AISTALAND Responds to "Offense-Defense" Info Leak: Admits Unprofessional Handling

Gasgoo Munich- On September 10, AISTALAND responded to the accidental leak of internal work information into a media group. The company acknowledged that a staff member had mistakenly sent internal messages to the chat, followed by a hasty decision to disband the group entirely. AISTALAND stated it would review the incident and improve its management protocols.

Image source: AISTALAND social media platform

Screenshots circulating online show that in a media communication group named "9.4 AISTALAND GX7 Pre-sale Launch," a staff member mentioned "Xiaomi Pengcheng offense-defense," along with instructions regarding article publication and summaries for a core client group. Shortly after the message was sent, the media group was disbanded. The screenshots subsequently spread across social platforms, sparking public discussion about automakers' methods for handling competitor marketing.

In response, AISTALAND explained that "offense-defense" is internal terminology for monitoring information on competing products, analyzing differences, and verifying facts — not a strategy to plan attacks or disparage counterparts. At the same time, AISTALAND admitted the phrasing itself was "inappropriate," and that both the mistaken leak and the subsequent disbanding of the group were handled "unprofessionally."

From a timing perspective, this blunder coincides with a direct clash between two family SUVs. The AISTALAND GX7 opened pre-sales on September 4, priced between 249,900 and 311,900 yuan. Xiaomi's Pengcheng N70 and N90 series launched on September 7, similarly emphasizing range-extended power, family travel, and variable space, meaning the two have a significant overlap in target users.

While AISTALAND's explanation of "offense-defense" as routine competitor research has its logic within the industry, the rapid disbanding of the media group after the leak objectively amplified external speculation. For a new brand striving to break into the mainstream family SUV market, standardized PR operations are an integral part of brand management.

On the product level, the GX7 is positioned as a "spacious five-seater intelligent versatile SUV." It supports a 20-second one-click flat fold and offers over 12 space modes, with a wheelbase of 3,070mm, and comes equipped with Huawei's Qiankun ADS 5. In the increasingly crowded 250,000-yuan new-energy SUV market, rather than getting bogged down in controversy over "offense-defense" terminology, it will ultimately be product experience and actual sales that determine consumer choice.