At the beginning of 2022, new car-building forces are scrambling to release the full-year delivery data for 2021 to start the new year. When the leading company of new car-making forces exceeded 10,000 sales for several consecutive months, and the annual cumulative delivery volume of “Wei Xiaoli” exceeded 90,000, which was only one step away from the 100,000 annual sales target, the waist members who had been silent for a long time The new year is also beginning to exert force, such as AIWAYS.
On January 3, the 21st Century Business Herald reporter learned that AIWAYS has completed a new round of hundreds of millions of dollars in financing. This round of financing comes from Chen Xuanlin and his subsidiary Dongbai Group.An insider of AIWAYS revealed that since the end of 2017, Chen Xuanlin has participated in multiple rounds of financing of AIWAYS.shareholderAmong the multiple investment intentions in this round of financing, Chen Xuanlin’s further strategic investment has been unanimously selected, recognized and supported by the existing shareholders and the founder team.
With the new capital injection, the core of AIWAYSExecutivesThe team changes. The latest information on the official website of AIWAYS shows that founder Fu Qiang no longer serves as the chairman of the board and continues to serve as the president of AIWAYS. Chen Xuanlin will serve as the chairman of AIWAYS. Zhang Yang will serve as the CEO.It is understood that Zhang Yang served asWei LaiHe has rich industry experience and resources and is a senior management expert in the new energy automobile industry.
Complete a new round of financing of hundreds of millions of dollars
AIWAYS was established in February 2017. Most of its senior management teams have professional backgrounds in traditional auto companies. The founder Fu Qiang had previously worked in Audi and Sri Lanka.Kodak, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, the other founder Gu Feng used to serveSAICCFO。
Qixinbao shows that since October 2016, AIWAYS has completed 8 rounds of financing. Investors include Tencent’s industry win-winfund, CCI Holdings,Shagang, Ming Chi Fund,DidiTravel,Ningde eraEtc., the total amount of publicly disclosed financing is nearly 10 billion yuan. The last round of Aichi financing occurred in May 2021.Ningde eraParticipate in investment.
It is worth noting that this new round of hundreds of millions of dollars in financing by AIWAYS also brought the mysterious Zhejiang businessman Chen Xuanlin to the front. In media reports, Chen Xuanlin acted rather low-key. He was regarded as a rich second-generation entrepreneur from Zhejiang. He obtained the “first pot of gold” through the stock market and used the huge amount of money he had already earned to establish CCI Holdings. According to public information, Chen Xuanlin is currently the chairman of Shanghai Zhongtong Ruide Investment Group Co., Ltd., and concurrently chairman of Shanghai Vientiane Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd., member of the 13th Shanghai CPPCC, executive vice chairman of Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, and Taizhou Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai Executive Vice President. Up to now, Chen Xuanlin is a shareholder of 14 companies, serving as the legal person of 17 companies, executives of 35 companies, and holding more than 300 companies.
The Zhongtong Ruide Investment Group (Chengwei Holdings) currently in charge of Chen Xuanlin is a comprehensive group focusing on the investment and industrial operation of the pan-transportation industry. The company’s industry involves the fields of automobile manufacturing and commerce, general aviation industry and technology manufacturing. The main industrial company is Vientiane. Automobiles, Zhejiang Zhongtong Holdings, Asia Alliance Business Jets, etc.
The figure of CGI Holdings has appeared in the financing of AIWAYS in 2018. On April 15, 2018, AIWAYS announced that it has received a new round of financing, led by Shagang Group, followed by CCI Holdings, Fuding Capital, Funayuan, and Puyin Industrial.
Fu Qiang said: Mr. Chen Xuanlin has extensive investment and operation experience in the automotive industry. AIWAYS and the founder team have repeatedly invited Mr. Chen Xuanlin to participate in the company’s equity investment and daily operations. Mr. Chen Xuanlin has always been optimistic about the new energy automobile industry, especially the technology and brand of AIWAYS. The new round of financing and the arrival of the team will empower AIWAYs with new development momentum and business prospects, and effectively enhance the company’s market channels and capital. Operations, user experience, and digital development capabilities.
Regarding the changes in the management team, AIWAYS officially stated that the new governance structure will greatly help AIWAYs improve the company’s management and product structure, improve operational efficiency, focus on the strategic development direction, and enhance the competitiveness and influence of the company.
Can it be reborn after ups and downs?
The blessing of the halo of traditional autobots once made Ai Chi have high hopes.
After nearly three years of entrepreneurial dormancy in 2019, AIWAYS ushered in a “highlight” moment. On the one hand, AIWAYS increased its capital to Jiangling Holdings by 1.747 billion yuan, which solved the production qualification problem. At the same time, it received strong support from the Jiangxi Provincial Government, which provided a new model for new car manufacturers; on the other hand, AIWAYs first mass-produced Cars-Ai Chi U5 opened pre-sales at the Chengdu Auto Show. A total of three models, U5 ING+, U5 PRO, and U5 PRO+ were released. They will be listed in Hainan in December 2019, with a subsidy price of 197,900 to 292,100.
At that time, Ai Chi’s goal was to establish a market position through certain sales volume in the next two or three years, and to have the right to speak. The long-term goal was to make Ai Chi a smart travel service company with deep involvement of users.
However, the skinny reality did not give the rhetoric a chance to be realized. The sudden epidemic immediately disillusioned the beautiful vision of AIWAYS. The loss to AIWAYS can be said to be geometrical: the previous customer accumulation and channel layout were completely destroyed; At least half of the offline stores opened on the market were closed; the ambitiously prepared Geneva Motor Show was cancelled and the investment was in vain…
At the same time, Ai Chi’s sales performance and hematopoietic ability are not satisfactory. In September 2020, the 2021 Ai Chi U5 will be launched, and the price will be 166,900-249,900 yuan after subsidies, which is 30,000 yuan lower than the previous year; in October 2020, Ai Chi Auto required the company to “carry the goods” “All-employee marketing” has aroused heated discussion, and the cumulative sales of Ai Chi U5, which lacks a distinctive label, will only be 2,800 in 2020.
Entering 2021, the average monthly sales volume of Ai Chi is less than 300 vehicles. In addition, Ai Chi’s second new car, Ai Chi U6, was originally scheduled to be delivered around October 2021, but due to funding issues, it was not released as scheduled. According to data from the Travel Association, from January to November 2021, the cumulative sales of AIWAYS cars were 2,992 units.
“When the tide fades, we can see who is swimming naked, and we know who is swimming naked.” When Fu Qiang was interviewed by a reporter from 21st Century Business Herald last year, he looked back at the car making process in 2020 with emotion, and expressed his love for him. Chi is facing a very clear-cut situation. “First of all, in terms of the amount of capital reserves, compared with leading companies that claim to have tens of billions of yuan in cash reserves, AIWAY is not in the same order of magnitude. The financing channels of AIWAY’s public offering market have not yet been opened; secondly, sales volume On the one hand, AIWAYS hasn’t really exerted its strength in the domestic market, and it still takes time. This is our shortcoming.”
As far as Fu Qiang is concerned, the origin of traditional Autobots is both an armor and a weakness. Weak brand exposure and lack of Internet thinking made AIWAYs stumbling in the process of transforming into a user-based enterprise. “No one from the traditional auto industry can sell cars. Everyone always says that I have been fighting on the front line of marketing for a long time, but in fact I have been fighting on the command line behind marketing, not the front line, so what do consumers look like? , How to communicate is actually not clear. On the contrary,Wei LaiXiaopeng, Xiaopeng, and ideals know that there is a group of determined iron fans who can help, and there is indeed a first-mover advantage. “
Fu Qiang confessed, andWei LaiCompared with the three companies, Ideal and Xiaopeng, the gap between Ai Chi is manifested in two aspects: one is brand communication and sales, and the other is money. “The two founders of Weilai and Ideal have both made automotive vertical websites. They know how to use the Internet as a medium to communicate with C-end consumers. Their background and industry experience have advantages. This is what we lack and need. Learning, targeting consumers and communicating with consumers efficiently, this is unquestionable. Now, direct sales are the kingly way, and you have to face customers and take risks.”
The management team has changed blood and received a new round of financing. AIWAYS needs to run faster. After all, competition in the automotive industry has intensified. Traditional auto companies are accelerating their transformation. New car companies are moving towards the 100,000 mark. Time is running out.
(Source: 21st Century Business Herald)
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