Avatr Technology, the electric vehicle unit of Changan Automobile, has filed a lawsuit against a Chinese automotive blogger following a dispute over the aerodynamic performance of its Avatr 12 sedan. The company is seeking RMB 10 million ($1.4 million) in damages, calling for the blogger to cease what it described as “infringing behavior.”
In a statement posted on its official Weibo account, Avatr said it had initiated legal proceedings against the owner of the @苏黎世贝勒爷 account, accusing him of publishing false claims that harmed the company’s reputation and caused economic loss. The legal action is among the largest publicly known claims by a Chinese automaker against an online personality.
The controversy began on May 2 when the blogger published a video alleging that a domestic EV—identified visually as the Avatr 12—had a wind resistance figure closer to that of a decades-old fuel car, rather than the record-low drag coefficient marketed by the automaker. The blogger claimed his tests showed a drag coefficient of 0.2818 at 120 km/h, significantly above Avatr’s stated figure of 0.21.
Avatr countered the claims on May 3, stating that the information was “completely inaccurate.” The situation drew wider attention after the video was shared on X (formerly Twitter) and retweeted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
In response, Avatr invited Musk to observe a live-streamed wind tunnel test of the Avatr 12 on May 9. The test showed drag coefficients ranging from 0.2325 to 0.2972 at 120 km/h and as low as 0.2173 at 160 km/h, according to the company.
The EV maker subsequently demanded that the blogger retract the video and issue a public apology. Although the blogger later posted an apology, Avatr claimed the content included further inaccuracies, such as suggesting that the car tested during the livestream was a prototype rather than a production model.
Avatr said the remarks in the “so-called apology video” misled the public and further damaged the company’s brand image. The lawsuit marks a rare but significant legal escalation in China’s highly competitive and closely watched EV industry.