A public exchange between executives at Chinese carmakers Onvo and Li Auto unfolded on social media on Wednesday, a day before the official launch of Onvo’s SUV, the L90.
Shen Fei, head of Nio’s family-oriented sub-brand Onvo and a long-time Nio vice president, posted two comments under a Li Auto i8 advertisement on Weibo, inviting viewers to also test drive the Onvo L90.
“You’re welcome to test drive the Onvo L90 as well. Both are good cars,” Shen wrote.
The posts drew criticism from some users, one of whom accused Shen of lacking marketing resources.
Shen replied: “Indeed, I don’t have the budget to hire paid commenters,” the executive wrote, referring to the Chinese actor and comedian Yue Yunpeng who was hired by Li Auto for the commercial.
“But is it not allowed for me to leave a sincere, fair comment under an ad that showed up in my own feed?” he added.
In a follow-up response to another user, he added: “People who secretly hire paid trolls aren’t embarrassed — so why should I be? I’m doing this with a cheerful and playful attitude, but I’m also being sincere and working hard.”
The remarks came days after a separate exchange between Shen and Li Auto Vice President Liu Jie, who had raised concerns about suspected fake negative reviews targeting the i8 SUV.
Last week — five days before the official launch of the i8 — Liu cited a comment claiming to compare the model to the Onvo L90 and alleging that the Li Auto vehicle was unstable and nearly caused a crash.
Liu dismissed the comment, noting that user test drives for the i8 had not yet begun.
Shen reposted Liu’s remarks at the time, writing: “I suggest reporting it directly to the police!”
In a later post, he added: “Netizens have verified that the source of the smear was not Onvo. Now that the facts are clear, I suggest @LiuJie-LiAuto openly apologize to Onvo and Nio users.”
“Only then can the misunderstanding be resolved — that’s what real integrity looks like,” Onvo’s head added.
The exchange was first reported by Chinese technology platform Sina.
This week, both Li Auto and Onvo launched new six-seat electric SUVs, intensifying competition in the family vehicle segment.
Onvo, introduced by Nio last year, was positioned from the outset as a family-oriented brand — the same core demographic long targeted by Li Auto.
Shen Fei started leading the Onvo brand last April after the former brand chief Alan Ai exited due to missed delivery targets.
The Onvo L90 was officially launched earlier this Thursday. The SUV is priced from 265,800 yuan ($37,035) with an 85 kWh battery, or 179,800 yuan ($24,990) for buyers opting to lease the battery via Nio’s Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) program.
The model is available in six- and seven-seat configurations, with a five-seat variant, the L80, expected in the next quarter.
