Problems keep cropping up with the new carmakers, proving that car manufacturing is no easy feat.

Ten years after winning the Nobel Prize, Mo Yan finally released his new work - "Late-Blooming People." One particularly striking sentence reads: "People with inherently kind natures mature late, and are hastened to maturity by 'inferior people.' Although they eventually become enlightened, they remain kind and sincere, constantly searching for kindred spirits, only to end up as the loneliest."

On the path to "maturity," individuals must constantly endure trials and tribulations. Similarly, as enterprises strive for strength, they too must hone their "will." For the current crop of new car-making forces facing numerous challenges, this honing process has only just begun.

From difficulties in financing and mass production to the current challenges posed by leading brands like NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, and WM Motor regarding product issues, new car-making forces are undergoing rapid differentiation and evolution. In this vigorous pursuit of progress, various brands have exhibited their own unique problems.

As problems arise, doubts and criticisms follow, whether expressed as apologetic remorse or indignant resentment. This is unavoidable, as it is an essential "practice" on the path to strength.

A Turbulent Autumn for New Carmakers

For many new car-making forces, this autumn has indeed been unusual. This is not only due to the restructuring of Byton and Aiways' company-wide car sales efforts, but also because most brands have encountered their own unique problems.

For leading brands like NIO and XPeng, their pursuit of advanced intelligence seems to have come at the cost of reliability.

On October 16, some NIO and XPeng owners reported widespread network outages in their vehicle's infotainment systems. While the in-car display showed a signal, it could not connect to the internet. Although vehicles could still operate normally during the outage, features such as online music, navigation, and the in-car intelligent voice system were unavailable. Even functions like remote control via the app and charging station reservations were affected, significantly impacting the user experience.

NIO and XPeng subsequently released their investigation results, initially attributing the issue to the network provider. Both companies use China Mobile's Internet of Things (IoT) SIM cards, and problems with China Mobile's network supply were identified as the primary cause of the outage.

Compared to the NIO and XPeng "network outage incident," the series of spontaneous combustion incidents involving WM Motor are more serious. On October 5, a WM Motor EX5 in Fujian caught fire while parked and not charging.

A week after this fire incident, blogger "Dingding Kanshaowu" reported that another WM Motor electric vehicle caught fire in the early morning of October 13 while charging. Similar to the previous incident, the vehicle was engulfed in flames within minutes and completely destroyed.

While WM Motor is still grappling with spontaneous combustion issues, Li Auto is facing questions about its vehicle's structural integrity.

On the evening of September 22, a Li Auto ONE owner in Qingdao was involved in a rear-end collision on the G18 highway. The vehicle's A-pillar was broken, the airbags did not deploy, and the vehicle's L2-level assisted driving system did not intervene. The owner stated that the accident resulted in a nasal bone fracture and 33 stitches to the face for the front passenger, ultimately diagnosed as disfigurement and severe concussion; the rear passengers suffered mild concussions.

In addition to the A-pillar fracture and airbag non-deployment, the "broken axle" issue has caused further distress for Li Auto. On October 15, a Li Auto ONE test vehicle was involved in a two-vehicle accident in Gu'an, Hebei Province. While making a U-turn, the Li Auto ONE collided with an overtaking vehicle. The rear vehicle, traveling at approximately 90 km/h, directly struck the Li Auto ONE's left front wheel, causing it to break. This brings the total number of Li Auto broken axle incidents to six.

In just two months, leading new car-making forces NIO, XPeng, Li Auto, and WM Motor have experienced several incidents that have sparked intense debate. In the reporter's view, this "turbulent autumn" is only the beginning. As market share increases, more problems for these new forces will inevitably surface.

Character is Key

As a group of emerging "outsiders," new car-making forces have attracted significant attention from the industry and consumers. This high level of attention is a major reason why these companies frequently find themselves in the spotlight, but it also presents a crucial opportunity for these new brands to prove themselves.

Currently, the main sales regions for new car-making forces are concentrated in the eastern coastal areas and relatively developed first- and second-tier cities. Consumers in these areas have higher acceptance rates, and the infrastructure is more advanced. The NIO and XPeng network outage incidents were low-probability events in these main sales cities. However, in remote western regions with less developed network coverage, outages may become the norm. Addressing this issue is a significant challenge for both automakers and network providers.

Compared to the concerns about future intelligent travel raised by the network outages, the spontaneous combustion incidents involving WM Motor have sparked serious concerns about battery safety. The choice between pursuing extreme range and prioritizing safety is a critical question that many new car-making forces must address.

Compared to NIO, XPeng, and WM Motor, Li Auto faces unique pressure. From initial doubts about its extended-range technology to the current embarrassing situation of frequent axle failures, Li Auto is under immense public scrutiny.

It is worth noting that unlike NIO and XPeng, which proactively disclosed the causes of the "network outage," and WM Motor, which adopted a conciliatory approach, offering to replace batteries with higher-quality ones from CATL and providing compensation, Li Auto has taken a more confrontational approach.

Regarding the previous rear-end collision incident involving a Qingdao owner, Li Auto responded on the afternoon of October 14. In its statement, Li Auto stated that "In this accident, due to the improper installation of a rear guard on the truck that did not meet national standards, when the Li Auto ONE rear-ended the truck, the A-pillar was directly jammed against the truck bed, becoming the main point of impact. The A-pillar could not withstand such a large impact force alone. The traffic authorities determined that the truck was fully responsible for the accident due to illegal lane changes. Furthermore, regarding the issue of the L2-level assisted driving system not intervening, Li Auto responded that L2-level assisted driving has inherent limitations and cannot identify vehicles changing lanes from adjacent lanes."

Interestingly, Li Auto also explained that in this accident, only the A-pillar of the vehicle was compressed, while the vehicle's front longitudinal beam, front subframe, bumper beam, and energy-absorbing box did not show significant deformation. This situation does not fall under the protection scenario of the airbags. The airbag sensor, due to its location, could not detect sufficient deceleration, resulting in the airbags not deploying. Moreover, currently, none of the models on sale have an airbag sensor designed in the A-pillar.

In addition, Li Auto's official statement added: In this collision, the rear of the truck squeezed into the vehicle body; even if the airbags had deployed, they would not have provided any protection. They also stated that if any media outlets still had questions, they were willing to conduct a comparative experiment with vehicles of the same class and workmanship—Li Auto would provide a Li ONE free of charge for this purpose.

Regardless of the correctness of Li Auto's response, its attitude may be unacceptable to many consumers, as an unyielding attitude easily causes resentment. Following the "Qingdao incident," a video of Li Xiang, the founder of Li Auto, accepting media interviews was unearthed, in which he stated, "If the product it provides cannot take responsibility for the user's safety, it is not true autonomous driving."

Of course, every company has its own unique culture and way of doing things, which will not be commented on here. However, the road to success is full of thorns. Whether it is continuously improving product strength or correcting one's way of doing things, only by maintaining a humble attitude and constantly correcting one's direction can one remain undefeated.