Core Viewpoint - Chery Automobile's chairman, Yin Tongyue, openly criticized the company's own practices during the 2025 China Automotive Forum, admitting that Chery tends to follow others in both good and bad actions, raising questions about the company's integrity and strategy in the competitive automotive market [2][4]. Group 1: Smart Driving Promotion - Chery has been accused of promoting its smart driving technology in defiance of government regulations, with Yin claiming that Chery is the leader in smart driving despite the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's (MIIT) warnings against exaggerated claims [4]. - The company has faced challenges in its smart technology development, leading to the consolidation of its subsidiaries into a unified "Chery Smart Center" to improve efficiency, indicating that progress has not met expectations [4][5]. Group 2: Price Wars and Competition - Despite publicly opposing "price wars" and "involution" in the automotive industry, Chery has engaged in aggressive pricing strategies, offering significant discounts on over 30 models, with price reductions reaching up to 55,000 yuan [5][6]. - Chery's executives have made contradictory statements regarding price competition, with one acknowledging that such competition has provided opportunities for Chinese brands, highlighting the complexity of the market dynamics [8]. Group 3: Negative Comments on Competitors - Chery's marketing executive publicly disparaged a competitor's vehicle, calling it "junk," which led to backlash and forced the company to issue a statement condemning such behavior as against company policy [9][10]. - The incident reflects a broader issue within the company regarding public relations and competitive conduct, prompting internal actions against the responsible parties [9]. Group 4: Subsidy Reduction - Chery faced a reduction of over 140 million yuan in government subsidies due to non-compliance with documentation requirements during the 2016-2020 period, raising concerns about the company's operational practices [10]. - The company defended itself by stating that the documentation requirements were not in place during the sales period, indicating a potential misalignment between regulatory expectations and operational realities [10].