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Written By | Du Yongfang
Editor | Huang Dalu
Designer | Zhen Youmei
Featured Image | AI Xiao Xuan
The cars are still driving on the road, but the company that made them collapsed first.
In Neta owner groups, a helpless self-mockery circulates: Now when driving on the road, one fears bumping into others, and fears being bumped into — being hit, you might wait forever for parts; hitting someone, next year you might even struggle to buy insurance.
This dilemma is not an isolated case. In recent years, brands such as WM Motor, Aiways, HiPhi, Jiyue, and Neta have successively fallen into bankruptcy reorganization, halted operations, or contracted after-sales systems. After enterprises exit the market, a large number of vehicles continue to operate, but parts supply, repair authorization, internet car services, and "Three Guarantees" responsibilities may simultaneously be left hanging.
The problem is growing rapidly.
As of the end of 2025, the stock of new energy vehicles in China has reached 43.97 million, whereas at the end of 2014 it was only 120,000.
Over the past decade, new energy vehicles completed a textbook-scale expansion, but the supporting repair service system did not mature synchronously: parts cannot be sourced on time, diagnostic permissions are not granted, technicians with deep repair capabilities for "Three Electrics" are insufficient, and insurance institutions also worry about high payout risks.
Every car sold is a long-term bill for the after-sales system. Now, the first batch of mass-delivered new energy vehicles is approaching their warranty periods, and this bill is starting to mature en masse.
On June 23, 2026, the Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments published the "Notice on Several Measures to Cultivate and Expand the After-Market Consumption of the Automotive Industry," proposing 17 measures around six major areas.
Among them, "optimizing automobile repair and insurance services" was listed separately: whole vehicle enterprises shall not refuse to bear statutory "Three Guarantees" responsibilities on the grounds that consumers choose their own repair enterprises; the policy also proposes guiding whole vehicle and power battery enterprises to open repair technology authorization, encouraging "repair instead of replacement," and exploring "Vehicle-Battery Separation" insurance models.
This is not the first time the national level has prescribed a remedy for new energy vehicle repair.
The new version of the "Provisions on the Liability for Repair, Replacement, and Return of Household Automobile Products" published in 2021 incorporated dedicated parts for new energy vehicles such as power batteries and drive motors into the "Three Guarantees" scope, and clearly stated that operators shall not refuse to bear responsibilities solely on the grounds that consumers have not maintained them at designated repairers.
In 2023, the Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments released the automotive after-market guidance opinion, again proposing to accelerate the construction of repair technology standard systems.
The power battery recycling and utilization management measures implemented from April 2026 also further opened up paths for querying battery-related technical information in the repair and disassembly links.
Rules are constantly being perfected, but why are cars in reality still difficult to repair? More importantly, when a car manufacturer exits the market, who will take over the responsibilities left behind?
Behind the frenzied sales volume, the capacity to bottom out stock vehicles is under test. A simple truth repeatedly emphasized by traditional car manufacturers is reappearing in significance: making a car is not difficult; what is difficult is providing parts, repair, and services continuously over the decades that follow.
For the new energy vehicle industry, true long-termism is reflected not only in product updates and sales growth, but also in whether enterprises can be responsible for every car already sold.
Dilemma of Repair Rights:
The After-Market Locked by Software-Hardware Closed Loops
Source: Consumer Reports
In the fuel vehicle era, an independent repair shop could cover multiple brands relying on repair manuals, general diagnostic equipment, and mature parts supply chains. New energy vehicles changed this logic.
Today, a new energy vehicle is both a mechanical product and a digital terminal composed of power batteries, electronic control systems, sensors, vehicle software, and cloud services. After parts replacement, software matching, fault code clearing, and online authorization are often required.
Lang Xuehong, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Association of Automobile Distributors, said: "If you replace a certain part, even a tire, without the OEM's dedicated diagnostic equipment and corresponding software, you might not be able to clear the fault or complete the matching."
Therefore, "allowing consumers to choose where to get repaired" is only the first step. Whether independent repair enterprises can obtain continuously updated technical data, diagnostic tools, software permissions, and compliant parts truly determines if owners have a choice.
Compared to the fuel vehicle era, new energy vehicle manufacturers control not only parts supply, but also software OTA, underlying communication protocols, fault diagnosis permissions, and cloud account systems. Hardware, software, and data are encapsulated within the same technical closed loop; manufacturers effectively control the entry point for whether a vehicle can be identified, matched, and repaired.
The "data hegemony" referred to in the industry points precisely to this inequality of capability: owners nominally own the vehicles, and independent repair enterprises have operating qualifications, but as long as they cannot obtain necessary data and authorization, both parties cannot fully exercise "repair rights."
This closed model protects the manufacturer's technical security and service quality, but it may also block independent repair shops outside the system, leaving consumers with less bargaining power and bearing higher repair costs after the original factory exits.
Data openness does not equal having no boundaries. Vehicle safety, personal privacy, and network security all require protection. What truly needs to be established is a hierarchical, compliant, and traceable authorization mechanism: which data is necessary to complete repairs, who is qualified to obtain it, how to record the usage process, and within what timeframe manufacturers should provide it. Only by turning these questions into executable rules will "repair choice rights" not remain on paper.
Currently, there are about 20,000 to 30,000 enterprises nationwide with new energy vehicle repair service capabilities, far fewer than traditional fuel vehicle repair enterprises; among them, the proportion of stores capable of conducting "Three Electrics" system deep detection and repair is even lower.
The talent gap is also obvious; many social repair stations can only handle tires, sheet metal painting, and routine maintenance. Once involving battery packs, electronic control systems, or intelligent driving components, they must revert to the authorized system.
Source: Pixabay
The iteration speed of new energy vehicles is far faster than that of fuel vehicles. Different batches of the same car model may have changes in battery cells, modules, sensors, and software versions. Independent repair enterprises not only find it difficult to "anticipate" by stocking up on parts, but must also continuously invest in high-voltage safety equipment, diagnostic systems, and personnel training. For small and medium-sized stores, this is a cost they cannot bear alone.
When the original factory system is still operating normally, these problems can still be solved through 4S stores. Once a car manufacturer collapses, the repair capabilities originally sealed within the enterprise may also disappear.
Owners of abandoned cars first face parts supply cutoff. Key components affecting driving safety are out of stock; from ordering to installation often requires waiting months; helplessly, some owners can only seek dismantled parts or counterfeit parts. Originally promised long-term warranties for power batteries and electric drive systems may also disappear due to the responsible subject losing the ability to perform, ultimately forcing owners to pay tens of thousands of yuan for repairs themselves.
More troublesome than hardware is software. Third-party service providers not receiving fees may lead to internet of vehicles service interruptions; mobile phone keys, remote air conditioning control, and vehicle location functions fail accordingly. Some owners have to purchase data traffic from service providers themselves to maintain basic vehicle connectivity.
Insurance will quickly perceive these risks. Parts scarcity, opaque repair prices, and declining vehicle residual value will all push up the uncertainty of payouts.
In 2025, China's insurance industry underwrote 43.58 million new energy vehicles, with insurance premium income of 190 billion yuan, while the underwriting end still lost 5.6 billion yuan. Faced with brands that have already lost original factory after-sales support, insurance institutions are naturally more cautious.
In January 2025, the National Financial Regulatory Administration and three other departments issued new energy vehicle insurance guidance opinions. The "Good Car Insurance" platform was subsequently launched, providing underwriting channels for new energy vehicles that find it difficult to insure through conventional channels. The platform requires relevant insurance companies to refuse to insure vehicles meeting conditions, alleviating the dilemma of some owners "having no insurance to buy."
But getting a vehicle an insurance policy cannot solve where parts come from or who repairs it after an accident. Insurance difficulty is the phenomenon; the rupture of after-sales capability is the root cause.
Post-Bankruptcy Vacuum:
Car Manufacturers Exit, Responsibilities Cannot Be Cleared
The after-sales for abandoned cars currently rely on a self-formed system to maintain itself.
Some original factory dealers and technical personnel have not completely disappeared after the car manufacturer halted operations; instead, they have transformed into social repair stations, continuing to undertake original brand vehicles. They are familiar with the car models and master certain parts channels and repair experience, partially filling the void left by the original factory's exit.
Owners are also building their own "folk repair networks." They exchange parts information in chat groups, look for original factory technicians still willing to take orders, and even save repair manuals that the manufacturer stopped updating, then instruct local repair shops to disassemble gradually.
However, whether this self-rescue system can operate largely depends on brand stock. The larger the stock, the easier it is for dismantled parts to circulate, and the more likely it is to sustain a group of technicians specializing in repairing that brand.
Neta's cumulative sales are relatively high, and some parts and repair resources can still be found in the market. After Jiyue halted operations, shareholders Geely and Baidu jointly proposed follow-up arrangements, and Geely also opened some after-sales outlets to undertake maintenance.
In 2023, Neta Automotive Thailand factory held the Neta V-II exit ceremony
Source: Autodang
Even more difficult are those brands with small stock sizes and no shareholders or supply chain entities willing to take over after-sales. Vehicles are scattered across the country, dismantled parts cannot form a stable market, original factory technical personnel are limited in number, and social repair enterprises lack the commercial motivation to invest in training and equipment. These owners are most easily forgotten by the entire service system.
According to current automobile sales management regulations, suppliers shall guarantee parts supply within a certain period after a model is discontinued or sales stop. But when enterprise cash flow dries up or bankruptcy proceedings begin, how paper obligations continue to be fulfilled remains a realistic difficulty.
Parts are just one item. Intelligent cars also bring new problems not present in the fuel vehicle era: who will migrate vehicle accounts and cloud data? Who will maintain mobile applications? Who will open diagnostic permissions? Can features already sold to consumers disappear because the server stops running?
The WM Motor bankruptcy reorganization case added a key judicial puzzle piece to this institutional vacuum.
In this case, to maintain internet car services and necessary after-sales operations, relevant enterprises and investors advanced service fees. The reorganization plan recognized these fees as common benefit debt, to be paid off first in bankruptcy proceedings. Later, the reorganization team also promoted vehicle data migration, key parts supply, and software updates.
In 2018, WM Motor's booth at the Shenzhen Auto Show
Source: Internet
The important significance of this case is not that all repair or "Three Guarantees" claims filed by ordinary owners will be prioritized for compensation, but that the Supreme People's Court, in the form of a reference case, clarified: maintaining internet car and after-sales operations is not just an ancillary affair after enterprise bankruptcy, but also relates to the basic usage rights of a large number of owners, vehicle safety, enterprise brand value, and reorganization possibilities. Necessary expenditures incurred for this can be included as common benefit debt and obtain priority compensation in bankruptcy proceedings under qualified conditions.
This changed the position of after-sales services in bankruptcy proceedings. In the past, it was easily regarded as ordinary costs that can be compressed after enterprises stop operations; in the WM Motor case, it was regarded as necessary expenditures to preserve enterprise operational value and protect the interests of all relevant subjects.
For "abandoned cars" still driving on the road, this is a realistic path to stay alive; for future car manufacturer reorganization cases that may appear, it is also a institutional sample that administrators, investors, and courts can refer to when arranging after-sales guarantees.
But judicial cases cannot replace a universally applicable exit system. Not every car manufacturer in difficulty can find investors, nor is every bankruptcy reorganization guaranteed to retain enough funds for the after-sales system.
Current regulations more stipulate what responsibilities an enterprise should bear during normal operation, but rarely answer how responsibilities and data should be transferred after an enterprise loses the ability to perform. If repair data, software permissions, and parts drawings are still sealed within the enterprise until bankruptcy, even if administrators are willing to maintain after-sales, they may have nowhere to start.
New energy vehicles need not only a production access system, but also an executable exit aftercare system.
How to Insure the Pricey Battery:
Capabilities and Boundaries of Financial Instruments
The new policy proposed exploring "Vehicle-Battery Separation" insurance models because power batteries have become one of the biggest variables in new energy vehicle insurance payouts.
Power batteries have high value, and detection and repair require high specialization. Once an accident occurs, insurance institutions not only need to judge whether the battery is damaged but also know whether the battery can be repaired and how much the repair will cost. Without unified inspection standards and real repair data, replacing the entire battery pack often becomes the simplest and most expensive option.
"Vehicle-Battery Separation" can have two layers of meaning. One is property rights separation, meaning the body belongs to the owner and the battery belongs to the battery asset company; the other is determining premiums and rates separately for the vehicle and battery in the policy even when property rights are not separated.
Nio's BaaS mode is a more typical sample of the former mode. Users purchase vehicles without batteries; batteries are held by the asset company and used, detected, and repaired through the battery swap system. This arrangement helps centralize battery risk management and makes it easier to split insurance responsibilities.
Source: Nio Automotive
However, for the vast majority of models sold as whole vehicles with batteries, "pricing separation" in the short term is still more realistic. For insurance institutions to price batteries separately, they must first obtain trustworthy battery health status, accident data, and repair costs.
This brings us back to the same origin: whether car manufacturers and battery companies are willing to open data, and whether the independent repair system has the ability to detect and repair.
Some car manufacturers are also trying to open up vehicle data, parts supply, and repair services through insurance business. Car manufacturers have more complete data on driving behavior, parts prices, and repair costs; theoretically, this can improve pricing efficiency and reduce sales and claims costs.
But this model is also difficult to replicate universally. Insurance license thresholds are high, and car manufacturers themselves must bear capital occupation and business cycle risks. More importantly, if a car manufacturer is already in operational crisis, sealing insurance, repair, and software services entirely within the enterprise might instead cause owners to suffer more thorough service interruptions when the enterprise exits.
Whether "taking the battery out" or including insurance into the car manufacturer's service system, all can only solve how risks are identified and priced. Insurance can compensate for losses but cannot produce discontinued parts out of thin air, nor can it replace a repair system that has lost authorization and data.
After-Market Filling the Gap:
A Race with the Vehicle's Insurance Expiration Speed
Xpeng Automotive highly automated factory in Zhaoqing, China
Source: THE NEW YORK TIMES
The new energy vehicle after-market has begun to fill the gap.
Top-chain repair enterprises are establishing authorized cooperation with whole vehicle manufacturers and power battery companies to obtain parts, technical data, and in-warranty repair qualifications; power battery manufacturers, relying on technology and supply chain advantages, are extending into after-sales, building battery detection and repair networks. Some professional stores transformed from original factory technicians are also beginning to concentrate on digging deep into a few brands.
These explorations will gradually improve the capacity of the social repair system, but the market can only enter places with commercial value. Brands with large stock sizes and cities with dense demand are more likely to obtain services; brands with small stock sizes and scattered vehicles, still abandoned brands, may still have no one willing to take over.
True bottom-out mechanisms should prepare for the worst during normal enterprise operations.
For example, during model launch and continuous sales periods, establish exit plans covering parts, repair technology, software permissions, and internet car services; for technical data relating to vehicle safety and basic use, independent institutions can be explored to hold them in trust, to be legally activated when the car manufacturer stops operations or loses the ability to perform; the supply period, inventory arrangement, and replacement production responsibility of discontinued parts also need clearer execution and accountability mechanisms.
After entering bankruptcy proceedings, the public value of the after-sales system should be identified as early as possible. Funds required to maintain necessary internet car services, open repair data, migrate owner accounts, and guarantee key parts supply should not be seen only when enterprise asset disposal is nearing its end.
For enterprises with reorganization value, these investments can maintain brand and vehicle residual value; for enterprises ultimately liquidating, they also relate to whether tens of thousands of vehicles can continue to drive safely.
Between car manufacturers, battery companies, insurance institutions, and the social repair system, there also needs to be a responsibility handover. Car manufacturers exiting should not mean repair data and software permissions for sold vehicles permanently disappear; suppliers stopping cooperation should not let safety-critical components completely lose their source.
In the past ten years, China's new energy vehicles solved the problem of "whether they exist" and "how fast they sell." Next, it must prove it can also solve "how long they can be used" and "what to do if the enterprise is gone."
43.97 million new energy vehicles are still very young. Currently, the average age of new energy passenger vehicles is not high, and deep repair needs have not been fully released, leaving a window period to complete the after-sales system. But this window period will not last long. As early vehicles go out of warranty one after another, repair, parts, and insurance demand will all grow rapidly.
The speed of "making up lessons" must be faster than the speed of stock vehicles going out of warranty, and also faster than the speed of the next car manufacturer collapsing. After all, companies can exit the market, but cars still need to drive on the road every day.
