In Depth: Controversial Li Auto Video Levels Spotlight on ‘Customized’ Crash Testing

The video opens with a dramatic head-on collision between a sleek SUV and an 8-ton truck on an empty street. As the vehicles collide, the SUV’s front crumples, while the truck’s cab pitches forward, and metal debris flies. The impact is so intense that the truck’s front wheels briefly lift off the ground. Despite the violence of the crash, the focus shifts to the SUV, the Li i8, made by the Chinese electric car company Li Auto Inc. The Li i8 demonstrates resilience: its frame remains intact, the doors are functional, and the battery does not catch fire—no small feat for an electric vehicle in such an accident [para. 1][para. 2].

Li Auto released this crash test video on July 29, coinciding with the launch of the Li i8. The video quickly drew attention, not for the SUV’s strong performance, but because the truck featured in the test was produced by Chenglong, a subsidiary of the state-owned Dongfeng Motor Group. Chenglong publicly accused Li Auto of orchestrating an unfair “nonconventional test scenario” with “customized collision conditions” that put its truck at a disadvantage. Li Auto and the testing company, China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co. Ltd. (CAERI), responded that the purpose was solely to assess the i8’s safety features, rather than evaluate the truck [para. 3][para. 4].

Due to the serious backlash and the perception that the video unfairly harmed the truck’s reputation, Li Auto and CAERI issued a public apology to Chenglong on August 6. All parties then jointly called for automakers to refrain from disparaging comparisons during product testing or marketing, and for testing organizations to adhere to professional standards [para. 5].

CAERI and the China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co. Ltd. (CATARC) are major institutions accredited to conduct vehicle crash tests required for new models in China. However, the Li i8 crash test video was not a regulatory or mandatory crash test but was instead a “customized test.” CAERI's Super Crash program, launched in 2023, simulates high-risk accident scenarios for manufacturer marketing purposes. CATARC offers similar services. Since these are for-profit tests, they are increasingly used as competitive marketing tools in China’s crowded auto market but offer limited technological value [para. 6][para. 7][para. 8].

This marketing-oriented approach has triggered a larger debate within the auto industry about the value and integrity of crash test results. While conventional crash testing remains critical for consumer information and vehicle safety improvement, the proliferation of visually dramatic, customized tests is seen as risking the credibility of the profession. As one manager pointed out, these tests offer little additional development value, as cars passing standard tests generally perform well in extreme scenarios too [para. 9][para. 10][para. 18][para. 19][para. 21].

China’s two main safety standards authorities, CATARC and CAERI, have shaped the regulatory landscape since 2006. Crash tests significantly influence vehicle design, pushing forward safety technologies like airbags. Test scores are important to consumers and can impact sales, as seen in 2019 when poor crash test performance of the Volkswagen Passat in China led to a sharp drop in its sales [para. 12][para. 13][para. 14][para. 15][para. 16].

Ultimately, experts caution that crash tests are meant to save lives and should focus on real-world scenarios rather than marketing. Overemphasis on test results can mislead consumers, and using extreme-scenario crash tests as marketing stunts potentially undermines the societal value and credibility of crash safety evaluation [para. 17][para. 20][para. 21][para. 22][para. 23].