Hisense Executive Criticizes Gree Again: Still Arguing About Copper in 2026? I'm Embarrassed for You.
Over the past week, Gree Electric Appliances and Hisense Air Conditioning have engaged in a fierce public dispute over the "real copper and solid materials" product standard, with senior executives publicly criticizing each other, and the topic becoming a focus of online discussion. Yang Xiangxi, Brand Director of Hisense's Air Conditioning Business Unit, publicly stated that he is ashamed that the industry is still debating whether or not to use copper, and even said he is "embarrassed for you," believing that this low-level argument is already outdated.
Yang Xiangxi stated that the current air conditioning industry should focus on core technology upgrades such as intelligentization, air delivery experience, and proactive intelligence, rather than repeatedly dwelling on material usage.
He bluntly stated that the marketing model of adding 500 yuan for just a few more grams of copper is outdated, and the focus of competition in the air conditioning industry should not remain at this basic level.
This dispute began a week ago.
Gree accused Hisense of using its original "real copper and solid materials" slogan at an exhibition and questioned whether some Hisense products used aluminum instead of copper.
Hisense immediately responded strongly, pointing out that "real copper and solid materials" was not created by Gree and had appeared in reports of multiple brands as early as 2016. They also presented materials showing Gree's previous involvement in research related to aluminum applications in air conditioners, accusing them of hypocrisy.
Gree insisted on its own standards, defining "real copper and solid materials" as a full copper configuration for the evaporator, condenser, compressor motor, and fan motor, emphasizing that this is the hardware support for its ten-year warranty service, and promising that all household models will be fully copper and without any reduction in configuration.
Regarding the aluminum wire questioning, Gree explained that the relevant models were small-batch commercial engineering machines that had been discontinued and were not related to household retail products.
Hisense also calculated a cost for consumers: the extra cost of copper wire in a 1.5 horsepower air conditioner is only about 5 yuan, but it is used to support a high price premium.
Yang Xiangxi bluntly stated that Gree's decline from its leading position in the industry is related to its excessive focus on material marketing and neglect of technological upgrades.
Many netizens believe that the air conditioning industry should return to technology and experience itself, rather than getting caught up in meaningless material disputes. This confrontation has also led more consumers to start paying attention to the relationship between product cost, pricing, and true value.