"Automotive Industry Price Behavior Compliance Guide" Released to Regulate Prominent Issues Such as False Promotions

The State Administration for Market Regulation released the “Guidelines for Compliance in Pricing Behavior in the Automotive Industry” (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”) today (the 12th), in order to implement the decision deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on rectifying “involution-style” competition, further standardize pricing behaviors in the automotive industry, and promote healthy and orderly development of the automotive market.

The automotive industry is an important pillar of the national economy, with a long supply chain, broad coverage, and close ties to consumers’ lives. Currently, illegal behaviors such as not clearly marking prices as required and price fraud exist in the automotive industry, damaging the interests of consumers and operators, disrupting fair competition market order, and hindering high-quality industry development. The Guidelines, based on the current development realities of the automotive industry, further clarify behavioral boundaries, unify regulatory rules, and guide automotive manufacturing and sales enterprises to operate legally and compliantly, promoting a market order characterized by quality and fair competition.

The Guidelines consist of five chapters and 28 articles, mainly covering the following five aspects.

Clarify Overall Principles and Requirements

Clarify the purpose, basis, and scope of application of the Guidelines, specify the basic principles that pricing behaviors should follow, and encourage industry associations to strengthen self-discipline and promote industry price compliance.

Refine Pricing Behavior Standards for Automotive Manufacturing Enterprises

Specify compliance requirements for pricing across all links—from vehicle and component production to pricing strategies and sales behaviors. Implement full-process price management, strengthen fair pricing constraints, regulate promotional and pricing behaviors, and crack down on illegal pricing activities according to law.

Clarify Pricing Behavior Requirements for Automotive Sales Enterprises

Focus on the new car sales segment, aiming to regulate prominent issues such as not clearly marking prices as required and false promotions. Establish risk warning mechanisms, encourage platforms to provide dual warnings on operational and consumer risks for significantly low-price behaviors.

Guide Enterprises to Strengthen Internal Compliance Construction

Encourage automotive manufacturing and sales enterprises to establish internal price compliance management mechanisms, including six systems: price decision-making, sales contract management, internal supervision, price emergency response, risk prevention and control, and price compliance training, to achieve full-process control of pricing behaviors.

Supplementary Provisions

Give full play to the role of industry associations, guiding them to formulate detailed implementation measures based on the Guidelines.

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(Source: CCTV News Client)