Dongfeng Liuqi responds to Ideal crash test controversy.
On July 31, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor") issued a "Statement Regarding the Infringement of a Certain Automobile Brand's Use of a Collision Video." The statement stated that the release of a video of a head-on collision with a Chenglong truck on July 29 constituted a serious infringement, exceeded the scope of normal commercial competition, seriously misled and infringed the public's right to know, and had a significant negative impact on the company's brand and business reputation, suspected of violating relevant laws. Furthermore, the certain automobile brand used a specific scenario for testing, which differed significantly from actual operational scenarios.
Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor said in a statement, "As of now, we have learned that a certain car brand has not disclosed the test vehicle conditions (whether both vehicles have been modified, reduced in features, whether the clips are secure, whether the vehicles have passed inspection, etc.) or the test environment (test site conditions, vehicle speed, driving status, etc.). By customizing collision conditions and designing unconventional test scenarios, they have released collision videos that deviate significantly from the public's perception of normal collision results. This not only undermines our brand image, but also easily misleads car owners and creates safety hazards."
At the launch event for the all-new Ideal i8 on the evening of July 29th, Ideal Auto played a test video of the Ideal i8 and a heavy-duty truck in a chain reaction collision. In the video, the Ideal i8 performed exceptionally well in all performance indicators, but the heavy-duty truck's four wheels lifted off the ground, with the cab and rear cargo box clearly separated, flipping up and nearly pressing against the Ideal i8's front window.
Crash test video released by Ideal Auto
Some netizens identified the heavy-duty truck being tested as a Chenglong truck from the video. However, Ideal Auto later updated the collision video, blurring the heavy-duty truck's logo. The test video sparked considerable online controversy, with some arguing that head-on collisions are less likely to occur in real-world conditions than rear-end or pincer collisions.
Ideal Auto responded to The Paper, saying, "The super experiment of the Ideal i8 and the truck collision was based on a simulation of real traffic scenes of users. We fully entrusted the testing and certification to a professional third-party testing agency. The test site, test equipment, and the test trucks randomly purchased from the market were all provided by the testing agency. We did not specify anything. The Ideal i8 experienced two collisions in total. The first was a head-on collision with an approximately 8-ton truck, which generated a transient impact force of more than 100 tons. The second was a side collision with an approximately 8-ton truck, which generated a transient impact force of more than 80 tons. After the two collisions, the A-pillar, B-pillar, C-pillar, and door beam were not deformed, all 9 airbags were deployed, there was no leakage or fire in the battery pack, and the doors were automatically unlocked and the door handles automatically popped open."
"As a central state-owned enterprise, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor has actively responded to the call of national ministries and the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers to fight against internal competition and unfair competition, and resolutely opposed any behavior that destroys the industry ecology by denigrating peers, malicious comparisons, etc., and is committed to promoting a fair and orderly market environment." The aforementioned Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor statement also pointed out that Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor, as a central state-owned enterprise with a history of 71 years, has always been user-oriented. The safety system of Chenglong trucks strictly adheres to the "real-scene protection" principle: the industry's first keel frame cab; adopts a four-layer energy-absorbing structure (impact layer → buffer layer → high-strength frame → flexible protective layer), and disperses collision energy through patented multi-channel conduction technology to maximize driving safety; active safety dual lines of defense: AEBS automatic emergency braking system (active prevention) + cab rearward movement technology (passive protection), effectively reducing accident casualties.
In addition, in response to the collision video released by Ideal Auto, Chenglong Truck previously released a cab safety test video on the social platform, which detailed the safety performance of the model and stated that it has passed the ECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's 29th Commercial Vehicle Safety Regulation certification and can meet world-class safety performance requirements.
The crash test video released by Chenglong Automobile on the evening of July 30
Chenglong Motor is a subsidiary of Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co., Ltd. According to its official website, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co., Ltd., founded in 1954, is a national large-scale, Class-A enterprise. It owns two major brands: Chenglong and Dongfeng Fengxing commercial and passenger vehicles. Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor boasts comprehensive automotive manufacturing processes and supporting facilities, including two new production bases in Liudong for commercial vehicles and passenger vehicles, with an annual production capacity of 100,000 commercial vehicles and 400,000 passenger vehicles.
According to the official website, the customers of the Chenglong brand include express delivery industries such as SF Express, China Post, JD Express, Deppon Express, and "SANTONG-DA", cold chain logistics systems such as New Hope, Shuanghui, and JD, as well as major customers in the hazardous chemicals industry.
In the first half of 2025, Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor sold 23,348 commercial vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 24.3%. Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor said it aims to sell 40,000 vehicles in 2025 and strive for a sales target of 43,000.
It's also worth noting that during this crash test, the test vehicle bore the words "China Automotive Research Institute SUPER CRASH Super Test." According to its official website, China Automotive Research Institute, founded in March 1965 as the Chongqing Heavy Duty Truck Research Institute, is a Class-A national research institute specializing in automotive technology R&D, testing and evaluation, quality inspection, and industrialized manufacturing. According to information released by China Automotive Research Institute, relying on in-depth road traffic accident investigations conducted by the "Smart Traffic Safety Management Joint Laboratory" jointly established by the Chongqing Public Security Bureau and China Automotive Research Institute, SUPER CRASH identifies typical high-incidence and high-risk accident conditions and develops extreme test project planning for automakers to conduct safety testing challenges.
According to China News Service, a representative from the Securities Department of China Automotive Research Institute (601965.SH) stated that the entire testing process complies with all regulations and standards, and that vehicle parameters will not be adjusted based on the client. Regarding the source of the truck, the representative stated that the test truck is a brand new vehicle, and the specific source still needs to be confirmed with the business department. "This test is not part of the announced entry testing. We understand that it is not a mandatory project. The test results are generally used for vehicle development verification," the representative stated.
