Nezha Auto, once the sales champion among new energy vehicle manufacturers, has now made nearly 500,000 car owners cry.

 

Recently, many owners of Nezha cars received a mass message from Hozon Auto (the parent company of Nezha Auto), informing them that due to Lenovo Dongde Communication's unilateral refusal to fulfill the "Internet of Vehicles Service Agreement", the Internet of Vehicles data traffic service will be gradually suspended, and asking the owners to purchase data traffic on their own through the wechat official account of Lenovo Dongde.

 

In fact, many car owners had their vehicles disconnected from the Internet for several days before receiving the information, which seriously affected their normal driving experience. On the same afternoon, Lenovo Dongde Communication released an official statement in response, stating that the reason for the service suspension was that Hozon Auto had long been in arrears with service fees due to operational issues. After months of negotiations failed, the suspension procedure was initiated in accordance with the law and agreement.

 

Nezha is not an isolated case. Earlier defaulting brands such as WM Motor, Hikvision and Jiyue have all caused their car owners a lot of trouble. According to incomplete statistics, in the past decade, the collapse of new energy vehicle manufacturers has involved millions of car owners. These once highly anticipated "smart vehicles" have now mostly become "unfinished cars" with expired warranties and maintenance obstacles.

 

01 From "Finding a Treasure" to "Repairing It Yourself"

 

"At that time, I immediately fell in love with the appearance level of WM Motor. It has a spacious interior, complete configuration, and even L2-level assisted driving. Back in 2020, its cost performance was truly beyond question." " Recalling the scene of purchasing a car, Mr. Guo, a Beijing WM Motor owner, still remembers it vividly. He and two colleagues placed the order together and even caught the discount offered by the newly opened 4S store. He was overjoyed, thinking he had chosen a "treasure model".

 

But this satisfaction didn't last long. Since 2022, the after-sales predicament has quietly emerged. First, the electronic fan made an abnormal noise when the air conditioner was on. Mr. Guo went to report it for repair, but all he got was the reply "Out of stock. Wait for further notice." He waited for half a year, but the parts were still nowhere to be found. What made him even more helpless was that the "8-year / 200,000-kilometer extended warranty" he had previously purchased for over 5,000 yuan had also become worthless as the after-sales system collapsed. The originally promised warranty service didn't even get a follow-up call. Nowadays, there is only one WM Motor repair station left in Beijing on Chaoyang North Road. Not only is it far from his place, but it's also impossible to order special parts.

 

As a professional in automatic transmission repair, Mr. Guo can still "save himself" to a certain extent: when the car's system was disconnected from the Internet, he bought a 700-yuan disassembled module and replaced it himself. The brake pads are worn out. It's better to replace them by hand. When encountering minor malfunctions, one would turn to a small store run by a former WM Motor employee for handling. Even so, the problems of software suspension and some functions failing still cannot be solved. "Although the car manufacturer has gone bankrupt, the quality of the cars is still okay. However, these minor issues piled up together do indeed affect the mood of using the car."

 

Looking at the "wave of bankruptcies" in the new energy industry now, Mr. Guo has a very clear understanding: "Not just any brand can do new energy. It requires genuine capabilities and a strong backing." However, even though he made a mistake, he still recognized the practicality of the electric vehicle. For a daily commute of 60 kilometers, the cost advantage of using an electric car is obvious. Just by changing his car again, he felt more clear-headed: "I have to choose one with a good reputation and strong backup forces. I don't dare to bet on small brands anymore."

 

The warranty promise fell through, and the car repair could only be done by "favoriot".

 

Mr. Zhu from Shanghai, who is also a WM Motor owner, has had a similar experience. In 2020, I chose WM Motor partly because of its Shanghai license plate and partly because I thought it offered good value for money. Mr. Zhu admitted that in the past, when he bought a fuel car in Shanghai, he had to wait in line for a license plate. But when he bought a new energy vehicle, he could get a license plate directly. Coupled with the technical platform and promotion efforts promoted by WM Motor, after considering all aspects such as cost performance, he placed the order. He never expected that the after-sales problem would become a "nuisance".

 

In the second year after purchasing the car, the shortcomings in after-sales service began to emerge. When contacting customer service to report problems, they always fail to provide precise responses, resulting in a rather poor experience. What's even more chaotic are the 4S stores. Some claim that certain maintenance items are free, while others charge for them. The standards of different stores are not completely uniform.

 

The situation got even worse after WM Motor's collapse. The lifetime free minor maintenance promise made by the 4S store at that time came to nothing with the exit of the after-sales service. Mr. Zhu's WM Motor battery developed an imbalance problem after long-term use. According to the warranty promise, it should have been repaired for free, but due to the lack of after-sales service, he had to turn to a third-party repair agency to pay for the repair himself in the end.

 

Mr. Zhu told the China Automotive News reporter that unlike in Beijing where there is only one repair point left, there is no official WM Motor repair point in Shanghai now. If you want to have your car repaired, you can only ask the original after-sales service store for a favor. "Some stores can still handle simple issues, but without the support of the original factory system, spare parts cannot be found, and the decoding required for deep maintenance cannot be done either." " Fortunately, the car is still of relatively good quality and durable. So far, there have been no situations where key components need to be replaced. However, potential hazards still exist, which makes it difficult for car owners to feel at ease.

 

Nowadays, when it comes to new energy vehicles, Mr. Zhu believes: "The successive bankruptcies of many new energy vehicle brands are a painful period of survival of the fittest in the industry. Currently, the country is fighting against 'internal competition' and focusing on high-quality development. The industry's development will definitely become more standardized in the future." " What he looks forward to most is that new energy vehicles can have third-party after-sales platforms like those for oil vehicles. "Chain brands like Tuhu and JD Auto Care no longer need to rely on acquaintances to repair their cars, and car owners can also have less trouble."

 

03 Owners of both HiPhi and Jiyue, "niche enthusiasts" face difficulties in after-sales service

 

Han Rongkai, a car owner from Dongying, Shandong Province, who is in business, is very fond of cars and owns several new energy vehicles. However, his "preference for niche brands" also led him to purchase two "hit" models. He is not only one of the few owners of HiPhi but also an early owner of the Extreme Yue.

 

"Buying a new energy vehicle is mainly for its more avant-garde design and practical scenarios." " In Han Rongkai's view, when taking care of his children, the children can watch cartoons in the car and the long-distance self-driving has a solid range. These experiences have made him very satisfied with the product strength of the two cars. "The high-efficiency new energy vehicle I bought for over 600,000 yuan back then can still be sold for 300,000 yuan now. The residual value of a niche car exceeds expectations."

 

However, after a brand goes bankrupt, the predicament of after-sales service is also hard to avoid. After the after-sales service of Highsun was suspended, Han Rongkai's most direct feeling was that "on-site service was gone". Previously, although there was no 4S store in Dongying, the brand would visit once a quarter to provide centralized maintenance and inspection services for car owners. Now, he can only go to the direct after-sales service point in Jinan by himself. "Fortunately, I have become friends with the after-sales technicians. When I go there, I bring an air filter, and the technicians can also check it for free." It's just that the accessories have to wait for a long time. For instance, once the 360-degree panoramic camera broke down, and it took nearly a month to get a new one. The after-sales service of the Jiyue has been transferred to the current Lynk & Co dealer. Although there is a guarantee, the experience has been compromised. "The maintenance vouchers I bought before are recognized by some stores and not by others. You have to call the Lynk & Co 400 hotline to complain for it to be effective."

 

Even so, Han Rongkai still has a preference for new energy vehicles. He once got a new battery for free before the brand went bankrupt due to the problem of low battery power of the Jiyue battery. He also experienced a small incident where he solved the malfunction of the Gaohe dashcam by formatting himself. "Car manufacturers are bound to have problems, but as long as the after-sales service is not completely cut off, minor issues can be accepted." As an entrepreneur, he has a better understanding of the industry's predicament: "HiPhi didn't raise funds at the best time and was extremely held back by the strategic adjustments of its shareholders, but there is no major problem with the product itself."

 

Nowadays, he also hopes that the after-sales service for new energy vehicles can be as open as that for oil vehicles. "Nowadays, many car manufacturers lock up their technology, and third parties can't fix it. If it could be as open as Tesla, even if the brand goes bankrupt, third parties can still fix it, and car owners won't have to worry." The industry is both eliminating and advancing. Once the technology is open up, the after-sales problems will be solved sooner or later.

 

Brand elimination is normal, and the cost should not be borne by users

 

With a million "unfinished" new energy vehicles, who should one turn to for warranty?

 

Wang Hao, the founder and CEO of Pola Auto Consulting Services (Qingdao) Co., LTD., which provides innovative and systematic after-sales service solutions for new energy vehicles, believes that the situation where no one is responsible for the maintenance and warranty of new energy vehicles is a concentrated reflection of factors such as the incomplete industrial support, the unstable service system, and the difficulty in implementing industrial supervision in the early stage of the development of the new energy vehicle market. If such incidents are allowed to continue to develop and occur repeatedly, it will bring extremely negative effects to the new energy vehicle industry and even hinder the further development of new energy vehicles.

 

In my opinion, given that most new energy vehicle manufacturers have incomplete after-sales channels, insufficient capabilities and low operational efficiency, it is necessary for the relevant government departments to promote an independent after-sales service market as a supplement to make up for the shortcomings and deficiencies of a single vehicle manufacturer's service channel and provide users with more convenient and comprehensive after-sales guarantees.

 

Wang Ligang, a senior expert in after-sales service for new energy vehicles, also believes that the elimination of enterprises is a normal market behavior, but the cost should not be borne by consumers. The development of China's automotive industry has been speeding along the "fast lane", but the corresponding laws and regulations should also keep up in a timely manner, and even be ahead of time, to prevent any behavior that sacrifices consumers.

 

After-sales service is an important component of the automotive market and one of the core factors concerning the future of automotive brands and even the entire industry. If trust is consumed without restraint, what will be damaged is not just a single brand, but the image of the entire Chinese new energy vehicle industry.

 

Therefore, he suggested that the competent authorities and regulatory bodies should formulate clear laws and regulations to regulate the after-sales service responsibilities after bankruptcy, including clarifying how maintenance services will continue, how spare parts will be supplied, and how maintenance technical data will be made available, etc. There should be clear and specific plans. While filing the plans with the competent authorities, they also need to be made public to the society and consumers should be informed.

 

Wang Ligang said, "No matter at what stage, Chinese new energy vehicle brands should have the ability, responsibility and awareness to create after-sales service for consumers that 'can continuously provide high-quality after-sales service' and 'has no after-sales concerns even if the brand goes bankrupt'. Only in this way can the brand power of Chinese new energy vehicles be continuously enhanced and consumers' confidence be continuously strengthened."

 

Originally published on China Automotive News Network on October 9, 2025