China's EV makers turn on BYD as price war escalates
Fierce competition among China's leading electric vehicle (EV) makers has intensified, with a long-running dispute between BYD and Great Wall Motor (GWM) over emissions compliance escalating after Geely joined in to criticise BYD's aggressive price cuts.
The row dates back to 2023, when GWM reported BYD to Chinese regulators, alleging its two best-selling hybrid models failed to meet emissions standards.
The issue re-emerged last month when GWM's chair Wei Jianjun expressed concern about the ongoing price war and confirmed the regulatory probe was still active.
BYD dismissed his remarks about the industry's health as 'alarmist' but did not comment on the emissions issue. At the time, BYD rejected the claim and said its vehicles met China's emission standards.
On Saturday, Geely's vice-president Victor Yang backed GWM's claims at an auto conference in Chongqing, stating Geely had conducted its own emissions tests and reached the same conclusions.
'Wei Jianjun is a genuine, honest person and is our industry's whistle-blower,' Yang said in videos of his speech posted online by The Paper and other local media outlets.
GWM's claims concern BYD's use of non-pressurised fuel tanks in its Qin Plus and Song Plus plug-in hybrids, which let the liquid inside evaporate more rapidly than in pressurised ones.
BYD's GM of branding and public relations Li Yunfei responded to Geely's comments on Sunday on his Weibo account, saying the non-pressurised tanks used in its cars between 2021 and 2023 were compliant with the regulatory requirements at the time but added that BYD had since changed them due to customer complaints.
Li's Weibo post was no longer there on Monday, though Reuters could not verify the reason for this and the company did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
GWM did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, while Geely referred Reuters to the videos posted online of Yang's speech and declined to provide additional comment.
China's ministry of industry and information technology (MIIT), one of the regulators involved in the emissions probe, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The escalating feud comes as China's EV market faces intense competition as BYD's recent price incentives, which reduced the starting price of its cheapest model to 55,800 yuan (R137,596), triggered a broader sell-off in car stocks.
After this, the MIIT called for the sector to halt its price wars and summoned carmakers to a meeting last week, two sources familiar with the matter said. The meeting was first reported by Bloomberg.
Dealers have also urged carmakers to stop dumping inventory on them.
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