Blogger Sentenced to 20 Months for Fabricating Xiaomi SU7 Safety Claims
A Chinese blogger has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after being found guilty of fabricating negative claims regarding the safety of Xiaomi’s popular SU7 electric sedan.
The Haidian District People’s Court in Beijing handed down the sentence to the blogger, identified as Gao, following an investigation into a viral crash-test video released in August 2024. In addition to the prison term, Gao was ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 yuan ($14,800).
The Viral Misinformation Campaign
Gao, who operated a video-sharing account with approximately 1 million followers, published a crash-test video that quickly garnered roughly 3 million views. The video purported to show that the Xiaomi SU7 failed several critical safety tests after a collision:
Door Failure: The video claimed the vehicle's doors failed to open following the impact.
System Failure: The clip suggested the emergency call system did not activate and the central control screen remained dark.
However, the court investigation revealed a calculated deception. The Beijing Daily reported that Gao and his team had covertly tampered with the vehicle's auxiliary battery before filming the test. Furthermore, they utilized footage of a battery that had been previously damaged by a forklift to deliberately mislead viewers about the sedan's structural integrity.
Stepping Up Enforcement in the Auto Industry
This sentencing is part of a broader, government-backed effort to curb online misinformation and "smear" campaigns within China's fiercely competitive automotive industry. As the EV market grows, authorities have stepped up investigations into false advertising and irregular practices, fearing that malicious misleading claims could distort consumer perception and unfair competition.
Xiaomi first signaled its intent to fight these smear campaigns in January 2025, confirming at the time that "a blogger and his accomplices who previously maliciously smeared Xiaomi Auto have been arrested according to law."
This court ruling serves as a clear warning to content creators and influencers that spreading technologically fabricated misinformation—especially regarding vehicle safety—can lead to severe criminal consequences.