Advertising self-regulator saw unfair competition in using rivals' techniques to offer discounts on Chinese cars.
The Italian court has convicted BYD of unfair competition after the airing of the “Purefication” advertising campaign, considered offensive to Stellantis. Although it did not name the European holding company , the advertising action made a direct allusion to the 1.2 PureTech engines by associating them with chronic mechanical failures, offering bonuses of up to 10 thousand euros for the exchange for electric or hybrid models from BYD.
Italy’s Institute of Advertising Self-Discipline (IAP) has ordered the immediate suspension of the pieces on television, print media and social networks. According to the agency, the material used the technical disqualification of components of the competition to obtain commercial advantage, which constitutes misleading and defamatory advertising. Slogans such as “Is your belt going away?” were pointed out as direct attacks on the rival’s reputation.
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The center of the dispute is the 1.2 PureTech engine, used in models from brands such as Peugeot, Citroën and Opel. The original design used an oil-bathed timing belt that, in certain cases, suffered premature degradation, clogging the lubrication system. Recently, to solve the problem, Stellantis replaced the component with a metal chain in its new electrified versions and extended warranties in several European markets.
BYD’s aggressive offensive comes at a time of expansion for the brand on the continent, where it is trying to convert consumers from combustion vehicles. However, for the Italian authorities, the campaign’s “commercial opportunism” crossed ethical boundaries by exploiting a competitor’s technical vulnerabilities to promote its own products.
