Recently, BYD Company Limited has filed a lawsuit against Chang Yao, CEO of Great Wall Motors' Tank brand, on grounds of online infringement. The case has been registered at Beijing Fourth Intermediate Court under case number (2025) 京0491民初7591号. Due to Chang Yao's disappearance, the court has initiated public notice service procedures and plans to hold hearings in late September.

Chang Yao has been unreachable since July, marking nearly two months of absence. His last social media update was posted on June 24. External speculation suggests this disappearance may be related to Great Wall Motors' anti-corruption campaign that began mid-year, though the company has not publicly disclosed whether his position has been terminated.

According to records, Chang Yao graduated from the University of York in the UK in 2005 with a bachelor's degree. He joined Great Wall Motors in 2022 as Senior Director of User Operations, was promoted to Deputy General Manager of the Tank brand in April 2024, and officially became Tank brand CEO in May this year.

As Great Wall Motors' flagship brand targeting the off-road market, Tank currently offers models including Tank 300, 400, 500, and 700. In the first eight months of this year, Tank recorded sales of 143,700 units, representing a 4.88% year-over-year decline.

According to multiple media reports, Great Wall Motors has recently implemented several personnel adjustments. Liu Yanzhao, former CEO of both WEY and Tank brands, has been promoted to company Vice President, with Chang Yao taking over his previous role. However, Great Wall Motors has not publicly responded to this change. Liu Yanzhao's Weibo verification still shows "WEY Brand General Manager and TANK Brand General Manager," while neither Chang Yao nor new WEY CEO Feng Fuzhi have opened social media accounts.

BYD Company Limited has maintained a relatively restrained attitude. On August 18, Li Yunfei, General Manager of BYD's Brand and Public Relations Department, posted a video on Weibo stating that BYD has always focused on its own development without actively attacking competitors. He emphasized that China's automotive market is large enough for fair competition rather than malicious disparagement.

In fact, BYD Company Limited has taken multiple legal actions regarding online rights protection. Over the past two years, its legal department and reporting center have filed lawsuits against several social media accounts. Among them, "Dragon Pig-Jiche" was ordered to pay 2.0187 million yuan in damages for publishing false content, which has been executed and accompanied by a written apology. Additionally, accounts such as "Pengpeng Zaima" and "Life Expert Lin Xiaobei" have also been sued.