BYD has been silenced in Europe after complaints from Stellantis.
Italy’s advertising watchdog has banned BYD’s “Purefication” campaign after a defamation complaint from Stellantis. By successfully hiding a joke about their engine reliability, Stellantis has inadvertently ensured that everyone—including those who didn’t see the original ad—is now talking about their “oil-bath” timing belt issues. BYD’s campaign was anything but subtle, offering trade-in bonuses of up to €10,000 specifically for owners of cars with “oil-bath” belts—a direct jab at the known flaws in Stellantis’s older PureTech engines.
Stellantis cried foul, claiming the ads were defamatory and unfair. While they won the battle in court, they may have lost the war of public perception. Instead of a localized discount offer, the “Purefication” campaign is now a trending news story about why one car giant is so sensitive about its timing belts.
Selective Responsibility?
The most glaring irony in this saga is Stellantis’s defensive stance on “protecting consumers.” While the company recently extended PureTech warranties to 10 years or 180,000 km in Europe to address timing belt degradation, this generosity seems strangely localized.
Stellantis has faced immense pressure, including potential class-action lawsuits in countries like France, which forced their hand into offering these extended warranty programs and compensation platforms. However, owners of the same problematic engines outside of Europe—in regions like South America and parts of Asia—have frequently found themselves excluded from these “goodwill” extensions. Well at least it won’t be long before Lemon Laws come into effect here to protect local customers.
