On May 26th, it was announced that BYD's legal department has decided to sue Yao * Qiang, in addition to reporting to the police, demanding a public apology and compensation of 5 million yuan for losses.
The announcement stated that on November 28, 2023, automotive blogger Yao Qiang, on his Douyin account "Daqin Army Shaanxi Division (Douyin ID: YWQ18009138863)," posted a test video claiming to test the fuel consumption per 100 kilometers of the BYD-owned F3 Leopard car "Leopard 5" in a normal driving manner, concluding that the fuel consumption of this model reached 18 liters per 100 kilometers. Netizens reported his traffic violations based on the test video to the traffic police department. Following the police investigation's evidence requirements, BYD F3 Leopard retrieved relevant vehicle operation data and found:
On the day of the test, the vehicle exhibited a significant amount of abnormal driving behavior, including but not limited to three instances of speeds exceeding 180 km/h and six instances of speeds exceeding 170 km/h during high-speed driving. Throughout the entire high-speed driving process, the speed range of 120-140 km/h accounted for over 37%, the speed range of 140-160 km/h accounted for over 46%, and speeds exceeding 160 km/h accounted for over 4%. Additionally, the vehicle experienced multiple instances of abrupt acceleration and deceleration, among other abnormal driving behaviors.
Yao Qiang's abnormal driving behavior posed a danger to road safety. His false claim of normal fuel consumption testing results not only damaged the reputation of the BYD F3 Leopard brand and Leopard 5 product but also caused serious harm. Apart from reporting to the authorities, BYD has decided to formally sue Yao Qiang, demanding a public apology and compensation of 5 million RMB for the losses incurred.
We always respect and accept suggestions and supervision from all sectors of society. However, for actions that spread false information and deliberately tarnish the reputation of BYD and its subsidiary brands, we will firmly take legal measures to hold them accountable according to the law.
Renowned automotive blogger Han Lu pointed out the malicious high-speed test of BYD's Tang EV5's fuel consumption is actually a significant turning point.
With current regulations requiring new energy vehicles to transmit data back, automakers can clearly track your every move, including instances of speeding.
This is the core reason behind BYD's lawsuit. However, if drivers consistently adhere to speed limits at speed cameras and then speed excessively afterward, law enforcement as a third-party entity would have difficulty gathering evidence of the driver's serious speeding.
At this juncture, the judgment becomes delicate. Whether manufacturer data can be admitted as evidence has become the crux of the ruling, potentially shaping the future legal landscape for such incidents. Let's await the verdict with keen interest.
The individual involved in this incident, the TikTok blogger "Daqin Army Shaanxi Division," has responded to the matter, stating that they have been defamed and will take the initiative to sue BYD to protect their reputation.
