The group was the second-largest homegrown passenger car maker by 2021 sales
State-owned Changan Automobile has received many complaints since February this year from buyers who cried foul over the company's alleged misconduct in promoting its UNI-K model.
Some consumers believe that the car does not support the advertised APA6.0 automatic parking, L3 autonomous driving, face recognition-enabled start, greeting light and other functions.
Customers indicate that Changan promises these functions on the poster of UNI-K, an electric SUV, which is currently available on Changan's WeChat Official Account.
However, after purchasing the car, owners found that the vehicle did not have any of the above functions, even after being upgraded several times. Furthermore, the car owners reported this problem to Changan many times, but the company didn't respond.
This is not the first time Changan has been thrust into the maelstrom of “false advertising .” Changan's UNI-T, the first model of its UNI series, was engulfed in a scandal over exaggerated engine power.
The model is officially advertised as equipped with a Blue Whale 1.5T engine with a maximum power of 132kW and a zero-to-60-mile-per-hour acceleration time of 7.57 seconds.
However, some real-life tests put the fastest "zero to sixty" result at only 10.86 seconds. Later on, the public relations department of Changan Automobile did a similar test where the car clocked in at 8.18 seconds.
According to China Passenger Car Association, the UNI-T saw monthly sales of over 10,000 units after its launch in 2020, but the sales had dropped to around 4,000 in December 2021.
As a result, the carmaker sold 77,000 units in December, down 14.2% YoY. Meanwhile, the group's shares have fallen for more than three consecutive months since December last year.
China's auto sector is facing increasing complaints about misleading advertising. ORA, SAIC Volkswagen and Lynk & Co, Volvo and BMW have been beset by similar crises of confidences before.