and haven't experienced an official price cut right after picking up your car, a model upgrade right after getting it registered, or being outshined by the new model right after boasting about how great your car is, you'd be embarrassed to say you're part of the electric vehicle circle.

After being hurt enough, you'll understand that "backstabbing" is an inescapable fate for new energy vehicle owners.

1. Li Bin is in the hot seat again

Recently, a popular large three - row SUV is the 2026 LeDao L90, starting at 265,800 yuan. If you choose the BaaS battery rental plan, you can get it for as low as 179,800 yuan.

Compared with the first - generation model that started delivery in August 2025, the 2026 LeDao L90 has been upgraded in eight major areas and over 70 items of software and hardware. Perhaps its biggest highlight is filling the gap in intelligent driving. The combination of high - precision lidar, Shenji NX9031 chip, and NIO World Model has been installed, maximizing the product's competitiveness.

Image/Configuration parameters of the 2026 LeDao L90   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

But for the 50,000 old owners, this is a blatant "backstab". The previous statements like "LeDao has no plan to use Shenji chips in the short term" and "It will be good for ten years and always up - to - date" have become jokes in the face of reality.

What's even more heart - wrenching is that due to differences in hardware architecture, technical routes, and cost, the official has clearly stated that the old - model L90 cannot be upgraded with Shenji chips and lidar.

A large number of old owners flocked to social platforms and complaint channels to safeguard their rights. Under pressure, LeDao urgently held a user communication meeting and finally came up with a compensation plan: free 5 - year NOA high - level intelligent driving usage rights + free OTA upgrades.

Image/LeDao's compensation plan   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

Using a bunch of soft benefits to soothe emotions seems to give an explanation, but in fact, it doesn't solve the core problem - the hardware gap can't be filled, and the vehicle's depreciation can't be reversed.

At the media face - to - face event after the press conference, Li Bin spent more than ten minutes specifically answering the "backstab" question. To sum it up in one sentence, "NIO has to survive; there's really no other way."

Li Bin has responded to the "backstab" topic more than once, and the answers are almost the same every time.

In August 2025, NIO's all - new third - generation ES8 started pre - sales, and the price was significantly lower than the old model. Many old owners complained that their book losses reached more than 100,000 yuan. At that time, NIO had accumulated losses of over 100 billion yuan and was at a critical juncture of life and death. Survival became the brand's top priority.

Image/Prices of the first to third - generation NIO ES8   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

Facing the huge controversy of "backstabbing old owners", Li Bin faced the storm head - on and publicly stated that "survival is the most important thing". He frankly admitted that "it's impossible to take care of every user's interests", but at the same time emphasized that "making the company successful is the responsibility to 800,000 users."

Relying on this attitude of facing the problem, NIO successfully resolved the negative public opinion caused by the price cut. After the launch of the third - generation ES8, its sales soared, surpassing the Wenjie M8 and winning the sales championship of large SUVs and high - end models over 400,000 yuan for four consecutive months.

Judging from the current market feedback, this "backstab" still won't prevent the 2026 LeDao L90 from becoming a hit.

2. The whole industry is a "repeat offender"

Don't think that only NIO and LeDao play this game. Looking at the new energy vehicle industry, almost no car manufacturer can get rid of the label of "backstabbing old owners".

With its operation of "changing three generations in one year", the Zeekr 001 has taken product iteration to a whole new level. Old owners have just picked up their cars and haven't even had time to apply the car film when the new model arrives, with full - loaded configurations and a more attractive price, making people wonder if they bought a car or a fast - moving consumer good.

Image/Zeekr 001 "changing three generations in one year"   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

The starting price of the 2026 XPeng MONA M03 remains at 119,800 yuan, but high - end configurations such as XNGP intelligent driving, 800V fast charging, and massage seats have all become standard, making the old model seem outdated instantly. Only 3 out of the 5 millimeter - wave radars advertised for the G6 were installed in the actual vehicle, and 159 owners jointly defended their rights, turning old owners into one - time friends.

Image/Comparison of the number of lidars in the XPeng G6 user manual before and after   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

Wenjie wasn't idle either. Less than three months after the delivery of the latest M7, the 192 - line lidar was upgraded to an 896 - line dual - optical - path image - level lidar, and the perception ability jumped directly. Owners who had already picked up their cars watched helplessly as their cars became the "basic version". Want an upgrade? No way.

Image/Complaints about the new Wenjie M7   Source/Screenshot from Chezhiwang, New Energy Outlook

The Changan Avita 12 is even more exaggerated. Just 73 days after its launch, it completed the filing of the new model with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, setting a new record for the "fastest backstab" and letting old owners experience what it means to "pick up the car in the morning and have it obsolete in the afternoon".

Image/Complaints from Avita 12 owners   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

In addition to hardware iteration backstabs, price backstabs are even more common. Car manufacturers' official price cuts always come suddenly, without notice or buffer. You buy a car for 250,000 yuan today, the official price is cut by 20,000 yuan tomorrow, and an equity package is given the day after tomorrow. Old owners don't even have a place to cry.

Here, we have to mention the Tesla Model Y, which has a "one - generation - change - every - six - years" cycle. Although it hasn't "backstabbed" old owners due to frequent model changes in the past two years, it's all reflected in the price, so Tesla old owners have become numb.

There are also those hidden price cuts, such as financial interest subsidies, replacement subsidies, and free optional equipment. After a series of such measures, new owners can save tens of thousands of yuan, while old owners can only sigh silently looking at their purchase contracts.

Image/Model Y's preferential policies   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

The new energy vehicle market has evolved from a simple price war to an all - around backstab competition in terms of hardware, price, benefits, and services. Car manufacturers are not competing on who is more responsible to old owners, but on who can iterate faster, cut prices more aggressively, and launch more competitive new models.

In this carnival, old owners are always the silent victims who pay, get hurt, and are forgotten.

3. Iteration never stops, backstabbing never ends

Do car manufacturers really have to "backstab" old owners? The answer is yes.

This is not simply a "moral deficiency" of car manufacturers. It's an inevitable choice under the dual pressure of the rapid iteration of the three - electric technology, intelligent hardware, and in - vehicle software of new energy vehicles and the cruel market elimination competition.

Take the power battery, the core of new energy vehicles, as an example. In just a few years, the battery range has jumped from 200 kilometers to over 1,000 kilometers. Multiple routes such as lithium iron phosphate, ternary lithium, semi - solid, and sodium - ion batteries have made parallel breakthroughs. In 2025, the energy density of mainstream ternary lithium batteries reached 200Wh/kg, and in 2026, semi - solid batteries directly exceeded 300Wh/kg, continuously refreshing the upper limits of energy density, charging speed, and cost control.

Image/Comparison of liquid - semi - solid - solid batteries   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

Therefore, the battery technology that has just been mass - produced may become obsolete in half a year. The models that car manufacturers have invested billions in researching and developing may encounter a technological gap before completing the production capacity ramp - up.

The intelligent field is also advancing by leaps and bounds. The performance of intelligent driving chips doubles every 12 months: in 2024, the computing power of the mainstream Orin - X chip was 254TOPS, in 2025, the Shenji chip reached 508TOPS, and in 2026, the new - generation intelligent driving chip exceeded 1000TOPS. Lidar has developed from single - line and semi - solid to all - solid, with the detection distance doubling and the cost decreasing by 50%.

The in - vehicle software is also evolving rapidly. New algorithms, new functions, and new hardware are deeply integrated, completely breaking the traditional automotive ecosystem.

Image/Ladder diagram of the computing power of intelligent driving chips   Source/Screenshot from the Internet, New Energy Outlook

This rapid technological development following Moore's Law has completely overturned the 5 - 8 - year replacement cycle of traditional fuel vehicles. The accelerated depreciation of new energy vehicles due to the launch of new models is inevitable.

What's even more cruel than technological iteration is the fierce survival game in the Chinese new energy vehicle market. The industry has entered a new stage driven by both "intelligence" and "electrification". It has become normal for core hardware to be updated every six months and upgraded every year. Nearly a hundred brands are in a fierce battle, and the price war has turned into a survival war.

If you don't cut prices, you'll lose market share; if you don't upgrade, you'll be eliminated. The sales decline of the Le