Recently, Xiaomi Automobile's premium model, the SU7 Ultra, has sparked widespread controversy over allegations of misleading advertising regarding its carbon fiber dual-airway front hood.

Many prospective buyers who have placed deposits or paid high optional fees are dissatisfied, claiming false advertising, misleading statements, or unclear promotions. They have formed consumer rights groups and jointly demanded a no-damage return, urging Xiaomi Automobile to refund the optional fees.

Regarding the surge in cancellations, netizens speculate it could be due to unhealthy competition among rival companies, fake orders, false identities, or organized scalping activities.

Feedback from Actual Car Owners (Excerpted from "China Business News")

"We paid a premium for what turns out to be merely a decorative hood, not the functionality initially promoted, which leaves us feeling very uneasy," Liu Heng told reporters. He and several dozen other potential buyers jointly recorded a consumer rights video demanding a no-damage return, which was subsequently shared on social media platforms.

"When ordering the car, I relied solely on the promotional information provided by Xiaomi Automobile to make my purchase decision. Initially, I was impressed by the carbon fiber dual-airway front hood, which was marketed as an aesthetically pleasing and functional performance part. The promotion also claimed that this component required additional internal structural adjustments and could not be added later, justifying its high price. Based on these reasons, I opted for the feature. After a long wait, I discovered it was practically just a decorative piece. Xiaomi Automobile clearly misled consumers and engaged in false advertising, which is unacceptable. Some people even regretted not choosing the carbon fiber dual-airway front hood after seeing the promotion. Xiaomi Automobile even opened a special window for configuration changes, allowing everyone to re-select this component, which significantly delayed the delivery time post-configuration," another potential SU7 Ultra owner told reporters.

"We are dissatisfied with the official solution. Although we can switch to a regular hood, we need to rejoin the waiting list, which could take as long as 30 or even 40 weeks," Liu Heng said. The re-entry into the queue consumes considerable time, and the official compensation plan has a time limit. The configuration change window closes on May 10. If the compensation is rejected and the car is not picked up, the 20,000 yuan deposit will be forfeited.

Moreover, 20,000 points are only worth approximately 2,000 yuan, a significant disparity compared to the 42,000 yuan optional price. Consumers generally believe that Xiaomi Automobile's compensation plan lacks sincerity. "We hope Xiaomi Automobile will accept no-damage cancellations or provide a satisfactory solution," Liu Heng added.

What Are the Discrepancies Between the Promotional Content and Reality of Xiaomi SU7 Ultra's Carbon Fiber Dual-Airway Front Hood?

The promotional content boasted the use of autoclave technology comparable to supercars, fully replicating the aerodynamic design of the prototype car with two air ducts for efficient front air guidance. However, in reality, some car owners found through testing that placing a tissue paper on the air duct's grid and blowing air from the front inlet did not cause the tissue paper to fly up, indicating the actual airflow guidance effect did not match the promotion. Xiaomi officials clarified that beyond replicating the shape, the front hood only partially exports airflow and assists in front compartment cooling, which is inconsistent with the previously promoted functions like efficient airflow guidance on the purchase page.

How Did Xiaomi Respond to Car Owners' Demands for No-Damage Returns?

Xiaomi responded that in the earliest mass production plan, the SU7 Ultra already had sufficient comprehensive performance. On the night of May 7, Xiaomi Automobile publicly apologized and announced compensation measures, but some consumers refused to accept the compensation and insisted on requesting no-damage cancellations.

For undelivered orders, Xiaomi offered a limited-time configuration change service, allowing a switch back to an aluminum front hood.

For customers who have already collected their cars and those who configured the carbon fiber dual-airway front hood before the end of this limited-time configuration change period (before 23:59:59 on May 10), 20,000 points will be given as a goodwill gesture.

How to Determine Whether Xiaomi SU7 Ultra's Carbon Fiber Dual-Airway Front Hood Promotion Constitutes False Advertising?

Whether Xiaomi SU7 Ultra's carbon fiber dual-airway front hood promotion constitutes false advertising can be assessed from the following aspects:

The crux of the controversy regarding the consistency between promotion and actual function lies in the discrepancies between promoted features like "aerodynamic design" and their actual counterparts. If the functions mentioned in the promotion, such as airflow export and auxiliary front compartment cooling, cannot be realized or are significantly compromised in the actual product, rendering them inconsistent with the promotion, there may be grounds for suspecting false advertising. For example, if the actual test results of the first batch of delivered SU7 Ultra cars are markedly different from the promotion, it warrants attention.

Changes in official website descriptions: Xiaomi Automobile's official website has revised its description of the "carbon fiber dual-airway front hood." If the content before and after the change is significantly different, and the previous promotional content cannot be verified in the actual product, it may also suggest the presence of false advertising issues.

Consumer feedback and demands: Many consumers believe the actual functions do not align with the promotion. Multiple potential SU7 Ultra owners have initiated no-damage return requests, formed consumer rights groups, and even engaged lawyers for protection due to suspected false advertising or misleading official statements. The substantial number of consumer inquiries and rights protection actions reflects the mismatch between the promotion and consumer perception and actual experience, which can serve as a basis for judgment.

In Closing

A month later, Lei Jun also expressed his sentiments: It's been tough.

The Older Generation Expresses Disbelief

Yin Tongyue, Chairman of Chery, recently stated in an interview program that many domestic automakers and their promotions are "too bold." He noted that some domestic companies, established for less than six years, can produce numerous cars, "which we find quite incomprehensible."

The disconnect between promotion and engineering is perhaps a common phenomenon at this stage, but the issue has been exacerbated in Xiaomi Automobile's case, providing the automotive communication field with a public test, which can be seen as a positive development.

In my opinion, the 42,000 yuan perforated hood offers more emotional value than practical functionality for most car owners. Even if the promoted functions were truly delivered, they would likely go unused except on a racetrack.

Following last month's return to grounded promotions for intelligent driving, the next step should be to curb "exaggerated" automotive highlight promotions.

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