On September 13, a recent program investigating the black PR phenomenon in the new energy vehicle industry conducted an in-depth investigation. The program explained that so-called "black PR and black water armies" refer to the use of technical means to mass-produce rumors, flood comment sections, and smear corporate brands.

In the program, NIO Inc. Chairman Li Bin shared his perspective on "black PR." He stated, "The Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security previously cracked down on a black PR industry group involving 23 people with funds exceeding 200 million yuan. You can see the investment cost is very low - compared to this (doing black PR), isn't making cars much more difficult? Automotive R&D investment is enormous and involves the dedication of tens of thousands of engineers and tens of thousands of frontline colleagues."

He also revealed that some black PR operators were extremely brazen, saying, "Li Bin will compensate you money, come to me to collect it - there are even cases like this. So I think the current crackdown on this type of smear-style, rumor-spreading self-media that has a significant impact on corporate reputation is insufficient."

He emphasized that "industry associations should all participate in creating a good public opinion environment for enterprise development."