Written by Cláudio Afonso | LinkedIn | X
The legal department of the EV maker Nio released a statement on Sunday claiming that ‘a new wave of organized and large-scale malicious attacks’ has appeared on Chinese social media platforms targeting the group’s two brands Nio and Onvo.
Titled ‘Statement on Combating Black PR and Internet Trolls,’ the company claims in the notice that ‘the actions maliciously smear and attack Nio, create negative trending topics, and manipulate public opinion.’
“For a long time, we have observed numerous accounts posting and reposting nearly identical content in an organized manner at the same time,” Nio stated. “These actions maliciously smear and attack Nio, create negative trending topics, and manipulate public opinion. In response, we have been taking consistent legal measures.”
“Recently, a new wave of organized and large-scale malicious attacks against Nio and its brands, Nio and Onvo, has emerged,” the legal department stated. “We have identified and gathered information on a batch of accounts involved and initiated legal proceedings.”
The Shanghai-headquartered manufacturer said it “maintains zero tolerance for black PR and internet trolls and will resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Nio and its users through legal means”.
Nio opened the “Nio Legal Department” account on the social media platform Weibo in May 2023, aiming to fight false information on social media.
Later in the statement, the company described its “recent legal actions to protect our rights” describing concrete cases.
“Regarding lawsuits against the holders of the Toutiao account “Little Old Man” and the Dongchedi account “Happy Benevolent Ren”, whose real name is Ren Jianhua, we recently received a second-instance judgment from the court,” the EV maker said.
Nio added that the court “ruled that Ren Jianhua’s actions, involving thousands of posts insulting and defaming the Nio brand and its users, constituted insult and defamation. The court ordered Ren Jianhua to apologize to Nio and compensate for damages.”
The company also mentioned that additional lawsuits have been filed against “other account holders suspected of infringement, including Lin Guirong, holder of the “Car Exposure Platform” account (formerly “Auto Exposure Platform”), and Dong Bin, holder of “BelieveDB”.”
“These legal cases are progressing in an orderly manner, and updates will be shared with the public as appropriate,” Nio said.
“At the same time, we have discovered numerous suspicious accounts under long-term anti-Nio narratives, which act as internet trolls to spread rumors, escalate tensions, and even engage in verbal abuse,” the company added.
Nio says it has “preserved relevant evidence and applied to the authorities to obtain the personal information of certain account holders” adding that “further legal action will be taken accordingly, and updates will be made public.”
To conclude the statement, the EV maker said it “firmly believes in and upholds correct values” noting that it “maintains zero tolerance for black PR and internet trolls and will resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Nio and its users through legal means.”
Last week, the Hong Kong-based firm Haitong International published its“Five big conjectures for 2025,” where it mentioned that Chinese tech giant Xiaomi might acquire EV maker Nio later this year.
However, hours later, Nio’s Assistant Vice President for Branding and Communications, Ma Lin, denied the rumors and described the report as ‘purely fictional.
In December, Nio filed lawsuits against individuals accused of creating and spreading false rumors about the automaker. The rumors, which circulated on Chinese social media in late November, claimed that Nio and Shenzhen-based BYD had formed a joint venture named BYD-Nio Auto Group.
According to the allegations, BYD would acquire Nio for 16.5 billion yuan ($2.27 billion), holding a 51% stake, with Nio retaining 49%.
