Recently, a popular mainland Chinese self-media account, known as “I am Dabin Student”, found itself embroiled in a controversy after a post mocking the new car brand Hongmeng Zhi Xing in the wake of a car accident. As a result, the blogger behind the account was ordered to pay a compensation of 1.5 million RMB in a first-instance ruling, sparking debates and discussions among the public.
According to reports from a mainland Chinese media outlet, Autohome, Hongmeng Zhi Xing’s legal department released a statement on February 11th (Wednesday) announcing that they had won the first-instance judgment in a defamation lawsuit against the self-media account “I am Dabin Student”. The court ruled that the defendant must delete the related comments, issue a public apology, and pay a compensation of 1.5 million RMB. The details of the court judgment have not been disclosed as of the time of reporting.
The incident dates back to a serious traffic accident that occurred at the end of January 2025 in Zigong, Sichuan Province. A collision between a Xiaomi car and a Mercedes-Benz SUV resulted in casualties. Following the incident, “I am Dabin Student” posted an image on social media with a caption stating, “No casualties in Xiaomi, leading the way to wipe out the competition”, which garnered significant attention and shares. The content was later removed.
In March 2025, Hongmeng Zhi Xing’s legal department announced that they were taking legal action, alleging that the account in question had disseminated false and derogatory remarks that damaged the brand’s reputation. The implicated blogger responded by stating that they would actively defend themselves and raised concerns about the qualifications of the corporate legal announcement’s subject and the transparency of the case acceptance information, also mentioning facing online attacks in relation to the incident.
This case has spurred discussions on the current environment for online expression in China.
In recent years, the Chinese new energy vehicle industry has been rapidly expanding, leading to intense competition. Companies have become increasingly proactive, even assertive, in safeguarding their brand image and reputation. Concurrently, discussions regarding product quality, safety incidents, and technical flaws persist. Some argue that companies have the right to protect their interests legally, while others emphasize the public value of public scrutiny and critical expression, particularly concerning public safety and consumer rights issues.
Hongmeng Zhi Xing is part of the Hongmeng Intelligent Automobile Technology Ecosystem Alliance, an upgraded version of Huawei’s Intelligent Select Car Business. It encompasses various models such as Wenjie, Zhijie, Xiangjie, Zunjie, and Shangjie.
It is important to note that Hongmeng Zhi Xing (HIMA) is not a standalone registered company but rather a technological ecosystem brand and business cooperation model under Huawei’s umbrella.