Erinome:Hello dear friends, today we are going to talk about the topic of "Li Auto's apology over a collision test problem". I'm Erinome.
Enceladus:And I'm Enceladus. Hi everyone! So, Erinome, what happened with Li Auto? I heard they apologized recently.
Erinome:Yes! On August 6th, Li Auto, China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (we can call it China汽研 for short), and Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor (Dongfeng Liuzhou) released a joint statement. They apologized for a collision test controversy.
Enceladus:Oh, collision test? Like a car crash test for safety?
Erinome:Exactly! Let's start from the beginning. On July 29th, Li Auto had a launch event for their new electric SUV, the i8. They showed a safety test video.
Enceladus:What was in the video? Was it cool?
Erinome:Um, maybe for some, but it caused big problems. The video showed the Li Auto i8 colliding head-on with an 8-ton truck. Both were moving at 50 km/h.
Enceladus:Wow, that's fast! What happened after the collision?
Erinome:Oh no, the truck looked really bad. Its wheels left the ground, the cab separated from the cargo part, and it almost fell on the i8.
Enceladus:Oh no! So people worried about the i8?
Erinome:No, actually, the problem was the truck. The truck's steering wheel had a "Chenglong" logo—you know, Chenglong is a brand under Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor. And they didn't blur the logo!
Enceladus:Ah, right! So people saw the logo and thought, "Chenglong trucks are unsafe?"
Erinome:Exactly! Netizens quickly recognized the truck was Chenglong. They went to Chenglong's official social media and left comments like, "I dare not buy it, the back wheels flew off!" or "Woke up and the sky fell."
Enceladus:That's harsh. So Dongfeng Liuzhou was angry?
Erinome:Yes! On July 31st, Dongfeng Liuzhou responded. They said the test "misled the public" because the test scenario is very different from real traffic. They even kept the right to sue.
Enceladus:Oh, serious! Then what did Li Auto do?
Erinome:At first, not much. On August 3rd, Li Auto and China汽研 responded, but they didn't apologize. Li Auto said the test was just to check the i8's safety, not to question the truck's quality. They called the truck a "randomly bought mobile barrier vehicle."
Enceladus:Mobile barrier vehicle? What's that?
Erinome:You know, like a special truck used as a moving barrier in tests. China汽研 added that the truck was a second-hand one, repainted, and weighted to 8 tons. The speeds were i8 at 60 km/h and truck at 40 km/h, not both 50.
Enceladus:But people didn't buy that, right? Because the key info was missing.
Erinome:Exactly! Dongfeng Liuzhou didn't accept their response. The public kept asking: Why no logo blur? Why not explain the truck's role clearly? The argument went on for days.
Enceladus:So when did they finally apologize?
Erinome:On August 6th! The three parties—Li Auto, China汽研, and Dongfeng Liuzhou—released a joint statement. That's when the apology came.
Enceladus:What did Li Auto say in the apology?
Erinome:They said they "didn't预估 (estimate) the risk of linking Chenglong to the negative news." They felt sorry for harming Chenglong's image and making truck drivers (they called them "卡友"—Ka You, truck friends) misunderstand.
Enceladus:And China汽研? Did they apologize too?
Erinome:Yes! China汽研 said they "failed to clearly explain the truck was just a 'mobile barrier vehicle'." They admitted the info release was incomplete and said sorry.
Enceladus:Okay, so Dongfeng Liuzhou's response in the joint statement? Did they accept the apology?
Erinome:They didn't say "we accept," but they said they "resist unfair competition, stick to legal rules, and work to make China a strong auto country."
Enceladus:Hmm, so the event is over now?
Erinome:More or less. The joint statement also called on the auto industry to be more careful. They said companies should avoid "bad competition" like putting down others, and test agencies should be honest and clear.
Enceladus:That makes sense. So what can we learn from this?
Erinome:Well, details matter! If they blurred the logo or explained the truck's role first, maybe no problem. And when things go wrong, apologize early—haha, right?
Enceladus:Totally! Oh, and truck drivers must have been really worried. I hope they know it was just a test now.
Erinome:Me too. So, to sum up: Li Auto showed a test video, forgot to blur Chenglong's logo, people thought Chenglong trucks are unsafe, Dongfeng Liuzhou got angry, and after days of back-and-forth, Li Auto and China汽研 finally apologized.
Enceladus:Wow, that's a long story. But it's good they fixed it with the joint statement.
Erinome:Yes! And now the industry might be more careful with test videos. No more logo mistakes, hopefully.
Enceladus:Agreed! Okay, that's it for today. Let's talk again next time. Bye friends!
Erinome:Bye!