The 9th China Auto Voice of Customer (VOC+) Seminar and Award Ceremony 2025 took place in Beijing.

On December 18, Car Quality Network and Carresearch held the 2025 9th China Automotive Customer Voice (VOC+) Seminar & Awards Ceremony in Beijing. Under the theme " Distrust • Rebuilding," the event focused on current market trust challenges and solutions. It featured the release of the 2025 Car Quality Network Complaint Analysis Report, the 2025 China Passenger Vehicle User Complaint Behavior Research Report, and the 《2025 China Passenger Vehicle After-sales Service Satisfaction Research Report》. Industry experts were invited to explore ways to embed trust into institutional design, organizational capabilities, and the entire user journey. The ceremony also announced the winners of the annual China Automotive After-sales Service Outstanding Contribution Award and the China Automotive Customer Voice (VOC+) Awards.

Tang Weiguo, Chairman and President of Car Quality Network and Carresearch. 

In his opening speech, Tang Weiguo, Chairman and President of Car Quality Network and Carresearch, noted that against a backdrop of rapid technological iteration and continuous product launches, the bond of trust between users and brands is under unprecedented strain. In the first 11 months of this year, Car Quality Network accepted over 200,000 valid complaints, a 32.3% year-on-year increase. "Trust-related" complaints, such as disputes over model iterations, unfulfilled sales promise, lack of transparency, and poor software experience, have become prominent. Users now care not only about getting a good deal but also about having a pleasant experience and trusting the brand.

He believes rebuilding trust requires steadfast user-centric practice, starting with a shift from transactional thinking to relational thinking, guided by truly listening to the user's voice.

Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation released the Compliance Guide for Pricing Behavior in the Automotive Industry (Draft for Comments). Tang Weiguo stated this would help standardize pricing, curb excessive internal competition, enhance business-user relationships, and restore normal market order. In 2026, his team will continue visiting automakers to document benchmark practices in building user trust in after-sales service, publishing the industry's first monograph focused on after-sales service management. Additionally, the company will strive to build a more open and effective platform for exchange and empowerment.

Shi Jianhua, Vice Chairman of China EV100 and Professor-level Senior Engineer, highlighted that China's auto industry is accelerating its transformation toward a high-profit, high-tech, high-value model. The domestic market has entered a phase of high volume but low growth, with a projected 2% increase in 2026 to 28.2 million units. New energy vehicle sales (including exports) are expected to reach 20 million, with a penetration rate of 57%. International competition in smart driving is entering a critical window, with breakthroughs in key technologies like computing chips and AI algorithms. Looking ahead, he believes new service models will become a major focus, with industrial policy shifting toward higher standards, stricter regulation, and comprehensive, high-quality measures to boost consumption.

Xing Haitao, Party Branch Secretary and Secretary-General of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce Automobile Dealers Chamber, stated that in the first 10 months of 2025, China's passenger vehicle demand entered a phase of fluctuating slow growth. With electrification and intelligent, Chinese brands are entering a third phase of market share growth. At the dealership level, inventory indices are declining, and retail prices are stabilizing or rising. However, significant issues remain in complaint handling, including unclear responsibility definition and slow technical support responses. For the coming years, Xing predicted overall market growth, emphasizing that the next five years are critical and sustained global expansion is essential.

The 2025 Car Quality Network Complaint Analysis Report revealed that from January to November, Car Quality Network accepted 208,296 valid complaints, surpassing the 2024 total. Range-extender vehicles saw the largest complaint increase, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles received complaints for the first time. "Other issues" complaints surged, with disputes over model iterations ranking first. Sales-related issues, such as deposit disputes and unfulfilled promises, were the most common service complaints.

Li Xi, Executive Vice President and Editor-in-Chief of Car Quality Network, noted that complainants primarily seek free repairs, with strong demands for compensation and product configuration improvements. From January to November, 90 auto brands achieved a 100% complaint response rate, and 64 reduced their average response time to within 24 hours,

The 2025 China Passenger Vehicle User Complaint Behavior Research Report found that the industry average for the Customer Complaint Resolution Index (CCRI) dropped to a five-year low in 2025, with "betrayal" shifting from pricing to configuration issues, eroding trust even before complaints arise. Users are more willing to complain directly to Car Quality Network, adopting "pressure-based" rights protection. Emotional care has become prominent; resolving the complaint itself is no longer enough—users seek respect, transparency, and empathy. Efficient complaint handling and genuine emotional care are now key to brand loyalty. The report suggests automakers adopt transparent communication, proactively manage user expectations, and resolve iteration-related disputes.

According to the 《2025 China Passenger Vehicle After-sales Service Satisfaction Research Report》, the industry showed steady improvement in 2025, with emerging EV brands and Chinese brands excelling through differentiated strategies. The core challenge is that basic service processes have become standard but fail to meet diverse user needs, revealing a significant gap between "completing tasks" and "excelling at them" (i.e., basic implementation versus experience enhancement). Thus, after-sales service is transitioning from passive vehicle support to proactive user experience management. The key improvement concept should be "user-centric, integrating the entire service chain from philosophy to practice." The report recommends elevating service into a consistent experience through seamless connectivity, customized segmentation, and enjoyable interactions, embedding services into users' daily lives.

In a panel discussion, industry guests, legal experts, and brand marketing experts explored new paths to rebuild trust, focusing on regulatory baselines, brand communication, and user rights.

Zhang Zhaohu, Senior Vice President of Car Quality Network, stated that as a third-party complaint platform, Car Quality Network continues to serve as an early warning system for complaint risks. Addressing the current mismatch in information "granularity" between automakers and consumers, he suggested automakers design processes to effectively cool down negative emotions and ensure full transparency. This would help establish a fair dialogue space with clear rules, defined processes, and third-party involvement, turning complaints into valuable opportunities for brand diagnosis and trust repair.

Ma Qiji, Special Advisor to the Digital Marketing Committee of the China Advertising Association of Commerce, pointed out that automakers still pay insufficient attention to consumers' emotional experiences and needs. He recommended leveraging big data and intelligent tools to process complaint information, enabling timely warnings and proactive intervention, and addressing consumer issues systematically through multi-threaded and diversified approaches.

Hao Qingfeng, Deputy Secretary-General of the Consumer Protection Law Research Society of China Law Society, emphasized that in the smart EV era, consumers must not be treated as "guinea pigs." Automakers must respond quickly, clarify responsibilities, and ensure transparent processes when handling complaints. He also stressed the need for top-level institutional design and systematic mechanism improvements to fully respect consumers' right to know and choose.

Jiang Suhua, Partner at Beijing Yingke Law Firm and Director of the National Product Quality Legal Service Committee, noted that the most damaging issues for consumers often relate to the right to know about safety-related technical problems. He suggested that automakers must demonstrate sincerity and courage in addressing complaints, providing consumers with public, reasonable, and legally sound solutions.

The ceremony announced the 2025 9th VOC+ Awards for After-sales Service Satisfaction, Benchmark Brands, and Excellence in Contribution. SAIC Motor Passenger Vehicle ranked first in after-sales satisfaction among Chinese brands, SAIC Volkswagen among joint-venture brands, BMW Brilliance among luxury brands, and NIO among emerging EV brands.

The after-sales service benchmark brands are: Lynk & Co, Beijing Auto, Mazda, Great Wall Motors, Ford, Chery Auto, FAW-Audi, Voyah, AITO, FAW-Volkswagen, Toyota, BYD Auto, FAW Toyota, Jiangsu Yueda Kia, and GAC Trumpchi.

Geely Auto and SAIC-GM received the Excellence in Contribution Award.

The recipients of the 2025 China Automotive After-sales Service Outstanding Contribution Award are: Shen Zongming, After-sales Service Department Director of Jiangsu Yueda Kia Motors Co., Ltd.; Qi Le, Senior Director of Regional Service Operations Management at NIO; Su Yi, After-sales Service Quality Director of Volvo Cars Greater China Sales Company; Du Meng, Service Experience Director of Lynk & Co Sales Co., Ltd.; Geng Xin, Vice President of Sales & Service System at AITO Sales Co., Ltd.; and Guo Yanzeng, Deputy General Manager of the After-sales Service Mid-office at Great Wall Motors.