Russian owners of Li Auto complained about hacking cars

Since June, owners of Li Auto (Lixiang) cars in Russia have begun to file complaints about hacking of master accounts - keys to full control of the car through the application. This was stated by Sergey Melyukh, Director of Avilon Electro.

"In a month, we have already re-registered 47 accounts, some of which suffered due to hacking or "hijacking." The attackers, having gained control of the car, demanded an average ransom of 250 thousand rubles from the owners. For comparison, the official restoration of access through an authorized dealer now costs 17-18 thousand rubles," Rossiyskaya Gazeta quoted Melyukh as saying on July 28.

Through the master account, various vehicle systems are configured, including climate control, software updates, multimedia (when the screen is locked, the screen does not work), remote control of the vehicle to exit the parking lot, and a number of other functions.

It is noted that problems are often found in cars imported into Russia over the past three years by "gray" dealers and private suppliers. The reason is that the master accounts were incorrectly set up or linked to other people's numbers, which makes them vulnerable to attacks.

The login is a Chinese phone number, and the password is an SMS number. When the master account is hacked or stolen, fraudsters block the owner's application and remotely control the car's functions.

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Lixiang hybrids have started having problems in Russia

On May 28, it was reported that by the end of 2025, Sinomach Auto plans to expand the dealer network of the Li Auto brand (Lixiang) in Russia to 60 enterprises. The company plans to sell 12,000 Lixiang vehicles by the end of the year.

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