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Complaints about new energy vehicles are increasing day by day    

According to the 2023 Annual Complaint Analysis Summary Report of Chezhi.com released by Chezhi.com, the cumulative number of complaints about new energy vehicles in 2023 reached 50,700, up 148.3% year-on-year, accounting for 30.1% of the total annual complaints, an increase of 14.9 percentage points compared with 2022. Entering 2024, the number of complaints about new energy vehicles is still on the rise. In June, the number of complaints about pure electric vehicles reached 1,164; the number of complaints about plug-in hybrid models also exceeded 1,000, reaching 1,391; and there were 277 complaints about extended-range models, up 42.8% month-on-month.

Among the complaints about new models that have attracted much attention, new energy vehicles have also become the main source of increase. According to data from the Auto Quality Network, in the second quarter of this year, the number of complaints about 2024 models exceeded 2,000 for the first time. Pure electric vehicles were the main source of the increase in complaints, with a month-on-month increase of more than 2 times, concentrated on some domestic brand new energy models.

In terms of quality issues that are closely related to user safety, the proportion of complaints about automobile quality issues continued to rise in June, up 3.7 percentage points from May. In the second quarter of this year, the proportion of complaints about quality issues increased significantly, up 17.7 percentage points from the first quarter. Among them, problems such as body resonance and driver assistance system failures have become the main problems of new energy vehicle models.

A popular model of a new force that "ranked" second in the domestic automobile complaint rankings in June 2024 has been complained many times for having body resonance problems. Some car owners said that when the car is driving at a speed between 30 and 60km/h, when it drives on bumpy roads, there will be obvious low-frequency resonance, and a thumping sound will be made in the car, like beating a drum, which will cause the eardrum to be very uncomfortable. Low-frequency noise causes dizziness and greatly affects comfort. A car owner said: "Every day when I drive on a cement road for ten minutes, the sound in the car is so loud that I feel dizzy. If there is a slight unevenness, there will be a few "thumps". I used equipment to test it. The low frequency in the car is above 90bD. Long-term exposure to a noise environment above 90bD will seriously endanger your health."

Failures of the auxiliary driving system are also common in new energy vehicles of 2024. Recently, an owner who bought an extended-range version of a new energy vehicle said that because the reversing radar had no warning sound, the vehicle hit a pillar when reversing.Xiaomi SU7 Mr. Hu, the owner of the Max version, also said that he had an accident when using the Xiaomi SU7 automatic parking, hitting a pillar, and there was no collision warning, no active braking, and even no reversing image display. Not long ago, an owner of another new power brand also complained that he used the Xiaomi SU7 in the underground parking lot of a shopping mall.XiaopengThe vehicle hit the wall and did not stop, but hit the wall repeatedly, causing serious damage to the vehicle.

OneZeekrThe owner of the 007 2024 rear-wheel drive enhanced version said that he had experienced the AEB function suddenly triggered during normal driving. "Once when I was crossing a zebra crossing, after the pedestrians passed, I released the brake and started slowly. When the speed did not exceed 10km/h, the AEB function was suddenly triggered, performing emergency braking and automatically turning on the double flash. I was startled at the time, thinking that I was rear-ended by a truck behind me," he said.

Some car owners even encountered multiple quality problems after purchasing the car. Mr. Wang, the car owner, said that he bought a domestic brand compact new energy car in June. In less than a month, the car stalled twice on the highway. The after-sales service said that there was a problem with the car's electronic control switch, but no one has followed up on the problem. In addition, the car owner said that the car also had problems such as window strips falling off and the vehicle's windshield wipers being scratched and stuck.

In this regard,Fu Yuwu, Honorary Chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers of ChinaIt is believed that with the rapid increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, it is normal for the number of complaints about new energy products to increase. "In the era of smart electric vehicles, the production and sales of new energy vehicles in my country have increased year by year, and the iteration speed of automobile products has obviously accelerated. It is normal for the number of complaints about new energy products to increase. Even traditional fuel vehicles are now subject to large-scale recalls from time to time," said Fu Yuwu.

"Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility that some car companies ignore quality in pursuit of sales. Some car companies also over-promote their products, resulting in a huge gap between consumers' expectations of their products and their actual experience."Zhang Hong, member of the Expert Committee of China Automobile Dealers AssociationTell reporters.

Consumers complain about price backstab    

In addition to quality issues, frequent price changes and poor service attitude have also become the main issues complained about new energy vehicles.

According to data from the Auto Quality Network, in the second quarter of this year, complaints about "price changes" accounted for 76.13% of "other complaints", and complaints about "disputes over the iteration of new and old models" also exploded, with a month-on-month increase of more than 5.8 times. In this regard, the relevant person in charge of the Professional Market Branch of the Nanning Municipal Market Supervision Bureau of Guangxi said that most of the complaints about price changes came from some independent brand new energy models. Due to the large price reduction and short time interval, consumers were very dissatisfied.

BeijingZeekr 001Car owner Dashan (pseudonym) said that he received a call from Zeekr sales manager at the end of May, saying that he could get very good benefits if he bought a car in May, and asked him to make a reservation quickly. As a result, on July 1, Zeekr 001 directly discounted 6,000 yuan. Dashan said that the price was reduced before he even picked up the car, "as disgusting as eating a dead fly." An owner of a popular new energy vehicle also said that he had just picked up the car in June.BYD DolphinAt that time, the sales manager said it was the "lowest price" and "won't drop any further". As a result, the same model was reduced in price by another 10,000 yuan shortly after the car was delivered. The sales manager explained that this was due to the combination of regional subsidies and government subsidies.

While some car owners are being "backstabbed" by prices, some are frustrated by the rapid iteration of new and old models. Chezhi.com said that the surge in complaints about a new power brand in June was related to this. Many car owners of this brand said that the sales staff did not inform them of the difference between the new and old models, which led to the purchase of old models, and the rights of car owners were damaged, but the manufacturer did not compensate them. This behavior made the old car owners very disappointed. It is reported that a new model of the brand was launched at the end of May this year, with a total of 4 models launched, priced at 299,800 to 329,800 yuan. While the new car has upgraded its appearance and interior, the laser radar, chassis suspension, audio and other configurations have also been upgraded, which has caused dissatisfaction among many car owners who have already purchased it.

In the "impulsive" atmosphere of the auto market caused by the "price war", the service quality of enterprises has also declined. According to data from the third-party complaint platform Black Cat Complaint, as of the end of June,NIOA total of 475 complaints have been received this year, with a response rate of 0 in the past 30 days. Alan, a Zeekr owner, said that she placed an order in June and picked up the car in early July, but the insurance price was temporarily increased by more than 3,000 yuan. "Zeekr vehicles are of good quality, but I am really fed up with the sales and after-sales service. I, a pregnant woman, almost fainted in the delivery hall." She said.

Mr. Hu, the owner of Xiaomi SU7, also expressed hisXiaomi MotorsStrong dissatisfaction with after-sales service attitude. "In the two months since I got the car, I have communicated with Xiaomi Auto after-sales staff many times about problems such as automatic parking failure and cracks in the sunroof glass, but the after-sales staff had a very bad attitude, responded slowly, and did not admit the quality problem. They kept emphasizing that it was my own problem and asked me to contact the insurance company. It felt like they just didn't want to deal with it."

In response to the above complaint,Luan Feifei, partner of Beijing Huinuo Law FirmAccording to the report, consumers can protect their legitimate rights and interests in the following four ways: first, communicate directly with the operator and negotiate a solution; second, request assistance from the consumer association or mediation organization; third, file a complaint with the market supervision department, transportation department and other relevant administrative departments; fourth, file an arbitration or judicial lawsuit. Luan Feifei reminded that in the process of protecting rights, consumers need to properly retain relevant evidence, such as car purchase contracts, invoices, maintenance records, complaint records, etc., so that they can be used as evidence when needed.

"Customer first" cannot become empty talk    

"In the price war, users are the most hurt." Not long ago, a netizen left a message saying that the endless "price war" has caused the after-sales service of car companies to lag seriously, and the quality of vehicles has stagnated or even declined. In the final analysis, it is the interests of consumers that are harmed. In recent years, more and more car companies have shouted the slogan of "user-centricity" in an attempt to narrow the distance between themselves and consumers. However, under the sword of the "price war", how many car companies really care about what consumers think, want and need?

Changan AutomobileChairman Zhu Huarong previously proposed that "Scroll" should be user-centric, seek truth from facts, and avoid overdrawing the trust of society and users in the industry. Fu Yuwu also said that the value of the company's existence is to serve users and be responsible to consumers. No matter how the industry transforms or how the product iterates, the concept of "product is king, user first" cannot be shaken.

In the face of fierce market competition, Zhang Hong believes that automakers should insist on using technological innovation and economies of scale to reduce costs, provide consumers with more competitively priced and high-quality products, and strictly implement standards and regulations to strictly control quality. In addition, regarding disputes over the iteration of new and old models, Zhang Hong said that domestic brands should not blindly promote new products and pursue speed, but should make their products more solid and pursue the maximization of profits for each model.TeslaSo far, it has only three models and is still at the forefront of new energy vehicle brands. This is something that domestic brands need to think about and learn. Making the sales cycle of a model longer and making it more profitable will also help companies reduce costs and increase efficiency. "He said.

Luan Feifei also said that under the fierce market competition in the automotive industry, enterprises are facing huge price pressure and market challenges, but this does not mean that product quality and consumer rights can be sacrificed. In order to protect consumer rights to the greatest extent, enterprises need to proceed from multiple levels such as law, business ethics and consumer rights protection. Specifically, enterprises should abide by laws and regulations, operate in good faith; strengthen the construction of information disclosure and communication mechanisms; strengthen after-sales service and complaint handling; actively participate in industry self-discipline, etc. Through the implementation of these measures, enterprises can not only win the trust and respect of consumers, but also remain invincible in the fierce market competition.

According to a Goldman Sachs research report, in the third quarter of this year, price competition for new energy vehicles may intensify in response to price cuts for fuel vehicles.Zero Run, Zeekr, Ideal,Avita、ExtremeMany new energy brands have started a new round of price cuts. Facing this development trend, Fu Yuwu sighed: "The industry must return to a context, that is, we are not against competition, but what we need is normal market competition, not endless 'price wars'. We must loudly call for 'price wars' that cannot be fought, won or fought."