While the original compensation demand was 1 million Yuan (Rs 1.33 crores), the court has settled the matter for a much lesser amount
Reports from China reveal a disturbing trend where some social media influencers have been found to be deliberately defaming carmakers. This is allegedly being done to gain popularity and boost interactions on social platforms. As such acts can damage brand reputation, carmakers in China are approaching the courts for a resolution. In a recent lawsuit against a car influencer, the court has ruled in favour of Huawei’s Maextro.
What Triggered The Defamation Lawsuit?
Huawei and JAC (Jianghuai Automobile Group) have the Maextro luxury car brand, which competes with the likes of Rolls-Royce and Mercedes-Maybach. The defamation case filed involves the Maextro S800 sedan, which has emerged as a bestselling luxury sedan in China. Cumulative sales since deliveries commenced in August 2025 have crossed 14k units. A total of four variants are offered, priced at 708,000 yuan, 788,000 yuan, 818,000 yuan and 1.018 million yuan, making it one of the most expensive cars on sale in China. Sales data shows that the Maextro S800 recorded 4,376 units in December last year.
A defamation case was filed by JAC on behalf of Maextro when a car influencer allegedly made false claims about the S800. In early 2025, Maextro had posted multiple videos, which highlighted the various capabilities of the S800. For context, the S800 can crab walk and make calls via satellite. In one video, the S800 was compared with the Maybach S-Class. It focused on highlighting S800’s unique ability to glide over potholes.
In the video, three separate potholes were shown with sand, a square piece of glass and water. The S800 was shown to glide over these potholes without touching the substances placed in the potholes. In comparison, the Maybach S-Class touched the substances, which indicated an interaction with the pothole surface.
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Car influencer claimed rigging
While the videos posted by Maextro were real, a China-based car influencer named Racing Frappuccino claimed that these tests were rigged. According to available information, the Weibo account ‘Racing Frappuccino’ is verified as a knowledge-based automotive influencer and has around 605,000 followers. The account has generated approximately 1.96 million reposts and likes across its content, which largely consists of personal opinions and commentary on trending developments in the automotive industry.
In a video, he said that such tests were merely marketing strategies to highlight specific features of S800’s chassis. He also targeted Huawei, saying that the brand often deploys such tactics. When Maextro asked the influencer to apologize for his false claims, he made another video to defame Huawei’s marketing strategies.
The model at the centre of the dispute is the Zunjie S800, the first vehicle from Zunjie Automobile. Positioned as a million-yuan ultra-luxury offering, the S800 was jointly introduced by Huawei and JAC and officially launched on May 30 last year. A total of four variants were offered, priced at 708,000 yuan, 788,000 yuan, 818,000 yuan and 1.018 million yuan. Sales data shows that the Zunjie S800 recorded 4,376 units in December last year.
300,000 Yuan Compensation Explained
Subsequently, JAC filed a defamation lawsuit against the car influencer in May 2025. A compensation of 1 million Yuan (Rs 1.33 crores) was demanded in the lawsuit. Responding to this, the influencer threatened to file a counter lawsuit with compensation of 2.5 million Yuan (Rs 3.32 crores). In its decision, the court has ruled in favour of JAC. In the first-instance judgement, the court ruled that the claims made by the influencer about the Maextro S800 were fabricated.
Since the company’s reputation was dented, the influencer was directed to issue a public apology and pay compensation of 300k Yuan (Rs 40 lakh). There have been several such cases in the past in China. Courts have given various orders such as deleting defamatory content, paying compensation and issuing public apologies.
Other carmakers that have won similar cases against social media influencers include Great Wall Motor, BYD and Xpeng. In a recent sensational defamation case involving Denza B5 SUV, an influencer was asked to pay a massive US$ 289,000 to BYD (Rs 2.63 crore). Hopefully, these court judgements will have a positive impact and prompt influencers and influencers to act more responsibly.
