Ideal MEGA, this flagship that once had high hopes and was intended to reshape the luxury pure electric MPV landscape, is now mired in a crisis of trust caused by coolant. More than 11,000 car owners are facing not only vehicle recall notices, but also questioning of the safety bottom line behind the "refrigerator, color TV and large sofa". This is by no means an ordinary product defect, but a cruel test of the limits of consumer trust in high-end electric vehicles amid rapid technological advancement. It is also a structural contradiction that the entire new energy vehicle industry has to face under its glamorous appearance.
Beijing Ideal Auto Co., Ltd. filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation on October 31, 2025, involving 11,411 Ideal MEGA 2024 electric vehicles produced between February 18, 2024, and December 27, 2024. The core problem is that the coolant anti-corrosion performance of these vehicles is insufficient, which may cause corrosion and leakage of the cooling aluminum plates of the power battery and front motor controller under certain operating conditions. What is even more chilling is that in extreme cases, this may directly cause thermal runaway of the power battery and cause a fire. Although Li Auto promises to replace the coolant, power battery and front motor controller for free, and claims to have proactively contacted car owners through the cloud warning system, it is still unknown whether its "remedial action" attitude can completely bridge the rift in consumers' hearts.
This recall incident is undoubtedly a blow to the market performance of Lideal MEGA. This model once caused huge controversy in the early days of its launch with its unique "high-speed rail head" shape and luxurious configuration. However, due to its precise market positioning, it once topped the sales volume of both MPV and pure electric models with more than 500,000 yuan. Its monthly delivery volume once exceeded 3,000 units
Ideal MEGA, this flagship that once had high hopes and was intended to reshape the luxury pure electric MPV landscape, is now mired in a crisis of trust caused by coolant. More than 11,000 car owners are facing not only vehicle recall notices, but also questioning of the safety bottom line behind the "refrigerator, color TV and large sofa". This is by no means an ordinary product defect, but a cruel test of the limits of consumer trust in high-end electric vehicles amid rapid technological advancement. It is also a structural contradiction that the entire new energy vehicle industry has to face under its glamorous appearance.
Beijing Ideal Auto Co., Ltd. filed a recall plan with the State Administration for Market Regulation on October 31, 2025, involving 11,411 Ideal MEGA 2024 electric vehicles produced between February 18, 2024, and December 27, 2024. The core problem is that the coolant anti-corrosion performance of these vehicles is insufficient, which may cause corrosion and leakage of the cooling aluminum plates of the power battery and front motor controller under certain operating conditions. What is even more chilling is that in extreme cases, this may directly cause thermal runaway of the power battery and cause a fire. Although Li Auto promises to replace the coolant, power battery and front motor controller for free, and claims to have proactively contacted car owners through the cloud warning system, it is still unknown whether its "remedial action" attitude can completely bridge the rift in consumers' hearts.
This recall incident is undoubtedly a blow to the market performance of Lideal MEGA. This model once caused huge controversy in the early days of its launch with its unique "high-speed rail head" shape and luxurious configuration. However, due to its precise market positioning, it once topped the sales volume of both MPV and pure electric models with more than 500,000 yuan. Its monthly delivery volume once exceeded 3,000 units, and it received more than 7,000 large orders within 50 days of its launch. However, expert analysis of insufficient coolant anticorrosive dosage leading to corrosion and leakage of aluminum cooling plates is like opening Pandora's box, exposing the potential safety risks of core components to the public. This not only made car owners sit on pins and needles, but also directly caused the stock price of Li Auto to fall for five consecutive trading days, with a cumulative decline of 8.5%, setting a new low in the past year. The reaction of the capital market is undoubtedly the most direct and cruel quantification of the shaken brand trust.
Consumers buy high-end electric vehicles not just for the dazzling technological configurations. What they value more is the reliability and safety of the product throughout its life cycle from design, manufacturing to after-sales service. During this recall, some car owners reported that the battery was removed without consent during the inspection. This kind of after-sales operation of "cut it first and tell it later" undoubtedly sprinkled a pinch of salt on the already tense doctor-patient relationship, further eroding the already fragile trust foundation. Looking back at the recall history of the new energy vehicle industry, whether it is the software upgrade of Xiaomi SU7, Tesla’s braking system problem, or the battery hazard of Euler Black Cat/White Cat, every recall is like a mirror, reflecting the dilemma of car companies swinging between technological innovation and quality control. Together, these cases reveal a cruel fact: the road to technological innovation is full of thorns, and transparency in quality management and consumer communication is the only way to maintain brand reputation and win long-term trust.
The recall of Lideal MEGA is by no means an isolated incident. It has sounded a deafening alarm for the entire new energy vehicle industry. In the arms race in pursuit of cruising range, intelligent configuration and ultimate performance, many car companies seem to have forgotten the most basic car-making ethics: safety. Supply chain quality management, full verification of new materials and new technologies, and improvement of emergency response mechanisms. These seemingly "boring" links are the key to the survival of a brand. Just as Li Auto has reflected on itself, in the face of low-probability risk scenarios, insufficient prediction and lack of courage in response are not the difficulties of Li Auto, but a common "growing pain" in the rapid development of the entire industry. In the future, car companies must strengthen front-line team training, optimize cloud early warning strategies, test and verify liquid chemical materials with more stringent standards, and integrate safety standards into every design detail and every production link to ensure the safety and reliability of the entire product life cycle.
Competition in the high-end electric vehicle market will eventually return to the original rules of product quality and consumer trust. The recall of Ideal MEGA is not only a pain in the industry's growth, but also a profound opportunity for self-innovation. Those companies that try to cover up quality shortcomings through marketing gimmicks and "stacks" will eventually be ruthlessly eliminated by the market. Only by placing safety standards at the highest priority, continuing to improve product reliability, and responding to consumer concerns in a sincere and transparent manner can the new energy vehicle industry get rid of the fate of "barbaric growth", truly win the respect of the market and users, and jointly build a safe, smart, and sustainable travel future. Otherwise, every recall will be another collapse of consumer trust, ultimately dragging the entire industry into the abyss.
