New EV Models Face Preemptive AI-Powered Smear Campaigns Before Launch

[Market Chaos] Xiaomi Pengcheng and Leapmotor D99 are targeted by AI-generated smear content even before their official launches, signaling that malicious PR tactics in the automotive industry have entered an industrialized phase.

Core Trend: AI-Forged Content Precisely Disrupts New Product Rollouts

On July 8, Xiaomi officially announced its SUV, the 'Pengcheng N90,' which is still in the MIIT application stage. Within 48 hours, social media platforms were flooded with fabricated accident videos labeling it the 'Median Strip Warrior.' Similarly, the Leapmotor D99 was launched on June 25, and by the next day, defamatory articles predicting its '72-hour downfall' had already surfaced, detailing alleged issues such as infotainment system lag and range controversies.

Strategic Foundation: Algorithmic 'AI Poisoning' Distorts Public Perception

Bad actors use AI-generated videos and text to mass-produce posts containing negative keywords like 'catching fire' and 'consumer protests,' thereby contaminating platform recommendation algorithms. This manipulation causes users to automatically associate new vehicles with catastrophic search terms. These operations are low-cost, spread rapidly, and are extremely difficult to trace—severely disrupting automakers’ marketing timelines.

Industry Impact: Capital Markets and Distribution Channels Lose Confidence

Such attacks have already affected non-automotive companies like Dongpeng Beverage, which saw its market value plunge by over RMB 7 billion within a week. People's Daily Online has issued warnings and called for crackdowns on AI-driven malicious public opinion supply chains.