On September 17, influencer mechanic “Long Ge Repairs Tesla” posted a video on social media stating that he lost the lawsuit. The first-instance judgment requires him to compensate the car company for damages and issue an apology. The influencer did not specify the exact compensation amount in the video, merely holding up one finger.
According to the information, “Long Ge Repairs Tesla” is the head of Beijing Manger Electric Vehicle Repair. Most of the videos he posts are centered on the maintenance of new energy vehicles, sharing personal opinions. The content mainly includes vehicle fault diagnosis, battery maintenance, and practical skills. In addition to the “Long Ge Repairs Tesla” account, there are also accounts like “Long Ge Talks Electric Cars.” In the video, the influencer mentioned that the case might be related to a defamation lawsuit filed by Xpeng Motors.
On September 12, Xpeng’s legal department issued a statement saying that there had been a ruling on the network infringement liability dispute case with Beijing Manger Electric Technology Co., Ltd. The court ordered the defendant, Manger Electric, to delete the infringing content it posted, publicly apologize, and compensate Xpeng Motors for its economic losses. Xpeng Motors pointed out that Manger Electric had used multiple accounts, such as “Long Lao Shi Talks Electric Cars” (formerly “Long Ge Talks Electric Cars”), “Long Lao Shi Manger Electric New Energy Repair Training,” and others, to repeatedly spread false and malicious content about Xpeng Motors’ products. According to the judgment published by Xpeng Motors, the court ordered Beijing Manger Electric Technology Co., Ltd. to publicly apologize to Xpeng Motors and eliminate the impact. The company must also pay 100,000 RMB in compensation within ten days of the judgment taking effect.
In response to the court ruling, Xpeng stated that it would cooperate with relevant departments to create a positive public opinion environment for the industry and firmly combat the deliberate spread of rumors, defamation, and the publication of false information that misleads the public. Xpeng also emphasized its commitment to defending its legal rights through legal means. It is worth noting that “Long Ge Repairs Tesla” is not only being sued by Xpeng Motors. Previously, he revealed that he had been sued by three car companies, with claims of 1 million, 5 million, and 1 million RMB, totaling 7 million RMB.
On October 30 of last year, BYD’s News Anti-Counterfeiting Office official Weibo posted that it would sue the self-media account “Long Ge Talks Electric Cars.” The official statement pointed out that for a long time, “Long Ge Talks Electric Cars” and its associated accounts (including “Manger Electric New Energy Repair” and others) had spread false statements and defamed the BYD brand and its products on platforms such as Douyin and Video Account, severely damaging BYD’s brand reputation. In order to protect the company’s legal rights, BYD announced that it would file a lawsuit against the self-media account, requiring them to bear legal responsibility, compensate for losses, and eliminate the impact. The company also stated that the internet is not a lawless place and that the guise of a network account will not be an excuse for avoiding liability for infringement. They would continue to use legal means to protect the company’s legal rights. Subsequently, the account “Long Ge Talks Electric Cars” was banned. Regarding the frequent lawsuits from car companies, “Long Ge Repairs Tesla” revealed that he was very helpless, stating that he only posted videos to provide useful information for consumers, helping them better understand and solve vehicle problems.
Regarding the frequent lawsuits against “Long Ge Repairs Tesla” by car companies, industry insiders pointed out that the influencer’s videos often contained overly subjective statements, which might have crossed the line for the car companies. They suggested that self-media influencers should be cautious with their words and actions and, before publishing content with sensitive conclusions, it is better to have third-party certification to convert subjective opinions into objective evidence.
