BYD, GWM, XPeng win defamation rulings; apologies and damages ordered

Several Chinese automakers—including BYD, Great Wall Motor (GWM), and XPeng—have recently cited court decisions requiring certain online content creators to delete allegedly defamatory posts, issue public apologies, and pay compensation. The reported awards range from RMB 100,000 to RMB 2.0187 million (with some outlets estimating the largest award at about USD 280k–285k, depending on exchange-rate assumptions). [Source: CarNewsChina]

What the reported rulings say (at a glance)

• BYD: A court found an account had posted insulting/defamatory content over years, including repurposed fire footage unrelated to BYD vehicles; the decision upheld BYD’s reputation-rights claim and resulted in RMB 2.0187 million in compensation plus deletion and apology requirements. [Source: Sina Finance]
• GWM: A separate case(s) cited by GWM’s legal updates described court-ordered content removal, a public apology (reported as 15 consecutive days in some coverage), and RMB 200,000 in damages for reputational harm.
• XPeng: A Guangzhou Internet Court decision (as reported by business media) ordered deletion of infringing content, a public apology, and RMB 100,000 compensation related to allegedly unverified/false claims about XPeng products and service handling. [Source: Tencent / Daily Economic News]

Note: Currency conversions to USD vary by outlet and date; figures above are reported primarily in RMB, with USD estimates cited by media coverage.

BYD case: edited fire footage and multi-year defamatory content (reported)

According to Chinese financial media coverage summarizing a CCTV “rule-of-law” segment and court outcomes, the online account referenced as “Longzhu Jiche” was found to have published content targeting BYD over an extended period, including edited fire-related footage used to imply BYD vehicles suffered “spontaneous combustion” incidents that were not supported by the footage’s original context. The reporting states the second-instance ruling upheld the finding that the conduct infringed BYD’s reputation rights and resulted in deletion + apology + RMB 2.0187 million compensation.

GWM case: reputational harm beyond “routine oversight” (reported)

In a separate matter, reporting tied to GWM’s legal communications states a court determined that repeated derogatory content went beyond normal consumer commentary or public oversight and constituted reputational infringement. The outcome described includes removing the relevant content, issuing a public apology, and paying RMB 200,000 in damages (some reports also note enforcement steps if defendants did not comply voluntarily).

XPeng case: court-ordered deletion, apology, and RMB 100,000 compensation (reported)

Business media reports say XPeng’s legal team disclosed a judgment by the Guangzhou Internet Court in a network-infringement dispute involving accounts associated with a company. The published summary states the defendant(s) were ordered to delete infringing content, publish an apology statement across platforms, and compensate XPeng RMB 100,000 (including reasonable rights-protection costs in some descriptions).

Separate enforcement: AI-generated “fake video” incident and administrative detention

Chinese media also reported a separate enforcement action involving an AI-generated fabricated video that circulated online during the Guangzhou Auto Show period and was later confirmed by local police as fake. The individual responsible was reportedly placed under 10 days of administrative detention for producing and spreading the content. [Source: CCTV News]

Broader context: China’s cyberspace regulator highlights “automotive online misconduct” cases

These cases were widely discussed alongside China’s broader campaign targeting alleged online misconduct in the automotive sector. On December 11, 2025, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published a second batch of typical cases in its auto-industry cleanup effort, focusing on issues such as malicious defamation, spreading false information, and fabricated evaluations. [Source: CAC]

References

• CarNewsChina. (2025, December 13). BYD, GWM, and XPeng win defamation cases as creators fined up to 283,000 USD. citation:10‡CarNewsChina.com
• Sina Finance. (2025, December 12). 因侮辱诋毁造谣比亚迪判赔201.87万！“龙猪-集车”被央视点名. citation:11‡新浪财经
• Sina Finance. (2025, August 15). 长城汽车公布网络侵权案件结果：“大眼哥说车”长期贬损…法院判赔20万. oai_citation:12‡新浪财经
• Tencent / Daily Economic News. (2025, September 12). 广州互联网法院判令：删除侵权内容、公开致歉并赔偿10万元（小鹏相关案件报道）.citation:13‡腾讯网
• CCTV News. (2025, December 11). 男子用AI生成“车展虚假低俗视频”被行政拘留10日. citation:14‡央视新闻
• Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). (2025, December 11). 汽车行业网络乱象专项整治行动公开曝光第二批典型案例. citation:15‡国家市场监督管理总局