The story of Xiaomi's entry into the automotive market, which began with a high-profile launch, has faced serious challenges in the form of reputation attacks. One of the most resonant cases involved a blogger who tried to replace reality with hype but ended up receiving a real prison sentence. In China, a court sentenced a content creator who intentionally falsified a review of the Xiaomi SU7 electric vehicle to discredit its safety.

The Crash Test Falsification Scheme

According to case materials, the investigation was conducted by Chinese law enforcement agencies, which uncovered the details of the staged event. In August 2024, a blogger surnamed Gao, together with his creative team, published a video demonstrating a crash test of the Xiaomi SU7 sedan. At first glance, the video looked like an independent safety check, but in reality, it was a setup.

The investigation revealed that before filming, Gao and his accomplices made changes to a functional vehicle to provoke a failure of critical systems upon impact. Specifically, the operation of the auxiliary 12-volt battery was compromised, leading to a malfunction in several electronic units.

In the final video, which garnered about 3 million views, viewers saw a frightening picture:

  • The car doors were locked and could not be opened from the outside.
  • The central multimedia display stopped responding to touches, despite the absence of visible mechanical damage.
  • The automatic emergency call system did not activate after the impact.

To enhance the effect, the bloggers used fake footage. The story showed a recording of a traction battery that was damaged by a forklift, not during the crash test. This misled the audience regarding the nature of the damage and the actual strength of the structure.

Sentence and Consequences

The court found Gao and his team's actions to be intentional. The video caused serious reputational damage to Xiaomi, which became a key factor in the verdict. The case was considered in the context of the Chinese authorities' intensified fight against the spread of libel and misinformation on the internet, especially concerning domestic automakers.

The blogger was arrested in January 2025. The result of the trial was a sentence of 20 months in prison. In addition, Gao was fined an amount of $14,800.

This precedent highlights the strictness of Chinese legislation regarding the protection of the business reputation of technological giants and the authorities' readiness to severely punish the creation of fake news capable of harming the economy.