Owners need to refer at least 5 friends to sign up as members on the Ford Mustang Mach-E app and refer 1 friend to complete their first test drive.

It's worth noting that for new owners who order the model, the undelivered vehicles still use the 820A chip, and if they wish to upgrade to the 8155 chip, they will also need to complete these tasks, according to several local media reports.

The move has sparked some controversy among Chinese Internet users, with some media reports calling it a pyramid scheme and some reports saying it's free but still costly.

Previously, Dongfeng Motor's Voyah brand began allowing users to upgrade to the Qualcomm 8155 chip on May 1 for RMB 12,999 ($1,880).

Nio announced the smart system of Alder based on Qualcomm 8155 chip when it launched the new SUV ES7 on June 15, allowing existing ES8, ES6 and EC6 owners to pay for the upgrade for RMB 9,600. With the additional option of a 5G high-performance central gateway, the price is RMB 12,600.

Zeekr, Geely's premium electric vehicle subsidiary, announced on July 11 a free program for owners to upgrade their cockpit chips to Qualcomm 8155.

Ford to recall 775 Mustang Mach-E vehicles in China due to software issues