Overview
- Gree’s marketing chief said Hisense had no right to use the phrase “true copper” and argued any brand using aluminum motor windings cannot make that claim.
- Hisense countered that the wording is not Gree’s to own, cited 2016 media mentions of several brands, and said its condensers, evaporators, and connecting lines use copper tubes.
- Hisense shared a scanned form that shows Gree applied to an industry working group on aluminum use and circulated a teardown clip that it says shows a Gree unit with an aluminum‑wired motor, though no independent lab has verified the footage.
- Gree replied that joining a research group run by the China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute is routine materials research and restated its standard that four core parts—the two heat‑exchange coils and two motor windings—use copper across its lineup.
- The public back‑and‑forth lands in a market where about 19 companies pushed aluminum substitution in 2025 to cut costs, while Gree has promoted all‑copper as a quality marker that it says protects performance and long‑term reliability.