Breaking news! Xiaopeng Motors is on fire, and a large number of car owners are collectively defending their rights and returning their cars today

Automotive Industry Focus (autochat.com.cn) July 13 report -

According to reports from netizens, there were many collective rights protection incidents by Xiaopeng Motors users in Guangzhou, Beijing and other places today, with slogans such as "fraudulent car owners", "request for car return", and "whoever buys will regret it". The Xiaopeng Motors headquarters in Guangzhou was also surrounded by car owners today.

Xiaopeng Motors' rights protection scene at Guangzhou headquarters

Many security personnel appeared in front of the Xiaopeng headquarters. On the side of the driveway outside the headquarters building, Xiaopeng Motors' rights protection vehicles from all over the country lined up in a long line, with rights protection slogans posted on the bodies of the vehicles, demanding that Xiaopeng "return the car". Another vehicle had large-character posters posted saying "Fake battery life", "Paint is as thin as paper", and "Whoever buys will regret it".

Outside a Xiaopeng Motors city service center, many car owners gathered and held up banners: Xiaopeng Motors engaged in fraudulent sales and infringed on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers;

"Fraudulent sales, refund one and compensate three! Xiaopeng waved his hand, and the fans turned into dogs! Battery renewal, cheating fans!"

"Pengyou talked about feelings with Xiaopeng, and Xiaopeng treated Pengyou as an idiot."

A Xiaopeng Motors dealer in Beijing also attracted many car owners who came to defend their rights. Sources told us that almost all the car owners wanted to return their cars.

The first model of new car manufacturer Xiaopeng Motors, the Xiaopeng G3, has only been on the market for half a year, and a large number of old users have launched rights protection protests and even directly demanded a refund. What exactly happened?

On July 10, Xiaopeng Motors launched the 2020 Xiaopeng G3 model. Some old car owners found that the 2020 Xiaopeng G3 has a much longer range, and the price is not much different, or even cheaper. From the comparison of prices, the starting price of the 520-mile range model is 159,800 yuan, which is almost the same as the price of the 2019 Xiaopeng G3, but the range is 169km longer.

This means that the 351km range version of the Xiaopeng G3 was eliminated only half a year after it was launched. Some users who had just completed the order or received the car were even more dissatisfied. A user who just received the car said: "I ordered the car on July 9, and the new model was released on July 10. It is 2,000 yuan more expensive, with an additional 170 kilometers of range, upgraded brakes, power steering, etc. Who would feel good about it? It's obvious that I was cheated." He also said that upgrading is normal, but it is wrong to conceal the upgrade and sell the old model to us.

Some users also said that Xiaopeng sales claimed that subsidies would soon be reduced and prices would increase, and urged users to place orders for older models. They never mentioned the new models, but as a result, the new models were launched shortly after users received their cars.

From July 10th to 12th, Xiaopeng Motors and its chairman He Xiaopeng's Weibo posts attracted a barrage of criticism from old car owners. On the 12th, He Xiaopeng posted a long Weibo post to apologize and offer a solution, but the old car owners did not accept it. On the 13th, collective rights protection incidents broke out among Xiaopeng Motors owners in many places.

For users who have reserved 2019 models but have not yet received them, Xpeng Motors said that since the vehicles have been produced according to the contract, the 2019 G3 cannot be directly transferred to the 2020 G3. However, Xpeng Motors proposed a promotion policy worth 18,000 yuan, and also enjoyed a 50% discount on supercharging for 5 years and 100,000 kilometers.

There are three main demands from old car owners: 1. Replace the battery with one with a longer battery life; 2. Replace it with a long-range version for free; 3. Return the car directly.

In response to the above issues, He Xiaopeng said in his apology letter that due to technical, safety, and regulatory reasons, Xiaopeng Motors really has no way to directly replace the battery to increase the battery life. He Xiaopeng apologized many times for the troubles caused to users.

He Xiaopeng said: Xiaopeng Motors will compensate all individual car owners of the G3 2019 model. From now on, when you purchase any model of Xiaopeng Motors within 3 years, in addition to enjoying all the current promotional policy rights of the intended purchase of the new car, you will also enjoy an additional 10,000 yuan exclusive subsidy.

Many old car owners are even more dissatisfied with the way of giving "car purchase coupons". One car owner said: "Are we the first batch of car owners whose mileage has been affected going to buy Xiaopeng cars? How about changing the group of people to be cheated?"

Some car owners also thought that they were being treated as testers and guinea pigs. Netizens criticized Xiaopeng's actions, saying, "He's move is going to ruin Xiaopeng's reputation. Old car owners will be critical of the product because of this incident. A company that loses its credibility and reputation will have no future."

Because old users and car owners who have already placed orders felt cheated, today they collectively defended their rights and directly asked the manufacturer to return the car.

As a new car-making force, Xpeng Motors has raised 14 billion yuan so far, with Alibaba and Foxconn participating in the investment. Xpeng Motors also said that it will continue to seek more than 4 billion US dollars in financing in the near future, and the total financing in 2019 will reach 30 billion yuan, or go public in the United States.

On June 18, the 10,000th Xiaopeng G3 rolled off the assembly line at Haima Xiaopeng Zhengzhou Factory. The car was manufactured by Haima Automobile, which also means that Xiaopeng Motors has delivered nearly 10,000 units to users so far. If users insist on "returning the car", there will be a scene of nearly 10,000 people collectively returning the car, which has no precedent in the industry and seems impossible to return the car.

The earliest and most determined group of brand supporters have become the pioneers of rights protection. If the incident is not handled properly and a sincere solution is not provided in time to calm it down, it may cause the reputation of Xiaopeng Motors to collapse. We will continue to pay attention to the development of the situation and the attitude of old car owners or manufacturers.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.