BYD Executive Li Yunfei Responds to Black PR Campaign, Lists 126 Accounts for Pursuit

In a move signaling a firm stance against what it perceives as orchestrated online attacks, BYD, the Chinese electric vehicle giant, is escalating its legal battle against entities accused of defamation and spreading malicious disinformation. The company’s Public Relations General Manager, Li Yunfei, took to social media to announce the aggressive pursuit of “black public relations” campaigns and “black media” tactics, vowing to hold perpetrators accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Li revealed ongoing litigation against 37 specific accounts, with an additional 126 under close scrutiny. He emphasized that BYD is meticulously preserving all evidence related to content and comments originating from these sources. While welcoming constructive criticism and media scrutiny, Li made it unequivocally clear that BYD will not tolerate what it considers to be deliberately damaging and false narratives.

The company’s legal department has previously outlined specific instances of what it deems to be defamatory activity. The legal department stated, “In recent years, we have repeatedly faced organized, planned, and rhythmically malicious attacks and smears from online black media and black public relations. The related false information and untrue remarks have seriously damaged the company’s reputation, disrupted market order, and caused negative impacts on the healthy development of the industry.”

Progress reports have been released on cases of specific interest to both customers and the public. For instance, in one notable case involving “Zhou Haoran Sean” and “AutoBiBiBi,” the court ruled in favor of BYD, ordering a public apology and a compensation of 100,000 yuan (approximately $14,000 USD). Similarly, “Taodianchi” and the Douyin account “Yin Ge on Electric Vehicles” were also ordered to issue apologies and pay 60,000 yuan (approximately $8,400 USD) in damages.

BYD’s legal team further clarified that numerous other accounts have been identified as disseminators of false information and have been penalized accordingly. The company’s legal department has emphasized that it is actively pursuing legal action against malicious self-media outlets that have caused significant reputational harm. This aggressive legal strategy underscores BYD’s commitment to safeguarding its brand integrity and maintaining a fair marketplace in an increasingly competitive electric vehicle landscape.