Huawei and JAC Motors jointly developed a high-end car called “Zun Jie V800,” which encountered brake pedal bracket fractures during testing. The Xinjiang official account, without directly naming Huawei, questioned in a post whether they could speak in plain language when facing product safety issues. After gaining over 100,000 reads on WeChat, the article was later hidden.
On October 10th, the official WeChat public account “Xinjiang Release” of the Xinjiang government’s press office published an article titled “Can you speak human language in response to product safety issues.” Although not explicitly mentioning Huawei, the article quoted Huawei’s Executive Director Yu Chengdong’s slogan “Safety is the supreme luxury” to criticize the company’s communication strategy. They highlighted the contrast between Huawei’s straightforward marketing language and evasive safety explanations after incidents.
The article remarked, “When you ask about solidity, they answer with ‘we comply.’ Between this question and answer lies the entire distance of trust between the public and this company.” It criticized the practice of talking without addressing the actual concerns raised.
After its release, the article garnered over 100,000 reads on WeChat within half a day and was shared on other social media platforms. While many internet users resonated and liked the content, there were also Huawei supporters who criticized Xinjiang Release for commenting without full understanding. Subsequently, around 6 p.m. the same day, “Xinjiang Release” hid the article from public view.
The controversy stemmed from a report by the car information platform “Car King” on October 8th, revealing that the Zun Jie V800 experienced brake performance failures during testing three times in a row.
The tests conducted on October 1st, 3rd, and 4th involved three different batches of Zun Jie V800 cars. During emergency braking tests at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the brake pedal bracket fractured under full braking force in all instances. The third car, a newly purchased vehicle by the testing party, experienced a pedal force of 1,612 Newtons at the moment of fracture, with a similar fracture pattern as the previous two incidents.
Testing staff member Dongmen Jiannan stated, “The brake pedal fractures in all three cars are identical in location and appearance, looking like they are ‘triplets.'”
These incidents have raised concerns regarding Huawei and JAC Motors’ collaboration and product safety standards, prompting public scrutiny and discussions on social media platforms.