Auto Blogger Fined $310,000 and Ordered to Apologize for Defaming Three Carmakers

Automotive blogger "Long Ge Talks EVs" (now renamed "Teacher Long's Tesla Professional Repair") has been ordered by the court to pay a total of RMB 2.26 million in compensation for publishing false statements lacking factual basis, which defamed three automakers: BYD, Seres (AITO), and XPeng. Specifically, the court ruled he must pay RMB 2 million for defaming BYD, RMB 160,000 for defaming Seres, and RMB 100,000 for defaming XPeng. The blogger has since posted a public apology video and statement, admitting he fabricated false information that damaged the companies’ reputations, and has deleted all related infringing content. In a subsequent livestream, he claimed he had not received any improper benefits and remarked, “I’m no longer敢 speak the truth; I’ll just stick to repairing cars honestly from now on.” Lawyers noted that the key reason for his loss in court was that his statements lacked credible evidence such as data or inspection reports, relying instead largely on subjective speculation or fabricated content, thereby infringing upon the automakers’ commercial reputation. They emphasized that online speech must be grounded in objective facts and must not involve fabricating false information solely to attract traffic.