On February 12, the State Administration for Market Regulation unveiled the “Automotive Industry Pricing Practice Compliance Guidelines”. At present, the automotive sector grapples with challenges such as non-compliance with price display regulations and fraudulent pricing schemes. These practices not only harm the interests of consumers and businesses but also disrupt fair market competition and impede the industry's high-quality development. Taking into account the current state of the automotive industry, the “Guidelines” set clear boundaries for acceptable behavior and regulatory norms, with the aim of steering automotive production and sales companies toward legal compliance and fostering a market environment characterized by high-quality products at reasonable prices and healthy competition.

The “Guidelines” meticulously outline pricing compliance requirements across all stages, from the production of vehicles and components to their pricing and sales. They advocate for comprehensive price management throughout the entire process, emphasizing fair pricing, regulating promotional activities and pricing strategies, and combating unfair pricing tactics. Specifically tailored to address challenges in new vehicle sales, the “Guidelines” zero in on issues such as non-compliance with price display mandates and false promotional claims. Additionally, a risk alert system is established to motivate platforms to issue bidirectional risk warnings for behaviors involving significantly low prices.