Source: GAC NIO

    The joy of introducing strategic investors has not yet dissipated, but GAC Weilai has ushered in new variables.

    On January 7, according to Jiemian News, GAC Weilai CEO Liao Bing will leave his post in March and be transferred back to GAC Group. On January 5th, GAC NIO just announced that it had received a total of 2.405 billion yuan in capital increase from GAC Aian and Guangdong Zhutou Intelligent Technology Investment Co., Ltd.

    In response to this news, Future Automobile Daily contacted Liao Bing himself. Regarding the news of his upcoming departure, Liao Bing responded: "The sensitive period is still subject to official information."

    What’s interesting is that on January 5th, just after the strategic investor was determined, Liao Bing celebrated in the circle of friends and said, "Clean up and start again, and set off again!" At 9 o'clock in the morning on January 8, Liao Bing was on Weibo again. The blog post said: "I feel the most relaxing day in more than three years, and I feel very good."

    According to public information, before taking charge of GAC Weilai, Liao Bing served as assistant to the dean of GAC Research Institute. Earlier, he had worked in GAC Honda, GAC Parts, GAC Fick and other departments of GAC Group. He has worked for nearly 20 years. I have been engaged in production, quality, research and development, strategy, etc. in his time.

    After GAC Weilai was established in 2018, Liao Bing began to formally take over. However, in the past three years in charge of GAC Weilai, Liao Bing's pressure is not small. GAC Weilai's registered capital is only 500 million yuan. Liao Bing once told Future Auto Daily that the company has fewer than 300 employees, and until the end of December 2020, GAC Weilai’s financing remains in the angel round. "The entire financing process was very unsatisfactory, and it was also very difficult to have no money."

    However, in the near future, GAC NIO has received the first large-scale financing after the angel round. On January 5, GAC Group issued an announcement stating that GAC Group, through its wholly-owned subsidiary GAC Aian New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., increased its capital by approximately 482 million yuan in GAC Weilai. Guangdong Zhutou Intelligent Technology Investment Co., Ltd., as a strategic investor, increased its capital by approximately 1.923 billion yuan. After the capital increase, the company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, GAC Aian New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., will hold 25% of the equity of GAC NIO New Energy Automobile Technology Co., Ltd. in total.

    According to the data from Tianyan Check, Guangdong Zhutou Intelligent was established on October 23, 2020. It is 100% owned by Guangdong Zhu Investment and Property Management Co., Ltd., and the company is ultimately controlled by Zhu Yihang, the eldest son of Zhu Mengyi, founder of Hopson Development Group. , The latter founded the EDG e-sports club in 2013.

    It is worth noting that the main business of Hopson Development Group and Guangdong Zhujiang Investment is mainly real estate business. In their heyday, they were called "South China Five Tigers" together with Evergrande, Country Garden, Agile and R&F. At this time, Hopson Chuangzhan Group entered the car manufacturing business and became another real estate developer to build cars after Baoneng and Evergrande.

    According to the announcement issued by Guangzhou Automobile Group, the smart car project will create a new generation of smart cars for generation Z users, and strive to deliver 250,000 vehicles by 2025.

    Previously, Liao Bing told Future Auto Daily that the funds will be mainly used in two aspects. First, it will quickly copy the models that run out of some areas to other areas, and second, it will accelerate the preparation of the company's own technology and the development of free platforms.