Recent reports indicate that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has taken notice of an online dispute involving Li Auto and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., specifically concerning allegations of organized smear campaigns. The ministry has reportedly summoned representatives from both companies for discussions. A final conclusion from the investigation has not yet been reached. When contacted for verification, neither Li Auto nor Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. provided an immediate response.

On April 11, Li Auto's founder, Li Xiang, posted multiple messages on his social media account condemning what he termed "black PR." Li stated that since the government initiated an "anti-involution" policy for the automotive industry in 2025, the phenomenon of "black water armies" engaging in smear tactics had significantly improved, fostering an environment of healthy competition among Chinese automakers. "Recently, a certain Japanese brand has extensively hired marketing accounts to disparage our products and deployed a massive number of blank-account 'black water army' members to fabricate false information and overwhelm our product comment sections, severely disrupting Li Auto's normal operations," Li claimed. Although Li Xiang did not name the brand explicitly, the content of the images he shared pointed directly to the Nissan NX8, a mid-to-large five-seat SUV launched by Nissan on April 8, available in both pure electric and extended-range versions.

On the evening of April 11, the official account of Li Auto's legal department issued a statement saying, "Recently, our company discovered that following the launch of a certain brand's new vehicle, platforms like Xiaohongshu were flooded with posts making inappropriate comparisons and maliciously disparaging Li Auto's i6 and L6 models against that brand's models. Preliminary investigations show that the related posts and comments are highly homogenized content about choosing between two cars for purchase, with suspiciously concentrated IP addresses and posting times, indicating clear organized activity inconsistent with spontaneous user discussion." Li Auto stated that such actions, by creating false "word-of-mouth" comparisons and a one-sided illusion of public opinion, mislead consumers and disrupt the normal market evaluation system. This not only harms Li Auto's product reputation but also seriously infringes upon consumers' right to know and choose. The company emphasized that, amidst repeated regulatory warnings and crackdowns on online misconduct in the automotive sector, such behavior is particularly egregious. Li Auto confirmed it has completed evidence collection and will pursue legal accountability.

In response, Wang Qian, General Manager of Nissan's new energy brand, replied via his officially verified social media account on the evening of April 11, stating, "Nissan always adheres to industry rules, advocates for healthy competition, and respects every peer working hard for the Chinese automotive industry, including Li Auto."

In recent years, "black PR" and "black water armies" have run rampant online, severely disrupting the healthy development of the automotive industry, particularly the new energy vehicle sector. To counter the incessant barrage of organized rumors, several new energy vehicle companies have had to allocate tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions, of yuan annually. In this context, last year, MIIT and five other departments jointly issued a notice to launch a special campaign targeting online misconduct in the automotive industry nationwide. However, instances of "black PR" and "black water armies" persist. Analysis suggests that the difficulty in tracing the origins of online舆论 attacks is both a reason for the continued existence of "black water armies" and a challenge for regulators. The ongoing presence of such tactics also reflects the intensely competitive nature of the current industry landscape.