AITO Debunks 'Time-Travel Car' Rumor: M6 VIN Date Photoshopped, Police Report Filed

Recently, AITO — a new energy vehicle brand deeply empowered by Huawei — issued an official statement addressing online rumors about a so-called 'time-travel car', explicitly denying any misconduct such as premature production or falsified manufacturing dates for its mass-produced models. The company has filed a police report and reserves the right to pursue further legal liability.

The rumor originated from multiple images widely shared on platforms including Weibo and Xiaohongshu, showing a VIN plate on a AITO M6 vehicle labeled with a manufacturing date of 'October 2026'. As the current year is 2026, netizens jokingly dubbed it a 'time-travel car' or 'pre-made car' (a pun on 'pre-made meal' yu zhi cai), spawning the slang term 'yu zhi che' and triggering widespread sharing and skepticism.

In response, AITO published a detailed rebuttal on its official fact-checking WeChat account, 'AITO Fact Bureau'. The article clarifies that the vehicle in question is a genuine AITO M6 manufactured in July 2026; the claimed 'October 2026' VIN plate was digitally altered using Photoshop or AI tools. Both versions match identically in critical fields — including model code, chassis number, engine type, and technical specifications — differing only in shooting angle, lighting effects, and the manufacturing date field.

As a mid-to-large-size premium NEV SUV under the Huawei Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance ecosystem, the AITO M6 is currently offered in both battery electric (BEV) and extended-range electric (EREV) variants. The BEV version delivers a CLTC all-electric range of 760 km (616 km under WLTP), while the EREV version offers a CLTC pure-electric range of 355 km (288 km under WLTP). All trims feature Huawei's HarmonyOS smart cockpit and the Qiankun intelligent driving system equipped with LiDAR, with pricing ranging from RMB 229,800 to RMB 299,800.

Notably, this controversy erupted during a period of temporary sales pressure for the AITO M6. According to 'China EV Data Tracker', the model delivered 5,428 units in July 2026 — down nearly two-thirds from its May peak of 18,148 units. Market analysts suggest that fluctuating sales, combined with recent nationwide public discourse on supply-chain transparency for pre-made meals, accelerated the viral spread of the 'pre-made car' meme.