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Blogger Jailed for Xiaomi SU7 Smear Campaign
17 Jul
Summary
- A Chinese blogger received a 20-month prison sentence.
- The blogger fabricated negative claims about Xiaomi's SU7.
- A video showing a tampered battery caused the conviction.
A Chinese blogger, identified as Gao, has been sentenced to 20 months in prison and fined 100,000 yuan ($14,800) for fabricating false claims about the safety of Xiaomi's SU7 electric sedan. The Haidian District People's Court found Gao guilty of damaging the reputation of goods and intentionally harming car maker Xiaomi's reputation.
The conviction followed the release in August 2024 of a crash-test video by Gao and his team. This video, which garnered approximately 3 million views on Gao's account with 1 million followers, appeared to show the SU7's doors failing to open post-collision and issues with its emergency systems.
Investigations revealed that Gao and his team had covertly tampered with the vehicle's auxiliary battery before filming. They also used footage of a battery damaged by a forklift, misleading viewers about the car's performance. Xiaomi confirmed the arrest of the blogger and accomplices in January 2025 for maliciously smearing their automotive division.
