Robots weld bodyshells of cars at a workshop of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto Inc. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

 
The China Automotive Engineering Research Institute (CAERI) issued a statement on Sunday clarifying that a recent crash test involving Li Auto’s new electric SUV, the Li Auto i8, was conducted solely to evaluate the safety performance of the i8 and did not serve to assess the safety of vehicles of other brands.

In the statement published on its official WeChat account, the CAERI said that it has noted the widespread attention and discussion online triggered by a crash test video of the Li i8 shown during the company’s recent launch event. The institute noted that some of the public comments appeared to allude to CAERI. 

It clarified that the test was solely designed to assess the safety performance of the i8 and does not constitute a standard vehicle-to-vehicle crash test. The evaluation did not involve or imply any assessment of other car brands.

According to the CAERI, the test plan was designed by Li Auto based on common traffic accident scenarios on regular roads in China. 

The experiment was carried out by a CAERI testing team, which randomly purchased a second-hand truck from the market as a mobile barrier vehicle, which was selected purely based on curb weight requirements needed to recreate the intended crash scenario, it said.

Also on Sunday, Li Auto released a statement on its Weibo account, saying that the purpose of this test was solely to verify and enhance the passive safety performance of the Li i8. It was not intended to assess or imply any judgment regarding the product quality of any other brand, and the test results should not be interpreted as such.

“The used Chenglong truck from Dongfeng Liuzhou Auto served purely as a mobile barrier in the simulation. We had no intention — nor did we make any qualitative assertions — about the vehicle's performance or quality,” the statement said.

“We regret that the Chenglong brand was inadvertently drawn into the resulting public discourse. Dongfeng Chenglong is widely recognized as a leading brand in China’s truck industry, and its product quality and safety have long earned the trust of professional drivers,” read the statement.

Li Auto’s statement also clarified that there is no direct competitive relationship between the company and Dongfeng Chenglong.

The controversy began on July 29, when Li Auto showcased the crash test video during the launch event of its first all-electric SUV, the Li i8. The video showed the i8 colliding head-on with a Chenglong-brand truck at a combined impact speed of 100 kilometers per hour, according to a report on thepaper.cn.

In the footage, the i8 appeared to hold up well structurally — showing no deformation from the A-pillar to C-pillar and full airbag deployment — while the truck’s cab detached from its cargo bed and was lifted off the ground, sparking online speculation over the truck’s build quality, according to the report.

On July 31, Dongfeng Liuzhou Auto issued a statement condemning the use of its vehicle in the crash test video without prior authorization. The company accused Li Auto of distorting the video content and spreading it in a misleading manner that significantly damaged its commercial reputation and the public’s right to accurate information. It alleged the act constituted a serious infringement, went beyond normal business competition, and potentially violated multiple laws, the report showed.

In response, Li Auto defended the test, stating that it had entrusted a professional third-party testing agency to simulate a real-life traffic accident involving the i8. The company emphasized that it did not select or designate any of the vehicles used in the experiment — including the Chenglong truck — which were all procured and deployed independently by the testing agency.

In its statement on Sunday, the CAERI urged industry players, media outlets, and online platforms to maintain objectivity and rationality in their discussions, warning against malicious misinterpretations and misinformation. 

Global Times