Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the Issuers classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered
by the annual report.
118,056,345 Class
A ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, and 0 Class
B ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, were outstanding as of December
31,
2018.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities
Act. Yes ☒ No ☐
If this report is an annual or transition
report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90
days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the
registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation
S-T
(§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such
shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated
filer or an emerging growth company. See definition of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, and emerging growth company in Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by
check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark
which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
If Other has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which
financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. Item 17 ☐ Item 18 ☐
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2
of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes ☐ No ☐
Unless otherwise indicated and except where the context otherwise requires, references in this annual report on Form
20-F
to:
Substantially all of our operations are conducted in China and substantially all of our revenues are
denominated in RMB. This annual report contains translations of RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the readers. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB
in this annual report were made at a rate of RMB6.8755 to US$1.00, the exchange rate set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System as of December 31, 2018. We make no representation that any
RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct
regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade.
This annual report contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. The forward-looking
statements are contained principally in the sections entitled Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk Factors, Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business Overview and Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and
Prospects. These forward-looking statements are made under the safe-harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed
under Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk Factors, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as may, will, expect,
anticipate, aim, estimate, intend, plan, believe, is/are likely to, potential, continue or other similar expressions. We have based these
forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements
include statements relating to:
These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these
forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. Our actual results could be materially different from our expectations. Other sections of this annual report include additional factors that could
adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and
uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should
read thoroughly this annual report and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from, or worse than, what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these
cautionary statements.
This annual report contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private
publications. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. The online automotive advertising industry may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. The failure of this market to
grow at the projected rate may have a material adverse effect on our business and the market price of our ADSs. In addition, the rapidly changing nature of the online automotive advertising industry and the online automobile transaction industry
results in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our market. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect,
actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this annual report relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made
in this annual report. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are
made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this annual report and the documents that we refer to in this annual report and exhibits to this annual report completely and with the understanding that our actual future
results may be materially different from what we expect.
PART I.
ITEM 1. IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISORS
Not applicable.
ITEM 2. OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE
Not applicable.
ITEM 3. KEY INFORMATION
A.
|
Selected Financial Data
|
2
The following tables present the selected consolidated financial information for our company. Our
selected consolidated statements of operations data presented below for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 and our selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2018 have been derived from our
consolidated financial statements, which are included in this annual report beginning on page
F-1.
Our selected consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2014, 2015 and 2016 and the selected
consolidated statements of operations data for 2014 and 2015 presented below have been derived from our consolidated financial statements not included in this annual report. Our historical results for any period are not necessarily indicative of
results to be expected for any future period. You should read the following selected financial data in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes and the information under Item 5. Operating and Financial Review
and Prospects in this annual report. Our audited consolidated financial statements are prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
(in thousands, except for number of shares and per share data)
|
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Selected Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net revenues
(1)
|
|
|
2,132,949
|
|
|
|
3,463,975
|
|
|
|
5,961,621
|
|
|
|
6,210,181
|
|
|
|
7,233,151
|
|
|
|
1,052,018
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
(381,498
|
)
|
|
|
(669,121
|
)
|
|
|
(2,393,165
|
)
|
|
|
(1,358,685
|
)
|
|
|
(820,288
|
)
|
|
|
(119,306
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
1,751,451
|
|
|
|
2,794,854
|
|
|
|
3,568,456
|
|
|
|
4,851,496
|
|
|
|
6,412,863
|
|
|
|
932,712
|
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales and marketing expenses
|
|
|
(559,070
|
)
|
|
|
(1,127,484
|
)
|
|
|
(1,536,939
|
)
|
|
|
(1,647,519
|
)
|
|
|
(2,435,236
|
)
|
|
|
(354,190
|
)
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(129,751
|
)
|
|
|
(193,655
|
)
|
|
|
(306,794
|
)
|
|
|
(281,951
|
)
|
|
|
(314,846
|
)
|
|
|
(45,792
|
)
|
Product development expenses
|
|
|
(158,395
|
)
|
|
|
(273,908
|
)
|
|
|
(571,354
|
)
|
|
|
(878,773
|
)
|
|
|
(1,135,247
|
)
|
|
|
(165,115
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Operating expenses
|
|
|
(847,216
|
)
|
|
|
(1,595,047
|
)
|
|
|
(2,415,087
|
)
|
|
|
(2,808,243
|
)
|
|
|
(3,885,329
|
)
|
|
|
(565,097
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income, net
|
|
|
2,544
|
|
|
|
13,064
|
|
|
|
13,953
|
|
|
|
8,577
|
|
|
|
341,391
|
|
|
|
49,653
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating profit
|
|
|
906,779
|
|
|
|
1,212,871
|
|
|
|
1,167,322
|
|
|
|
2,051,830
|
|
|
|
2,868,925
|
|
|
|
417,268
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
34,682
|
|
|
|
63,218
|
|
|
|
88,168
|
|
|
|
220,282
|
|
|
|
358,811
|
|
|
|
52,187
|
|
Earnings/(loss) from equity method investments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
102
|
|
|
|
(6,638
|
)
|
|
|
(10,571
|
)
|
|
|
24,702
|
|
|
|
3,593
|
|
Fair value change of other
non-current
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11,017
|
)
|
|
|
(1,602
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income before income taxes
|
|
|
941,461
|
|
|
|
1,276,191
|
|
|
|
1,248,852
|
|
|
|
2,261,541
|
|
|
|
3,241,421
|
|
|
|
471,446
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
(192,781
|
)
|
|
|
(285,542
|
)
|
|
|
(32,629
|
)
|
|
|
(267,082
|
)
|
|
|
(377,890
|
)
|
|
|
(54,962
|
)
|
Net income
|
|
|
748,680
|
|
|
|
990,649
|
|
|
|
1,216,223
|
|
|
|
1,994,459
|
|
|
|
2,863,531
|
|
|
|
416,484
|
|
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,691
|
|
|
|
7,160
|
|
|
|
7,484
|
|
|
|
1,089
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
748,680
|
|
|
|
990,649
|
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
417,573
|
|
Earnings per share for ordinary shares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
7.01
|
|
|
|
8.83
|
|
|
|
10.75
|
|
|
|
17.20
|
|
|
|
24.40
|
|
|
|
3.55
|
|
Diluted
|
|
|
6.64
|
|
|
|
8.57
|
|
|
|
10.58
|
|
|
|
16.95
|
|
|
|
24.08
|
|
|
|
3.50
|
|
Weighted average number of shares used to compute earnings per share
(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares
(3)
:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
|
|
|
106,735,303
|
|
|
|
112,227,405
|
|
|
|
114,237,600
|
|
|
|
116,379,846
|
|
|
|
117,671,971
|
|
|
|
117,671,971
|
|
Diluted
|
|
|
112,831,585
|
|
|
|
115,646,826
|
|
|
|
116,036,327
|
|
|
|
118,058,856
|
|
|
|
119,235,379
|
|
|
|
119,235,379
|
|
Dividend per share
(4)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASC 606,
Revenue from Contracts with
Customers
, a new standard related to revenue recognition. The most significant impact on our company is the change of the presentation of value-added tax from gross basis to net basis. We adopted this guidance effective from January 1, 2018
using the modified retrospective method. The comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under the accounting standards in effect for the relevant periods. As a result, the operating results for the years ended
December 31, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 have not been restated and are presented on a gross basis with value-added tax being included in the net revenues and cost of revenues in such years, while the operating results for the year ended
December 31, 2018 are presented on net basis, with the value-added tax being excluded from the net revenues and cost of revenues in such year.
|
(2)
|
Earnings per share for ordinary shares (diluted) for each year from 2014 to 2018 were computed after taking
into account the dilutive effect of the shares underlying our employees share-based awards.
|
(3)
|
Represents our Class A and Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.01 per share, after our IPO. In
June 2016, all of our Class B ordinary shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares when Telstra Holdings, our then largest shareholder, transferred approximately 47.4% of our then total issued and outstanding shares to Yun Chen
Capital Cayman. As holders of Class A and Class B ordinary shares have the same dividend right in our undistributed earnings, the basic and diluted net income per Class A ordinary share and Class B ordinary share were the same
for all the periods presented during which there were two classes of ordinary shares in issue. The weighted average number of shares represents the sum of the weighted average number of Class A and Class B ordinary shares. Please see
Earnings per Share under Note 17 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this annual report for additional information regarding the computation of the per share amounts and the weighted average numbers of ordinary
shares.
|
4
(4)
|
The special cash dividends declared in November 2017 to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares of
record as of the close of business on January 4, 2018 were paid in the amount of US$0.76 per share (inclusive of applicable fees payable to our depositary bank) on or about January 15, 2018. See Item 8. Financial InformationA.
Consolidated Statements and Other Financial InformationDividend Policy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2014
|
|
|
2015
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, current and short-term investments
|
|
|
2,772,191
|
|
|
|
4,169,053
|
|
|
|
5,733,321
|
|
|
|
8,154,224
|
|
|
|
10,061,458
|
|
|
|
1,463,379
|
|
Accounts receivable, net
|
|
|
736,695
|
|
|
|
1,075,456
|
|
|
|
1,205,924
|
|
|
|
1,893,737
|
|
|
|
2,795,835
|
|
|
|
406,637
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
3,582,797
|
|
|
|
5,696,498
|
|
|
|
7,432,532
|
|
|
|
10,258,586
|
|
|
|
13,141,317
|
|
|
|
1,911,326
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
5,278,515
|
|
|
|
7,530,076
|
|
|
|
9,392,026
|
|
|
|
12,294,975
|
|
|
|
15,756,201
|
|
|
|
2,291,644
|
|
Deferred revenue
|
|
|
438,797
|
|
|
|
872,487
|
|
|
|
1,012,143
|
|
|
|
1,409,485
|
|
|
|
1,510,726
|
|
|
|
219,726
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
1,080,657
|
|
|
|
2,156,534
|
|
|
|
2,544,040
|
|
|
|
3,889,316
|
|
|
|
4,164,769
|
|
|
|
605,740
|
|
Total
non-current
liabilities
|
|
|
532,435
|
|
|
|
522,506
|
|
|
|
496,773
|
|
|
|
470,373
|
|
|
|
479,989
|
|
|
|
69,812
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
1,613,092
|
|
|
|
2,679,040
|
|
|
|
3,040,813
|
|
|
|
4,359,689
|
|
|
|
4,644,758
|
|
|
|
675,552
|
|
Total Autohome Inc. shareholders equity
|
|
|
3,665,423
|
|
|
|
4,851,036
|
|
|
|
6,360,404
|
|
|
|
7,951,637
|
|
|
|
11,135,278
|
|
|
|
1,619,559
|
|
Total equity
|
|
|
3,665,423
|
|
|
|
4,851,036
|
|
|
|
6,351,213
|
|
|
|
7,935,286
|
|
|
|
11,111,443
|
|
|
|
1,616,092
|
|
B.
Capitalization and Indebtedness
Not applicable.
C.
Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds
Not applicable.
D.
Risk Factors
Risks
Related to Our Business and Industry
We rely on Chinas automotive industry for substantially all of our revenues and future growth, the
prospects of which are subject to many uncertainties, including government regulations and policies.
5
We rely on Chinas automotive industry for substantially all of our revenues and future
growth. We have greatly benefited from the growth of Chinas automotive industry during the past few years. China is one of the worlds major automotive markets. However, car ownership rate in China is still low, indicating significant
room for continued growth. We cannot predict how this industry will develop in the future. Furthermore, in 2018, Chinas automotive industry experienced negative growth for the first time in the past 28 years and the growth of Chinas
automotive industry could be affected by many factors, including general economic conditions in China, the urbanization rate of Chinas population, the growth of disposable household income, the costs of new automobiles, the trade barriers and
other governmental protectionist measures, as well as taxes and incentives related to automobile purchases. For example, on July 6, 2018, the Trump Administration imposed 25% tariffs on a variety of imports from China, and China responded to
the multiple U.S. tariff lists by announcing several lists of products, including automobiles and automobile parts and components, from the U.S. that are subject to an additional 25% tariff upon import to China. Although the imposition of the
additional tariffs are currently suspended, tariffs or a global trade war could increase the cost of imported automobiles, which could negatively impact the demand for automobiles and adversely impact our business. In addition, governmental policies
may have a considerable impact on the growth of the automotive industry in China. For example, in an effort to alleviate traffic congestion and improve air quality, the Beijing municipal government issued a regulation in December 2010 to limit the
number of new passenger vehicle plates issued in Beijing each year to 240,000 commencing in 2011, and the limit was subsequently reduced to 100,000 starting from 2014 to 2019. There are similar policies that restrict the issuance of new passenger
vehicle plates in several other major cities in China. The Limits and Measurement Methods for Emissions from Light-duty Vehicles (China 5), which was issued on September 17, 2013, have become effective nationwide in China since January 1,
2018. In 2015, the PRC government released new tax benefits for electric cars. In 2014, 2017 and 2018, the PRC government released multiple rules allowing the purchase of new energy vehicles to be exempt from vehicle purchase tax between 2014 and
2020
.
Moreover, since the beginning of 2018, there are various rules promulgated by the PRC government that have tightened the regulation of the entire automobile industry, such as setting higher standards and more stringent
requirements for approval of automobile loans, more stringent emission standards for light-duty vehicles starting from January 1, 2018 together with progressively stricter requirements on all sales and registration of light-duty vehicles
starting from July 1, 2020, and the cancellation of the reduction of vehicle purchase tax on light vehicles by reverting the tax rate back to 10% starting from January 1, 2018. Such regulatory developments, as well as other uncertainties,
may adversely affect the growth prospects of Chinas automotive industry, and in turn reduce demand for automobiles. If automakers and automobile dealers were to reduce their marketing expenditures as a result, our business, financial condition
and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We face significant competition, and if we fail to compete effectively, we
may lose market share and our business, prospects and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
The markets
for our services are highly competitive. With respect to our auto media business, we face competition from Chinas automotive vertical websites and mobile applications, such as
Xcar, PCauto
and
BitAuto
, from the automotive
channels of major internet portals, such as
Sina
and
Sohu
, and from companies engaged in mobile social media, news, video and live-streaming applications. We may also face competition from online automobile transaction platforms, such
as
maodou.com
,
taoche.com
,
51auto
,
Uxin
,
Guazi,
and
Renrenche
as we develop our auto
e-commerce
business. Our auto finance business faces competition from other auto
finance companies, such as
Yixin
and
Souche
. In addition, we also face competition from companies engaged in social media business, such as
ByteDance
and
Tencent
.
Competition with these and other
websites and mobile applications is primarily centered on increasing user reach, user engagement and brand recognition, relationships with the suppliers, and attracting and retaining advertisers or customers, among other factors.
Some of our competitors or potential competitors have longer operating histories and may have greater financial, management, technological,
development, sales, marketing and other resources than we do. They may use their experience and resources to compete with us in a variety of ways, including by competing more heavily for users, advertisers and dealers, investing more heavily in
marketing, traffic acquisition and research and development, and making more acquisitions. Some of our competitors have entered or may enter into business cooperation agreements with search engines, which may impact our ability to obtain additional
user traffic from the same sources. Our competitors may be acquired and consolidated by, or cooperate with, industry conglomerates who are able to further invest with significant resources into our operating space. We cannot assure you that any such
large internet business will not in the future focus on the automotive sector. If we are unable to compete effectively and at a reasonable cost against our existing and future competitors, our business, prospects and results of operations could be
materially and adversely affected.
For our media business, we also face competition from traditional advertising media, such as
newspapers, magazines, yellow pages, television, radio and outdoor media. Advertisers in China generally allocate a significant portion of their marketing budgets to traditional advertising media. If we cannot effectively compete with traditional
media for the marketing budgets of our existing and potential customers, our results of operations and growth prospects could be adversely affected. For our
e-commerce
business, as online automobile
transaction is a relatively new business model and consumers in China might be accustomed to make automobile purchases offline, we cannot guarantee that the automobile consumers in China will accept such business model.
If we cannot maintain customer recognition and trust in us, our results of operations and growth prospects could be adversely affected.
6
We may not be able to manage our expansion and new business initiatives effectively.
We have experienced rapid growth in our business in recent years. The number of our employees has grown from 3,752 as of December 31,
2016 to 4,097 as of December 31, 2017 and further to 4,335 as of December 31, 2018. We have increased our net revenues since 2016 to RMB7,233.2 million (US$1,052.0 million) in 2018, representing a three-year CAGR of 16.3%. We expect
to continue to grow our user base and our business operations. We have been implementing our future strategy to integrate four key market segments in our consumer centric automotive ecosystem, namely auto-content, auto-transaction, auto-finance and
auto-lifestyle. Our 4+1 strategy continues to drive our growth momentum and guide us in our transformation from a
content-led
vertical media business to an automotive
eco-platform
based on our advanced data and technology. Also, we are committed to strengthening our competitive advantage in the core media and leads generation business and have begun to benefit from
executing new business initiatives, including data products and auto-financing.
Although we have achieved profitability in recent
periods, our rapid expansion and new business initiatives may expose us to new challenges and risks and may make the prediction of our future results of operations difficult. As a growing company facing risks and uncertainties, our historical
results of operations should not be taken as indicative of the rate of growth, if any, that can be expected in the future. In addition, we may not have sufficient experience in executing our new business initiatives. To manage the further expansion
of our business, we need to continuously expand and enhance our infrastructure and technology, and improve our operational and financial systems, procedures and internal controls. We also need to train, manage and motivate our growing employee base.
In addition, we need to maintain and expand our relationships with automakers, automobile dealers, advertising agencies, financial institutions, insurance companies and other third parties. We cannot assure you that our current and planned
personnel, infrastructure, systems, procedures and controls will be adequate to support our expanding operations. We may be required to further increase our research and development expenses in order to enhance our technology capabilities, such as
artificial intelligence technologies, big data technologies and cloud technologies, to support any such expansion and our efforts may not be effective. In the future, we may also commit our resources to further develop, optimize and expand our new
business initiatives. Our new business initiatives may also expose us to new regulatory risks, which are different from what we have experienced before. Lack of experience in handling these new regulatory risks may result in failure to generate the
expected results of operations and prospects. Furthermore, we need to quickly respond to the market reaction to our new business initiatives and adjust accordingly. If we fail to manage our expansion and new business initiatives effectively or
efficiently, our business and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
If we are unable to grow our new vehicle transaction
business, we may not be able to achieve our expected business growth and our results of operations may be adversely affected.
We
started to develop our new vehicle transaction business in 2014 and expanded to include direct vehicle sales and platform-based services facilitating transactions through our transaction platform. In June 2014, we launched Autohome Mall, which is a
full-service online transaction platform for users to review automobile-related information, purchase coupons offered by automakers for discounts and make purchases to complete the transaction. In late 2016, we gradually shifted the focus to
becoming an asset-light vehicle
e-commerce
platform to facilitate transactions between consumers and automakers or independent automobile sellers that obtain vehicles from legitimate distribution channels
other than through direct authorization from and dealership arrangements with automakers. In 2018, revenues under our new vehicle transaction business were primarily from (i) platform-based services we provide while facilitating transactions on
Autohome Mall, (ii) service fees with respect to the transaction-oriented marketing solutions and (iii) commissions based on transactions facilitated. We cannot guarantee you that our current business model and strategies will be
successful to meet consumers expectation or demand for vehicles on our transaction platform.
We will need to react quickly to meet
the changing consumer preferences and buying trends relating to our transaction business. We will also face competition from other websites and mobile applications engaged in the online automobile transaction business and from traditional
dealerships. Furthermore, we must keep up to date with competitive technology trends, including the use of new or improved technology, creative user interfaces and other transaction marketing tools, such as paid search and mobile applications among
others, which may increase our costs but may not succeed in increasing sales or attracting consumers. Developing the transaction business may require significant investment in product development, sales and marketing and working capital, and we may
not be able to get the expected return on our investment. As online automobile transaction is a relatively new business model, we cannot guarantee that the automobile consumers in China will accept our business model. Due to the limited operating
history of our transaction business, we cannot predict that whether consumers, automakers or independent automobile sellers will trust our platform.
Also, as we continue to develop our transaction business, we may need to comply with
additional laws and regulations, including any evolving licensing requirements. We may fail to obtain and continuously maintain permits or licenses that applicable regulators may deem necessary for our operations.
Our failure to successfully
mitigate these risks and uncertainties might adversely affect the financial performance of our transaction business, as well as damage our reputation and brand.
7
If we are not able to effectively attract consumers, automakers or independent sellers to
complete automobile transactions on our platform, the service fees we receive from our transaction business may be negatively affected. Finally, developing the transaction business may take up our managements time and allow them less time to
focus on our other businesses. Our transaction business is substantially dependent on the sales level of new vehicles in China, which is sensitive to changing economic conditions.
Also, the success of our transaction business depends, in part, on third parties and factors over which we have limited control. For example,
we rely on independent automobile sellers and our logistics partners to perform order fulfillments for vehicles sold on our platform. We may not have full control over the offline order fulfillment procedures, and any dissatisfaction from the
consumers might result in customer complaints. We cannot guarantee that such complaints will be resolved in a satisfactory manner. As a result, our reputation could be harmed, which could adversely affect our business and financial performance.
If we are unable to grow our auto finance business, we may not be able to achieve our expected business growth and our results of operations may be
adversely affected.
In early 2017, we launched our auto finance business and started to provide services to our cooperative banks
and financial institutions by displaying and marketing their financial products, including financing and financial leasing products, on our platform. We enable our cooperative banks and financial institutions to present their financial products to
users of our websites and mobile applications and to accept users auto financing applications. We also introduced merchant loans offered by our cooperative financial institutions to automobile sellers. In addition, we acquired a Chinese
insurance broker, Shanghai Tianhe Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Tianhe, in September 2017, and started to engage in offline insurance brokerage business in November 2017. Currently, Shanghai Tianhe primarily engages in offline insurance
brokerage business for our users and has launched its online insurance brokerage business through cooperating with a major insurance company since late 2018, after completing the registration process required for engaging in online insurance
business in the PRC. Shanghai Tianhe has also begun to cooperate closely with automobile dealers and sellers to promote our financial partners insurance products to the automobile buyers.
Since our auto finance business is subject to broad regulation and supervision in the PRC, we may need to handle regulatory inspections during
our ordinary course of business from time to time. We have developed an internal control system relating to compliance matters for auto finance business to satisfy the applicable PRC regulatory standards. However, as our auto finance business,
especially our insurance brokerage business, grows rapidly, we cannot assure you that the internal control system could always work effectively in tracking and administering the compliance matters relevant to our auto finance business and we may
need to incur increased compliance costs to maintain and upgrade such internal control system effectively. If we cannot satisfy any of the requirements of competent authorities, we would be exposed to the relevant regulatory risks, which may result
in penalties imposed against us. In addition, although we have an existing large user base, we cannot assure you that the business model of our auto finance business will be attractive to users and financial partners. Failure to provide satisfactory
services on our platform or facilitate financing transactions between our users and financial product providers would cause an adverse impact on our auto finance business. As a result, we may not be able to achieve our expected business growth and
our results of operations may be adversely affected.
If we fail to attract and retain users and customers, our business and results of operations
may be materially and adversely affected.
In order to maintain and strengthen our position as a leading online destination for
automobile consumers in China, we must continue to attract and retain users to our websites and mobile applications, which requires us to continue to provide quality content throughout the automobile ownership life cycles. We must also innovate and
introduce services and applications that enhance user experience. In addition, we must maintain and enhance our brand recognition among consumers. If we fail to provide high-quality, enriched and customized content, offer a superior user experience
or maintain and enhance our brand recognition, we may not be able to attract and retain users. Also, the user experience we offer to automobile consumers may be negatively affected by the
non-automobile
advertisements displayed on our websites and applications. If our user base decreases, our websites and mobile applications may be rendered less attractive to customers, including automakers and dealers, and our services may become less attractive,
which may have a material and adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
8
We may not be able to successfully monetize and expand our mobile internet services.
We plan to continue to expand our mobile internet services and explore monetization strategies for our mobile internet services.
We have made significant efforts in recent years to optimize the mobile version of our websites and mobile applications to display our content and develop new mobile applications to capture a greater number of users that access our services
through mobile devices. For example, according to
QuestMobile
, the combined number of average daily unique visitors for our mobile websites and primary application amounted to 29.1 million in December 2018, representing an approximate
10% year-over-year increase. We plan to devote more resources to enhance the functions and user interfaces of our mobile applications. However, if we are unable to attract and retain a substantial number of mobile device users, or if we do not keep
up with our competitors in developing attractive services that are adapted for such mobile devices, we may fail to capture a significant share of an increasingly important portion of the mobile internet market for our services or lose existing
users. Our limited experience in monetizing our mobile internet services makes it difficult to predict whether we will succeed in developing mobile applications that appeal to automakers and dealers. Our experience in developing browser-based
applications may not be relevant to developing mobile applications.
We believe an increasing number of sales leads were generated from
our mobile applications as evidenced by the significant increase of our advertising revenue via our mobile platform. However, we cannot guarantee you that monetization strategies for our mobile internet services will continue to be successful. As
our users continue to allocate more time on our mobile services instead of our traditional PC services, mobile monetization has become increasingly important to our results of operations. Accordingly, if we are unable to successfully implement
monetization strategies for our mobile internet users, our results of operations may be negatively affected.
A limited number of automaker
advertisers have accounted for, and are expected to continue to account for, a large portion of our media services revenues. Failure to maintain or to increase revenues from these advertisers could harm our prospects.
A limited number of automaker advertisers have accounted for, and are expected to continue to account for, a large portion of our media
services revenues. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, 95, 101 and 103 automakers operating in China used our media services, respectively. These automakers include independent Chinese automakers, joint ventures between Chinese and international automakers and
international automakers that sell cars made outside of China. In 2018, our top five automaker advertisers contributed 22.2% of our media services revenues. We believe that our major future revenue growth will be focused on deepening our existing
commercial relationships with automakers to increase our share of each automakers advertising budget. In addition, we have been prioritizing the direct cooperation with the automaker advertisers on ad placement since 2018. Compared to the
indirect cooperation through advertising agencies, such direct cooperation model requires us to undertake more obligations and may impose extra costs and risks on us, such as the periodic issuance of advertising reports to the automaker advertisers
and a longer payment collection period for advertising fees to be paid by automaker advertisers. We cannot assure you that our automaker advertisers will continue to be satisfied with our direct cooperation model and strategy as well as our media
services, or our relationships with any of these automaker customers will continue in the future. Failure to issue and provide periodic advertising reports satisfactory to our automaker customers or failure to reach a mutually amicable agreement
with our automaker customers on the collection of advertising fees may adversely impact our relationships with our automaker customers, which would have a negative impact on our reputation and results of operations. If we lose one or more of our
important automaker customers, or if they materially reduce their purchase of our services, our results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.
Due to the limited number of automakers operating in China and our revenue concentration attributable to a small number of these companies,
any of the following events, among others, may cause a material decline in our revenue and materially and adversely affect our results of operations and prospects:
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contract reduction, delay or cancellation by one or more significant advertisers and our failure to identify and
acquire additional or replacement advertisers;
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dissatisfaction with our advertising services by one or more of our significant advertisers;
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9
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a substantial reduction by one or more of our significant advertisers in the price they are willing to pay for
our services; and
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financial difficulty of one or more of our significant advertisers who become unable to make timely payment for
the advertisements placed on our websites and mobile applications.
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If we are unable to grow our used automobile-related business,
we may not be able to achieve our expected business growth and our results of operations may be adversely affected.
Our
che168.com
website has been focusing on used automobile information and content since October 2011. We also launched che168.com mobile application in 2012. Through these platforms, we offer used automobile listing services to used automobile
dealers and individual car owners through a user interface that allows potential used car buyers to identify listings that meet their specific requirements and contact the seller. To further enhance user experience and optimize our used
automobile-related business, in June 2018, we invested in TTP Car Inc., or TTP, a company operating an online bidding platform for used automobiles.
We may not be able to successfully grow our used automobile-related business. Although the used automobile market in China is growing due to
the increased number of consumer-owned automobiles, there is still significant uncertainty regarding the extent to which our used automobile-related business may benefit from such growth. We may not be able to source sufficient used automobiles or
attract a broad user base to our che168.com website and mobile application or be successful compared to our competitors. Even if we are able to do so, we may not be able to establish a business model that allows us to effectively monetize the user
traffic. We may not be able to successfully facilitate used car transactions and our services might not be satisfactory to the used car buyers or sellers. Additionally, customers may not respond well to our new business initiatives as we expect. In
such cases, we may suffer negative publicity and may not be able to achieve our expected business growth and our results of operations may be adversely affected.
Our results of operations will be materially and adversely affected if our services do not gain market acceptance or result in the loss of our current
customer base.
One element of our growth strategy is to expand our services to customers. As a result, we have added additional
services in the past few years. To serve our dealer customers, we had local sales and service representatives covering 192 cities across China as of December 31, 2018. We intend to increase our penetration in existing dealer advertising and
subscription services markets. We have implemented business strategies to further monetize our large dealer network by enlarging the offering of products and services with new technologies on our dealer digital platform, increasing the average
spending of our existing dealer subscribers and upselling our dealership packages for our leads generation services. In order to increase the average spending of our existing dealer subscribers, we keep close communications and negotiations with
relevant parties such as dealers, dealers group and automakers. However, we may not succeed in making our customers sufficiently aware of existing and future services or in creating customer acceptance of these services at the prices we would want
to charge, and we cannot guarantee that our pricing strategy and measures will always be agreed and accepted by any and all of our customers. We may not be able to achieve the market acceptance of our products and services as we expect and thus may
fail to achieve an increase from our share of wallet approach. Our existing customers may even terminate their cooperation with us if they are not satisfied with our pricing strategy or measures, which may subject us to negative
publicity and adversely impact our business. Also, we may not identify trends correctly, or may not be able to bring new services to market as quickly, effectively or price-competitively as our competitors. New services may alienate existing
customers or cause us to lose business to our competitors. If the number of our dealer customers decreases, we will not be able to generate sufficient revenues to cover our increased costs and expenses. As a result, our business and results of
operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our business depends on strong brand recognition, and failure to maintain or enhance our brands
could adversely affect our business and prospects.
Maintaining and enhancing our Autohome and Che168
brands is critical to our business and prospects. We believe that brand recognition will become increasingly important as the number of internet users in China grows and competition in our industry intensifies. A number of factors could prevent us
from successfully promoting our brands, including user dissatisfaction with the content offered on our websites or mobile applications, negative publicity involving our business, our management, our relationship with our partners and customers, the
failure of our sales and marketing activities, employee relationship and welfare, regulatory compliance and financial conditions. If we fail to maintain and enhance our brands, or if we incur excessive expenses in this effort, our business, results
of operations and financial condition will be materially and adversely affected.
If we are unable to conduct our marketing activities
cost-effectively, our results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
10
We have incurred expenses on a variety of marketing and brand promotion efforts designed to
enhance our brand recognition and increase sales of our products and services. Our marketing and promotional activities may not be well received by customers and may not result in the level of sales of products and services that we anticipate. We
incurred RMB1,536.9 million, RMB1,647.5 million and RMB2,435.2 million (US$354.2 million) in sales and marketing expenses in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively, representing 28.8%, 29.2% and 33.6%, respectively, of total net revenues
in the corresponding years. Marketing approaches and tools in the consumer products market in China are evolving. This further requires us to enhance our marketing approaches and experiment with new marketing methods to keep pace with industry
developments and consumer preferences, which may not be as cost-effective as our marketing activities in the past and may lead to significantly higher marketing expenses in the future. We conducted various sales and marketing initiatives to promote
our brands through websites, search engines, mobile platforms, navigation sites and traditional media channels, for example, the annual Singles Day event, the AR Auto Show event and TV ad broadcast on China Central
Television. We also conducted various offline promotional activities and cooperated with brands and dealers for promotions in target regions. We may not be able to continue or conduct these activities efficiently, and our marketing activities may
not yield satisfactory results. Failure to refine our existing marketing approaches or to introduce new effective marketing approaches in a cost-effective manner could impact our net revenues and profitability.
We may not be able to sustain our historical growth.
Our historical growth rates may not be indicative of our future growth, and we may not be able to generate similar growth rates in the future.
We have increased our net revenue since 2016 to RMB7,233.2 million (US$1,052.0 million) in 2018, representing a three-year CAGR of 16.3%. Also, our net income attributable to Autohome Inc. increased from RMB1,227.9 million in 2016 to
RMB2,001.6 million in 2017 and RMB2,871.0 million (US$417.6 million) in 2018, representing a CAGR of 52.9%. Our revenue or profit growth may slow down, or our revenues or profits may decline for any occurrence of possible reasons,
including increasing operating expenses, increasing competition, slow growth of our business development, emergence of alternative business models, and changes in government policies or general economic conditions. We cannot assure you that we will
grow at the same rate as we had in the past. If our growth rate declines, investors perceptions of our business and business prospects may be adversely affected and the market price of our ADSs could decline.
Inaccuracy in pricing and listing information provided by third parties on our platform may adversely affect our business and financial performance.
Our automobile listings and promotional information are provided and updated by third parties on our platform, including the
automakers, dealers, independent automobile sellers, financial partners and used car sellers. Users interested in particular vehicle models can conveniently search for
up-to-date
information on such models without having to visit the local showrooms of relevant dealers or solicit related information from other sources. Although we have
optimized our system to detect pricing inaccuracy and have leveraged our advanced technology and third-party data to improve the accuracy of price listings and promotional information on our platform, we cannot assure you that these measures are
always effective to ensure the accuracy and reliability of pricing and listing information provided to our users. If such listings and promotional information provided by the third parties on our platform are frequently inaccurate or not reliable,
our users may lose faith in our websites and mobile applications, resulting in reduced user traffic to our websites and mobile applications and diminished value to advertisers. We may receive more customer complaints, and we may need to allocate
more resources in responding and handling such complaints. We cannot guarantee that such complaints will be resolved in satisfactory outcome. Our reputation could be harmed, which could adversely affect our business and financial performance.
If we are unable to maintain our relationships with advertising agencies or if we are unable to collect accounts receivable from advertising agencies in
a timely manner, our results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
Although we consider
automakers and automobile dealers to be our
end-customers
for our media services and have been prioritizing the direct cooperation with the automaker advertisers on ad placement since 2018, we are currently
selling a substantial portion of our advertising services and solutions to third-party advertising agencies that represent the automakers and automobile dealers, who could maintain our business relationships with automakers and automobile dealers.
We do not have long-term cooperation agreements or exclusive arrangements with these agencies and they may elect to direct business to other advertising service providers, including our competitors. If we fail to retain and enhance our business
relationships with third-party advertising agencies, in particular the few ones we frequently transact with, we may suffer from a loss of advertisers and our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and
adversely affected. In our agreements with certain major advertising agencies, we undertake to provide them with most favored pricing terms. Such most favored pricing terms may hinder our ability to acquire new customers using special pricing terms.
11
In addition, we have been relying on third-party advertising agencies for the collection of
payment from advertisers and we have been relying on a few advertising agencies to collect a significant portion of our total account receivables. As a result, the financial soundness of advertising agencies may affect our collection of accounts
receivable. We make a credit assessment of a potential advertising agency to evaluate the collectability of the advertising service fees before entering into an advertising contract. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to accurately
assess the creditworthiness of each advertising agency, and any failure of advertising agencies to pay us in a timely manner may adversely affect our liquidity and cash flows. Initiating legal proceedings against such advertising agencies can be
expensive and time-consuming, and could divert our managements attention and other resources from our business operations, which could adversely affect our results of operations. Even if we receive a favorable judgment in such legal
proceedings, it may still be challenging and uncertain for us to collect the outstanding payments promptly and in full from the advertising agencies if they are experiencing financial difficulties.
If online advertising and promotion do not continue to grow in China, our ability to increase revenue and profitability could be materially and
adversely affected.
With the continuous growth of internet usage in China, the internet has become an increasingly important
marketing and advertising channel to Chinas automotive industry. Although online advertising and promotion have constituted a significant portion of the overall marketing activities of our current and potential advertisers and dealer
subscribers, if the promotional effect or outcome realized through online advertising and promotion cannot meet the expectations of advertisers and dealer subscribers or address their needs, our advertisers and dealer subscribers may decrease their
spending and efforts on online advertising and promotion and devote more marketing budgets to traditional print and broadcast media. Our ability to increase revenue and profitability from online marketing may be adversely impacted by a number of
factors, many of which are beyond our control, including:
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difficulties associated with developing a larger user base with demographic characteristics attractive to
advertisers;
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increased competition and potential downward pressure on online advertising prices;
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difficulties in acquiring and retaining advertisers or dealer subscribers;
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uncertainties and changes in regards to PRC regulations on internet advertisements;
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failure to develop an independent and reliable means of verifying online traffic; and
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decreased use of the internet or online marketing in China.
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If the internet does not become more widely accepted as an effective media platform for advertising and marketing by Chinas automotive
industry, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
12
Our business is subject to fluctuations, which makes our results of operations difficult to predict and may
cause our quarterly results of operations to fall short of expectations.
Our quarterly revenues and other operating results have
fluctuated in the past and may continue to fluctuate depending upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our business experiences seasonal variations in association with the demand for automobiles in China. For example, the
first quarter of each year generally contributes the lowest portion of our annual net revenues primarily due to a slowdown in business activity around and during the Chinese New Year holiday, which occurs during the period. Consequently, our results
of operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter. For these reasons, comparing our operating results on a
period-to-period
basis may not be meaningful, and you should
not rely on our historical results as an indication of our future performance. As each of our business lines may have different seasonality factors and the mix of our revenue source may shift from year to year, our past performance may not be
indicative of future trends.
In addition, because a significant portion of our revenues arising from our media services is attributable to
new model promotion campaigns, the timing of new car releases of our major automaker advertisers can have a significant impact on our results of operations. The timing of such releases, however, is subject to uncertainty due to various factors, such
as automakers design or manufacturing issues, marketing conditions and government incentives or restrictions. These factors may make our results of operations difficult to predict and cause our quarterly results of operations to fall short of
expectations.
Problems with our network infrastructure or information technology systems could impair our ability to provide services.
Our ability to provide our users with a high-quality online experience depends on the continuing operation and scalability of our network
infrastructure and information technology systems. Our systems are potentially vulnerable to damage or interruption as a result of earthquakes, floods, fires, extreme temperatures, power loss, telecommunications failures, technical error, computer
viruses, hacking or similar events. We may encounter problems when upgrading our systems or services and undetected programming errors could adversely affect the performance of the software we use to provide our services. The development and
implementation of software upgrades and other improvements to our internet services is a complex process, and issues not identified during
pre-launch
testing of new services may only become evident when such
services are made available to our entire user base.
In addition, we rely on content delivery networks, data centers and other network
facilities provided by third parties. Any disruption to these network facilities may result in service interruptions, decreases in connection speed, degradation of our services or the permanent loss of user data and uploaded content. If we
experience frequent or persistent service disruptions, whether caused by failures of our own systems or those of third-party service providers, our reputation or relationships with our users or advertisers may be damaged and our users and
advertisers may switch to our competitors, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Computer viruses and hacking may cause delays or interruptions on our systems and may reduce use of our services and damage our reputation
and brand.
Computer viruses and hacking may cause delays or other service interruptions on our systems.
Hacking involves efforts to gain unauthorized access to information or systems or to cause intentional malfunctions, loss or corruption of data, including user identity data, software, hardware or other computer equipment. In addition,
the inadvertent transmission of computer viruses could result in significant damage to our hardware and software systems and databases, disruptions to our business activities, including our
e-mail
and other
communications systems, breaches of security and inadvertent disclosure of confidential or sensitive information, interruptions in access to our website through the use of denial of service or similar attacks and other material adverse
effects on our operations. We have experienced hacking attacks in the past, and although such attacks in the past have not had a material adverse effect on our operations, there is no assurance that there will be no serious computer viruses or
hacking attacks in the future. We may incur significant costs to protect our systems and equipment against the threat of, and to repair any damage caused by, computer viruses and hacking. Moreover, if a computer virus or hacking affects our systems
and is highly publicized, our reputation and brand could be materially damaged and use of our services may decrease.
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Failure to ensure and protect the confidentiality of personal data could subject us to penalties,
negatively impact our reputation and brand and deter customers and users from using our platform.
Ensuring secured transmission
of confidential information through public networks is essential to maintaining the confidence of our customers and users. Our existing security measures may not be adequate to protect such confidential information. In addition, computer and network
systems are susceptible to breaches by computer hackers. Security breaches could expose us to litigation and potential liability for failing to secure confidential customer information and could harm our reputation and reduce our ability to attract
customers and users. Future security breaches, if any, may result in a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Practices regarding the collection, use, storage, transmission and security of personal information by companies operating over the internet
and mobile platforms have recently come under increased public scrutiny. As Chinas internet industry continues to evolve, we believe that it is likely that the PRC government will strengthen the supervision and regulation on data privacy on
the internet. We may become subject to new laws and regulations applying to the solicitation, collection, processing or use of personal or consumer information that could affect how we store, process and share data with our customers. We generally
comply with industry standards and are subject to the terms of our own privacy policies. Compliance with any additional laws could be expensive and may place restrictions on the conduct of our business and the manner in which we interact with our
customers. Any failure to comply with applicable regulations could also result in regulatory enforcement actions against us, subject us to negative publicity and significant penalties, including administrative warnings, confiscation of illegal
gains, a fine between one to ten times of the illegal gains, suspension of relevant businesses, close-down of website or revocation of relevant business permits or business licenses where the circumstances are serious, require us to change our
business practices, increase our operating costs and ultimately cause an adverse effect on our business.
Pursuant to the General Rules of
the Civil Law of the PRC, which was promulgated in March 2017 and came into effect in October 2017, the Cyber Security Law of the PRC, which was promulgated in November 2016 and became effective in June 2017, and the
E-commerce
Law of the PRC, which was promulgated in August 2018 and became effective in January 2019, network operators should, in the course of collecting and using personal information, follow the principles
of legitimacy, properness and necessity, disclose their rules with respect to data collection and usage, and clearly indicate the purposes, means and scope of collecting and using information. Network operators are not allowed to collect personal
information which is irrelevant to the services they provide or to collect or use personal information in violation of laws, regulations and mutual agreements. In addition, network operators should not divulge, tamper with or damage the personal
information they have collected, and should not provide the collected personal information to others without the consent of the data subject. Also, network operators should adopt technical measures and other necessary measures to ensure the security
of the personal information they have collected and prevent such information from being divulged, damaged or lost. If personal information has been or may be divulged, damaged or lost, it is necessary to take remedial measures immediately, inform
users promptly and report the same to the relevant competent governmental authorities. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC RegulationRegulations on Internet Privacy.
Our practices may become inconsistent with new laws or regulations concerning data protection, or the interpretation and application of
existing consumer and data protection laws or regulations, which is often uncertain and in flux. If so, in addition to the possibility of fines, this could result in an order requiring that we change our practices, which could have an adverse effect
on our business and operating results. For example, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which came into effect on May 25, 2018, includes operational requirements for companies that receive or process personal data of
residents of the European Economic Area. The GDPR establishes new requirements applicable to the processing of personal data, affords new data protection rights to individuals and imposes penalties for serious data breaches. Individuals also have a
right to compensation under the GDPR for financial or
non-financial
losses. Although we do not conduct any business in the European Economic Area, in the event that residents of the European Economic Area
access our website and input protected information, we may become subject to provisions of the GDPR. Complying with new laws and regulations could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner
materially adverse to our business.
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Significant capital and other resources may be required to protect against information security
breaches or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches or to comply with our privacy policies or privacy-related legal obligations. The resources required may increase over time as the methods used by hackers and others engaged in online criminal
activities are increasingly sophisticated, well-funded and constantly evolving. Any failure or perceived failure by us to prevent information security breaches or to comply with privacy policies or privacy-related legal obligations, or any
compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personally identifiable information or other customer data, could cause our customers to lose trust in us and could expose us to legal claims. Any perception by the
public that online transactions or the privacy of user information is becoming increasingly unsafe or vulnerable to attacks could inhibit the growth of online retail and other online services generally, which may reduce the number of orders we
receive.
The continuing and collaborative efforts of our senior management, key employees and highly skilled personnel are crucial to our success,
and our business may be harmed if we were to lose their services.
Our success depends on the continuous efforts and services of
our senior management team and other key personnel. If one or more of our executive officers or other key personnel are unable or unwilling to continue to provide us with their services, we might not be able to replace them within a short period of
time or at all. Our business could be severely disrupted, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, and we might incur additional expenses to recruit, train and retain personnel. Our senior
management team is crucial to executing our business strategies. Failure to retain our key management and personnel may create considerable uncertainty on the direction of our future development. If any of our executive officers joins a competitor
or forms a competing company, we may lose customers,
know-how
and key professionals and staff members. Each of our executive officers has entered into an employment agreement with us, which contains
non-competition
provisions. However, if any dispute arises between us and our executive officers, we may have to incur substantial costs and expenses in order to enforce these agreements in China.
Our performance and future success also depend on our ability to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain skilled personnel for all areas
of our organization. Competition in the automotive and internet advertising industries and the online automobile transaction industry for qualified employees is intense, and if competition in these industries further intensifies, it may be more
difficult for us to hire, motivate and retain highly skilled personnel. If the personnel holding key positions at our company are not as qualified as we expect or if we do not succeed in attracting additional highly skilled personnel or retaining or
motivating our existing personnel, we may be unable to grow effectively or at all.
In addition, employee misconduct could expose us to
significant legal liability and reputational harm. If any of our employees and management members engages in improper, illegal or suspicious activities or other misconduct in violation of our ethical policies, regulatory rules or regulations
concerning anti-corruption, bribery and other ethical issues, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial condition, relationships with our business partners, automakers and dealers and our ability to attract new users and customers.
We could even be subject to regulatory sanctions and significant legal liability.
We may be subject to claims, suits, government investigations,
and other proceedings that may result in adverse outcomes.
We may be subject to claims, suits, and government investigations
involving competition, intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, tax, labor and employment, commercial disputes, advertisements and content placed on our websites and mobile applications, and other matters. Our business may also face
intellectual property infringement claims, as further discussed elsewhere in this annual report, that expose us to the risk of reputation damage. Such claims, suits, and government investigations are inherently uncertain and their results cannot be
predicted with certainty. Regardless of the outcome, any of these types of legal proceedings can have an adverse impact on us due to the legal costs, diversion of management resources, negative publicity and other factors involved therein. It is
possible that one or more of such proceedings could result in substantial fines and penalties that could adversely affect our business.
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If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, our brand and business may suffer.
We rely on a combination of trademark, patent, copyright and trade secret protection laws in the PRC and other jurisdictions, as well as
through confidentiality agreements and other measures, to protect our intellectual property rights. Our major brand names and logos are registered trademarks in China. Most of our original generated content and professionally generated content
available on our websites and mobile applications and proprietary software are protected by copyright laws. Despite our precautions, third parties may obtain and use our intellectual property without our authorization. Historically, the legal system
and courts of the PRC have not protected intellectual property rights to the same extent as the legal system and courts of the United States, and companies operating in the PRC continue to face an increased risk of intellectual property
infringement. Furthermore, the validity, application, enforceability and scope of protection of intellectual property rights for many internet-related activities, such as internet commercial methods patents, are uncertain and still evolving in China
and abroad, which may make it more difficult for us to protect our intellectual property. From time to time, other websites may use our articles, photos or other content without our proper authorization. Although such use has not in the past caused
any material damage to our business, it is possible that there may be misappropriation on a much larger scale with a material adverse impact to our business. If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights in the future, our
brand and business may suffer.
We may be vulnerable to intellectual property infringement claims brought against us by others.
Internet, technology and media companies are frequently involved in litigation based on allegations of infringement of intellectual property
rights, unfair competition, invasion of privacy, defamation and other violation of other parties rights. We have not experienced any material claims on these issues against us in the past, but as we face increasing competition and as
litigation becomes more common in China in resolving commercial disputes, we face a higher risk of being the subject of intellectual property infringement claims. Also, third parties may submit intellectual property infringement claims against us to
the app stores where our mobile applications are available. In such cases, our mobile applications may be taken down by the relevant app stores until such claims have been resolved, which could significantly restrict our users from downloading or
updating our mobile applications and thus adversely affect our business and results of operations. In addition, we may be subject to legal proceedings and claims from time to time relating to the intellectual property of others in the ordinary
course of our business. We could also be subject to claims based upon the content that is displayed on our websites, our mobile platforms or accessible from our websites through links to other websites or information on our websites and mobile
applications supplied by third parties. Intellectual property claims and litigation are expensive and time-consuming to investigate and defend and may divert resources and management attention from the operation of our websites and mobile
applications. Such claims, even if they do not result in liability, may harm our reputation. Any resulting liability or expenses, or changes required to our websites and mobile applications to reduce the risk of future liability, may have a material
adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to liability for advertisements and other content
placed on our websites and mobile applications.
The PRC government has adopted regulations governing advertising content as well
as internet access and the distribution of information over the internet. Under PRC advertising laws and regulations, we are obligated to monitor the advertising content shown on our websites and mobile applications to ensure that such content is
true and accurate and in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC RegulationRegulations on Advertisements. Under the Administrative Measures for
Internet Information Services, which were promulgated in September 2000 and revised in January 2011, internet content providers and internet publishers are prohibited from posting or displaying over the internet content that, among other things,
compromises national security, harms the dignity or interests of the state, incites ethnic hatred or racial discrimination, undermines the PRCs religious policy, disturbs social order, disseminates obscenity or pornography, encourages
gambling, violence, murder or fear, incites the commission of a crime, infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of a third party, or is otherwise prohibited by law or administrative regulations. Internet service providers are required to
conduct verification of identity information of users. If information disseminated by internet users on their internet accounts or internet chat groups contains information prohibited by laws and regulations, the service providers are obliged to
take measures including issuing warnings to the relevant users, suspending their publication of the inappropriate information or closing their accounts or chat groups. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC
RegulationRegulations on Internet Content Services. Under the regulations on online live-streaming services, online live-streaming service providers shall establish platforms for reviewing live-streaming content. Online live-streaming
service providers and online live-streaming publishers that provide internet news information services without permits, or exceeding the scope of their permits, are subject to punishment. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business
OverviewRegulations on Online Performances and Online Live-streaming Services.
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We display both automotive and
non-automotive
advertisements on our websites and mobile applications. In addition, we allow users to upload written materials, images, pictures and other content on our websites, mobile applications, including user forums, and also allow users to share and link
to content from other websites through our websites, mobile applications, including user forums. Moreover, we have also added online live-streaming features on our websites and mobile applications. Failure to identify and prevent illegal or
inappropriate content from being displayed on or through our websites and mobile applications may subject us to liability. We cannot assure you that all of the advertisements and content shown or posted on our websites and mobile applications adhere
to the advertising and internet content laws and regulations, especially given the uncertainty in the interpretation of these PRC laws and regulations.
If PRC regulatory authorities determine that any advertisements or content displayed on our websites and mobile applications do not adhere to
applicable laws and regulations, they may require us to limit or eliminate the dissemination or availability of such advertisements and other content on our websites and mobile applications in the form of take-down orders or otherwise. Such
regulatory authorities may also impose penalties on us, including fines, confiscation of advertising income or, in circumstances involving more serious violations by us, the termination of our advertising or internet content licenses, any of which
would materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
In addition, we may be subject to claims by consumers
asserting that the information on our websites and mobile applications is misleading, and we may not be able to recover our losses from advertisers. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and
adversely affected.
We may undertake acquisitions, investments, joint ventures or other alliances, which could prove difficult to integrate,
disrupt our business or otherwise negatively impact our results of operations.
As part of our business strategy, we regularly
evaluate potential acquisitions, investments and alliances, including joint ventures, minority equity investments and strategic investments. These transactions involve numerous risks, including:
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the failure to achieve the expected benefits of the acquisition, investment or alliance;
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difficulties in, and the cost of, integrating operations, technologies, services and personnel;
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write-offs of investments or acquired assets;
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non-performance
by, or conflicts of interest with, the parties with whom
we enter into investments or alliances;
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limited ability to monitor or control the actions of other parties with whom we enter into investments or
alliances;
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misuse of proprietary information shared in connection with an acquisition, investment or alliance; and
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depending on the nature of the acquisition, investment or alliance, exposure to new regulatory risks.
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The realization of any of these risks could materially and adversely affect our business. To the
extent any of our directors or officers also invests in a capacity other than as our director or officer, his or her interest may not be aligned with ours.
In addition, if we finance acquisitions by issuing equity or convertible debt securities, our existing shareholders may be diluted, which
could affect the market price of our ADSs.
Furthermore, we may fail to identify or secure suitable acquisition, investment and other
strategic opportunities, or our competitors may capitalize on such opportunities before we do, which could impair our ability to compete with our competitors and adversely affect our growth prospects and results of operations.
Any financial or economic crisis, or perceived threat of such a crisis, including a significant decrease in consumer confidence, may materially and
adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The global financial markets experienced
significant disruptions in 2008 and the United States, European and other economies went into recession. The recovery from the lows of 2008 and 2009 was uneven and the global financial markets are facing new challenges, including the escalation of
the European sovereign debt crisis since 2011, the hostilities in the Ukraine, the end of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the economic slowdown in the Eurozone in 2014. It is unclear whether these challenges will continue to
exist and what effects they each may have. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies that have been adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the
worlds leading economies, including Chinas. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions. Any prolonged slowdown in Chinas economic development might lead to tighter credit markets, increased market
volatility, sudden drops in business and consumer confidence and dramatic changes in business and consumer behaviors. In response to their perceived uncertainty in economic conditions, consumers might delay, reduce or cancel purchases of
automobiles, and our advertisers may also defer, reduce or cancel purchasing our services. To the extent any fluctuations in the Chinese economy significantly affect automakers and dealers demand for our services or change their spending
habits, our results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our third-party vendors may raise prices and, as a result, increase our
operating expenses.
We rely on third parties for certain essential services such as internet services and we may not have any
control over the costs of the services they provide. The third-party service providers may raise prices, which might not be commercially reasonable to us. If we are forced to seek other providers, there is no assurance that we will be able to find
alternative providers that are willing or able to provide comparable high-quality services and that will not charge us higher prices for their services. If the prices that we are required to pay to third-party service providers rise significantly,
our results of operations could be adversely affected.
We are a controlled company within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance
requirements, which may result in public investors not having as much protection as they would if we were not a controlled company.
As of March 31, 2019, Yun Chen Capital Cayman, or Yun Chen, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China,
Ltd., or Ping An Group, owned 52.2% of the total voting rights in our company, and we are a controlled company under Section 303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual. As a controlled company, we rely on certain
exemptions that are available to controlled companies from the NYSE corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
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a majority of our board of directors consists of independent directors;
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our compensation committee be composed entirely of independent directors; and
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our corporate governance and nominating committee be composed entirely of independent directors.
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We are not required to and will not voluntarily meet these requirements. As a result of our use of the controlled
company exemption, our investors will not have the same protection as they would if we were not a controlled company.
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In addition, because Ping An Group beneficially owns over 50% of the voting rights in our
company, it has decisive influence in determining the outcome of any corporate transaction or other matter submitted to the shareholders for approval, including mergers, consolidations and the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, election
of directors and other significant corporate actions. Without the consent of Ping An Group, we may be prevented from entering into transactions that could be beneficial to us. The interests of Ping An Group may differ from the interests of our other
shareholders. Furthermore, Ping An Groups business activities, although not related to our operations, may adversely impact reputation. As Ping An Group is a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and beneficially controls a
majority of our voting rights, Ping An Group may be required to disclose information on us from time to time, which may subject us to additional costs and efforts in making such disclosures.
We have and expect to continue to have related party transactions with Ping An Group. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Ping An Group provided us with
services in the amount of RMB21.6 million, RMB55.2 million and RMB88.7 million (US$12.9 million), respectively. In 2017 and 2018, we provided services to Ping An Group in the amount of RMB21.2 million and RMB473.5 million
(US$68.9 million), respectively. The tax authorities may impose reasonable adjustments on taxation if they have identified any related party transactions that are inconsistent with arms length principle. In addition, although we did not
and do not expect to rely upon revenues from Ping An Group, if Ping An Group decides to reduce or even terminate its transactions with us, our business, financial conditions and results of operations may be adversely affected.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial
results or prevent fraud may be adversely affected, and investor confidence and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely impacted.
The Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, adopted rules requiring
every public company to include a management report on the companys internal control over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains managements assessment of the effectiveness of the companys internal control over
financial reporting. Our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2018. See Item 15. Controls and ProceduresManagements Annual Report on Internal Control over
Financial Reporting. Our independent registered public accounting firm has issued an attestation report, which has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective in all material aspects as of December 31,
2018.
However, if we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, our management and our independent registered public accounting firm may not be able to conclude that we have effective internal
control over financial reporting at a reasonable assurance level. This could in turn result in loss of investor confidence in the reliability of our financial statements and negatively impact the trading price of our ADSs. Furthermore, we have
incurred and anticipate that we will continue to incur considerable costs, management time and other resources in an effort to comply with Section 404 and other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
We have limited business insurance coverage.
Insurance companies in China currently do not offer as extensive an array of insurance products as insurance companies do in more developed
economies. We do not have any business liability or disruption insurance to cover our operations. We have determined that the costs of insuring for these risks and the difficulties associated with acquiring such insurance on commercially reasonable
terms make it impractical for us to have such insurance. Any uninsured occurrence of business disruption may result in our incurring substantial costs and the diversion of resources, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations
and financial condition.
We face risks related to health epidemics and natural disasters.
We are vulnerable to health epidemics, natural disasters, and other calamities. Any of such occurrences could cause severe disruption to our
daily operations, and may even require a temporary closure of our offices, which may disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, our results of operations could be adversely affected to the extent
that any of these catastrophic events harms the Chinese economy in general.
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Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure
If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our services in China do not comply with PRC governmental
restrictions on foreign investment in internet businesses, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those
operations.
Current PRC laws and regulations place certain restrictions on foreign ownership of companies that provide internet
content services in China. Specifically, foreign ownership of internet service providers or other value-added telecommunication service providers may not exceed 50%. In addition, according to the Several Opinions on the Introduction of Foreign
Investment in the Cultural Industry promulgated by the Ministry of Culture, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, or the SARFT, the General Administration of Press and Publication, or the GAPP, the National Development and Reform
Commission, or the NDRC, and the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, in July 2005, foreign investors are prohibited from investing in or operating internet cultural activities. We are a Cayman Islands company and foreign legal person
under PRC laws. Accordingly, neither we nor our wholly foreign-invested PRC subsidiaries are currently eligible to apply for the required licenses for providing internet content services in China.
As such, we conduct our business activities related to internet content services by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with
two of our VIEs in China, namely Beijing Autohome Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Autohome Information, Beijing Shengtuo Hongyuan Information Technology Co., Ltd., or Shengtuo Hongyuan, and their respective shareholders. In particular, Autohome
Information currently holds an ICP license, a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for Internet Mapping, an Operating License for the Production and Dissemination of Radio and Television Programs, an internet Audio/Video Program
Transmission License, and an Internet Culture Business Permit. In addition, Autohome Information is the sole shareholder of Shanghai Tianhe, an insurance brokerage company, which has completed the registration process required for engaging in online
insurance business in the PRC. Shengtuo Hongyuan currently holds an ICP license, a Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for Internet Mapping, an Operating License for the Production and Dissemination of Radio and Television Programs and
is operating the
che168.com
website and automobile application-related business.
These two VIEs are currently owned by individual
shareholders who are PRC citizens and hold the requisite licenses or permits to operate internet business in China. We do not have any equity interests in these two VIEs but substantially control their operations and receive the economic benefits
through contractual arrangements. We have been and are expected to continue to be dependent upon these two VIEs and their respective subsidiaries for the above mentioned business operations. For more information regarding these contractual
arrangements, see Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party TransactionsB. Related Party TransactionsContractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entities.
In consideration of the previous restrictions imposed on the shareholders of foreign-invested companies engaging in advertising business, we
once conducted advertising business by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with the other two VIEs in China, namely Guangzhou You Che You Jia Advertising Co., Ltd., or Guangzhou Advertising, and Shanghai You Che You Jia Advertising
Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Advertising, and two subsidiaries of Autohome Information, Beijing Shengtuo Autohome Advertising Co., Ltd., or Autohome Advertising, and Beijing Shengtuo Chengshi Advertising Co., Ltd., or Chengshi Advertising. Since the
relevant regulatory environment developed, such restrictions were lifted in 2015. Therefore, in 2015, we completed the migration of our advertising business from Guangzhou Advertising, Shanghai Advertising and other PRC entities to the PRC
subsidiaries of Autohome Media Limited, or Autohome Media, a Hong Kong advertising and marketing company previously named as Prbrownies Marketing Limited. We have completed the dissolution and deregistration of Guangzhou Advertising in December
2018. Shanghai Advertising currently is not conducting any business and is in the process of liquidation and dissolution, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
Based on the advice of our PRC legal counsel, Commerce & Finance Law Offices, the corporate structure of our VIEs and our
subsidiaries in China are in compliance with all existing PRC laws and regulations. However, as there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that the PRC
government would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in
the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the validity of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations.
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If we or any of our current or future VIEs or subsidiaries are found to be in violation of any
existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, the Cyberspace
Administration of China, which regulates internet information services companies, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, or CBIRC, whose predecessor is China Insurance Regulatory Commission, and the China Securities Regulatory
Commission, or the CSRC, would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including levying fines, confiscating our income or the income of Autohome WFOE, Beijing Chezhiying Technology Co., Ltd., or Chezhiying WFOE and the VIEs, revoking
the business licenses or operating licenses of Autohome WFOE, Chezhiying WFOE and the VIEs, shutting down our servers or blocking our websites and mobile applications, discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on our operations,
requiring us to undergo a costly and disruptive restructuring, or taking other enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business.
Any of these actions could cause significant disruption to our business operations and severely damage our reputation, which would in turn
materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations. In addition, if the imposition of any of these penalties causes us to lose the rights to direct the activities of the VIEs or our right to receive their economic benefits, we
would no longer be able to consolidate the VIEs.
Our contractual arrangements with our VIEs may not be as effective in providing operational
control as direct ownership.
We have relied and expect to continue to rely on (i) contractual arrangements with Autohome
Information and its shareholders and (ii) contractual arrangements with Shengtuo Hongyuan and its shareholders to operate our business.
For a description of these contractual arrangements, see Item 7. Major Shareholders and
Related Party TransactionsB. Related Party TransactionsContractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entities. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with control over our VIEs as direct
ownership. If we had direct ownership of these entities, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors, which in turn could effect changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at
the management level. However, under the current contractual arrangements, we rely on the performance by these entities and their shareholders of their contractual obligations to exercise control over our VIEs. Therefore, our contractual
arrangements with our VIEs may not be as effective in ensuring our control over their operations as direct ownership would be.
The shareholders of
our VIEs may breach, or cause our VIEs to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIEs. Any failure by our VIEs or their shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements
with them would have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.
The shareholders of our VIEs may breach,
or cause our VIEs to breach, or refuse to renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIEs. If our VIEs or their shareholders fail to perform their obligations under the contractual arrangements, we may have to incur
substantial costs and expend resources to enforce our rights under the contracts. We may have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief and claiming damages, which may not be effective. For
example, if the shareholders of Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan were to refuse to transfer their equity interests in those companies to us or our designee when we exercise the call option pursuant to these contractual arrangements, if
they transfer the equity interests to other persons against our interests, or if they were otherwise to act in bad faith toward us, then we may have to take legal actions to compel them to perform their contractual obligations.
All of these contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC.
Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in the PRC is not as developed as in other jurisdictions, such as the United
States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. Under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the arbitration results in courts, and the
prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would incur additional expenses and delay. In the event we are unable to enforce these contractual arrangements, we may
not be able to exert effective control over our VIEs, and our ability to conduct our business may be negatively affected.
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The contractual arrangements among our subsidiaries and our VIEs may be subject to scrutiny by the PRC tax
authorities and a finding that we or our VIEs owe additional taxes could substantially reduce our consolidated net income and the value of your investment.
Under PRC laws and regulations, arrangements and transactions among related parties may be subject to audit or challenge by the PRC tax
authorities within ten years after the taxable year when the transactions are conducted. We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that the contractual arrangements among Autohome WFOE, Chezhiying WFOE,
our VIEs and the shareholders of our VIEs do not represent arms length prices and consequently adjust Autohome WFOE and Chezhiying WFOEs or our VIEs income in the form of a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment
could, among other things, result in a reduction, for PRC tax purposes, of expense deductions recorded by our VIEs, which could in turn increase their tax liabilities. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may impose late payment fees and other
penalties on Autohome WFOE, Chezhiying WFOE or our VIEs for any unpaid taxes. Our consolidated net income may be materially and adversely affected if Autohome WFOE and Chezhiying WFOE or our VIEs tax liabilities increase or if they are subject
to late payment fees or other penalties.
The interests of the individual nominee shareholders of our VIEs may be different from our interests,
which may materially and adversely affect our business.
The individual nominee shareholders of Shanghai Advertising, Autohome
Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan are Min Lu, the chairman of our board of directors and our chief executive officer, and Haiyun Lei, an employee of the affiliate of Yun Chen who has been working with Ping An Group and its affiliates for more than
20 years. They each hold 50% of the equity interests in Shanghai Advertising, Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan. Each of these two individuals is a PRC citizen. The interests of the individual nominee shareholders of our VIEs may be
different to our interest. For example, the individual nominee shareholders of our consolidated affiliated entities do not have a significant equity stake in our company. These shareholders may breach, or cause our VIEs to breach, or refuse to
renew, the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and our VIEs, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control our VIEs and receive substantially all the economic benefits from them. For example,
the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with our VIEs to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that
when a conflict of interest arises, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our company or such conflict will be resolved in our favor.
Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address any potential difference of interests between these individual nominee shareholders and
our company. We rely on these individuals to comply with the laws of China, which protect contracts, provide that directors and executive officers owe a duty of loyalty and a duty of diligence to our company and require them to avoid conflicts of
interest and not to take advantage of their positions for personal gain. We also rely on Mr. Min Lu, the chairman of our board of directors and our chief executive officer, to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands, which provide that
directors owe a duty of care to our company. However, the legal frameworks of China and the Cayman Islands do not provide guidance on resolving conflicts in the event of a conflict with another corporate governance regime. If we cannot resolve any
difference of interests or dispute between us and the shareholders of our VIEs, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such
legal proceedings.
We may rely to a significant extent on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash
and financing requirements we may have. Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.
We are a holding company and conduct all of our business through our operating subsidiaries. We may rely to a significant extent on dividends
and other distributions on equity to be paid by our wholly owned PRC subsidiaries for our cash and financing requirements, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders and service any debt we may
incur. If our PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us.
22
Under PRC laws and regulations, our PRC subsidiaries, as wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the
PRC, may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, wholly foreign-owned enterprises are required to set aside at least 10% of their accumulated
after-tax
profits, if any, each year to fund certain statutory reserve funds, until the aggregate amount of such funds reach 50% of their registered capital. These statutory reserve funds are not distributable as
cash dividends.
Any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends or make other distributions to us could materially
and adversely limit our ability to grow, make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our business, pay dividends, or otherwise fund and conduct our business.
PRC regulation of loans to, and direct investment in, PRC entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may
restrict or prevent us from using the proceeds of our equity offerings to make loans to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs or to make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, which may materially and adversely affect our liquidity and
our ability to fund and expand our business.
We are an offshore holding company conducting our operations in China through our
PRC subsidiaries and VIEs. We may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries. Any loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries, which are treated as foreign-invested enterprises under
PRC law, are subject to PRC regulations and foreign exchange loan registrations. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries to finance its activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the competent local counterpart of
the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE. We may also decide to finance our PRC subsidiaries by means of capital contributions. These capital contributions must be filed with the MOFCOM or its local counterpart. Due to the restrictions
imposed on loans in foreign currencies extended to any PRC domestic companies, we are not likely to make such loans to our VIEs, which are PRC domestic companies. Further, we are not likely to finance the activities of our VIEs by means of capital
contributions due to regulatory restrictions relating to foreign investment in PRC domestic enterprises engaged in internet content services.
Pursuant to both of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 promulgated in March 2015 and June 2016, respectively, foreign-invested enterprises
may either continue to follow the current payment-based foreign currency settlement system or choose to follow the
conversion-at-will
system for foreign
currency settlement. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, therefore, have substantially lifted the restrictions on the usage by a foreign-invested enterprise of its Renminbi registered capital, foreign debt and repatriated funds raised through
overseas listing converted from foreign currencies. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, such Renminbi capital, foreign debt and repatriated funds raised through overseas listing may be used at the discretion of the foreign-invested
enterprise and SAFE will eliminate the prior approval requirement and only examine the authenticity of the declared usage afterwards. Nevertheless, it is still not clear whether foreign-invested enterprises like our PRC subsidiaries are allowed to
extend intercompany loans to our VIEs. In addition, as SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 were promulgated recently, there remain substantial uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation of these circulars by relevant
authorities. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC RegulationRegulations on Foreign Exchange.
In light of the various requirements imposed by PRC regulations on loans to and direct investment in PRC entities by offshore holding
companies, we cannot assure you that we will be able to complete the necessary government registrations or obtain the necessary government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries or with
respect to future capital contributions by us to our PRC subsidiaries. If we fail to complete such registrations or obtain such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds we received from our equity offerings and to capitalize or otherwise fund our
PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
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If our PRC subsidiaries or VIEs become the subject of a bankruptcy or liquidation proceeding, we may lose
the ability to use and enjoy some of our key assets, which could reduce the size of our operations and materially and adversely affect our business, our ability to generate revenues and the market price of our ADSs.
As our previous VIE, Guangzhou Advertising, and current VIE, Shanghai Advertising, have no longer operated any business since 2017, we have
completed the dissolution and deregistration of Guangzhou Advertising and are currently undertaking the relevant PRC governmental procedures to liquidate, dissolve and
de-register
Shanghai Advertising. As of
the date of this annual report, we conduct our business mostly through our PRC subsidiaries and the other two operating VIEs, namely, Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan, which hold operating permits and licenses and some of the key assets
that are important to the operation of our business. We expect to continue to be dependent on these operating VIEs to operate our business related to internet content services in China. If the above-mentioned operating VIEs go bankrupt and all or
part of their assets become subject to liens or rights of third-party creditors, we may be unable to continue some or all of our business activities, which would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of
operations. If such VIEs undergo a voluntary or involuntary liquidation proceeding, their equity holders or unrelated third-party creditors may claim rights to some or all of these assets, thereby hindering our ability to operate our business, which
would materially and adversely affect our business, our ability to generate revenues and the market price of our ADSs.
We are subject to changing
laws and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that may increase both our costs and the risk of
non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governmental and self-regulatory organizations at various levels of the governing bodies,
including, for example, the SEC and financial market exchange entities, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and various regulary authorities in China, the Cayman
Islands and the British Virgin Islands, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general
and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over
time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and
comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
Risks Related to Doing Business
in China
Changes in Chinas economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our
business and operations.
The majority of our assets and operations are located in China. Accordingly, our business, financial
condition, results of operations and prospects may be influenced to a significant degree by political, economic and social conditions in China generally and by continued economic growth in China as a whole.
The Chinese economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement,
level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. Although the Chinese government has implemented measures since the late 1970s emphasizing the utilization of market forces for economic reform, the reduction
of state ownership of productive assets, and the establishment of improved corporate governance in business enterprises, a substantial portion of productive assets in China are still owned by the Chinese government. In addition, the Chinese
government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The Chinese government also exercises significant control over Chinas economic growth through allocating resources, controlling
payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy, and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies.
While the Chinese economy has experienced significant growth over the past decades, the growth has been uneven, both geographically and among
various sectors of the economy, and the rate of growth has been slowing. The Chinese government has implemented various measures to encourage economic growth and guide the allocation of resources. Some of these measures may benefit the overall
Chinese economy, but may have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by government control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations. In addition, in the past
the Chinese government has implemented certain measures, including interest rate increases, to control the pace of economic growth. These measures may cause decreased economic activity in China, which may adversely affect our business and operating
results.
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Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could adversely affect us.
We conduct our business primarily through our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and
regulations. Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us. In 1979, the PRC government began to promulgate a comprehensive system of laws and regulations
governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past several decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully
integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of
published decisions and their nonbinding nature, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. Since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing
statutory and contractual terms, it may be difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy. Furthermore, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal
rules, some of which are not published on a timely basis or at all, which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. In addition, any
administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.
Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the PRC Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact the
viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations.
In December 2018, the National
Peoples Congress of the PRC published a draft of the proposed Foreign Investment Law for soliciting public comments. In March 2019, the Foreign Investment Law was enacted by the National Peoples Congress and it will become effective in
January 2020. Upon its enactment, it will replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the
Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with
prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments.
The VIE structure has been adopted by many
PRC-based
companies, including us, to obtain necessary
licenses and permits in the industries that are currently subject to foreign investment restrictions in China. See Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party TransactionsB. Related Party TransactionsContractual Arrangements with
Our Variable Interest Entities and Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Corporate StructureIf the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our services in
China do not comply with PRC governmental restrictions on foreign investment in internet businesses, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to
relinquish our interests in those operations. Although the Foreign Investment Law does not explicitly classify contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, it contains a
catch-all
provision under the definition of foreign investment which includes investments made by foreign investors through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods
prescribed by the State Council. Therefore, it still reserves certain leeway for future legislation by the Stale Council to provide contractual arrangements as a form of foreign investment, in which case it will be uncertain as to
whether our contractual arrangements with our VIEs will be deemed to be in violation of the market access requirements for foreign investments under the PRC laws and regulations, such as the foreign investment restrictions set forth in the Catalogue
for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries, or the Catalogue, issued by the NDRC and the MOFCOM in March 2015 and revised in June 2017 and the Special Administrative Measures for Foreign Investment Access, or the Negative List, issued by the
MOFCOM in July 2018. According to the Catalogue and the Negative List, the provision of internet content services, which we conduct through our VIEs, is subject to foreign investment restrictions. Therefore, such foreign investment restrictions will
be inevitably imposed on our VIEs if our contractual arrangements with our VIEs are further defined or regarded as a form of foreign investment by any future provisions stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by
the State Council. In addition, if future laws, administrative regulations or provisions prescribed by the State Council mandate further actions to be taken by companies with respect to existing contractual arrangements, we may face substantial
uncertainties as to whether we could complete such actions in a timely manner, or at all, and our business and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected. Given the foregoing, uncertainties still exist in relation to the
interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law, which may result in adverse impact on our current corporate structure.
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If our contractual arrangements with our VIEs are defined or regarded as a form of foreign
investment in the future, our corporate governance practice may be impacted and our compliance costs may increase. For instance, the Foreign Investment Law requires foreign investors or foreign-funded enterprises to submit the investment information
to competent governmental authorities for review. Although the contents and scope of such information shall be determined under the principle of necessity and the information that can be obtained through interdepartmental information sharing will
not be required to be resubmitted, foreign investors or foreign-funded enterprises which fail to report their investment information as requested will be required to take corrective measures or be subject to fines. Moreover, the Foreign Investment
Law provides that a security examination mechanism will be established to examine any foreign investment activity that affects or may affect national security. The decision made upon the security examination may impact the operations of the
foreign-funded enterprises.
We may be adversely affected by the complexity, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulation of internet business and
companies.
The PRC government extensively regulates the internet industry, including foreign ownership of, and the licensing and
permit requirements pertaining to, companies in the internet industry. These internet-related laws and regulations are relatively new and evolving, and their interpretation and enforcement involve significant uncertainties. As a result, in certain
circumstances it may be difficult to determine what actions or omissions may be deemed to be violations of applicable laws and regulations. Issues, risks and uncertainties relating to the PRC government regulation of the internet industry include,
but are not limited to, the following:
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We only have contractual control over our websites and mobile applications. We do not own the websites or the
mobile applications due to the restriction on foreign investment in businesses providing value-added telecommunication services in China, which include internet content provision services.
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There are uncertainties relating to the regulation of the internet industry in China, including evolving
licensing requirements. This means that permits, licenses or operations at some of our subsidiaries and VIEs may be subject to challenge, or we may fail to obtain permits or licenses that applicable regulators may deem necessary for our operations,
or we may not be able to obtain or renew permits or licenses. For example, both Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan may be required to obtain additional licenses, including internet publishing licenses and internet news information service
licenses, if the release of articles and information on the mobile applications and the websites
autohome.com.cn
and
che168.com
is deemed by the PRC regulatory authorities as being provision of internet publishing service, internet
news information service. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC RegulationRegulations on Internet Publishing and Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC
RegulationRegulations on Internet News Information Service for additional details.
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The evolving PRC regulatory system for the internet industry may lead to the establishment of new regulatory
agencies. For example, the Cyberspace Administration of China was established in 2014, as the central Internet censorship, oversight and control agency for the PRC.
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New laws and regulations may be promulgated to regulate internet activities, including online advertising
businesses and online auto finance businesses. As such, additional licenses may be required for our operations. If our operations do not comply with these new regulations at the time they become effective, or if we fail to obtain any licenses
required under these new laws and regulations, we could be subject to penalties.
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New government policies and internal rules relating to the regulations on internet activities may negatively
affect our user traffic growth. For example, the
E-commerce
Law, which took effect on January 1, 2019, provides that the character advertisement should be noticeably marked on the commodities
or services ranked under competitive bidding. Complying with such requirements may negatively affect the growth rate of user traffic on our websites and mobile applications. The promulgation of laws and regulations relating to the internet
activities may further impair our user traffic growth.
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On July 13, 2006, the MIIT, the predecessor of which was
the Ministry of Information Industry, issued the Notice of the Ministry of Information Industry on Intensifying the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added Telecommunications Services. This notice prohibits domestic telecommunication
service providers from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operating licenses to any foreign investor in any form, or providing any resources, sites or facilities to any foreign investor for their illegal operation of a
telecommunications business in China. According to this notice, either the holder of a value-added telecommunication services operation permit or its shareholders must directly own the domain names and trademarks used by such license holders in
their provision of value-added telecommunication services. The notice also requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities, including servers, for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered
by its license. Currently, Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan, two of our VIEs, own the related domain names and trademarks and hold the internet content provider licenses, or ICP licenses, necessary to conduct our operations for websites
and mobile applications in China.
The interpretation and application of existing PRC laws, regulations and policies and possible new
laws, regulations or policies relating to the internet industry have created substantial uncertainties regarding the legality of existing and future foreign investments in, and the businesses and activities of, internet businesses in China,
including our business. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our existing licenses or obtain any new licenses if required by any new laws or regulations. There are also risks that we may be found to violate existing or future laws
and regulations given the uncertainty and complexity of Chinas regulation of the internet industry. If we or our VIEs fail to obtain or maintain any of the required assets, licenses or approvals, our continued business operations in the
internet industry may subject us to various penalties, including the confiscation of illegal net revenues, fines and the discontinuation or restriction of our operations, any of which would materially and adversely affect our business and results of
operations.
There are substantial uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the
E-commerce
Law and how it may impact our business operations.
On August 31, 2018,
the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China issued the
E-commerce
Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2019. Pursuant to the
E-commerce
Law, operators of
e-commerce
platforms shall verify and register the basic information of
e-commerce
operators on
their platforms, including the identity, address, contact and administrative license, and establish archives with regular updates for such information. It further provides that operators of
e-commerce
platforms shall submit information on the identification of
e-commerce
operators to department for market regulation, and submit
e-commerce
operators
identification information and other information relating to tax payment to tax authority. Additionally, operators of
e-commerce
platforms shall record and save information released on their platform about
commodities and services, and report to competent authorities, if such information show that
e-commerce
operators have failed to obtain the administrative license when they are subject to the relevant
administrative approval, or commodities sold or services offered by
e-commerce
operators are found to be in violation of certain requirements to safeguard personal safety, property security and the
requirements on environmental protection, or to be prohibited by laws and administrative regulations. The
E-commerce
Law establishes obligations to protect consumers for operators of
e-commerce
platforms, such as obligations to protect consumers personal information and record information of deals concluded on their platforms, obligations to refund guarantee deposits to consumers in a
timely manner and obligations to noticeably label commodities or services ranked under competitive bidding with the word Advertisement.
E-commerce
operators shall not conduct false or misleading
commercial publicity by fabricating transactions, making up user reviews or any other means, to cheat or mislead consumers.
E-commerce
platform operators shall not delete consumers ratings of commodities
sold or services provided on the platform.
27
We have carried out compliance work in accordance with these regulatory requirements. However, in
consideration that the current year is the first year since the
E-commerce
Law became effective, there are substantial uncertainties with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the
E-commerce
Law and how it may impact our business operations. We cannot guarantee that the compliance measures we have taken are fully consistent with the interpretation of regulators, and there is a risk that the
company will be punished by those regulators because of any
non-compliance
activities.
The implementation
of the Cyber Security Law may result in our substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention.
On
July 1, 2015, the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China issued the National Security Law, which came into effect on the same day. The National Security Law provides that the state shall safeguard sovereignty,
security and development interests of cyberspace in the state, and the state shall establish a national security review and supervision system to review foreign investment, key technologies, internet and information technology products and services
and other important activities that are likely to impact the national security of China.
The Cyber Security Law, which was issued by the
Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of China and became effective on June 1, 2017, is the first Chinese law that focuses exclusively on cyber security. The Cyber Security Law sets high requirements for the operational
security of facilities deemed to be part of PRCs key information infrastructure facilities, and includes the integration of national security examinations under certain circumstances. Pursuant to the Cyber Security Law, the State
shall, based on the classified protection system for cyber security, focus on protecting both the key information infrastructure used for public communications and information service, energy, transport, water conservancy, finance, public services,
e-government
affairs and other important industries and fields and other key information infrastructure that will result in serious damage to the national security, national economy and peoples livelihood and
public interests once destroyed. The Cyber Security Law provides that key information infrastructure facilities operators must set up specialized internal security management divisions and assign appropriate person(s) responsible for security
management. Additionally, these operators must conduct background checks on the person(s) responsible for security management and on personnel in critical positions. It further provides that when operators of key information infrastructure
facilities purchase network products or services that may affect or involve national security, the operator must pass a security examination jointly arranged by the national network and information authority and the relevant government departments
and the national security examination process under the National Security Law will be triggered. The operators of key information infrastructure facilities must store important data collected and generated, including citizens personal
information, exclusively within the territory of the Peoples Republic of China. The Cyber Security Law also sets increasingly more stringent requirements for network operators. The Cyber Security Law establishes censorship duties for network
operators, including digital information distribution service providers and application software download service providers. When these operators notice a prohibited publication, or the transmission of illicit information, they must promptly stop
transmitting the information and take measures necessary to prevent the spread of that information. Operators must maintain a record of these incidents when they occur and report them to the competent authorities. The Cyber Security Law provides
relevant subjects with solid legal authorities who are empowered to take measures to cut off any transmission(s) of prohibited information on communication networks. Upon finding prohibited information, those authorities will require that the
network operators stop the transmission and take the necessary measures to remove any prohibited content. Where the above prohibited information comes from outside the territory of China, these authorities may request that all related institutions
to take necessary measures to stop the flow of prohibited information.
There were no new detailed rules issued or becoming effective in
2018. The uncertainties regarding the implementation of the Cyber Security Law may increase the costs for us to comply with it, which may also divert our resources and management attention.
28
Fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
Substantially all of our revenues and costs are denominated in RMB. The conversion of RMB into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is
based on rates set by the Peoples Bank of China. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its
decades-old
policy of pegging the value of the RMB to the U.S. dollar, and the RMB appreciated more than 20%
against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the RMB has fluctuated
against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future. On November 30,
2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the regular five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, RMB is
determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB has depreciated significantly
in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. This depreciation halted in 2017, and the RMB appreciated approximately 7% against the U.S. dollar during this
one-year
period. Since February 2018, the RMB has depreciated significantly, over 8% against the U.S. dollar. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and RMB internationalization, the PRC
government may in the future announce further changes to the exchange rate system, and we cannot assure you that the RMB will not appreciate or depreciate significantly in value against the U.S. dollar in the future. It is difficult to predict how
market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.
Significant revaluation of the RMB may have a material and adverse effect on your investment. To the extent that we need to convert U.S.
dollars into RMB for capital expenditures and working capital and other business purposes, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide
to convert RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs, strategic acquisitions or investments or other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative
effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us. In addition, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of our earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the price of our
ADSs.
Very limited hedging options are available in China to reduce our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations. To date, we have not
entered into any hedging transactions in an effort to reduce our exposure to foreign currency exchange risk. While we may decide to enter into hedging transactions in the future, the availability and effectiveness of these hedges may be limited and
we may not be able to adequately hedge our exposure or to hedge our exposure at all. In addition, our currency exchange losses may be magnified by PRC exchange control regulations that restrict our ability to convert RMB into foreign currency. As a
result, fluctuations in exchange rates may have a material adverse effect on your investment.
Governmental control of currency conversion may limit
our ability to utilize our revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.
The PRC government imposes controls on
the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. We receive substantially all of our revenues in RMB. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account
items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior SAFE approval by complying with certain procedural requirements. Therefore, our PRC
subsidiaries are able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us without prior approval from SAFE. However, approval from or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and
remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions in the future. If
the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currency to satisfy our foreign currency demands, we may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to our shareholders, including holders of our ADSs.
29
Certain regulations in the PRC may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.
Among other things, certain regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and
requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. For example, these regulations require that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any
change-of-control
transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise or a foreign company with substantial PRC operations, if certain thresholds under the Provisions on
Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings, issued by the State Council on August 3, 2008 and amended on September 18, 2018, are triggered. According to the Implementing Rules Concerning Security Review on Mergers
and Acquisitions by Foreign Investors of Domestic Enterprises issued by the MOFCOM in August 2011, mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors involved in an industry related to national security are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM. These
rules also prohibit any transactions attempting to bypass such security review, including by controlling entities through contractual arrangements. We believe that our business is not in an industry related to national security. However, we cannot
preclude the possibility that the MOFCOM or other government agencies may publish interpretations contrary to our understanding or broaden the scope of such security review in the future. We may elect to grow our business in the future in part by
directly acquiring, or investing in, complementary businesses in China. Complying with the requirements of these regulations to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval
from the MOFCOM, may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions.
Failure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration
requirements for employee share ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.
In December 2006, the Peoples Bank of China, or PBOC, promulgated the Administrative Measures of Foreign Exchange Matters for
Individuals, which sets forth the respective requirements for foreign exchange transactions by individuals (both PRC and
non-PRC
citizens) under either the current account or the capital account. In January
2007, SAFE issued relevant implementing rules which were further revised by SAFE Circular 13 in 2016, that specified approval requirements for certain capital account transactions such as a PRC citizens participation in the employee stock
incentive plans or share option plans of an overseas publicly listed company. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Notice on the Administration of Foreign Exchange Matters for Domestic Individuals Participating in the Stock Incentive Plans of
Overseas Listed Companies, or the Stock Option Notice. The Stock Option Notice supersedes the requirements and procedures for the registration of PRC resident individuals participation in stock incentive plans set forth by certain rules
promulgated by SAFE in March 2007. Under these measures, PRC resident individuals who participate in an employee stock incentive plan or a share option plan in an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE and complete
certain other procedures. A PRC domestic qualified agent appointed through the PRC subsidiaries of such overseas listed company must file applications on behalf of such PRC resident individuals with SAFE or its local counterpart to obtain approval
for an annual allowance with respect to the foreign exchange in connection with stock holding or share option exercises. With the approval from SAFE or its local counterpart, the PRC domestic qualified agent must open a special foreign exchange
account at a PRC domestic bank to hold the funds required in connection with the stock purchase or option exercise, payment received upon sales of shares, dividends issued on the stock and any other income or expenditures approved by SAFE or its
local counterpart. We and our PRC resident employees who participate in our share incentive plans are subject to these regulations as we are an overseas listed company. We have made registration with the local counterparts of SAFE for our PRC
resident employees who participate in our share incentive plans as required under the Stock Option notice and relevant rules. If we or our PRC plan participants fail to comply with these regulations, we or our PRC plan participants may be subject to
fines and other legal or administrative sanctions. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC RegulationRegulations on Employee Stock Options Plans.
We face uncertainties with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their
non-PRC
holding companies.
On February 3, 2015, the State Administration of
Taxation, or the SAT, issued SAT Notice 7, which was amended in December 2017, to supersede the existing tax rules in relation to the indirect transfer of assets by
non-PRC
resident enterprises. SAT Notice 7
introduces a more sophisticated anti-avoidance guidance. SAT Notice 7 extends its tax jurisdiction to capture not only indirect transfer but also transactions involving transfer of movable and immovable property in China of a foreign company through
the offshore transfer of a foreign intermediate holding company. According to SAT Notice 7, if a
non-resident
enterprise indirectly transfers PRC taxable properties through an arrangement without reasonable
commercial purpose but to avoid PRC Corporate Income Tax, the indirect transfer shall be
re-characterized
and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable properties. SAT Notice 7 also interprets the term
transfer of the equity interests in a foreign intermediate holding company broadly. In addition, SAT Notice 7 provides clearer criteria on how to assess reasonable commercial purposes and introduces safe harbor scenarios applicable to
the public trading of shares in a listed company holding taxable PRC assets and indirect transfers resulting from a corporate restructuring.
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Further, SAT Notice 7 adopts a voluntary reporting regime. Both the foreign transferor and the
transferee, and the PRC tax resident enterprise whose equity interests being transferred may voluntarily report the transfer by submitting the documents required in SAT Notice 7. In addition to the voluntary reporting, SAT Notice 7 empowers the
Chinese tax authorities to require various documents from the parties involved. Although SAT Notice 7 provides clarities in many important areas such as reasonable commercial purpose and reporting requirements, it brings challenges to both the
foreign transferor and transferee of the indirect transfer as they are required to make a self-assessment on whether the transaction should be subject to PRC tax and to file or withhold the PRC tax accordingly.
On October 17, 2017, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Announcement of the State Administration of Taxation on Matters
Concerning Withholding of Income Tax of
Non-Resident
Enterprises at Source, or SAT Circular 37, which became effective on December 1, 2017. The SAT Circular 37 applies the principle of withholding of
income tax of
non-resident
enterprises at source. The SAT Circular 37 stipulates that the taxable income from equity transfers refers to the balance of deducting the net value of equity transferred from the
total income from the applicable equity transfer. Pursuant to SAT Circular 37, the payer, namely the principal, the designator, or the warrantee or the guaranteed party, should assume the obligation of withholding income tax in the circumstances
where the payer entrusts an agent or designates a third party to make payments on its behalf, or the payments should be made by a third-party warrantor or guarantor as provided in the applicable guarantee contracts or applicable laws.
SAT Notice 7 became effective on February 3, 2015, but it also applies to indirect transfers which occurred before its issuance but have
not received assessments from the tax authorities. SAT Circular 37 and SAT Notice 7 may be determined by the tax authorities to be applicable to our corporate restructuring where
non-resident
investors
were involved, if any of such transactions were determined by the tax authorities to lack reasonable commercial purpose. As a result, we and our
non-resident
investors in such transactions may become at risk
of being taxed under SAT Circular 37 and SAT Notice 7 and we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with SAT Circular 37 and SAT Notice 7 or to establish that we should not be taxed under the general anti-avoidance rule of the
amended PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations or such
non-resident
investors investments in us.
Discontinuation of any of the preferential tax treatments or imposition of any additional taxes could adversely affect our financial condition and
results of operations.
The amended Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules permit certain high and new
technology enterprises strongly supported by the state which hold independent ownership of core intellectual property to enjoy a preferential enterprise income tax rate of 15% subject to certain qualification criteria. Autohome WFOE was
recognized jointly by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and other authorities as a high and new technology enterprise, or HNTE, in September 2010 and was eligible for the preferential 15% enterprise income tax rate
through 2019 upon its filing with the relevant tax authority. Beijing Autohome Technologies Co., Ltd., or Beijing Autohome Technologies, was recognized as an HNTE in July 2015 and its HNTE status was renewed in October 2018. Therefore, Beijing
Autohome Technologies was eligible for the preferential 15% enterprise income tax rate through 2020 upon its filing with the relevant tax authority. Beijing Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd., or Beijing Prbrownies, was recognized as an HNTE in February
2016 and its HNTE status was renewed in October 2018, qualifying it for the preferential 15% enterprise income tax rate from 2015 through 2020 upon its filing with the relevant tax authority. The qualification as an HNTE is subject to annual
evaluation and a three-year review by the relevant authorities in China. Autohome WFOE, Beijing Autohome Technologies and Beijing Prbrownies further enjoy a more preferential tax treatment as they were accredited as key software enterprises under
the relevant PRC laws and regulations. Beijing Prbrownies was exempt from income tax for the tax years of 2015 and 2016 and was qualified for the preferential enterprise tax rate of 10% for the tax year of 2017 and could continue to enjoy a tax rate
of 10% for the tax years thereafter, provided that it continues to complete the relevant governmental filing and maintain its status as a key software enterprise during each relevant tax year. Similarly, each of Autohome WFOE and Beijing Autohome
Technologies is qualified for the preferential enterprise tax rate of 10% for the tax year of 2017 and each of the years thereafter provided that it continues to complete the relevant governmental filing and maintain its status as a key software
enterprise during each relevant tax year. Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd., or Chengdu Prbrownies, was accredited as a software enterprise under the relevant PRC laws and regulations and could be exempt from income tax for the tax years of 2017
and 2018, followed by a 50% reduction in the statutory income tax rate of 25% for the years of 2019, 2020 and 2021 provided that it continues to maintain its status as a software enterprise during each relevant tax year. However, if any of Autohome
WFOE, Beijing Autohome Technologies or Beijing Prbrownies fails to pass the review by and filing with the relevant tax authorities to be qualified as a key software enterprise, such company will no longer enjoy the preferential tax rate described
above, and the applicable enterprise income tax rate may increase to up to 15% if it still maintains the HNTE qualification, or up to 25% if it loses the HNTE qualification. If Chengdu Prbrownies fails to maintain its software enterprise
qualification, it will also lose the preferential tax treatment described above.
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Our global income and the dividends that we may receive from our PRC subsidiaries, dividends distributed to
our
non-PRC
shareholders and ADS holders, and gains recognized by such shareholders or ADS holders, may be subject to PRC taxes under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, which would have a material adverse effect
on our results of operations.
Under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, which became effective on January 1, 2008 and was amended
on February 24, 2017, and its implementation rules, which became effective on January 1, 2008, an enterprise established outside of the PRC with de facto management bodies within the PRC is considered a resident enterprise and
will be subject to the enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on its global income. The SAT issued the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De
Facto Management Bodies, or SAT Circular 82, on April 22, 2009, which was amended in 2013 and 2017 respectively. SAT Circular 82 provides certain specific criteria for determining whether the de facto management body of a
Chinese-controlled offshore-incorporated enterprise is located in China. Although we do not believe that our legal entities organized outside of the PRC constitute PRC resident enterprises, it is possible that the PRC tax authorities could reach a
different conclusion. In such case, we may be considered a PRC resident enterprise and may therefore be subject to enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% on our global income. If we are considered a PRC resident enterprise and earn income other than
dividends from our PRC subsidiaries, a 25% enterprise income tax on our global income could significantly increase our tax burden and materially and adversely affect our cash flow and profitability.
Pursuant to the amended Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, dividends generated after January 1, 2008 and payable by
a foreign-invested enterprise in China to its foreign investors, which are
non-PRC
tax resident enterprises without an establishment in China, or whose income has no connection with their institutions and
establishments inside China, are subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%, unless any such foreign investors jurisdiction of incorporation has a tax treaty with China that provides for a different withholding arrangement. We are a Cayman
Islands holding company and we conduct our business through our wholly-owned subsidiaries and VIEs in the PRC, of which Autohome WFOE and Chezhiying WFOE are the primary beneficiaries of our VIEs.
Autohome WFOE is 100% owned by
Cheerbright International Limited, or Cheerbright, our wholly owned subsidiary located in the British Virgin Islands. The British Virgin Islands currently does not have any tax treaty with China with respect to withholding tax. As long as
Cheerbright is considered a
non-PRC
resident enterprise, dividends that it receives from Autohome WFOE may be subject to withholding tax at a rate of 10%. As to our subsidiaries located in Hong Kong, such as
Autohome Media, the shareholder of our PRC subsidiaries currently engaging in advertising business, and Autohome Link Hong Kong Limited, the shareholder of Chezhiying WFOE, under the Arrangement between the PRC and the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion, effective on January 1, 2007, as long as each of our Hong Kong subsidiaries is considered a
non-PRC
resident
enterprise and directly holds at least 25% of the equity interests of its respective PRC subsidiaries, dividends that it receives from its PRC subsidiaries may be subject to withholding tax at a preferential rate of 5%, if it is the beneficial owner
of the dividends, upon receiving the approval from the local tax authority. In August 2015, the State Administration of Taxation promulgated the Administrative Measures for
Non-Resident
Taxpayers to Enjoy
Treatments under Tax Treaties, or SAT Circular 60, which became effective on November 1, 2015. SAT Circular 60 provides that
non-resident
enterprises are not required to obtain
pre-approval
from the relevant tax authority in order to enjoy the reduced withholding tax rate. Instead,
non-resident
enterprises and their withholding agents may, by
self-assessment and upon their confirmation that the prescribed criteria to enjoy the tax treaty benefits are met, directly apply the reduced withholding tax rate, and file necessary forms and supporting documents when performing tax filings, which
will be subject to post-filing examinations by the relevant tax authorities.
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As uncertainties remain regarding the interpretation and implementation of the amended Enterprise
Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, we cannot assure you that if we are regarded as a PRC resident enterprise, any dividends to be distributed by us to our
non-PRC
enterprise shareholders and ADS
holders would not be subject to any PRC withholding tax at a rate of 10% and to
non-PRC
individual shareholders and ADS holders would not be subject to PRC individual income tax at a rate of 20%. Similarly,
any gain recognized by such
non-PRC
shareholders or ADS holders on the sale of shares or ADSs, as applicable, may also be subject to PRC tax. If our dividends payable to our
non-PRC
enterprise shareholders,
non-PRC
individual shareholders and ADS holders, or on gains recognized by such
non-PRC
shareholders or ADS holders are required under the Enterprise Income Tax Law and the Individual Income Tax Law to be subject to PRC tax, such investors investment in our Class A ordinary shares or ADSs may be materially and adversely
affected.
Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor-related laws and regulations may adversely affect our business and our results
of operations.
Chinas overall economy and the average wage in China have increased in recent years and are expected to
continue to grow. The average wage level for our employees has also increased in recent years. We expect that our labor costs, including wages and employee benefits, will continue to increase. Unless we are able to pass on these increased labor
costs to our users and customers by increasing prices for our services, our profitability and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
In addition, we have been subject to stricter regulatory requirements in terms of entering labor contracts with our employees and paying
various statutory employee benefits, including pensions, housing fund, medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, unemployment insurance and childbearing insurance to designated government agencies for the benefit of our employees. Pursuant
to the PRC Labor Contract Law, or the Labor Contract law, which became effective in January 2008, as amended in December 2012 and effective as of July 1, 2013, and its implementation rules that became effective in September 2008, employers are
subject to stricter requirements in terms of signing labor contracts, minimum wages, paying remuneration, determining the term of employees probation and unilaterally terminating labor contracts. In the event that we decide to terminate some
of our employment contracts or otherwise change our employment or labor practices, the Labor Contract Law and its implementation rules may limit our ability to effect those changes in a desirable or cost-effective manner, which could adversely
affect our business and results of operations. In October 2010, the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress promulgated the PRC Social Insurance Law, or the Social Insurance Law, which became effective on July 1, 2011.
According to the Social Insurance Law, employees must participate in pension insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance and maternity insurance and the employers must, together with their employees or
separately, pay the social insurance premiums for such employees. On February 18, 2019, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and eight other departments issued the Circular on Further Regulating Recruitment Activities to Promote
Equal Employment for Women, or Circular on Promoting Equal Employment for Women, which came into force simultaneously. The Circular stipulates that if employers or human resources agencies are found to have posted hiring advertisements containing
discriminatory content, they may be ordered to correct such discriminatory advertisements. Failure to correct the discriminatory advertisements as ordered will be punishable by a maximum fine of RMB50,000. Inquiring about a female applicants
marital and childbearing status, conducting pregnancy test in the entry medical examination and other behaviors involving gender discrimination are also prohibited by the Circular on Promoting Equal Employment for Women.
As the interpretation and implementation of labor-related laws and regulations are still evolving, we cannot assure you that our employment
practice do not and will not violate labor-related laws and regulations in China, which may subject us to labor disputes or government investigations. If we are deemed to have violated relevant labor-related laws and regulations, we could be
required to provide additional compensation to our employees and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
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The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is not permitted to inspect independent registered public
accounting firms operating in China, including our auditor, and as such, investors may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection.
Our independent registered public accounting firm, as an auditor of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm
registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and
professional standards. Because our independent registered public accounting firm is located in China, a jurisdiction where PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without receiving the required approval from the PRC authorities, our
independent registered public accounting firm, like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in China, is currently not inspected by PCAOB. On December 7, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, and the
PCAOB issued a joint statement highlighting continued challenges faced by the U.S. regulators in their oversight of financial statement audits of U.S.-listed companies with significant operations in China. However, it remains unclear what further
actions the SEC and PCAOB will take to address the problem.
Inspections of other firms that PCAOB has conducted outside of China have
identified deficiencies in those firms audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. Since PCAOB cannot conduct inspections of independent registered
public accounting firms operating in China without receiving the required approval from the PRC authorities, it is more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firms audit or quality control
procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.
Proceedings instituted by the SEC against certain
PRC-based
accounting firms, including our independent registered public accounting firm, could result in financial statements being determined to be not in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act.
In December 2012, the SEC brought administrative proceedings against five accounting firms in China, including our independent
registered public accounting firm, alleging that they had refused to produce audit work papers and other documents related to certain other China-based companies under investigation by the SEC. On January 22, 2014, an initial administrative law
decision was issued, censuring these accounting firms and suspending four of these firms from practicing before the SEC for a period of six months. On February 12, 2014, four of these
PRC-based
accounting
firms appealed to the SEC against this decision. In February 2015, each of the four
PRC-based
accounting firms agreed to a censure and to pay a fine to the SEC to settle the dispute and avoid suspension of
their ability to practice before the SEC.
According to the terms of the settlement, the underlying penalties and administrative
proceedings against the
PRC-based
accounting firms was deemed dismissed with prejudice on February 6, 2019, four years after the settlement was reached. It is uncertain whether the SEC will further
challenge the four
PRC-based
accounting firms compliance with U.S. law in connection with U.S. regulatory requests for audit work papers or if the results of such a challenge would result in the SEC
imposing penalties, such as suspensions. If our independent registered public accounting firm were denied, even temporarily, the ability to practice before the SEC and we were unable to timely find another registered public accounting firm to audit
and issue an opinion on our financial statements, our financial statements could be determined not to be in compliance with the requirements of the Exchange Act. Such a determination could ultimately lead to our delisting from the NYSE or
deregistration from the SEC, or both, which would substantially reduce or effectively terminate the trading of our ADSs in the United States.
Risks
Related to our ADSs
The market price for our ADSs has fluctuated and may be volatile, which could expose us to securities class action
litigation.
The daily closing trading prices for our ADSs ranged from US$63.78 to US$118.91 in 2018. The trading price for our
ADSs may continue to fluctuate in response to factors including, without limitation, the following:
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regulatory developments in our target markets affecting us, our customers or our competitors;
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announcements of studies and reports relating to the quality of our services or those of our competitors;
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changes in the economic performance or market valuations of other companies that provide online automotive
advertising services;
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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions to our
expected results;
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changes in financial estimates by securities research analysts;
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conditions in the entire automotive ecosystem;
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conditions in the online retail industry;
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announcements by us or our competitors of new solutions, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures or
capital commitments;
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additions to or departures of our senior management;
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fluctuations of exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar;
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release or expiry of
lock-up
or other transfer restrictions on our
outstanding Class A ordinary shares or ADSs;
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sales or perceived potential sales of additional Class A ordinary shares or ADSs;
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obtaining or revocation of any operating license or permit in relation to our business;
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pending or potential litigation or administrative investigation;
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publicity involving our business and the effectiveness of our sales and marketing activities; and
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alleged untrue statement of a material fact or alleged omission to state a material fact in our public
announcements or press releases or misinterpretation thereto.
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In addition, the stock market in general has experienced
extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies like us. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our ADSs. The market
price of our ADSs may also be adversely affected by alleged untrue statement or alleged omission to state a material fact in our public announcements or press releases, which may even lead to securities class action suits against us. In the past,
shareholders of a public company often brought securities class action suits against the company following periods of instability in the market price of that companys securities. If we were involved in a class action suit, it could divert a
significant amount of our managements attention and other resources from our business and operations, which could harm our results of operations and require us to incur significant expenses to defend the suit. Any such class action suit,
whether or not successful, could harm our reputation and restrict our ability to raise capital in the future. In addition, if a claim is successfully made against us, we may be required to pay significant damages, which could have a material adverse
effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Volatility or a lack of positive performance in our ADS price may also adversely affect our ability to retain key employees, most of whom have been granted options or other equity
incentives.
If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the market
price for our ADSs and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our ADSs will depend in part on the research and
reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If we do not establish and maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our ADSs or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable
research about our business, the market price for our ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which,
in turn, could cause the market price or trading volume for our ADSs to decline.
35
Because we may not continue to pay dividends in the foreseeable future, you may need to rely on price
appreciation of our ADSs as the sole source for return on your investment.
Although we declared special cash dividends to holders
of our ordinary shares in November 2017, we may not continue to do so regularly, or at all. Therefore, you may need to rely on price appreciation of our ADSs as the sole source for return on your investment.
Subject to certain exceptions, our board of directors has complete discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of
directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of
distributions, if any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Accordingly, the future return on your investment in our ADSs will likely
depend upon any future price appreciation of our ADSs. There is no guarantee that our ADSs will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which you purchased the ADSs. You may not realize a return on your investment in our ADSs and you may
even lose your entire investment in our ADSs.
Substantial future sales or perceived potential sales of our ADSs in the public market could cause
the price of our ADSs to decline.
Sales of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could
cause the market price of our ADSs to decline. All ADSs sold in our equity offerings will be freely transferable without restriction or additional registration under the Securities Act. In addition, Ping An Group, the holder of our ordinary shares,
has the right to cause us to register under the Securities Act the sale of its shares. Registration of these shares under the Securities Act would result in ADSs representing these shares becoming freely tradable without restriction under the
Securities Act. Sales of these registered shares, in the form of ADSs, in the public market could cause the price of our ADSs to decline. Such sales also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future
at a time and price that we deem appropriate. In addition, if we pay for our future acquisitions in whole or in part with additionally issued ordinary shares, your ownership interests in our company would be diluted and this, in turn, could have a
material and adverse effect on the price of our ADSs.
You may not have the same voting rights as the holders of our Class A ordinary shares
and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise your right to vote.
Except as described in this annual report
and in the deposit agreement, holders of our ADSs will not be able to exercise voting rights attaching to the Class A ordinary shares represented by our ADSs on an individual basis. Holders of our ADSs will appoint the depositary or its nominee
as their representative to exercise the voting rights attaching to the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. Upon receipt of your voting instructions, the depositary will vote the underlying ordinary shares in accordance with these
instructions.
Pursuant to our fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we may convene a shareholders
meeting upon ten calendar days notice. If we give timely notice to the depositary under the terms of the deposit agreement (30 business days notice), the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting
materials to you. We cannot assure you that you will receive the voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs, and it is possible that you, or persons who hold their ADSs through
brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting
instructions. This means that you may not be able to exercise your right to vote and there may be nothing you can do if the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs are not voted as you requested. In addition, although you may directly
exercise your right to vote by withdrawing the Class A ordinary shares underlying your ADSs, you may not receive sufficient advance notice of an upcoming shareholders meeting to withdraw the Class A ordinary shares underlying your
ADSs to allow you to vote with respect to any specific matter.
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Your right to participate in any future rights offerings may be limited, which may cause dilution to your
holdings, and you may not receive cash dividends if it is illegal or impractical to make them available to you.
We may from time
to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. However, we cannot make rights available to you in the United States unless we register both the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under
the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not make rights available to you unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS
holders are either registered under the Securities Act or exempt from registration under the Securities Act. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a
registration statement to be declared effective and we may not be able to establish a necessary exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution
in your holdings.
The depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian
receives on Class A ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the
depositary is not responsible if it decides that it is inequitable or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that it is not feasible to distribute certain property through the
mail. Additionally, the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In those cases, the depositary may determine not to distribute such property. We have no obligation to register under U.S. securities laws any ADSs,
ordinary shares, rights or other securities received through such distributions. We also have no obligation to take any other action to permit the distribution of ADSs, ordinary shares, rights or anything else to holders of ADSs. This means that you
may not receive the distribution we make on our Class A ordinary shares or any value for them if it is illegal or impractical for us to make them available to you. These restrictions may have a material adverse effect on the value of your ADSs.
You may be subject to limitations on the transfer of your ADSs.
Your ADSs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to
time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any
time if we or the depositary deems it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason in accordance with the terms of the
deposit agreement.
You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts
may be limited because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law, we conduct substantially all of our operations in China and substantially all of our directors and officers reside outside the United States.
We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands and conduct substantially all of our operations in China through our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs. Most
of our directors and officers reside outside the United States and a substantial portion of the assets of such directors and officers are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult or impossible for you to bring an action
against us or against these individuals in the Cayman Islands or in China in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the
laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. There is no statutory recognition in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States,
although the courts of the Cayman Islands will generally recognize and enforce a
non-penal
judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association, as amended and restated from time to time, and by the
Companies Law and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against us and our directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors are to a large extent governed by
the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which provides persuasive, but not binding,
authority. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the
Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws than the United States and provides significantly less protection to investors. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action in
U.S. federal courts.
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As a result, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests
through actions against us, our management, our directors or our major shareholders than shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.
Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could adversely affect the rights of holders of our Class A
ordinary shares and ADSs.
Our fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain certain provisions that
could limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company, including a provision that grants authority to our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preferred shares without action by our shareholders and
to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series. Preferred shares could be issued quickly with terms calculated to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management
more difficult. If our board of directors decides to issue preferred shares, the price of our ADSs may fall and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may be materially and adversely affected. These
provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over the prevailing market price by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or
similar transaction.
We are a foreign private issuer within the meaning of the rules under the Exchange Act, and as such we are exempt from certain
provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies.
Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the securities rules and regulations in the United States that are applicable to U.S. domestic issuers, including:
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the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form
10-Q
or current reports on Form
8-K;
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the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents, or authorizations in respect
of a security registered under the Exchange Act;
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the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading
activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and
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the selective disclosure rules by issuers of material nonpublic information under Regulation FD.
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We are required to file an annual report on Form
20-F
within four months of the
end of each fiscal year. We intend to publish our results on a quarterly basis as press releases, distributed pursuant to the rules and regulations of the NYSE. Press releases relating to financial results and material events will also be furnished
to the SEC on Form
6-K.
However, the information we are required to file with or furnish to the SEC will be less extensive and less frequent compared to that required to be filed with the SEC by U.S. domestic
issuers. As a result, you may not be afforded the same protections or information, which would be made available to you, were you investing in a United States domestic issuer.
We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for United States federal income tax purposes, which could subject United States investors
in the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares to significant adverse tax consequences.
Under United States federal income tax law,
we will be classified as a passive foreign investment company (PFIC) for any taxable year if either (i) at least 75% of our gross income for the taxable year is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of the value of our assets
(based on the average quarterly value of our assets during the taxable year) is attributable to assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income (the asset test). Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear,
we treat our VIEs as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes because we control their management decisions and are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits associated with such entities, and, as a result, we
consolidate their results of operations in our consolidated U.S. GAAP financial statements. Assuming we are the owner of our VIEs for U.S. federal income tax purposes and based on our current income and assets, including goodwill and unbooked
intangibles, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2018 and do not anticipate becoming a PFIC in future taxable years.
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While we do not believe that we were a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2018 and
do not anticipate becoming a PFIC in the foreseeable future, no assurance can be given in this regard because the determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC is a fact-intensive inquiry made on an annual basis that depends, in part, on the
composition of our income and assets. Fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years because the value of assets for the purpose of the asset test may be determined by reference
to the market price of our ADSs from time to time (which may be volatile). The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets. Under circumstances where our revenue from activities that
produce passive income significantly increase relative to our revenue from activities that produce
non-passive
income, or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our
risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase. In addition, because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules, it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service may challenge our classification of certain
income and assets as
non-passive
or our valuation of our tangible and intangible assets, each of which may result in us becoming a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years.
If we were to be or become a PFIC, a U.S. Holder (as defined in Item 10. Additional InformationE. TaxationUnited States
Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsGeneral) may incur significantly increased United States income tax on gains recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and on the receipt of distributions on
the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an excess distribution under United States federal income tax rules. Further, if we were a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder held
our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, we generally would continue to be treated as a PFIC as to such U.S. Holder for all succeeding years during which such U.S. Holder held our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Alternatively, U.S. Holders of
PFIC shares can sometimes avoid the rules described above by making certain elections, including a
mark-to-market
election or electing to treat a PFIC as a
qualified electing fund. However, U.S. Holders will not be able to make an election to treat us as a qualified electing fund because, even if we were to be or become a PFIC, we do not intend to comply with the requirements
necessary to permit U.S. Holders to make such election. Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor concerning the United States federal income tax consequences of owning and disposing of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares if we were to
be or become a PFIC. For more information, see Item 10. Additional InformationE. TaxationUnited States Federal Income Tax ConsiderationsPassive Foreign Investment Company Rules.
We incur increased costs as a result of being a public company.
As a public company, we incur significant accounting, legal and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley
Act, including Section 404 therein relating to internal control over financial reporting, as well as rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the NYSE, have detailed requirements concerning corporate governance practices of public
companies. We expect these rules and regulations applicable to public companies to increase our accounting, legal and financial compliance costs and to make certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. Our management is required to
devote substantial time and attention to our public company reporting obligations and other compliance matters. We evaluate and monitor developments with respect to these rules and regulations, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of
additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. Our reporting and other compliance obligations as a public company may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable
future.
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ITEM 4. INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY
A.
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History and Development of the Company
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We incorporated Autohome Inc. under the laws of the Cayman Islands under its former name, Sequel Limited, in June 2008 and adopted its current
name in October 2011. Shortly after our inception, in June 2008, we acquired all of the equity interests of the following entities:
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Cheerbright International Holdings Limited, or Cheerbright, a British Virgin Islands company that operates
autohome.com.cn
, which was launched in 2005;
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Norstar Advertising Media Holdings Limited, or Norstar, a Cayman Islands company that, among other businesses,
operated
che168.com
, which was launched in 2004; and
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China Topside Limited, or China Topside, a British Virgin Islands company.
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To sharpen our business focus on the automotive industry, we completed a corporate reorganization in 2011 by spinning off our then
subsidiaries that were not involved in our core business. In March 2011, we transferred the
che168.com
business from Norstar to Cheerbright. In June 2011, in connection with our strategy to focus on serving the automotive industry in China,
we contributed our entire equity interests in Norstar and China Topside, which serve the information technology industry, to Sequel Media, our subsidiary in the Cayman Islands, and then immediately distributed the shares of Sequel Media to our then
shareholders. Since the
spin-off,
we have been focusing on serving the automotive industry in China through our
autohome.com.cn
and
che168.com
websites.
In October 2013, we acquired Autohome Media through one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong. Autohome Media had engaged in the
advertising business outside the PRC for more than three years at the time, and was therefore qualified to directly invest in a PRC company providing advertising services in accordance with the PRC law. Autohome Media has established several
subsidiaries in Beijing, Shanghai and certain other cities. We completed the migration of our advertising business from Guangzhou Advertising, Shanghai Advertising, Autohome Advertising and Chengshi Advertising to the subsidiaries of Autohome Media
in 2015.
In December 2013, we completed our initial public offering of 8,993,000 ADSs, representing 8,993,000 Class A ordinary
shares, and listed our ADSs on the NYSE under the symbol ATHM. In November 2014, we completed a public offering, or the 2014 Offering, in which we offered and sold 2,424,801 ADSs, representing 2,424,801 Class A ordinary shares, and
our then shareholders sold 7,220,858 ADSs, representing 7,220,858 Class A ordinary shares.
In June 2015, we established a strategic
joint venture with HappiGo Home Shopping Co, a leading TV shopping business in China, to build a full-service auto sales platform. We invested RMB49 million into the joint venture, accounting for 49% of the shareholding.
In September 2015, we established a joint venture, the Financing JV, with three companies unaffiliated with us. We invested a full payment of
RMB75 million into the Financing JV for 25% equity interests of the Financing JV. The Financing JV provides auto financing to car buyers and facilitates the transaction process. We entered into a definitive agreement in September 2017 to
transfer all equity interests we held in the Financing JV to a company unaffiliated to us, and completed the transfer in September 2018.
In December 2015, we established a wholly owned subsidiary, Beijing Chezhiying Software Co., Ltd., in Beijing, China, to conduct used
automobile-related business.
In April 2016, we established a joint venture, Beijing Haochezhijia
E-commerce
Co., Ltd., or Beijing Haochezhijia, with Beijing Haoduohaoche Information Technology Co., Ltd., a company unaffiliated with us. Beijing Haochezhijia previously engaged in direct vehicle sales
business and ceased to engage in such business in 2017. We own 75% equity interests in Beijing Haochezhijia
E-Commerce
Co., Ltd.
On June 22, 2016, Telstra Holdings, or Telstra, our then largest shareholder and a wholly owned subsidiary of Telstra Corporation
Limited, completed the sale of approximately 47.4% of our then total issued and outstanding shares to Yun Chen for a consideration of US$1.6 billion. On February 22, 2017, Yun Chen further acquired from Telstra the remaining 6.5% equity
interests held by Telstra in us. As of March 31, 2019, Yun Chen owned 52.2% of our total issued and outstanding shares. Since June 22, 2016, our largest shareholder has been Yun Chen, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ping An Group, a financial
services group with three core businesses consisting of insurance, banking and investment and whose ordinary shares are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
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In July 2017, we acquired 10% interest in Visionstar Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.,
which primarily engages in the development and application of AR technologies and related operations in the PRC, with a total cash consideration of RMB30 million.
In September 2017, we acquired 100% equity interests of Shanghai Tianhe, a company licensed by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory
Commission to engage in insurance brokerage business in the PRC, through Autohome Information, with a total cash consideration of RMB21.1 million.
In June 2018, we entered into a definitive agreement with TTP Car Inc., or TTP, a company operating an online bidding platform for used
automobiles, pursuant to which we agreed to make an investment in TTP in the form of an 8% three-year convertible bond for a consideration of US$100 million in cash. The transaction was successfully consummated in June 2018, in which we made a
payment of US$100 million in cash to TTP. We have the right to purchase an additional 8.0% convertible bond in an aggregate principal amount of US$65 million to be issued by TTP upon our request from time to time within three years after
the closing. We have not made any further investment in TTP as of the date of this annual report.
Our principal executive offices are
located at 10th Floor Tower B, CEC Plaza, 3 Dan Ling Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100080, the Peoples Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +86 (10) 5985 7001. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at
2
nd
Floor Harbour Center 42 North Church Street George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc., 400
Madison Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10017.
See Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and ProspectsB. Liquidity and
Capital ResourcesCapital Expenditures for a discussion of our capital expenditures and divestitures.
Overview
We are a leading online
destination for automobile consumers in China. Through our two websites,
autohome.com.cn
and
che168.com
, accessible through PCs and mobile devices and our mobile applications, we deliver comprehensive, independent and interactive
content to automobile buyers and owners. We have developed a strong and well-recognized brand. Our 汽车之家 (Autohome) brand has been the most searched automotive-related keyword during substantially
the entire period since July 2011 on
Baidu.com
, the leading Chinese language internet search engine. We continue to implement four key market segments, namely auto-content, auto-transaction, auto-finance and auto-lifestyle, into our
consumer-centric automotive ecosystem, and transform ourselves from a
content-led
vertical media business to an automotive
eco-platform
based on advanced data and
technology.
Since our inception, the media business has been our core competency. Our ability to reach a large and engaged user base of
automobile consumers has made us a preferred platform for automakers and automobile brands regional offices to conduct their advertising and marketing campaigns. We provide automakers with a broad range of advertising solutions and tools on
our websites and mobile applications, including display ads, native advertising, video ads, search engine marketing and comprehensive marketing solutions to enhance their brand recognition, new model releases and sales promotions. We offer flexible
and diversified advertising solutions and tools based on the needs and characteristics of automakers by publishing and displaying the advertising solutions and tools in multiple forms and formats, such as banner image, links, articles and videos and
through various online promotional activities. We have a high penetration rate in the automaker market, and we provided our media services to 95, 101 and 103 automakers operating in China in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. We believe that the
growing user base and its strong stickiness, together with our nationwide advertising platform, high-quality, diverse and targeted advertising solutions, enriched and customized content, and our big data and analytics capabilities, has led to our
rapid growth and has laid the foundation for our continuing success.
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In addition, we provide comprehensive leads generation services through dealer subscription
services, advertising services and used car listing services. Our dealer subscription services allow dealers to market their inventory and services through our websites and mobile applications, extending the reach of their physical showrooms to
potentially millions of internet users in China and generating sales leads for them. We offer advertising services and other value-added services to individual dealers to complement our leads generation services. Our dealer customers utilize our
advertising services and leverage our large user base to support their sales and marketing activities. We also provide used car listing services by acting as a user interface that allows potential used car buyers to identify listings that meet their
specific requirements and helps them contact the relevant sellers, and generating sales leads for the used car sellers and other used car platform.
Our online transaction platform, Autohome Mall, is a full-service online transaction platform for users to review automotive-related
information, purchase coupons offered by automakers for discounts and make purchases to complete transactions. Leveraging our strength in user traffic and our consumer data analytic capabilities, we provide platform-based services facilitating new
and used car transactions, operate auto-financing business and offer diversified data products. For our used car transaction business, we have built a used car C2B2C model and facilitated their vehicle transactions through providing a wide range of
auto-related services. Our auto-financing business serves as a bridge to match users and automobile sellers that are in need of auto financing with our cooperative financial institutions that offer a variety of products including loans, leasing and
insurance services. This allows us to address the under-served auto financing market in China by providing comprehensive online-based financial services for the complete consumer automobile ownership life cycles. In 2018, we began to provide data
products tailored for our automaker and dealer customers, through which we offer them customized data reports and intelligent sales series products including intelligent
e-marketing
and intelligent showroom.
We have experienced continued revenue growth and have increased our net revenues since 2016 to RMB7,233.2 million (US$1,052.0
million) in 2018, representing a three-year CAGR of 16.3%. At the same time, our net income attributable to Autohome Inc. increased from RMB1,227.9 million in 2016 to RMB2,001.6 million in 2017 and further to RMB2,871.0 million (US$417.6 million) in
2018, representing a three-year CAGR of 52.9%.
Our Business Model
We are a leading online destination for automobile consumers in China. Over the past several years, we have developed a large and active online
community of automobile consumers in China with a growing user base and steady increase of daily active users. We serve three distinct groups: users of our websites and mobile applications, automobile consumers on our transaction platform and
customers that include automakers, dealers, financial institutions, other auto-related product and service providers. Our business model and technology platforms seek to effectively link each stage of our users automobile ownership life cycles
with the corresponding stage of our customers sales cycle. We are on track in developing the four key market segments, namely auto-content, auto-transaction, auto-finance and auto-lifestyle, into our consumer-centric automotive ecosystem and
transforming ourselves from a
content-led
vertical media business to an automotive
eco-platform
based on our advanced data and technology. Our 4+1 strategy
will continue to further enhance our core foundation and accelerate our growth momentum generated by our new business initiatives.
We
have built an online automotive media platform that captures critical stages of the sales funnel, starting from product awareness to purchase desire initiation and to sales leads generation. To initiate product awareness and purchase desire, we
utilize our comprehensive, independent and interactive content through our websites that are accessible through PCs and mobile devices and on our mobile applications to create strong user traffic and user engagement and stickiness. As our user
traffic grows, we focus on generating sales leads through engaging our users with differentiated and customized promotional activities, personally tailored recommendations and enriched professionally generated contents. We generate revenues from our
media services, which mainly include automaker advertising services and regional marketing campaigns conducted by certain automobile brands regional offices, and our leads generation services, which primarily include our dealer subscription
services, advertising services sold to individual dealer advertisers and used car listings.
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We also provide a transaction platform for automobile buyers to purchase new vehicles or used
vehicles from sellers on our platform. In June 2014, we launched Autohome Mall, an online transaction platform. Autohome Mall is a full-service online transaction platform for users to review automotive-related information, purchase coupons offered
by automakers for discounts and make purchases to complete transactions. For Autohome Mall, we primarily generate revenues from platform-based services we provide while facilitating transactions on our Autohome Mall platform and transaction-oriented
marketing solutions. Along with our investment in TTP in 2018, we marched a step towards developing a used car C2B2C model and have formed a transaction system connecting automobile buyers and used automobile sellers and facilitating their vehicle
transactions on our platform through providing a wide range of auto-related services, such as leads generation, user profile generation, offering of auto financing products and valuation tools. Through our cooperation with TTP, we provide
comprehensive auto-related services to our users and customers by integrating TTPs offline vehicle examination and other ancillary services with our online-based services. We primarily generate revenues from collecting commissions from
transactions facilitated by our used vehicle platform.
In addition, we have been leveraging our comprehensive platform to capture
additional revenue opportunities in connection with the remaining stages of the automobile ownership life cycles, such as auto-finance and auto-lifestyle. Since 2017, with the collaboration and integration of our business with Ping An Group, we
continued to progress on our auto-financing business by providing an expanded variety of products including loans, leasing and insurance to our users and automobile sellers, which better facilitated both new and used car transactions on our
platform. We collect commissions from facilitating auto-financing products provided through our platform. We further developed our data products in 2018 and have successfully advanced our data and intelligent recommendation and reinforced our entire
ecosystem by providing highly differentiated value and data-driven sales and marketing tools to our customers. The data products offered to automakers and dealers primarily consist of data reports, intelligent sales series including intelligent
e-marketing
and intelligent showroom. We aim to further develop synergies between our media and leads generations services, transaction business and data product and our auto-financing initiatives to realize greater
growth potential of our platform.
Our Platform
Our service offerings for users mainly include our high-performance platform, which is comprised of our websites and mobile applications, our
original, professionally and user-generated content and our interactive online community. Our platform is powered by our big data capability. Our extensive user data originates from our expanding large user base, our automotive ecosystem partners
and third-party data providers. Through our comprehensive platform, we have access to valuable data of customers needs, behaviors and patterns in their automotive ownership life cycles, which allows us to accurately and effectively customize
content and commercial offerings. Our accurate and comprehensive user profiling enables us to continuously enhance user experience and improve our ability to attract and retain customers.
Our Websites
Our user-centric
approach has successfully attracted a growing user base with a steady increase of daily active users to our websites. We believe we are well-positioned to capture the fast growth of the internet penetration in China. Our
autohome.com.cn
website targets a wide spectrum of automobile consumers with a focus on new automobiles. To capitalize on the growing used automobile market in China, we redesigned our
che168.com
website, which in the past had features and user base similar
to our
autohome.com.cn
website, to focus on used automobiles. The
re-designed
che168.com
website was launched in October 2011.
Most of the content on our websites is tagged by vehicle models to facilitate easy user access. We have developed and are continuing to
improve our user intelligence engine to analyze user browsing behavior and preferences and prioritize the content that the user is likely to find relevant and interesting. A user who searches for or navigates to a page for a specific vehicle model
will be provided with links to relevant content such as vehicle specifications, photos and video clips, reviews, competing vehicle models, and listing and promotional information from local dealers. Users can easily compare competing vehicle models
and brands for price and specifications to make informed purchase decisions. In addition, these user behavior data are summarized and analyzed on a regular basis to improve user experience and provide consumer intelligence to our advertisers.
To provide a superior experience to our users, we label sponsored content as advertisement to maintain objectivity.
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Our Mobile Websites and Applications
For mobile users, our content can be accessed on our websites and on our mobile applications. We have made significant efforts in recent years
to optimize the mobile version of our websites to display our content and develop and enhance the functions of our mobile applications to capture a greater number of users that access our services through mobile devices. For example, according to
QuestMobile
, the combined number of average daily unique visitors for our mobile websites and primary application amounted to 29.1 million in December 2018, representing an approximate 10% year-over-year increase. We were among the
earliest in our industry in China to introduce both
iOS-
and Android-based applications to allow users to easily access our content. Users can conveniently enjoy features available on our mobile websites and
applications from their mobile devices, such as reading articles, checking vehicle prices and model parameters, viewing pictures, viewing dealers information, visiting our Autohome Mall and participating in forum discussions.
Our Content
The foundation of our
websites and mobile applications is a large amount of original generated content, professionally generated content and user generated content, as well as a comprehensive automobile library and extensive automobile listing and promotional information
organized around our automotive information database.
Original Generated Content
Our original generated content is created by our dedicated editorial team and includes automobile-related articles and reviews, pricing trends
in various local markets, photographs, video clips and live streaming. This content covers topics throughout the automobile ownership life cycle, from automobile research, selection and purchase to ownership and maintenance and to eventual
replacement. In 2018, we launched a new channel focusing on new energy vehicles to accommodate the increasing interest and attention of our users on new energy vehicles. Our review writers obtain first-hand experiences by test-driving many newly
released vehicle models provided by various automakers. We also have an
AH-100
Vehicle Rating System which applies standard criteria to measure a comprehensive set of performance-based features of the vehicles
on sale, such as safety, dynamics, fuel consumption, comfortableness and driving experience. Our
AH-100
Vehicle Rating System helps automobile consumers make an easier choice when selecting vehicles to
purchase. Our editorial team at our Beijing headquarters and sales offices located in 73 cities throughout China work closely with automakers, dealers and other industry participants to create automobile related articles. Although automakers may
provide us with sample vehicles to test drive, we review all new automobiles independently, based upon our teams experience and from our users perspective.
We follow well-developed guidelines in creating and publishing content with attention to details, such as the angles of photos, image sizes
and the time between industry events and the relevant article publication. These practices enable us to streamline our editorial process and quickly and efficiently make national and local content available to our users, while ensuring that we
maintain high-quality standards and a consistent user experience.
Professionally Generated Content
In 2016, we launched an open content platform to invite the key opinion leaders and influential bloggers or writers in the automotive field to
contribute their high-quality professional review, analysis and insights on automotive-related topics, including vehicle reviews, industry trends, auto photography, maintenance and others. Our diversified professionally generated contents complement
our auto-content and auto-lifestyle business strategy and bring our users enriched and customized content consisting of high-quality articles, photographs, video clips and live streaming. As of December 31, 2018, we had approximately 12,000
professional content contributors on our platform, representing an approximate 110% year-over-year increase from 2017. In 2018, we further expanded our collaboration with automakers, key opinion leaders, professional experts and social media to
further upgrade our professionally generated content ecosystem.
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User Generated Content and User Forum
Our platform hosts an open and vibrant community of automobile consumers, from first-time buyers to sophisticated automobile enthusiasts. Our
user community centers around our discussion forums, which are organized based on vehicle models, cities and regions, and various topics of interest. Registered users utilize our discussion forums to share a wide range of automotive experiences such
as driving experiences and usage and maintenance tips. Users also frequently provide reviews of automobiles or automotive products and services, post questions and receive answers from fellow forum members. We continued to enhance user engagement
and participation in the content generation and delivery process. For example, we expanded our user review platform by allowing users to add or modify their views and insights on a continuous basis. We strive to ensure the credibility, appeal and
usefulness of our forums by identifying verified automobile owners and empowering selected registered users as forum moderators. Our verified automobile owners are registered users whose vehicle ownership has been confirmed through various channels.
Our forum moderators are generally active registered users with significant forum post counts whom we have identified as being reputable automobile enthusiasts within our online community. In 2018, we launched a traveler channel, a new channel
focusing on contents related to offline road trip events, to accommodate the increasing interest and attention of our users in this field. We also rolled out the Young Channel on our website and the Hey Car (嘿car)
mobile application as interest-based social media platforms to promote automobile knowledge and culture among young users.
As of
December 31, 2018, we had over 90.7 million registered users, representing a 54.7% year-over-year increase from 2017. As our user base has grown and our user engagement and forum activity has increased, our database of user generated
content has expanded, which in turn has attracted more users. Furthermore, this positive effect on our growing user base has also enhanced the effectiveness of our advertisements and therefore the value of our advertising services, allowing us to
attract more advertisers and increase revenues from existing advertisers.
Automobile Library and Listing
We have one of the most comprehensive automobile libraries within our industry in China with over 39,400 vehicle model configurations as of
December 31, 2018. We believe our automobile library covers the substantial majority of passenger vehicle models released in China since 2005. It includes a broad range of specifications covering performance levels, dimensions, powertrains,
vehicle bodies, interiors, safety, entertainment systems and other unique features, as well as automakers suggested retail prices. The scale of content in our automobile library, which we believe would require significant time, expertise and
expense to replicate, makes it a valuable tool for our users in researching both new and used automobiles. Our database also includes a large amount of new and used automobile listings and promotional information. With the comprehensive and
continuously updated listing information, users can conveniently search for
up-to-date
information of vehicle models without having to visit each individual dealer at
their local showrooms. In addition, our automotive information database includes a significant amount of user generated content originating from our user forums. Leveraging our innovative augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) related
technologies, we utilize three-dimension technology to restore the actual appearances of vehicles and present stereoscopic
720-degree
review of automobiles on our platform. Compared to the traditional
two-dimensional
picture-based display of automobile appearances, the
AR-
and
VR-based
vehicle review functionality on our platform
enables users to have a real perception of the specific vehicles they are interested in buying and has greatly enhanced user experience.
Our Services
Our Media Services
Leveraging our large and rapidly growing user base and utilizing the user intelligence data we have collected, we provide our advertisers with
a broad range of advertising solutions and tools. Our advertisers under media services are comprised primarily of automakers and automobile brands regional offices. As millions of consumers visit our websites and mobile applications for
automotive information, we have become an increasingly important medium for automakers and automobile brands regional offices to conduct their advertising and marketing campaigns.
Automakers typically utilize our advertising services for brand promotion, new model releases and sales promotions. We believe we are
well-positioned to provide solutions to meet all of these needs. Our large and growing automobile purchase- and ownership-oriented user base provides a broad reach for automakers marketing messages. Our automotive content delivery and
advertisement management platform allows us to segment our user base in a number of different dimensions, including by users geographical locations and specific automotive interests, and enables us to place advertisements with targeted
audiences likely to be receptive to particular advertising messages.
45
Leveraging our large user base and extensive forum posting data, we provide automakers with more
reliable and timely business insights than traditional customer surveys or other post-sales feedback channels. For instance, we analyze user posts in our forums to evaluate consumer behavioral and preference response. In addition, we organize
various types of offline national or local events for our automaker customers through our online marketing campaigns and user forum activities to complement our advertising services. For example, we help automakers increase their brand awareness and
execute sales promotions by organizing large-scale test driving activities and for specific vehicle models in multiple cities across China. Users can conveniently participate and interact with automaker representatives through our forums.
In each of 2016, 2017 and 2018, 95, 101 and 103 automakers in China, which include independent Chinese automakers, joint ventures between
Chinese and international automakers and international automakers that sell their cars made outside of China, purchased media services from us. As is customary in China, we sell our advertising services and solutions primarily through third-party
advertising agencies that represent the automakers and automobile brands regional offices. We typically enter into individual advertising agreements with the third-party advertising agencies. Although we sell our advertising services and
solutions to third-party advertising agencies, we consider the automakers and automobile brands regional offices, who are the main decision makers as to whether to place advertisements on our websites and mobile applications, to be our
end-customers.
As a result, our sales efforts focus primarily on automakers and automobile brands regional offices. However, through direct contact between our sales team, advertisers and advertising agencies,
we are able to maintain good relationships with existing advertisers and their advertising agencies.
Our Leads Generation Services
Our Dealer Subscription Services
We
provide subscription services to dealers which allow them to market their inventory and services through our websites and mobile applications, extending the reach of their physical showrooms to potentially millions of internet users in China and
generating sales leads for them. Our dealer subscription services are delivered through our dealership information system mainly on a
fixed-fee
basis, typically for a period of one year. Through the
web-based
interface of our dealership information system, dealers can create online showrooms hosted on our websites and mobile applications and upload and manage their automobile inventories, pricing and
promotional information. Potential automobile purchasers can interact with our dealer subscribers online or through phone numbers presented on the platform to inquire for more detailed information and schedule test drives. Our dealer subscribers can
track all the interactions with their customers originating from our websites and mobile applications, analyze the number of sales leads and assess the effectiveness of their marketing activities.
We continue to develop our dealer subscription services and have begun to implement additional enriched and upgraded services, which we
believe will allow us to expand sales leads based on consumer behaviors and preferences and enhance leads conversion and personalized marketing, and further to offer additional upgraded subscription packages at different price levels.
Our Advertising Services for Individual Dealers
We also offer advertising services for individual dealers to complement our leads generation services. Our dealer customers utilize our
advertising services and leverage our large user base to support their sales and marketing activities. In addition to larger brand promotion advertising campaigns organized by the automakers or the group dealers, individual dealers utilize our
advertising services to further enhance their visibility in local community, address local market conditions and promote local events. We also facilitate the process and connect our users from online to offline to generate sales leads and
transaction for our dealer customers.
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Used Automobile Listing and Other Platform-based Services
We launched our used automobile listing platform in late 2009. Our used automobile listing services allow dealers and individuals to market
their used automobiles for sale on our websites and mobile applications. Our used automobile listing database has been expanding rapidly.
The
che168.com
website is a platform primarily focusing on used automobile services and is dedicated to providing features consisting
of content, listings and interactive functionality similar to our
autohome.com.cn
website. We also developed a mobile application serving as a used automobile sales platform, through which we provide comprehensive used automobile services.
Since 2014, we have been continuously developing and enhancing the functions of the used automobile website and application and have begun to provide advertising services, dealer subscription services, generation of sales leads and other
platform-based services in selected cities. The used automobile market still remains at a nascent stage of development and the revenue generated from our used automobile listing and other services, which we include in the revenue line for leads
generation services, had achieved fast growth in the year ended December 31, 2018. We plan to continue to make efforts in developing our used automobile-related business and explore new business models and opportunities in the future.
Our Online Marketplace and Other Services
Transaction Platform for New Vehicles
In June 2014, we launched Autohome Mall, an online transaction platform. Autohome Mall is a full-service online transaction platform for users
to review automotive-related information, purchase coupons offered by automakers for discounts and make purchases to complete the transaction. In 2015, we began to provide direct vehicle sales and commission-based services facilitating transactions
through our transaction platform. We completed new vehicle transactions on our platform through various sales initiatives and other promotional campaigns. We conducted several online marketing events on Autohome Mall and offline promotion campaigns
with our partners for our transaction business. We also partnered with automakers to sell selected vehicles on our platform. In the fourth quarter of 2016, we began to shift our focus to become an asset-light vehicle
e-commerce
platform and cleared all direct sales vehicle inventories in 2017. Currently, for new vehicle transactions, we primarily generate revenues by providing platform-based services and
transaction-oriented marketing solutions and collecting commissions for transactions facilitated by our platform.
Transaction Platform for Used
Vehicles
We invested in TTP Car Inc., or TTP, a company operating an online bidding platform for used automobiles, in June 2018.
Our investment in TTP has helped us develop a used car C2B2C model and form a transaction system, which improved the under-served used automobile market, such as lack of sourcing, traffic and consumer confidence, and have fostered
business-to-consumer
purchasing experiences for our consumers. It connects automobile buyers and used automobile sellers and helps facilitate their vehicle transactions on our
platform through providing a wide range of auto-related services, such as leads generation, user profile generation, offering of auto financing products and valuation tools. We provide comprehensive auto-related services to our users by integrating
TTPs offline vehicle examination, ownership transfer services and other ancillary services with our online-based services. For used vehicle transactions, we primarily generate revenues from collecting commissions from transactions facilitated
by our platform.
47
Auto-financing Services
We started auto finance business in early 2017 and further developed such business in 2018 as we aim to address the under-served auto financing
market in China by providing comprehensive online-based financial services for the complete consumer automobile ownership life cycle. We gradually shifted our focus from leads generation to transaction facilitation and promote successful
transactions with targeted and diversified auto financial services. Based on users preferences and our big data analysis, we recommend a broad range of loans, leases and insurance products offered by our cooperative financial institutions to
our users that have auto financing needs and match them to facilitate transactions. We also introduced merchant loans offered by our cooperative financial institutions to automobile sellers. We currently provide auto insurance brokerage services
through Shanghai Tianhe, which was acquired by us in 2017. Through our platform, we plan to enable our users and automobile sellers who are in need of auto financing to easily access various high-quality loans and insurance products and allow our
cooperative financial partners to effectively increase the volume of their financing transactions. See Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Business and IndustryIf we are unable to grow our auto finance
business, we may not be able to achieve our expected business growth and our results of operations may be adversely affected. We generate revenues from collecting commissions from facilitation of auto-financing and insurance products on our
platform.
Data Products
We
further developed our data products in 2018 and have successfully advanced our data and intelligent recommendation and reinforced our entire ecosystem by providing highly differentiated value and data-driven sales and marketing tools to our
customers. The data products we offer to automakers and dealers on our platform primarily consist of (i) customized data reports prepared based on our big data and multi-dimensional analyses on user reviews, purchasing interest and preferences,
geographical competitive advantages of the relevant automakers and dealers and their geographical distribution strategies, and (ii) intelligent sales series primarily including intelligent E-marketing and intelligent showroom. Intelligent
E-marketing is a marketing approach and solution designed based on sophisticated data-driven algorithms of multidimensional user profiles, and enable customers to achieve multi-channel sales management and to ultimately improve the conversion rate
of online visitors to in-store visitors. The intelligent showroom, which is an intelligent and scenario-based marketing platform, integrates the technologies of AR, VR, big data and voice recognition to achieve the functions of panoramic car
shopping, smart push notifications and smart shopping guide.
Technology and Product Development
Our technologies and infrastructure are critical to our success. We follow a user-centric strategy for our system architecture and have
developed robust and scalable technology platforms with sufficient flexibility to support our rapid growth. Currently, we are entering into a new phase of strategic technology initiative focusing on transforming our platform into an intelligent
automotive ecosystem empowered by artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud in the near future.
A key component of our
user-centric strategy is our user intelligence engine which we have developed and are continually enhancing. Our user intelligence engine allows us to rapidly gather user intelligence by analyzing large amounts of data from many sources throughout
our content production system. We are able to monitor and analyze user behaviors and preferences through their browsing record on our platforms. We can utilize such user intelligence data to personalize user interfaces, associate and understand the
relationship of information from different sources and facilitate interactions among users and various elements on our websites and mobile applications. It also helps us recommend suitable products, services and user connections to our users.
Through our user intelligence engine, we can engage our users more closely by providing them with relevant content throughout their automotive life cycles. We are also able to provide precision and targeted marketing services to our automakers,
dealers and other automotive-related customers so that they can accurately deliver relevant advertisements to targeted users who are more receptive to such marketing information. We plan to continue expanding our content platform with an
AI-enabled
content generation tool to further facilitate dynamic content customization based on user preference.
We provide automobile consumers trend analysis services for our automaker and dealer customers that help them analyze data in specific
demographic markets such as consumer purchasing behavior characteristics and their brand strength in comparison to those of their competitors. We believe the consumer intelligence gathered from our large user base reflects the current automotive
market trends in China and provides excellent market insight to our automaker and dealer customers.
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We invested heavily in mobile technologies and were among the earliest in our industry in China
to introduce a mobile version of our websites and both Apple
iOS-
and Android-based applications to allow our users to easily access our content. We have built up a team of research and development personnel
to focus exclusively on the development and enhancement of our mobile websites and applications and to explore new business models and opportunities through mobile technology. We plan to continue to leverage our mobile technology to enhance the
functions and user interfaces of our mobile applications for Apple iOS and Android platforms focusing on convenience, real-time interaction and location based services.
Leveraging AR and VR related technologies, we realized significant technology upgrade in 2017 and launched AR automobile showroom and AR auto
show during the year, all of which had enabled us to provide our users with an innovative and superior automobile review experience and thus enhanced our user stickiness. In addition, these technology improvements had strengthened our ability to
obtain additional user traffic and expanded our user base. Our VR product portfolio continued to expand in 2018. In addition to AR automobile showroom and AR auto shows, we have VR branding showrooms, intelligent automobile showrooms as well as
direct visual access to automakers factory design and manufacturing process so our users can review and comprehend the entire automobile production process. We plan to continue to make further upgrades and develop new technology to provide
more diversified platforms for our users, and to expand the use of AR and VR related technologies throughout our
eco-platform
in order to offer automakers and dealers with more innovative and effective
branding and marketing tools and greater exposure to highly targeted potential consumers throughout China. Also, we will continue to develop significant resources to expand the content breadth and depth offered on our platform in order to deliver
the best user experience in the market.
We had an experienced product development team of 1,762 engineers as of December 31, 2018.
Our past innovation has focused on helping users research, select and purchase suitable vehicles through our websites. We plan to develop additional products and services for our mobile applications and media-related technology and enhance our big
data analytics capabilities and AR and VR related technologies.
Sales and Marketing
Our nationwide
in-house
team of sales representatives sells our services to automakers and dealers. As
of December 31, 2018, we had 1,901 sales and marketing representatives operating our physical sales office network spanning 73 cities across China and visiting customers in an additional 119 satellite cities. We have a prudent expansion plan
and we typically only open new physical sales offices in a city after we have already established a sufficient customer base in the area. In cities where we do not yet have a customer base, we provide sales coverage by telephone. Our Beijing-based
telephone sales team provided sales coverage to the cities in which we did not have physical sales offices. Our sales team also provides ongoing customer support to advertisers and dealer subscribers. In the past years, we have successfully expanded
our market presence in the first- and second-tier cities in China. We plan to continue to expand our sales and marketing efforts into third- and fourth-tier cities to further capture the opportunities for automobile sales growth in those markets.
Our sales team is equipped with specialized automotive industry knowledge and expertise, understands our customers needs and is
trained to help them develop their advertising strategies. Salespeople work directly with our advertisers and advertising agencies that represent advertisers. Our sales team also maintains close relationships with our dealer customers by, among
other things, providing continuing training, support and ongoing customer service for our dealer subscriptions services and other value-added services. Our sales team for transaction business is in charge of customer services and maintains our
relationships with automakers, our dealership partners, and business development personnel.
Compensation for our salespeople includes a
base salary and incentives based on the sales revenues they generate. We provide regular
in-house
and external education and training to our salespeople to help them provide current and prospective customers
with information on, and the advantages of using, our services. We believe that our performance-linked compensation structure and career-oriented training help to retain and motivate our salespeople.
We believe brand recognition is important to our ability to attract users. We focus our sales and marketing efforts through search engines,
navigation websites and mobile platforms to retain and strengthen our leading position in terms of user reach. For example, we cooperate with application stores and mobile browsers to promote our mobile applications and our websites. We also conduct
online marketing events on Autohome Mall and other traditional and social media channels as well as offline promotion campaigns with our partners. For example, we conduct the annual Singles Day campaign to generate quality sales
leads and further facilitate the transactions. Since the fourth quarter of 2017, we have been paying for TV ads on different channels of the China Central Television, the predominant state television broadcaster in China, to reach more audience in
the third- or lower-tier cities and towns in China and promote their recognition of our platform as a
one-stop
destination for selecting and purchasing automobiles and various types of auto-related services.
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Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property includes trademarks and trademark applications related to our brands and services, software copyrights, trade secrets
and other intellectual property rights and licenses. We seek to protect our intellectual property assets and brands through a combination of trademark, patent, copyright and trade secret protection laws in the PRC and other jurisdictions, as well as
through confidentiality agreements and other measures.
We hold 汽车之家 and
车之家 (both mean auto home in English) and AUTOHOME
®
trademarks in China. In addition, as at December 31, 2018, we held 323 pending
trademark applications and 197 registered trademarks. As at the same date, we had 79 registered domain names, including our main website domain names,
autohome.com.cn
and
che168.com
, 87 pending patent applications, and 115 registered
patents. We had 241 computer software copyrights as of December 31, 2018.
Competition
With respect to our auto media business, we face competition from Chinas automotive vertical websites and mobile applications, such as
Xcar, PCauto
and
BitAuto
, from the automotive channels of major internet portals, such as
Sina
and
Sohu
, and from companies engaged in mobile social media, news, video and live-streaming applications. We may also face
competition from online automobile transaction platforms, such as
maodou.com
,
taoche.com
,
51auto
,
Uxin
,
Guazi
and
Renrenche
, as we develop our auto transaction business. Our auto finance business faces
competition from other auto finance companies, such as
Yixin
and
Souche
. In addition, we also face competition from companies engaged in social media business, such as
ByteDance
and
Tencent
. Competition will be centered
on factors similar to those affecting our current media services and leads generation services, primarily centered on increasing user reach, user engagement and brand recognition, relationships with the suppliers, and attracting and retaining
advertisers or customers, among other factors. For our transaction business, as online automobile transaction is a relatively new business model and consumers in China might be accustomed to make automobile purchases with traditional dealerships, we
cannot guarantee that the automobile consumers in China will accept such business model. See Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Business and IndustryWe face significant competition, and if we fail to
compete effectively, we may lose market share and our business, prospects and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Seasonality
Our quarterly revenues and
other operating results have fluctuated in the past and may continue to fluctuate depending upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our business experiences seasonal variations in association with the demand for automobiles
in China. For example, the first quarter of each year generally contributes the lowest portion of our annual net revenues primarily due to a slowdown in business activities around and during the Chinese New Year holiday, which occurs during the
period. Consequently, our results of operations may fluctuate from quarter to quarter. As each of our business lines may have different seasonality factors and the mix of our revenue sources may shift from year to year, our past performance may not
be indicative of future trends. See also Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Business and IndustryOur business is subject to fluctuations, which makes our results of operations difficult to predict and
may cause our quarterly results of operations to fall short of expectations.
50
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we may be subject to various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of our business. There are currently
no legal proceedings that, in the opinion of our management, may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
PRC
Regulation
This section summarizes the principal PRC laws and regulations relevant to our business and operations.
Regulations on Value-Added Telecommunications Services
On September 25, 2000, the State Council promulgated the Telecommunications Regulations, or the Telecom Regulations, which draw a
distinction between basic telecommunication services and value-added telecommunications services. The Telecommunications Regulations were subsequently revised on July 29, 2014 and on February 6, 2016. On
December 28, 2015, the MIIT published the Classification Catalogue of Telecommunications Services (the 2015 Catalogue), which took effect on March 1, 2016. Under the 2015 Catalogue, value-added telecommunication services was
further classified into two
sub-categories
and 10 items. Internet content provision services, or ICP services, is under the second subcategory of value-added telecommunications businesses. Under the
Telecom Regulations, commercial operators of value-added telecommunications services must first obtain an operating license from the MIIT or its provincial level counterparts.
On September 25, 2000, the State Council issued the Administrative Measures on Internet Information Services, or the Internet Measures.
The measures were subsequently revised on January 8, 2011. According to the Internet Measures, commercial ICP service operators must obtain an ICP license from the relevant government authorities before engaging in any commercial ICP operations
within the PRC.
On March 1, 2009, the MIIT promulgated the Administrative Measures on Telecommunications Business Operating License,
or the Telecom License Measures, which took effect on April 10, 2009. The measures were subsequently revised on September 1, 2017. The Telecom License Measures set forth the types of licenses required to operate value-added
telecommunications services and the qualifications and procedures for obtaining such licenses. For example, an ICP operator providing value-added services in multiple provinces is required to obtain an inter-regional license, whereas an ICP operator
providing the same services in one province is required to obtain a local license.
To comply with these PRC laws and regulations, both of
our ICP operators, Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan, hold ICP licenses. Autohome Information also holds a value-added telecommunications business operation license for provision of mobile network information services.
Restrictions on Foreign Ownership in Value-Added Telecommunications Services
According to the Provisions on Administration of Foreign Invested Telecommunications Enterprises, or the FITE Provisions, promulgated by the
State Council on December 11, 2001 and amended on September 10, 2008 and February 6, 2016, respectively, the ultimate foreign equity ownership in a value-added telecommunications service provider must not exceed 50%. Moreover, for a
foreign investor to acquire any equity interests in a value-added telecommunication business in China, it must demonstrate a good track record and experience in operating value-added telecommunications services. Foreign investors that meet these
requirements must obtain approvals from the MIIT and the MOFCOM or its authorized local branches, and the relevant approval application process usually takes six to seven months.
On July 13, 2006, the MIIT issued the Notice of the MIIT on Intensifying the Administration of Foreign Investment in Value-added
Telecommunications Services. This notice prohibits domestic telecommunication service providers from leasing, transferring or selling telecommunications business operating licenses to any foreign investor in any form, or providing any resources,
sites or facilities to any foreign investor for their illegal operation of a telecommunications business in China. According to this notice, either the holder of a value-added telecommunication business operating license or its shareholders must
legally own the domain names and trademarks used by such license holders in their provision of value-added telecommunication services. The notice further requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities, including servers, for its
approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. In addition, all value-added telecommunication service providers are required to maintain network and internet security in accordance with the
standards set forth in relevant PRC regulations. If a license holder fails to comply with the requirements in the notice and cure such
non-compliance,
the MIIT or its local counterparts have the discretion to
take measures against such license holders, including revoking their valued-added telecommunication business operating licenses.
51
To comply with these PRC regulations, we operate our websites through our VIEs, Autohome
Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan. Each of Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan is currently 50% owned by Min Lu and 50% owned by Haiyun Lei, both of whom are PRC citizens. Both Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan hold ICP
licenses.
Regulation on Foreign Investment
On March 15, 2019, the Foreign Investment Law was enacted by the National Peoples Congress and it will become effective on
January 1, 2020. Upon its enactment, it will replace the trio of existing laws regulating foreign investment in China, namely, the Sino-foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and
the Wholly Foreign-invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations. The Foreign Investment Law embodies an expected PRC regulatory trend to rationalize its foreign investment regulatory regime in line with
prevailing international practice and the legislative efforts to unify the corporate legal requirements for both foreign and domestic investments.
Unlike its first draft which was published in 2015, the Foreign Investment Law does not specifically expand the definition of foreign
investment to include entities established through a VIE structure but contains a
catch-all
provision under the definition of foreign investment which includes investments made by foreign
investors through means stipulated in laws or administrative regulations or other methods prescribed by the State Council.
Moreover, the
Foreign Investment Law establishes a foreign investment information reporting system. Foreign investors or foreign-funded enterprises shall submit the investment information to competent governmental departments for commerce through the enterprise
registration system and the enterprise credit information publicity system. The contents and scope of foreign investment information to be reported shall be determined under the principle of necessity. Where foreign-investors or foreign-invested
enterprises are found to be
non-compliant
with these information reporting obligations, competent department for commerce shall order corrections within a specified period; if such corrections are not made in
time, a penalty of not less than RMB100,000 yet not more than RMB500,000 shall be imposed. Aside from the reporting system for foreign investment information, the Foreign Investment Law shall also establish a security examination mechanism for
foreign investment and conducts security review of foreign investment that affects or may affect national security. The decision made upon the security examination in accordance with the law shall be final.
We will be subject to the Foreign Investment Law if our contractual arrangements with our VIEs are defined or regarded as a form of foreign
investment in the future.
Regulations on Internet Content Services
The National Peoples Congress has enacted laws with respect to maintaining the security of internet operation and internet content.
According to the Administrative Measures for Internet Information Services, or the Internet Information Services Measures, which was issued by the State Council and became effective on January 8, 2011, violators may be subject to penalties,
including criminal sanctions, for internet content that:
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opposes the fundamental principles stated in the PRC constitution;
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compromises national security, divulges state secrets, subverts state power or damages national unity;
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harms the dignity or interests of the state;
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52
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incites ethnic hatred or racial discrimination or damages inter-ethnic unity;
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undermines the PRCs religious policy or propagates heretical teachings or feudal superstitions;
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disseminates rumors, disturbs social order or disrupts social stability;
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disseminates obscenity or pornography, encourages gambling, violence, murder or fear or incites the commission of
a crime;
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insults or slanders a third party or infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of a third party; or
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is otherwise prohibited by law or administrative regulations.
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In accordance with the Internet Information Services Measures, ICP operators are required to monitor their websites. They may not post or
disseminate any content that falls within these prohibited categories and must remove any such content from their websites. The PRC government may order ICP operators to suspend their operations, or revoke their ICP licenses if such ICP license
holders violate any of the above-mentioned content restrictions.
On February 4, 2015, the China Internet Network Information Center
promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Account Names of Internet Users, or the Account Names Provisions, which became effective as of March 1, 2015. The Account Name Provisions require all users of internet information service providers
to authenticate their real identity information for registration of accounts. Relevant internet information service providers are responsible for the protection of users privacy, consistency of user information, such as account names, avatars,
the requirements contemplated in the Account Names Provisions, making reports to the competent authorities if the names of institutions or social celebrities are illegally used for or associated with registration of account names, and taking
appropriate measures to stop any such violations, such as notifying the user to make corrections within a specified time and suspending or closing accounts in the event of continuing
non-compliance.
On August 25, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Internet
Follow-up
Comment Services and the Administrative Provisions on Internet Forum and Community Services, both of which became effective as of October 1, 2017. As stipulated in the Provisions, the internet
follow-up
comment service providers are imposed on strict primary obligations such as verifying the authenticity of registered users identity information, protecting personal information of users and
developing system to review
follow-up
comments on news information prior to the publication. Moreover, the internet forum and community services providers may establish the systems of information review,
real-time public information check, emergency response, personal information protection and other information security administration systems. In addition, the service providers should not publish information in violation of laws, regulations and
the relevant provisions of the state.
On September 7, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China promulgated the Provisions on the
Administration of Information Services Provided through Chat Groups on the Internet, or the Chat Groups Provision, and the Administrative Provisions on the Information Services Provided through Public Official Accounts of Internet Users, or the
Public Official Accounts Provision, both of which became effective as of October 8, 2017. According to the Provisions, the internet service providers are required to verify the authenticity of identity information of their users. In addition,
for any violation of laws and regulations by chat groups or public official accounts, service providers should take certain measures such as issuing a warning, suspending publication of the inappropriate information, and closing the chat groups or
the public official accounts.
These laws and regulations apply to the Internet content services we provide through our VIEs and impose
responsibilities on the VIEs for monitoring the websites, mobile applications and users, safeguarding the security of the internet as well as maintaining the internet content.
53
Regulations on Internet Privacy
In recent years, PRC government authorities have enacted legislation on internet use to protect personal information from any unauthorized
disclosure. The PRC law does not prohibit ICP operators from collecting and using personal information from their users with the users consent. However, the Internet Measures prohibit an ICP operator from insulting or slandering a third party
or infringing the lawful rights and interests of a third party. The regulations further authorize the relevant telecommunications authorities to order ICP operators to rectify unauthorized disclosure. ICP operators are subject to legal liability if
the unauthorized disclosure results in damages or losses to users. The PRC government, however, has the power and authority to order ICP operators to turn over personal information if an internet user posts any prohibited content or engages in
illegal activities on the internet. On December 29, 2011, the MIIT promulgated the Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order of Internet Information Services, effective as of March 15, 2012. It stipulates that ICP operators may
not, without a users consent, collect the users information that can be used alone or in combination with other information to identify the user and may not provide any such information to third parties without the users prior
consent. ICP operators may only collect users personal information that is necessary to provide their services and must expressly inform the users of the method, content and purpose of the collection and use of such personal information. In
addition, an ICP operator may only use users personal information for the stated purposes under the ICP operators scope of service. ICP operators are also required to ensure the proper security of users personal information, and
take immediate remedial measures if users personal information is suspected to have been inappropriately disclosed. If the consequences of any such disclosure are expected to be serious, ICP operators must immediately report the incident to
the telecommunications regulatory authority and cooperate with the authorities in their investigations.
On December 28, 2012, the
Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of the PRC issued the Decision on Strengthening the Protection of Online Information. Most requirements under this decision relevant to ICP operators are consistent with the requirements
already established under the MIIT provisions discussed above, but are often stricter and broader. Under this decision, ICP operators are required to take such technical and other measures necessary to safeguard information against inappropriate
disclosure. To further implement this decision and relevant rules, MIIT issued the Regulation of Protection of Telecommunication and Internet User Information on July 16, 2013, which became effective on September 1, 2013.
On March 15, 2017, the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress of the PRC issued the General Rules of the Civil Law of
the Peoples Republic of China, which came into effect on October 1, 2017. The General Rules have introduced personal information rights and data protection and provide that personal information of a natural person should be protected by
the law. The acquisition of information should be conducted in compliance with laws and regulations. The organizations and individuals who require personal information of others should neither illegally collect, utilize, process or transmit personal
information of others nor illegally sell or buy, provide to others or make public the personal information of others.
The Cyber Security
Law of the Peoples Republic of China became effective on June 1, 2017. According to the Cyber Security Law, network operators should, in the course of collecting and using personal information, follow the principles of legitimacy,
properness and necessity, disclose their rules with respect to data collection and usage, clearly express the purposes, means and scope of collecting and using information. Prior consent from the persons whose data is collected is required. In
addition, network operators are not allowed to collect personal information which is irrelevant to the services they provide.
To comply
with these laws and regulations, we require our users to accept a user terms of service whereby they agree to provide certain personal information to us, and have established information security systems to protect users privacy.
Regulations on Advertisements
The PRC
government regulates advertising, including online advertising, principally through the State Administration for Market Regulation, or SAMR. Prior to November 30, 2004, in order to conduct any advertising business, an enterprise was required to
hold an operating license for advertising in addition to a relevant business license. On November 30, 2004, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the predecessor of the SAMR, issued the Administrative Rules for Advertising
Operation Licenses, effective as of January 1, 2005, which was replaced by Administrative Provisions on Advertising Registration issued on November 1, 2016 and took effect on December 1, 2016. The advertisement operation entities are
restricted to radio stations, TV stations and newspaper and periodical publishers and the Advertising Operation License was cancelled. Therefore, our subsidiaries and VIEs are not required to hold an advertising operation license.
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Advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors are required by PRC advertising
laws and regulations to ensure that the content of the advertisements they produce or distribute are true and in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. In addition, where a special government review is required for certain categories
of advertisements before publishing, the advertisers, advertising operators and advertising distributors are obligated to confirm that such review has been duly performed and that the relevant approval has been obtained. Violation of these
regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of advertising income, orders to cease dissemination of the advertisements and orders to publish an advertisement correcting the misleading information. In circumstances involving
serious violations, the SAMR or its local branches may order the violator to terminate its advertising operation or even revoke its business license. Furthermore, advertisers, advertising operators or advertising distributors may be subject to civil
liabilities if they infringe on the legal rights and interests of third parties.
On October 26, 2018, the Standing Committee of the
National Peoples Congress revised the PRC Advertising Law or the Advertising Law, which came into effect on the same date. The Advertising Law applies to all advertising activities conducted via the internet. The Advertising Law requires that
users must be able to close online
pop-up
ads with one click. Moreover, internet service providers are obligated to cease publishing any advertisements that they know or should know are illegal. Violation of
these regulations may result in penalties, including fines, confiscation of the advertising incomes, termination of advertising operations and even suspension of the providers business license.
On July 4, 2016, the then State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued the Interim Measures for the Administration of Internet
Advertising or the Internet Advertising Measures, which came into effect as of September 1, 2016. All advertising activities by means of the internet are governed by the Advertising Law and the Internet Advertising Measures. Pursuant to the
Internet Advertising Measures, the term Internet Advertisement shall mean commercial advertisement that promote commodities or services, directly or indirectly, via Internet media such as websites, webpages and internet application
programs in the form of texts, pictures, audios, videos or other forms, including the advertisement containing a web link or links,
e-mail
advertisement, paid search advertisements, and advertisements
contained in commercial presentations that promote commodities or services, etc. The Internet Advertising Measures require that an internet advertisement shall be identifiable and clearly identified as an advertisement so that users will
tell it is an advertisement, and the following activities shall be prohibited: (i) providing or using any application programs or hardware to intercept, filter, cover, fast forward or otherwise restrict any authorized advertisement of other
persons; (ii) using network pathways, network equipment or applications to disrupt the normal data transmission of advertisements, alter or block authorized advertisements of other persons or load advertisements without authorization; or
(iii) using false statistical data, transmission effect or internet medium value to induce incorrect quotations, seek undue interests or damage the interests of other persons.
Pursuant to the Internet Advertising Measures, the punishments on illegal acts shall be administered by the local administrative authority for
industry and commerce in the place where the advertisement publisher is located. However, if an advertiser or advertising agent who violates the Advertising Law or the Internet Advertising Measures is outside the jurisdiction of the local branch of
the SAMR, of the advertisement publisher, such case may be referred to the local SAMR where the advertiser or advertising agent is located; in the event that the local SAMR in the place where the advertiser or advertising agent is located has
discovered any clues or received complaints or reports about such illegal acts, they may also exercise the administration. For any illegal advertisements published by advertisers themselves, such case shall be administered by the local SAMR where
the advertisers are located.
To comply with these laws and regulations, we include clauses in our advertising contracts requiring that
all advertising content provided by advertisers must comply with relevant laws and regulations. Prior to posting on websites and mobile applications, our staff reviews advertising materials to ensure there is no violent, pornographic or any other
improper content, and will request the advertiser to provide government approval if the advertisement is subject to special government review.
Regulations on Broadcasting Audio/Video Programs through the Internet
On July 6, 2004, the SARFT promulgated the Rules for the Administration of Broadcasting of Audio/Video Programs through the Internet and
Other Information Networks, or the A/V Broadcasting Rules, which were replaced by Provisions on the Administration of Private Network and Targeted Communication Audio-visual Program Services which took effect on June 1, 2016. For an entity that
engages in content delivery, integrated broadcast control, transmission distribution and other private network and targeted communication to send audio-visual program service, an Internet Audio/Video Program Transmission License is
required.
55
On April 13, 2005, the State Council announced Several Decisions on Investment by
Non-state-owned
Companies in Culture-related Business in China. These decisions encourage and support
non-state-owned
companies to enter certain culture-related business in
China, subject to restrictions and prohibitions for investment in audio/video broadcasting, website news and certain other businesses by
non-state-owned
companies. These decisions authorize the SARFT, the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the GAPP to adopt detailed implementation rules according to these decisions.
On December 20,
2007, the SARFT and the MIIT jointly issued the Rules for the Administration of Internet Audio and Video Program Services, commonly known as Circular 56, which came into effect as of January 31, 2008 and was amended in August, 2015. Circular 56
reiterates the requirement set forth in the A/V Broadcasting Rules that online audio/video service providers must obtain an internet audio/video program transmission license from the SARFT. Furthermore, Circular 56 requires all online
audio/video service providers to be either wholly state-owned or state-controlled companies. According to relevant official answers to press questions published on the SARFTs website dated February 3, 2008, officials from the SARFT and
the MIIT clarified that online audio/video service providers that already had been operating lawfully prior to the issuance of Circular 56 may
re-register
and continue to operate without becoming state-owned
or controlled, provided that such providers have not engaged in any unlawful activities. This exemption will not be granted to online audio/video service providers established after Circular 56 was issued. These policies have been reflected in the
Application Procedure for Audio/Video Program Transmission License. Failure to obtain the internet audio/video program transmission license may subject an online audio/video service provider to various penalties, including fines of up to RMB30,000,
seizure of related equipment and servers used primarily for such activities and even suspension of its online audio/video services.
To
comply with these laws and regulations, Autohome Information obtained an internet audio/video program transmission license on February 9, 2010, which has been renewed on February 13, 2018, for automotive-industry-information-related
audio/video programs posted on our
autohome.com.cn
website and relevant mobile applications.
Regulations on Producing Audio/Video Programs
On July 19, 2004, the SARFT promulgated the Administrative Measures on the Production and Operation of Radio and Television
Programs, effective as of August 20, 2004. On August 28, 2015, State Press and Publication of the General Administration of Radio and Television Decree No. 3 was issued to amend some provisions of the aforesaid Measures, which was
further revised on October 31, 2018 by the National Radio and Television Administration. These Measures provide that anyone who wishes to produce or operate radio or television programs must first obtain an operating permit. Applicants for this
permit must meet several criteria. Both Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan hold operating licenses for the production and dissemination of radio and television programs for special topic programs, cartoons and television variety shows.
Regulations on Internet Mapping Services
According to the amended Notice on Printing and Distributing Regulations on the Management of Surveying and Mapping Qualification and Standard
of Surveying and Mapping Qualification Classification issued by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, or NASMG, in July 2014, an entity providing internet mapping services should apply for the Surveying and Mapping
Qualification Certificate for Surveying and Mapping, and perform within the scope of the certificate. According to these rules, certain conditions and requirements, such as the number of technical personnel and map security verification personnel,
security facilities and approval from relevant provincial or national government on the service providers security system, qualification management and filings management, are necessary for an entity applying for a Surveying and Mapping
Qualification Certificate. Pursuant to the Notice on Further Strengthening the Administration of Internet Map Services Qualification issued by the NASMG in December 2011, any entity that has not yet applied for a surveying qualification certificate
for internet mapping services is prohibited from providing any internet mapping services.
56
On November 26, 2015, the State Council enacted the Administrative Regulations on Maps, or
the Maps Regulations, effective as of January 1, 2016. The Maps Regulations requires entities engaging in internet mapping services, such as geographic positioning, the uploading of geographic information or markings, and the development of a
public map database, to obtain a relevant qualification certificate for surveying and mapping. The Maps Regulations require entities engaging in online map services to use mapping data approved by the relevant governmental authorities, host servers
storing map data within the PRC, and establish a management system as well as protection measures for the data security of the online maps. The mapping data must not contain any content prohibited by the Maps Regulations, and no entities or
individuals are allowed to upload or mark such prohibited content online. Further, entities engaging in internet mapping services shall keep confidential any information involving state secrets and trade secrets acquired during their work.
We have provided maps on our websites and mobile applications for the convenience of our users to locate certain service providers. Both
Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan hold the Surveying and Mapping Qualification Certificate for internet mapping.
Regulations
on Online Cultural Services
On February 17, 2011, the Ministry of Culture promulgated the Interim Administrative Provisions on
Internet Culture, which became effective on April 1, 2011 and replaced the original measures promulgated in 2003 and amended in 2004. On December 15, 2017, the Decision of the Ministry of Culture on the Revision or Abolishment of Certain
Administrative Provisions was issued to amend some articles of the aforesaid provisions. The Interim Administrative Provisions on Internet Culture require ICP operators engaged in internet culture activities to obtain an Internet Culture
Business Permit from the provincial administration of culture. The term internet culture activities includes, among other things, online dissemination of internet cultural products (such as audio-video products, gaming products,
performances of plays or programs, works of art and cartoons) and the production, reproduction, importation, publication and broadcasting of internet cultural products.
Autohome Information has applied for and obtained an Internet Culture Business Permit in January 2013, and we have renewed our permit to
include use of information network to operate music entertainment products, game products, performance drama (section), and performance.
Regulations on Online Performances and Online Live-streaming Services
On December 2, 2016, the Ministry of Culture issued the Administrative Measures for Business Activities of Online Performances, which took
effect on January 1, 2017. Under these measures, an operator of online performances conducting the business activities of online performances shall apply for an Internet Culture Business Permit with the competent provincial administrative
cultural department, and the business scope indicated on the permit shall clearly include reference to online performances. An operator of online performances undertakes the primary responsibility for the business activities of online performances
operated by it, and shall establish a content review and management system, arrange staff with corresponding qualifications
to undertake the work of reviewing the performance content, and establish technical supervision measures
adaptable to content management in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
The Provisions on the Administration of Online Live
Streaming Services was issued by the State Internet Information Office on November 4, 2016 and was effective on December 1, 2016. Under the provisions, those who provide online live-streaming services through online performances, internet
video and audio programs, and so forth, shall obtain relevant qualifications as required by laws and regulations. Online live streaming service providers shall carry out entity responsibilities, equip professionals comparable to the service scale,
and improve systems for information review, information security management, duty patrols, emergency response, and technical guarantee. Online live streaming service providers shall establish platforms for reviewing live streaming content. Online
live streaming service providers and online live streaming publishers that provide internet news information services without licenses, or exceeding the scope of their licenses, are subject to punishment. For other violations of these provisions
that are subject to punishment by the national and local Internet information offices in accordance with law; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be investigated in accordance with law. Violations of the relevant laws and provisions
in providing online live streaming services through Internet performances, online audio and visual programs and so forth are subject to punishment by the relevant departments in accordance with law.
57
Currently we are providing online live-streaming services through our websites and mobile
applications. Autohome Information has obtained an internet audio/video program transmission license on February 9, 2010, which has been renewed on February 13, 2018 and will remain effective until February 13, 2021. In addition, in
January 2013, Autohome Information has obtained an Internet Culture Business Permit, which includes use of information network to operate music entertainment products, game products, performance drama (section), and performance.
Regulations on Internet Publishing
The
Administrative Provisions on Online Publishing Services, or the Online Publishing Provisions, was jointly issued by the MIIT and the State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (the predecessor of the National
Radio and Television Administration) in 2016, and came into effect on March 10, 2016. The Online Publishing Provisions define online publishing services as providing online publications to the public through information networks.
Any online publishing services provided in the territory of the PRC are subject to these provisions. The Online Publishing Provisions requires any internet publishing services provider to obtain an online publishing service license to engage in
online publishing services. Under the Online Publishing Provisions, online publications refers to digital works which have publishing features such as digital work that have been edited, produced or processed and which are made available to the
public through information networks, including written works, pictures, maps, games, cartoons, audio/video reading materials and other methods. Any online game shall obtain approval from SAPPRFT before it is launched online. Furthermore,
Sino-foreign equity joint ventures, Sino-foreign cooperative joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises cannot engage in providing web publishing services.
Based on a consultation we had with the local press and publication administration authority, we believe we are not required to obtain the
internet publishing license as the activities we engage in on our websites and mobile applications do not constitute internet publishing activities, as such term is used in the Online Publishing Provisions. We are also not aware of
companies with an operation similar to ours that have obtained or been required to obtain the internet publishing license. As a result, both Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan have not applied for such internet publishing approval. However,
in the event that our activities are deemed to be internet publishing, we may be required to obtain approval from GAPP. If we are deemed to be in breach of relevant internet publishing regulations, the PRC regulatory authorities may
seize the related equipment and servers used primarily for such activities and confiscate any revenues generated from such activities. In addition, relevant PRC authorities may also impose a fine of five to ten times of any revenues exceeding
RMB10,000 or a fine of not more than RMB50,000 if such related revenues are below RMB10,000.
Regulations on Internet News Information Service
On May 2, 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China issued the Provisions for the Administration of Internet News Information Services,
or Internet News Provision, which became effective on June 1, 2017 and replaced the original provisions promulgated in 2005.
Internet news information services shall include service of collecting, editing and publishing internet news information, service of reposting
and service of providing propagation platform. Under the Internet News Provision, internet news service providers shall also include entities that are not established by the press but reproduce internet news from other sources, provide electronic
bulletin services on current and political events, and transmit such information to the public. The Cyberspace Administration of China shall be in charge of the supervision and administration of the internet news information services throughout
China.
If we release information that may be deemed by authorities as internet news, we may be required to obtain the internet news
information service license. However, we have consulted the relevant government authorities and have been informed that we would not be required to obtain the internet news releasing license because the internet news posted on our websites and
mobile applications is only automotive industry related news which is not political in nature or related to macroeconomics. However, if any of the internet news posted on our websites and mobile applications is deemed by the government to be
political in nature, related to macroeconomics, or otherwise requires such license based on the sole discretion of the government authority, we would need to apply for such license. If we are deemed to be in breach of the Internet News Provision or
other relevant internet news releasing regulations, the PRC regulatory authorities may suspend the related internet service and impose a fine exceeding RMB10,000 but not more than RMB30,000.
58
Regulations on
E-commerce
Chinas
e-commerce
industry is at an early stage of development and there are few PRC laws or
regulations specifically regulating the
e-commerce
industry. In January 2014, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce promulgated the Administrative Measures for Online Trading, which strengthen the
protection of consumers and impose stringent requirements and obligations on online business operators and third-party online marketplace operators. Online business operators and third-party online marketplace operators are prohibited from
collecting any information on consumers and business operators or disclosing, selling or providing any such information to any third party, or sending commercial electronic messages to consumers without their consent. Fictitious transactions,
deletion of adverse comments and technical attacks on competitors websites are prohibited as well. In addition, third-party online marketplace operators are required to examine and verify the identifications of the online business operators
and set up and retain relevant records for at least two years. For corporations, other economic organizations or individual-owned business that apply to enter the platforms to sell commodities or to provide services, the operators of the third-party
trading platforms should examine the authenticity of the identities of the online business operators, register such operators and establish registration files with regular verification and update, and should disclose the information about their
business licenses or place the electronic linkage identifiers of their business licenses at notable positions of the homepages where they conduct their business activities. We are subject to these measures as a result of our online platform
services.
Foreign investors were not allowed to own more than 50% of the equity interests in
e-commerce
companies which is a subcategory of value-added telecommunication services, and any such foreign investor must have experience in providing value-added telecommunications services overseas and
maintain a good track record, except for foreign investors in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, subject to certain conditions. The NDRC and the MOFCOM jointly issued the Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries in March
2015, or the Catalogue, which was further revised in July 2017. The negative list of the Catalogue was replaced by the Special Administrative Measures for Access to Foreign Investment, or the Negative List, in July 2018. According to the Negative
List, foreign investors are allowed to have complete ownership of equity interests in
e-commerce
businesses.
In August 2018, the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress issued the
E-commerce
Law of the Peoples Republic of China, or the
E-commerce
Law, which took effect on January 1, 2019. In accordance with the
E-commerce
Law,
e-commerce
operators include operators of
e-commerce
platforms, business operators on
e-commerce
platforms, and other
e-commerce
operators that sell commodities or offer services on the websites developed by themselves or through other network services. An operator of an
e-commerce
platform
shall require business operators who apply to sell commodities or provide services on its platform to submit truthful information, verify and register such information, establish registration archives, and regularly verify and update the
information. If an operator of an
e-commerce
platform finds any commodity or service is in violation of the Articles 12 or 13 of the
E-commerce
Law, which provide that
any
e-commerce
operator shall obtain an administrative license and the commodities or services provided on its platform shall meet certain requirements to safeguard personal safety and property security as
well as the requirements on environmental protection, it shall take necessary measures and report the violating commodity or service to the related governmental authority in charge of the administration of
e-commerce.
Currently, we primarily cooperate with independent automobile sellers to facilitate
their sales of automobiles through our
e-commerce
platforms.
Regulations on Mobile Internet Applications
On June 28, 2016, Cyberspace Administration of China promulgated the Administrative Provisions on Mobile Internet Applications
Information Services, or the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, which took effect on August 1, 2016. According to the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, mobile internet application refers to application
software that runs on mobile smart devices providing information services after being
pre-installed,
downloaded or embedded through other means. Mobile internet application provider refers to the
owners or operators of mobile internet applications. Internet application stores refer to platforms which provide services related to online browsing, searching and downloading of application software and releasing of development tools and products
through the internet. On December 16, 2016, the MIIT promulgated the Interim Administrative Provisions on the
Pre-installation
and Distribution of the Mobile Smart Terminal Application Software, which
took effect on July 1, 2017 and requires, among others, that internet information service providers must ensure that a mobile application, as well as its ancillary resource files, configuration files and user data can be uninstalled by a user
easily, unless the mobile application is a basic function software, which refers to a software that supports the normal functioning of the hardware and operating system of a mobile smart device. In addition, mobile smart terminal application
software involving charges should strictly comply with the relevant regulations such as sale at an expressly marked price, and express the charge standard and method. The content expressed should be true, accurate,
eye-catching
and normative, and users should be charged only after their confirmation.
59
Pursuant to the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions, an internet application program
provider must verify a users mobile phone number and other identity information under the principle of mandatory real name registration at the back-office end and voluntary real name display at the front-office end. An internet application
provider must not enable functions that can collect a users geographical location information, access users contact list, activate the camera or recorder of the users mobile smart device or other functions irrelevant to its
services, nor is it allowed to conduct bundle installations of irrelevant application programs, unless it has clearly indicated to the user and obtained the users consent on such functions and application programs. In respect of an internet
application service provider, the Mobile Application Administrative Provisions requires that, among others, it must file a record with the provincial authority within 30 days after it rolls out the internet application service online. It must also
examine the authenticity, security and legality of internet application providers on its platform, establish a system to monitor application providers credit and file a record of such information with relevant governmental authorities. If an
application provider violates the regulations, the internet application store service provider must take measures to stop the violations, including warning, suspension of release, withdrawal of the application from the platform, keeping a record and
reporting the incident to the relevant governmental authorities.
Regulations on Automobile Sales
On April 5, 2017, the MOFCOM promulgated the Measures on the Administrations of Automobile Sales, or the Measures on Automobile Sales,
which took effect on July 1, 2017 and replaced the original Branded Automobile Sales Measures promulgated in 2005. According to the Measures on Sales of Automobile, the supplier takes the way of selling the vehicle to the dealer, and the
authorization term (excluding the shop construction term) shall not be less than 3 years, and the first authorization term shall not be less than 5 years. An independent automobile seller who sells an automobile without authorization from a supplier
or an automobile which is not authorized to be sold by an automobile manufacturer outside the country shall provide a reminder and explanation to the consumer in writing and inform the consumer of the relevant responsibility in writing. When a
dealer or an independent automobile seller sells the car to the consumer, it shall verify the identification of the registered consumer, sign the sales contract, and issue the sales invoice.
The Measures on Sales of Automobile further provides that a supplier shall not require its dealers to have sales, after-sales service and
other functions at the same time, shall not restrict its dealers operations of goods of other suppliers, and shall not restrict the dealers from providing parts or other after-sales services for automobiles of other suppliers. Except as
otherwise agreed by the parties, a supplier shall not sell automobiles directly to consumers in the area where its dealer is authorized to sell.
As regards to information recording, the Measures on Sales of Automobile requires the suppliers or the dealers and independent automobile
sellers to file their basic information at the State Council department in charge of the national automobile circulation information management system within 90 days after obtaining their respective business license. If the basic information of a
supplier, a dealer or an independent automobile seller is changed, it shall complete the updated filing within 30 days from the date of the change. The basic information of the supplier, the dealer or the independent automobile seller, if it is
established before the Measures, should be filed within 90 days from the date that the Measures took effect. The file of automobile sales, users and other information shall be kept by the dealer and independent automobile seller for no less than 10
years.
Currently, we provide a transaction platform for automobile buyers to liaise with independent automobile sellers on our platform
and to purchase vehicles from such sellers.
60
Regulations on Insurance Brokerage Business
In April 2015, the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress promulgated the Insurance Law of PRC. In October 2015, the
CIRC promulgated the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Insurance Brokers, which was replaced by the Provisions on the Regulation of Insurance Brokers, or the Insurance Brokers Provisions, on May 1, 2018. The Insurance Brokers
Provisions define insurance brokers as institutions which provide intermediary services, in favor of the insured, in the course of concluding insurance contracts between the insured and the insurance companies and charge certain commission as
agreed. Pursuant to the Insurance Law and Insurance Brokers Provisions, a license for engaging in insurance brokerage businesses is required in the course of setting up an insurance brokerage company. The companies which intend to provide insurance
brokerage service should meet certain requirements set up by the CIRC and should not conduct insurance brokerage business unless the aforesaid license is received.
In July 2015, the CIRC promulgated the Circular of the CIRC on Issuing the Interim Measures for the Supervision of Internet Insurance
Business, or CIRC Circular 69, which became effective on October 1, 2015. CIRC Circular 69 sets up strict restrictions on the institutions allowed to conduct internet insurance business. CIRC Circular 69 stipulates that only insurance companies
and professional insurance intermediaries established upon approval by insurance regulatory authorities and registered could provide internet insurance services. Simultaneously, CIRC Circular 69 sets up certain requirements for providing insurance
services through self-operated online platforms or platforms operated by third parties. The CIRC Circular 69 expired on September 30, 2018. However, it was affirmed by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission that the CIRC Circular
69 shall remain valid until any updated regulation is issued. As of the date of this annual report, no updated relevant regulation has been published.
In September 2017, we acquired Shanghai Tianhe, a company holding the license for engaging in insurance brokerage businesses. In October 2018,
Shanghai Tianhe completed the registration process required for engaging in online insurance business and is currently conducting online and offline insurance brokerage business in the PRC.
Regulations on Intellectual Property Rights
China has adopted legislation governing intellectual property rights, including trademarks, patents and copyrights. China is a signatory to the
major international conventions on intellectual property rights and became a member of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights upon its accession to the World Trade Organization in December 2001.
Patent.
The National Peoples Congress adopted the Patent Law in 1984, and amended it in 1992, 2000 and 2008. The purpose of the
Patent Law is to protect lawful interests of patent holders, encourage invention, foster applications of inventions, enhance innovative capabilities and promote the development of science and technology. To be patentable, invention or utility models
must meet three conditions: novelty, inventiveness and practical applicability. Patents cannot be granted for scientific discoveries, rules and methods for intellectual activities, methods used to diagnose or treat diseases, animal and plant breeds,
substances obtained by means of nuclear transformation or a design which has major marking effect on the patterns or colors of graphic print products or a combination of both patterns and colors. The Patent Office under the State Intellectual
Property Office is responsible for receiving, examining and approving patent applications. A patent is valid for a term of twenty years in the case of an invention and a term of ten years in the case of utility models and designs. A third-party user
must obtain consent or a proper license from the patent owner to use the patent. Otherwise, the use constitutes an infringement of patent rights. We had 87 pending patent applications and 115 registered patents as of December 31, 2018.
Copyright
. The National Peoples Congress adopted the Copyright Law in 1990 and amended it in 2001 and 2010, respectively. The
amended Copyright Law extends copyright protection to internet activities, products disseminated over the internet and software products. In addition, there is a voluntary registration system administered by the China Copyright Protection Center.
The amended Copyright Law also requires registration of a copyright pledge.
To address the problem of copyright infringement related to
the content posted or transmitted over the internet, the National Copyright Administration and the MIIT jointly promulgated the Measures for Administrative Protection of Internet Copyright on April 29, 2005. This measure became effective on
May 30, 2005.
61
In order to further implement the Computer Software Protection Regulations promulgated by the
State Council on December 20, 2001, as amended in 2013, the National Copyright Administration of the PRC issued Computer Software Copyright Registration Procedures on February 20, 2002, which apply to software copyright registration,
license contract registration and transfer contract registration.
In compliance with, and in order to take advantage of, the above rules,
we have registered 241 computer software copyrights as of December 31, 2018.
On May 18, 2006, the State Council promulgated the
Protection of the Right of Communication through Information Networks, which became effective on July 1, 2006, as amended in 2013. Under this regulation, with respect to any information storage space, search or link services provided by an
internet service provider, if the legitimate rights owner believes that the works, performance or audio or video recordings pertaining to that service infringe his or her rights of communication, the rights owner may give the internet service
provider a written notice containing the relevant information along with preliminary documents supporting that an infringement has occurred, and requesting that the internet service provider delete, or disconnect the links to, such works or
recordings. The rights owner will be responsible for the truthfulness of the content of the notice. Upon receipt of the notice, the internet service provider must delete or disconnect the links to the infringing content immediately and forward the
notice to the user that provided the infringing works or recordings. If the user believes that the subject works or recordings have not infringed upon others rights, the user may submit to the internet service provider a written explanation
with preliminary documents supporting
non-infringement,
and a request for the restoration of the deleted works or recordings. The internet service provider should then immediately restore the deleted or
disconnected content and forward the users written statement to the rights owner.
On December 26, 2009, the Standing Committee
of the National Peoples Congress adopted the Torts Liability Law, which became effective on July 1, 2010. Under this Torts Liability Law, both internet users and internet service providers may be liable for the wrongful acts of users who
infringe the lawful rights of other parties. If an internet user utilizes internet services to commit a tortious act, the party whose rights are infringed may request the internet service provider to take measures, such as removing or blocking the
content, or disabling the links thereto. Failure to take necessary measures after receiving such notice will subject the internet service providers to joint liability for any further damages suffered by the rights holder. Furthermore, if an internet
service provider fails to take necessary measures when it knows that an internet user utilizes its internet services to infringe the lawful rights and interests of other parties, it will be held jointly liable with the internet user for damages
resulting from the infringement.
According to an interpretation by PRC Supreme Peoples Court, which took effect on January 1,
2013, internet service providers will be held jointly liable if they continue their infringing activities or do not remove infringing content from their websites once they know of the infringement or receive notice from the rights holder. If an
internet service provider economically benefits from the works, performances, and sound or visual recordings provided by network users, it must pay close attention to infringement of network information transmission rights by network users.
Trademark.
The PRC Trademark Law, adopted in 1982 and amended in 1993, 2001 and 2013, protects registered trademarks. The Trademark
Office under the National Intellectual Property Administration handles trademark registrations and grants a term of ten years for registered trademarks. Trademark license agreements must be filed with the Trademark Office for record. We hold
汽车之家 and 车之家 (auto home in English) and AUTOHOME
®
trademarks in China with each registered
under different categories.
Domain Names.
In September 2002, China Internet Network Information Center, or CNNIC, issued the
Implementing Rules for Domain Name Registration, as amended in June 2009 and May 2012, that set forth detailed rules for registration of domain names. On August 24, 2017, the MIIT promulgated the Administrative Measures for Internet Domain
Names, which came into effect on November 1, 2017 and replaced the original Measures promulgated in 2004. The Domain Name Measures regulate the registration of domain names, such as the first tier domain name .cn. In 2002, the CNNIC
issued the Measures on Domain Name Dispute Resolution, as amended in 2006, 2012 and 2014, pursuant to which the CNNIC can authorize a domain name dispute resolution institution to decide disputes. We have registered a number of domain names,
including
autohome.com.cn
,
autohome.com
and
che168.com
.
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Regulations on Tax
See Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and ProspectsA. Operating ResultsTaxationPRC and Item 10.
Additional InformationE. TaxationPeoples Republic of China Taxation.
Regulations on Foreign Exchange
Foreign exchange activities in China are primarily governed by the following regulations:
|
|
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Foreign Currency Administration Rules (2008), or the Exchange Rules; and
|
|
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Administration Rules of the Settlement, Sale and Payment of Foreign Exchange (1996), or the Administration Rules.
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Under the Exchange Rules, if documents certifying the purposes of the conversion of RMB into foreign currency are
submitted to the relevant foreign exchange conversion bank, the RMB will be convertible for current account items, including the distribution of dividends, interest and royalties payments, and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions.
Conversion of RMB for capital account items, such as direct investment, loans, securities investment and repatriation of investment, however, is subject to the approval of, or registration with, SAFE or its local counterpart. Capital investments by
PRC entities outside of China, after obtaining the required approvals of, or making filings with, the relevant approval authorities, such as the MOFCOM and the NDRC or their local counterparts, are also required to register with SAFE or its local
counterpart.
Under the Administration Rules, foreign-invested enterprises may only buy, sell and/or remit foreign currencies at banks
authorized to conduct foreign exchange business after providing valid commercial documents and, in the case of capital account item transactions, obtaining approval from or being registered with SAFE or its local counterpart.
In utilizing the proceeds we received from our equity offerings, as an offshore holding company with PRC subsidiaries, we may (a) make
additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, (b) establish new PRC subsidiaries and make capital contributions to these new PRC subsidiaries, (c) make loans to our PRC subsidiaries or VIEs or (d) acquire offshore entities
with business operations in China in offshore transactions. However, most of these uses are subject to PRC regulations and approvals. For example:
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capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, whether existing or newly established, must be approved by the
MOFCOM or its local counterparts;
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loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries, each of which is a foreign-invested enterprise, to finance their activities
cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with SAFE or its local branches; and
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loans by us to our VIEs, which are domestic PRC entities, must be approved by the NDRC (in the case of middle or
long term loans) or be within the limits approved by SAFE (in the case of short term loans), and must also be registered with SAFE or its local branches.
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63
On March 30, 2015, SAFE issued the SAFE Circular 19, which became effective on June 1,
2015. On June 9, 2016, the SAFE issued the Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Reforming and Regulating Policies on the Control over Foreign Exchange Settlement of Capital Accounts, or SAFE Circular 16, which revised
some provisions of SAFE Circular 19. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, the flow and use of the Renminbi capital converted from registered capital denominated in foreign currency of a foreign-invested company is regulated such that
Renminbi capital may not be used for business beyond its business scope or to provide loans to persons other than the foreign-invested companys affiliates unless otherwise permitted under its business scope. Violations of SAFE Circular 19 or
SAFE Circular 16 could result in administrative penalties. Pursuant to both of SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, foreign-invested enterprises may either continue to follow the current payment-based foreign currency settlement system or choose
to follow the
conversion-at-will
system for foreign currency settlement. Where a foreign-invested enterprise follows the
conversion-at-will
system for foreign currency settlement, it may convert part or all of the amount of the foreign currency in its capital account, special account for foreign debt or special account for
overseas listing into Renminbi at any time. The converted Renminbi will be kept in a designated account labeled as settled but pending payment, and if the foreign-invested enterprise needs to make payment from such designated account, it still needs
to go through the review process with its bank and provide necessary supporting documents. SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, therefore, have substantially lifted the restrictions on the usage by a foreign-invested enterprise of its Renminbi
registered capital, foreign debt and repatriated funds raised through overseas listing converted from foreign currencies. According to SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16, such Renminbi capital, foreign debt and repatriated funds raised through
overseas listing may be used at the discretion of the foreign-invested enterprise and SAFE will eliminate the prior approval requirement and only examine the authenticity of the declared usage afterwards. Nevertheless, it is still not clear whether
foreign-invested enterprises like our PRC subsidiaries are allowed to extend intercompany loans to our VIEs. In addition, as SAFE Circular 19 and SAFE Circular 16 were promulgated recently, there remain substantial uncertainties with respect to the
interpretation and implementation of these circulars by relevant authorities. See Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Corporate StructurePRC regulation of loans to, and direct investment in, PRC
entities by offshore holding companies and governmental control of currency conversion may restrict or prevent us from using the proceeds of our equity offerings to make loans to our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs or to make additional capital
contributions to our PRC subsidiaries, which may materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.
Moreover, on January 26, 2017, SAFE promulgated Circular of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on Further Advancing the Reform
of Foreign Exchange Administration and Improving Examination of Authenticity and Compliance (Circular 3). The Circular 3 stipulates several control measures with respect to the outbound remittance of any profit from domestic
entities to offshore entities, including (i) under the principle of genuine transaction, banks should review board resolutions, the original version of tax filing records and audited financial statements before wiring the foreign exchange
profit distribution of a foreign-invested enterprise exceeding US$50,000; and (ii) domestic entities should hold income to make up previous years losses before remitting the profits to offshore entities. Moreover, pursuant to Circular 3,
verification on the genuineness and compliance of foreign direct investments in domestic entities has also been tightened.
Regulations on Dividend
Distribution
The principal regulations governing dividend distributions of wholly foreign-owned enterprises include:
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the Companies Law (2005, as amended in 2013 and 2018);
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the Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law (2016); and
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the Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise Law Implementing Rules (2014).
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Under these regulations, wholly foreign-owned enterprises in the PRC may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits as determined in
accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, these wholly foreign-owned enterprises are required to set aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain statutory reserve funds,
until the aggregate amount of such fund reaches 50% of its registered capital.
Regulations on Offshore Investment by PRC Residents
On July 4, 2014, the SAFE promulgated the Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control of Domestic Residents
Overseas Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment through Offshore Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular No. 37, which replaced the former Notice on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents to
Engage in Financing and Inbound Investment via Overseas Special Purpose Vehicles (generally known as SAFE Circular No. 75) promulgated by the SAFE on October 21, 2005.
64
SAFE Circular No. 37 requires PRC residents to register with local branches of SAFE in
connection with their direct establishment or indirect control of an offshore entity, for the purpose of overseas investment and financing, with such PRC residents legally owned assets or equity interests in domestic enterprises or offshore
assets or interests, which is referred to in SAFE Circular No. 37 as a special purpose vehicle. SAFE Circular No. 37 further requires amendment to the registration in the event of any significant changes with respect to the
special purpose vehicle, such as an increase or decrease of capital contributed by PRC residents, share transfer or exchange, merger, division or other material events. In the event that a PRC resident holding interests in a special purpose vehicle
fails to complete the required SAFE registration, the PRC subsidiaries of that special purpose vehicle may be prohibited from making profit distributions to the offshore parent and from carrying out subsequent cross-border foreign exchange
activities and the special purpose vehicle may be restricted in its ability to contribute additional capital into its PRC subsidiaries. Furthermore, failure to comply with the various SAFE registration requirements described above could result in
liability under PRC law for evasion of foreign exchange controls.
Pursuant to the Circular on Further Simplifying and Improving the
Direct Investment-related Foreign Exchange Administration Policies, or SAFE Circular No. 13, which was promulgated by SAFE on February 13, 2015 and came into effect on June 1, 2015, the administrative approvals of foreign exchange
registration for direct domestic investment and direct overseas investment were canceled. In addition, SAFE Circular No. 13 simplified the procedures of registration of foreign exchange by allowing investors to register with local banks with
respect to the registration of foreign exchange for direct domestic investment and direct overseas investment.
Currently, there is no PRC
resident among our shareholders. Should there be any PRC residents proposed to become our shareholders in the future, they shall register with the competent local branch of the SAFE or relevant banks with respect to their investments in our company
as required by SAFE Circular No. 37 or SAFE Circular No. 13 and shall update their registration filings with the SAFE or relevant banks when there are any changes that should be registered under SAFE Circular No. 37 or SAFE Circular
No. 13.
Regulations on Employee Stock Options Plans
In December 2006, the PBOC promulgated the Administrative Measures of Foreign Exchange Matters for Individuals, setting forth the respective
requirements for foreign exchange transactions by individuals (both PRC or
non-PRC
citizens) under either the current account or the capital account. The relevant implementing rules which were issued in
January 2007 and further revised in May 2016 by SAFE specified approval requirements for certain capital account transactions, such as a PRC citizens participation in employee stock ownership plans or share option plans of an overseas
publicly listed company. In February 2012, SAFE promulgated the Stock Option Notice that supersedes the requirements and procedures for the registration of PRC resident individuals participation in stock incentive plans set forth by certain
rules promulgated by SAFE in March 2007. The purpose of the Stock Option Notice is to regulate the foreign exchange administration of PRC resident individuals who participate in employee stock holding plans and share option plans of overseas listed
companies.
According to the Stock Option Notice, if a PRC resident individual participates in any employee stock incentive plan of an
overseas listed company, a PRC domestic qualified agent appointed through the PRC subsidiary of such overseas listed company must, among other things, file, on behalf of such individual, an application with SAFE or its local counterpart to obtain
approval for an annual allowance with respect to the purchase of foreign exchange in connection with stock holding or share option exercises. With the approval from SAFE or its local counterpart, the PRC domestic qualified agent shall open a special
foreign exchange account at a PRC domestic bank to hold the funds required in connection with the stock purchase or option exercise, any returned principal or profits upon sales of shares, any dividends issued on the stock and any other income or
expenditures approved by SAFE or its local counterpart.
Under the Foreign Currency Administration Rules, as amended, the foreign exchange
proceeds of domestic entities and individuals can be remitted into China or deposited abroad, subject to the terms and conditions to be issued by SAFE. However, the implementing rules in respect of depositing the foreign exchange proceeds abroad
have not been issued by SAFE. The foreign exchange proceeds from the sales of shares can be converted into RMB or transferred to such individuals foreign exchange savings account after the proceeds have been remitted back to the special
foreign exchange account opened at the PRC domestic bank. If share options are exercised in a cashless exercise, the PRC domestic individuals are required to remit the proceeds to special foreign exchange accounts.
65
Many issues with respect to the Stock Option Notice require further interpretation. We and our
PRC employees who participate in an employee stock incentive plan are subject to the Stock Option Notice as we are an overseas listed company. We have registered with the local counterparts of SAFE for our PRC resident employees who participate in
our share incentive plans, as required under the Stock Option Notice and relevant rules. If we or our PRC employees fail to comply with the Stock Option Notice, we and our PRC employees may face sanctions imposed by the PRC foreign exchange
authority or any other PRC government authorities, including restrictions on foreign currency conversions and additional capital contribution to our PRC subsidiaries.
In addition, the SAT has issued circulars concerning employee share options. Under these circulars, our employees working in China who
exercise share options will be subject to PRC individual income tax. Our PRC subsidiary has obligations to file documents related to employee share options with relevant tax authorities and withhold the individual income taxes of employees who
exercise their share options. If our employees fail to pay and we fail to withhold their income taxes, we may face sanctions imposed by tax authorities or any other PRC government authorities. See Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk
FactorsRisks Related to Doing Business in ChinaFailure to comply with PRC regulations regarding the registration requirements for employee share ownership plans or share option plans may subject the PRC plan participants or us to fines
and other legal or administrative sanctions.
Regulation on Employment
Pursuant to the PRC Labor Law and the PRC Labor Contract Law, employers must execute written labor contracts with full-time employees. All
employers must compensate their employees with wages equal to at least the local minimum wage standards. All employers are required to establish a system for labor safety and sanitation, strictly abide by state rules and standards and provide
employees with workplace safety training. Violations of the PRC Labor Contract Law and the PRC Labor Law may result in the imposition of fines and other administrative liabilities.
In addition, employers in China are obliged to provide employees with welfare schemes covering pension insurance, unemployment insurance,
maternity insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance and housing funds.
Regulations on Concentration in Merger and Acquisition
Transactions
The M&A Rules established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by
foreign investors more time-consuming and complex. These rules require, among other things, that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any
change-of-control
transaction
in which a foreign investor will take control of a PRC domestic enterprise or a foreign company with substantial PRC operations, if certain thresholds under the Provisions on Thresholds for Prior Notification of Concentrations of Undertakings issued
by the State Council on August 3, 2008 and amended on September 18, 2018 are triggered. In August 2006, six PRC regulatory agencies, including the CSRC, jointly adopted the Provisions Regarding Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic
Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rule, which became effective in September 2006 and was further amended in June 2009. This M&A Rule purports to require, among other things, offshore special purpose vehicles, formed for listing
purposes through acquisition of PRC domestic companies and controlled by PRC companies or individuals, to obtain the approval from the CSRC prior to publicly listing their securities on an overseas stock exchange.
Complying with these requirements could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. See Item 3. Key
InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Doing Business in ChinaCertain regulations in the PRC may make it more difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions.
66
C.
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Organizational Structure
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The following diagram illustrates our corporate structure, including our principal subsidiaries and VIEs, as of the date of this annual report:
67
68
Note:
(1)
|
The two individuals are Min Lu and Haiyun Lei, each a PRC citizen. Each of Min Lu and Haiyun Lei holds 50% of
the equity interests in each of Autohome Information, Shanghai Advertising and Shengtuo Hongyuan.
|
As of March 31,
2019, Yun Chen owned 52.2% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Yun Chen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd., a public company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which beneficially
owned 52.2% of the total voting rights in our company.
In September 2016, the then individual nominee shareholders of Shengtuo Hongyuan
and Guangzhou Advertising, our previous VIE that is already dissolved and deregistered, entered into Equity Interest Purchase Agreements and Debt Transfer and Offset Agreements with Min Lu and Haiyun Lei, pursuant to which the then individual
nominee shareholders transferred all of their equity interests in each of the entities to Min Lu and Haiyun Lei. In March 2017, the then individual nominee shareholders of Autohome Information and Shanghai Advertising entered into Equity Interest
Purchase Agreements and Debt Transfer and Offset Agreements with Min Lu and Haiyun Lei, pursuant to which the then individual nominee shareholders transferred all of their equity interests in each of the entities to Min Lu and Haiyun Lei. Upon the
execution of the above Equity Interest Purchase Agreements and Debt Transfer and Offset Agreements, all contractual arrangements between the then individual nominee shareholders and our wholly owned subsidiaries were terminated. Autohome WFOE
entered into a series of contractual agreements with (i) Guangzhou Advertising and each of its then individual nominee shareholders in September 2016, (ii) Autohome Information and each of its individual nominee shareholders in March 2017,
(iii) Autohome Information and each of its subsidiaries, namely Autohome Advertising and Chengshi Advertising, in September 2016 and (iv) Shanghai Advertising and each of its individual nominee shareholders in March 2017. Chezhiying WFOE
entered into a series of contractual agreements with Shengtuo Hongyuan, each of its individual nominee shareholders and its two subsidiaries in September 2016.
For the information regarding our contractual arrangements, please refer to Item 7.B. Related Party TransactionsContractual
Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entities.
In consideration of the previous restrictions imposed on the shareholders of
foreign-invested companies engaging in advertising business, we once conducted advertising business by entering into a series of contractual arrangements with Guangzhou Advertising, Shanghai Advertising, Autohome Advertising and Chengshi
Advertising. See Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Our Corporate StructureIf the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our services in China do not comply
with PRC governmental restrictions on foreign investment in internet businesses, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our
interests in those operations. Since the regulatory environment developed, such restrictions were lifted in 2015. Therefore, in 2015, we completed the migration of our advertising business from Guangzhou Advertising, Shanghai Advertising and
other PRC entities to the PRC subsidiaries of Autohome Media. In August 2017 and March 2018, we decided to liquidate and dissolve Guangzhou Advertising and Shanghai Advertising, respectively. We have completed the dissolution and deregistration of
Guangzhou Advertising. Currently we are undertaking the governmental procedures to liquidate, dissolve and
de-register
Shanghai Advertising, which are expected to be completed by the end of 2019. Autohome WFOE
has signed the termination agreements with respect to the contractual agreements that it has entered into with Guangzhou Advertising and Shanghai Advertising and each of their respective individual nominee shareholders to terminate the contractual
arrangements on the date of the issuance of an approval notice for the deregistration of Guangzhou Advertising and Shanghai Advertising by the competent local Bureau of Market Regulation in charge of such two entities, respectively. Pursuant to such
termination agreements, Autohome WFOE has terminated the contractual agreements that it has entered into with Guangzhou Advertising and its individual nominee shareholders.
D.
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Property, Plants and Equipment
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Our corporate headquarters is located in Beijing, China, where we lease office space with an area of approximately 28,325 square meters. We
generally make rental payments on a monthly or quarterly basis. In addition, as of December 31, 2018, we also leased office space in 73
cities for our representative offices, including regional operation centers in Shanghai,
Guangzhou and Tianjin in China. We believe that our existing facilities are generally adequate to meet our current needs, but we expect to seek additional space as needed to accommodate future growth.
69
Our servers are primarily hosted at internet data centers owned by major domestic internet data
center providers. The hosting services agreements typically have a term of one year. We believe that our current facilities are adequate and that we will be able to obtain additional facilities, principally through leasing, to accommodate any future
expansion plans.
ITEM 4A
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UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
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None.
ITEM 5.
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OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS
|
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our consolidated financial
statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this annual report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results and the timing of selected events could differ materially from
those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under Risk Factors and elsewhere in this annual report.
Overview
70
We are a leading online destination for automobile consumers in China. Through our two websites,
autohome.com.cn
and
che168.com
, accessible through PCs and mobile devices, and our mobile applications, we deliver comprehensive, independent and interactive content to automobile buyers and owners, and offer them our facilitation
services related to new car and used car transactions and auto-financing and insurance products and services. We generate revenues from media services, leads generation services and online marketplace and others.
Through our media services, we provide automakers with solutions in connection with brand promotion, new model releases and sales promotions.
Our large and engaged user base of automobile consumers provides a broad reach for automakers marketing messages.
Our leads
generation services enable our dealer subscribers to create their own online showrooms, list pricing and promotional information, provide dealer contact information, place advertisements and manage customer relationships to help them reach a broad
set of potential customers and effectively market their automobiles to consumers online and ultimately generate sales leads. Our leads generation services also include used car listing services which provide a user interface that allows potential
used car buyers to identify listings meeting their specific requirements and to contact the relevant sellers.
While we continued to
strengthen our media and leads generation services, we also further developed our transaction business. Our transaction business focuses on providing facilitation services for transactions of new and used cars and other platform-based services for
new and used car buyers and sellers. In early 2017, we also launched our auto financing business and started to provide services to our cooperative banks and financial institutions by displaying and marketing their financial products, covering
loans, leases and insurance services for consumers and independent automobile sellers. Towards the end of 2017, we launched data products, which leverage our big data analytics capabilities and the massive pool of user data accumulated on our
platform, and started to provide data-driven marketing solutions for automakers and dealers on our platform. Through offering these services on our platform, we believe we are on track to build a robust automotive ecosystem to serve consumers
throughout their automobile ownership life cycles.
We have increased our net revenues since 2016 to RMB7,233.2 million (US$1,052.0
million) in 2018, representing a three-year CAGR of 16.3%. Our net income attributable to Autohome Inc. increased from RMB1,227.9 million in 2016 to RMB2,001.6 million in 2017 and further to RMB2,871.0 million (US$417.6 million) in
2018, representing a CAGR of 52.9%.
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standard Board, or FASB, issued a new standard related to
revenue recognition and further issued several amendments and updates to the new revenue guidance, which is all together referred to as Accounting Standard Codification 606, or ASC 606. We have finalized our analysis and the most significant impact
of ASC 606 is the change of the presentation of value-added tax, or VAT, from gross basis to net basis. We adopted this guidance effective January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method. To provide readers with meaningful year-over-year
comparison, the operating results under this item both in absolute amounts and as percentage of revenues are presented, discussed and analyzed under the new revenue guidance, including those for the comparative periods in 2016 and 2017.
The following is a reconciliation table illustrating the impact of adopting this new revenue guidance for the years ended December 31, 2016 and
2017, as adjusted, which was related to the change in the presentation of VAT from gross basis to net basis.
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For the Year Ended December 31, 2016
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Under Previous
revenue guidance
|
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Effects of new revenue
guidance
|
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Under New revenue
guidance
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|
Net revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Media services
|
|
|
2,337,196
|
|
|
|
(134,097
|
)
|
|
|
2,203,099
|
|
Leads generation services
|
|
|
1,916,309
|
|
|
|
(238,807
|
)
|
|
|
1,677,502
|
|
Online marketplace and others
|
|
|
1,708,116
|
|
|
|
(244,124
|
)
|
|
|
1,463,992
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net revenues
|
|
|
5,961,621
|
|
|
|
(617,028
|
)
|
|
|
5,344,593
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
(2,393,165
|
)
|
|
|
458,363
|
|
|
|
(1,934,802
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
3,568,456
|
|
|
|
(158,665
|
)
|
|
|
3,409,791
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income, net
|
|
|
13,953
|
|
|
|
158,665
|
|
|
|
172,618
|
|
Operating profit
|
|
|
1,167,322
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,167,322
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
71
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31, 2017
|
|
|
|
Under Previous
revenue guidance
|
|
|
Effects of new revenue
guidance
|
|
|
Under New revenue
guidance
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Media services
|
|
|
3,065,832
|
|
|
|
(173,499
|
)
|
|
|
2,892,333
|
|
Leads generation services
|
|
|
2,615,998
|
|
|
|
(327,717
|
)
|
|
|
2,288,281
|
|
Online marketplace and others
|
|
|
528,351
|
|
|
|
(61,642
|
)
|
|
|
466,709
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net revenues
|
|
|
6,210,181
|
|
|
|
(562,858
|
)
|
|
|
5,647,323
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
(1,358,685
|
)
|
|
|
352,685
|
|
|
|
(1,006,000
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
4,851,496
|
|
|
|
(210,173
|
)
|
|
|
4,641,323
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income, net
|
|
|
8,577
|
|
|
|
210,173
|
|
|
|
218,750
|
|
Operating profit
|
|
|
2,051,830
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,051,830
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
General Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
Our business and results of operations are significantly affected by Chinas overall economic conditions and the general trends in the
automotive industry, especially new automobile sales in China. Economic growth in China has contributed to an increase in household disposable income and improved the availability of financing for automobile purchases. These factors, coupled with
the rapid growth of the automotive industry and the emergence of industry-wide favorable governmental policies in recent years, have contributed to the general increase in the number of new automobiles sold in China and have promoted the development
of automobile transaction business, in particular, the auto-financing business. Regardless of Chinas overall favorable policies, some local governments have different approaches and have even tightened the local regulations on automobile
transactions, which may slow the growth rate of new automobile sales and decrease the demand for our services, such as the general downward trends of automobile sales and demand in 2018. In addition, our business is subject to the overall
advertising expenditures by automakers and automobile dealers, the development of online advertising industry in China and the market acceptance of online advertising and promotion. Our results of operations can also be significantly impacted by our
ability to minimize costs and maximize efficiency in our operations.
In addition, our business and results of operations may be affected
by our user reach, the level of user experience and engagement. Automaker and dealer advertisers, who contribute a substantial portion of our revenues, choose to advertise on our websites and mobile applications in significant part because of our
leading market position in the online automotive advertising industry and the enriched, diversified and customized content on our websites and mobile applications. Also, effective marketing and promotion activities conducted by us are critical for
us to maintain and enhance our brand recognition and attract more traffic to our platform. We anticipate that our ability to continue to attract a large and growing user base and maintain a high level of user engagement and satisfactory user
experience will affect our ability to attract advertisers and dealer subscribers to our websites and mobile applications and in turn, our ability to generate sales leads and further to facilitate transactions. Finally, our business and results of
operations may be affected by the development of
e-commerce
in China and consumers acceptance of online automobile purchases.
Specific Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
While our business and results of operations are generally affected by Chinas overall economic conditions, the general trends in
Chinas automotive industry, our user reach and engagement and consumers acceptance of online automobile purchases, our results of operations are more directly affected by the specific financial factors set forth below.
Net Revenues
We currently generate our
net revenues from media services, leads generation services, online marketplace and others.
Media services mainly include automaker
advertising services and regional marketing campaigns conducted by certain automobile brands regional offices. We sell our advertising services primarily to automakers and dealers through third-party advertising agencies, with automakers
contributing a substantial majority of our advertising services revenues. We offer rebates to advertising agencies who represent automakers and automobile dealers that place advertisements on our platform. Our net revenues are presented net of
rebates to advertising agencies.
We generate revenues from leads generation services through dealer subscription services, advertising
services sold to individual dealer advertisers and used car listing services. We sell our dealer subscription services to automobile dealers mainly on a
fixed-fee
subscription basis, with the fee rates varying
based on the period of subscription, the versions of the relevant subscription packages and the cities where the automobile dealers are located.
72
We also generate revenues from online marketplace and others, which consist of the new vehicle
transaction business, used vehicle transaction business, auto-financing business, data products, and others. For new car and used car marketplace and auto-financing business, we provide platform-based services including facilitation of transactions,
transaction-oriented marketing solutions, generation of sales leads and insurance brokerage services. For data products, we provide data analysis reports and data-driven sales and marketing tools for automakers and dealers. The service fees are
recognized when the services are provided, sales leads are delivered or upon the completion of transaction facilitation, or upon the delivery of data reports and over the period of consumption or utilization of marketing tools by automakers and
dealers.
The following table sets forth the principal components of our net revenues in absolute amounts and as percentages of our total
net revenues for the years presented:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
(in thousands, except percentages)
|
|
Net revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Media services
|
|
|
2,203,099
|
|
|
|
41.2
|
%
|
|
|
2,892,333
|
|
|
|
51.2
|
%
|
|
|
3,508,254
|
|
|
|
510,254
|
|
|
|
48.5
|
%
|
Leads generation services
|
|
|
1,677,502
|
|
|
|
31.4
|
|
|
|
2,288,281
|
|
|
|
40.5
|
|
|
|
2,870,996
|
|
|
|
417,569
|
|
|
|
39.7
|
|
Online marketplace and others
|
|
|
1,463,992
|
|
|
|
27.4
|
|
|
|
466,709
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
|
|
853,901
|
|
|
|
124,195
|
|
|
|
11.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net revenues
|
|
|
5,344,593
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
5,647,323
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
7,233,151
|
|
|
|
1,052,018
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Media Services Revenues
We generate media services revenues primarily from automaker advertising services and regional marketing campaigns conducted by certain
automobile brands regional offices. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, 95, 101 and 103 automakers operating in China purchased media services from us. As a result of our high penetration in the automaker market, we believe that the future revenue growth
of our media services will be driven primarily by automakers increased advertising spending on our websites and mobile applications as they continue to shift their advertising budgets from traditional media to online media, the increasingly
diversified and optimized portfolio of products and further development of mobile advertising, and monetization leveraging our enriched and personalized content and big data analytics capabilities.
Increased spending will be driven primarily by a combination of (i) our ability to increase advertising volume, either due to
(a) higher sell-through rates, which is calculated as the percentage of advertising locations actually sold over total advertising locations available for sale in a given period, or (b) the increased volume contribution from our mobile
websites and applications; (ii) our ability to increase our pricing, as measured by price per location per day, as our user reach continues to expand, and we continue to enhance the effectiveness of the services we offer and build
automakers increasing awareness of our platform, and (iii) our ability to constantly provide more diversified and optimized portfolio of product offerings. We primarily use a cost per time pricing model to price our online
advertising services by charging advertisers on a daily basis for an advertisement placed in a given location on our websites and mobile applications. However, as we continue to grow our user base and enhance user engagement, we have set up
cost per thousand impressions, cost per click and other performance-based pricing models. These new initiatives have already begun to generate revenues but the amount was still insignificant compared to the revenues generated
from the cost per time pricing model.
Leads Generation Services Revenues
We generate leads generation services revenues through (i) dealer subscription services, (ii) advertising services sold to individual
dealer advertisers, and (iii) used car listing services. Our dealer subscribers are dealers that have purchased subscription packages which are delivered through our dealership information system. We provide our dealer subscribers with
additional tools and features to enable them to more effectively market their inventories on our websites and mobile applications. Our used car listing services primarily consist of listing and display of used vehicles and generation of sales leads
through our platform. Our used car marketplace functions as a user interface that allows potential used car buyers to identify listings that meet their specific requirements and helps them contact the relevant sellers. We provided leads generation
services to 24,096, 27,167 and 28,613 dealers in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. Our leads generation services revenues accounted for 31.4%, 40.5% and 39.7% of our net revenues in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. We believe that our leads
generation services revenues will continue to grow in the near future, driven by our ability to increase the penetration rate of
high-end
subscription packages, provide more diversified and upgraded
value-added services to our dealer customers with our capabilities of connecting dealers with our large user base, and increase the average revenue contribution per dealer.
73
Online Marketplace and Others Revenues
We generate revenues from online marketplace and others through our transaction platform, auto-financing business, data products, and others.
For new vehicles, our transaction business currently focuses on platform-based services including facilitating transactions on the Autohome Mall and providing transaction-oriented marketing solutions and other platform-based services. Before 2018,
our transaction business related to new vehicles also included direct vehicle sales business. For used vehicles, our transaction platform functions as a transaction system, which connects automobile buyers and used automobile sellers and facilitates
their vehicle transactions on our platform through providing a wide range of auto related services, such as leads generation, user profile generation, auto financing products and valuation tools. For our auto-financing business, based on users
preferences and our big data analysis, we recommend a broad range of loans, leases and insurance products offered by our cooperative financial institutions to our users who have auto financing needs and we match them with these financial
institutions to facilitate transactions. We have also introduced merchant loans offered by our cooperative financial institutions to automobile sellers. As a result of our acquisition of Shanghai Tianhe in 2017, we currently facilitate the
transactions of insurance products between consumers and our cooperative insurance business partner as an insurance brokerage service provider. For data products, we offer customized data products and a series of intelligent sales and marketing
tools, primarily including intelligent
e-marketing
and intelligent showroom to automakers and dealers. Our revenues from online marketplace and others accounted for 27.4%, 8.3% and 11.8% of our net revenues in
2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. Revenues from direct vehicle sales accounted for 95.3%, 65.4% and nil of revenues from online marketplace and others in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. With the implementation of our strategy to focus on
facilitating transactions, we cleared all direct vehicle sales inventories in 2017. Going forward, we will explore diversified business models and opportunities to build a robust and comprehensive
e-commerce
platform and continue to develop our transaction system and our auto-financing and data products businesses.
Cost of Revenues
Cost of revenues refers primarily to (i) content-related costs, (ii) depreciation and amortization expenses, (iii) bandwidth and
internet data center (IDC) costs, (iv) tax surcharges and (v) cost of sales. The following table sets forth the principal components of our cost of revenues in absolute amounts and as a percentage of our total net revenues for
the years indicated:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
(in thousands, except percentages)
|
|
Cost of revenues:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Content-related costs
(1)
|
|
|
269,313
|
|
|
|
5.0
|
%
|
|
|
390,885
|
|
|
|
6.9
|
%
|
|
|
441,459
|
|
|
|
64,208
|
|
|
|
6.0
|
%
|
Depreciation and amortization expenses
|
|
|
42,570
|
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
|
|
41,579
|
|
|
|
0.7
|
|
|
|
41,600
|
|
|
|
6,050
|
|
|
|
0.6
|
|
Bandwidth and IDC costs
|
|
|
51,766
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
89,889
|
|
|
|
1.6
|
|
|
|
105,313
|
|
|
|
15,317
|
|
|
|
1.5
|
|
Tax surcharges
|
|
|
132,526
|
|
|
|
2.5
|
|
|
|
184,111
|
|
|
|
3.3
|
|
|
|
231,916
|
|
|
|
33,731
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
|
Cost of sales
|
|
|
1,438,627
|
|
|
|
26.9
|
|
|
|
299,536
|
|
|
|
5.3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total cost of revenues
|
|
|
1,934,802
|
|
|
|
36.2
|
%
|
|
|
1,006,000
|
|
|
|
17.8
|
%
|
|
|
820,288
|
|
|
|
119,306
|
|
|
|
11.3
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note:
(1)
|
Including share-based compensation expenses of RMB12.3 million for 2016, RMB15.2 million for 2017 and
RMB16.1 million (US$2.3 million) for 2018
|
Content-related Costs
. Content-related costs are costs directly
related to creating and editing the original generated content, organizing and maintaining user generated content on our websites and mobile applications, and maintaining our professionally generated content. Content-related costs mainly include
salaries and benefits, toll free telephone charges, travel and office expenses of our editorial personnel, expenses we incur in the execution of the offline portion of our advertisers online promotions and professionally generated content
displayed on our websites and mobile applications. We expect our content-related costs may continue to increase primarily due to our business growth.
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
. A substantial majority of our amortization expenses relate to the amortization of intangibles
including trademarks that we acquired in connection with the acquisitions of Cheerbright, China Topside and Norstar in June 2008, shortly after the inception of our company, and the insurance brokerage license obtained through our acquisition of
Shanghai Tianhe. Depreciation expenses are related to servers and other equipment that are directly related to our revenue-generating business activities and leasehold improvements. We expect our amortization expenses will decrease after the end of
the estimated useful lives of certain intangible assets.
74
Bandwidth and IDC Costs
. Bandwidth and IDC costs consist of fees that we pay to
telecommunication carriers and other service providers for telecommunication services and for hosting our servers at their internet data centers, as well as fees we pay to our content delivery network service provider for the distribution of our
content. Our bandwidth and IDC costs are expected to continue to increase in subsequent period to support the operation of our websites and mobile applications and improve our users experience.
Tax Surcharges
. Our tax surcharges primarily consist of 3% cultural development fees charged for our advertising services, construction
and maintenance tax and education surcharges. Our overall tax surcharges as a percentage of our total net revenues was 2.5% in 2016, 3.3% in 2017 and 3.2% in 2018.
Cost of Sales.
Cost of sales includes cost of vehicle purchases, other directly attributable costs of direct vehicle sales under the
new vehicle transaction business and write-down of inventories and prepayment for vehicle purchase cost. Rebates relating to new vehicles purchased but still held by us as of the balance sheet date are recorded as a reduction to cost of inventories
while rebates relating to new vehicles purchased and sold during the reporting period are recorded as a reduction to cost of revenues.
Operating
Expenses
Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses and product
development expenses. The following table sets forth our operating expenses in absolute amounts and as percentages of our total net revenues for the years indicated:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
(in thousands, except percentages)
|
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales and marketing expenses
(1)
|
|
|
1,536,939
|
|
|
|
28.8
|
%
|
|
|
1,647,519
|
|
|
|
29.2
|
%
|
|
|
2,435,236
|
|
|
|
354,190
|
|
|
|
33.6
|
%
|
General and administrative
expenses
(2)
|
|
|
306,794
|
|
|
|
5.7
|
|
|
|
281,951
|
|
|
|
5.0
|
|
|
|
314,846
|
|
|
|
45,792
|
|
|
|
4.4
|
|
Product development expenses
(3)
|
|
|
571,354
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
|
|
878,773
|
|
|
|
15.6
|
|
|
|
1,135,247
|
|
|
|
165,115
|
|
|
|
15.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expenses
|
|
|
2,415,087
|
|
|
|
45.2
|
%
|
|
|
2,808,243
|
|
|
|
49.8
|
%
|
|
|
3,885,329
|
|
|
|
565,097
|
|
|
|
53.7
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes:
(1)
|
Including share-based compensation expenses of RMB50.8 million for 2016, RMB53.1 million for 2017,
and RMB61.6 million (US$9.0 million) for 2018.
|
(2)
|
Including share-based compensation expenses of RMB78.0 million for 2016, RMB60.0 million for 2017,
and RMB56.0 million (US$8.1 million) for 2018.
|
(3)
|
Including share-based compensation expenses of RMB54.3 million for 2016, RMB49.6 million for 2017,
and RMB68.6 million (US$10.0 million) for 2018.
|
Sales and Marketing Expenses
. Our sales and marketing
expenses primarily consist of the branding and marketing expenses incurred in connection with promoting our brands and platform through search engines, mobile platforms, navigation sites and traditional media channels, sales promotion activities and
salaries and benefits and sales commissions for our sales and marketing personnel. Our sales and marketing expenses also include offline execution and business development expenses associated with the implementation of our business and office- and
travel-related expenses associated with our sales and marketing activities. We expect that our sales and marketing expenses will continue to increase in the future as we will enhance our user engagement and expand our business.
General and Administrative Expenses.
Our general and administrative expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses for
management and administrative personnel and professional service fees. We expect that our general and administrative expenses will relatively decrease as percentage of our net revenues in the future.
Product Development Expenses
. Our product development expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses associated with the
development of new technologies and products, investment in underlying big data, AR and VR related technologies, and enhancement of our websites and mobile applications. We expect that our product development expenses will increase as we expand our
business, develop new features and functionalities, increase the accessibility of our websites, mobile applications and the transaction platform, invest further in AR and VR related technologies and enhance our big data analytics capabilities.
75
Taxation
Cayman Islands
Autohome Inc.,
Autohome
E-commerce
Inc., Autohome Link Inc. and Autohome Financing Limited are incorporated in the Cayman Islands. Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, companies incorporated in the Cayman Islands
are not subject to income or capital gains tax. In addition, dividend payments are not subject to withholding tax in the Cayman Islands.
British
Virgin Islands
Cheerbright is a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Under the current laws of the British Virgin
Islands, Cheerbright is not subject to income or capital gains tax. In addition, dividend payments are not subject to withholding tax in the British Virgin Islands.
Hong Kong
Autohome (Hong Kong)
Limited, Autohome Media, Autohome
E-commerce
Hong Kong Limited, Autohome Link Hong Kong Limited and Autohome Financing Hong Kong Limited were incorporated in Hong Kong. Companies incorporated and registered in
Hong Kong are subject to Hong Kong profits tax on the taxable income as reported in their respective statutory financial statements adjusted in accordance with relevant Hong Kong tax laws. The applicable tax rate is 16.5% in Hong Kong. For 2016,
2017 and 2018, save for the tax payment made by Autohome Financing Hong Kong Limited in relation to our disposal of the Financing JV as its 25% shareholder, we did not make any other provisions for Hong Kong profit tax as there were no assessable
profits derived from or earned in Hong Kong during these periods except for the above-mentioned investment disposal gain.
Under the Hong Kong tax law, our subsidiaries in Hong Kong are exempted from income tax on their foreign-derived
income and there are no withholding taxes in Hong Kong on remittance of dividends.
PRC
On December 29, 2018, the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress amended the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, which was
issued on March 16, 2007. The Implementing Regulations of the Law of the PRC on Enterprise Income Tax was issued on December 6, 2007 and became effective on January 1, 2008. Under the PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law and its
implementation rules, a standard 25% enterprise income tax rate is generally applicable to both foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises, unless they qualify for certain exceptions.
Autohome WFOE, Beijing Autohome Technologies Co., Ltd., or Beijing Autohome Technologies, and Beijing Prbrownies were recognized as
HNTE in September 2010, July 2015 and February 2016, respectively, and are eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective through 2019, 2020 and 2020, respectively, upon the completion of their filings with the relevant tax
authorities. The qualification as an HNTE is subject to annual evaluation and a three-year review by the relevant authorities in China. Autohome WFOE and Beijing Autohome Technologies further enjoy a more preferential tax treatment as they, together
with Beijing Prbrownies, were accredited as key software enterprises under the relevant PRC laws and regulations. Beijing Prbrownies was exempt from income tax for the tax years of 2015 and 2016 and is qualified for the preferential enterprise tax
rate of 10% for the tax year of 2017 and could continue to enjoy a tax rate of 10% for the tax years thereafter, provided that it continues to complete the relevant governmental filing and maintain its status as a key software enterprise during each
relevant tax year. Similarly, each of Autohome WFOE and Beijing Autohome Technologies is qualified for the preferential enterprise tax rate of 10% for the tax year of 2017 and could continue to enjoy a tax rate of 10% for the tax years thereafter,
provided that it continues to complete the relevant governmental filing and maintain its status as a key software enterprise during each relevant tax year. Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd., or Chengdu Prbrownies, was accredited as a software
enterprise under the relevant PRC laws and regulations and was exempt from enterprise income tax for the tax year of 2017. It could be exempt from enterprise income tax for the tax year of 2018, followed by a 50% reduction in the statutory income
tax rate of 25% for the tax years of 2019, 2020 and 2021 provided that it continues to maintain its status as a software enterprise during each relevant tax year.
76
Pursuant to the Circular on Income Tax Policies for Further Encouraging the Development of
Software Industry and Integrated Circuit Industry jointly issued by the SAT and the MOF on April 20, 2012, and the Circular on Issues concerning Preferential Enterprise Income Tax Policies for Software and Integrated Circuit Industries jointly
issued by the MOF, the SAT, the NDRC and the MIIT on May 4, 2016, eligible software enterprises which pass annual review and filing by the relevant tax authorities can enjoy exemption of enterprise income tax for the first and second year as
calculated from the profit making year or no later than December 31, 2017 if no profit is made prior to that date, and thereafter enjoy half of the statutory rate of 25% for the third through fifth year thereafter until the expiration of the
preferential period. Beijing Prbrownies started to make profit since 2015, and it passed the review and filing as an eligible software enterprise by the relevant tax authorities in 2016 and 2017, which qualified it for the exemption of enterprise
income tax for the tax years of 2015 and 2016. As each of Beijing Prbrownies, Autohome WFOE and Beijing Autohome Technologies, has further registered as a key software enterprise in 2018, it enjoyed a reduced enterprise income tax of 10% for tax
year of 2017. Going forward, if any of Autohome WFOE, Beijing Autohome Technologies and Beijing Prbrownies fails to complete the filing and registration with the relevant tax authorities, it will no longer enjoy the preferential tax rate, and the
applicable enterprise income tax rate may increase to up to 15% as an HNTE if it still maintains the HNTE qualification, or up to 25% if it loses the HNTE qualification. If Chengdu Prbrownies fails to maintain its software enterprise qualification,
it will automatically forfeit the preferential tax treatment described above.
Except for the above-mentioned entities, our remaining PRC
subsidiaries and all the VIEs were subject to enterprise income tax at a rate of 25% for 2016, 2017 and 2018.
If our holding company in
the Cayman Islands, Autohome Inc., were deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax on its global income at a rate of 25%. If a subsidiary of us established in
Hong Kong were deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise and Autohome Inc. were not deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, then dividends payable by such subsidiary to Autohome Inc. may
become subject to 10% PRC dividend withholding tax. Under such circumstances, it is not clear whether dividends payable by our PRC subsidiaries to their respective shareholders in Hong Kong would still be subject to PRC dividend withholding tax at a
rate of 5%. If such subsidiary in Hong Kong were deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, it would be subject to enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. See Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk
FactorsRisks Related to Doing Business in ChinaOur global income and the dividends that we may receive from our PRC subsidiaries, dividends distributed to our
non-PRC
shareholders and ADS holders,
and gains recognized by such shareholders or ADS holders, may be subject to PRC taxes under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Critical Accounting Policies
We prepare our financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, which requires us to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect
the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the end of each reporting period and the reported amount of revenue and expenses during each reporting period. We evaluate these estimates and
assumptions based on historical experience, knowledge and assessment of current business and other conditions and expectations that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Since the use of estimates is an integral component of the
financial reporting process, actual results could differ from these estimates and assumptions.
Some of our accounting policies require
higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. When reviewing our consolidated financial statements, you should consider (a) our selection of critical accounting policies, (b) the judgment and other uncertainties affecting
the application of such policies and (c) the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions. For further information on our significant accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for 2016,
2017 and 2018. We consider the policies discussed below to be critical to an understanding of our consolidated financial statements as their application places significant demands on the judgment of our management. We believe the following critical
accounting policies are most significant to the presentation of our financial statements and some of which may require the most difficult, subjective and complex judgments. They should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial
statements, the risks and uncertainties of which are described under Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk Factors and other disclosures included in this annual report.
77
Revenue Recognition
In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU
No. 2014-09,
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
(Topic 606) (ASU
2014-09),
which amended the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition. Subsequently, the FASB issued several amendments and updates to the new revenue guidance.
We adopted the new revenue guidance beginning January 1, 2018 by applying the modified retrospective method to those contracts that are not completed as of January 1, 2018, with the comparative information not being adjusted and continuing
to be reported under ASC 605. The most significant impact on us is the change from the presentation of VAT on gross basis to net basis. This change reduces revenues and cost of revenues for the gross amount of VAT collected and paid, respectively,
and presents VAT refunds as a component of other income, net. This change has no impact on the determination of the amount or timing of services and other revenue to be recognized and is only a change in classification. There were no adjustments to
the opening balance of retained earnings upon initially applying the new guidance. Adoption of the new revenue recognition standards had no impact to our consolidated balance sheet, consolidated statement of cash flows, or consolidated statement of
changes in shareholders equity for the year ended December 31, 2018.
The following table illustrates the effect of the
adoption of ASC 606 by presenting a comparison of selected line items from our consolidated statement of operational data for the year ended December 31, 2018:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
|
|
|
|
Under Previous
revenue guidance
|
|
|
Effects of new revenue
guidance
|
|
|
Under New revenue
guidance
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Media services
|
|
|
3,718,748
|
|
|
|
(210,494
|
)
|
|
|
3,508,254
|
|
Leads generation services
|
|
|
3,274,619
|
|
|
|
(403,623
|
)
|
|
|
2,870,996
|
|
Online marketplace and others
|
|
|
919,368
|
|
|
|
(65,467
|
)
|
|
|
853,901
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net revenues
|
|
|
7,912,735
|
|
|
|
(679,584
|
)
|
|
|
7,233,151
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
(1,210,545
|
)
|
|
|
390,257
|
|
|
|
(820,288
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
6,702,190
|
|
|
|
(289,327
|
)
|
|
|
6,412,863
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income, net
|
|
|
52,064
|
|
|
|
289,327
|
|
|
|
341,391
|
|
Operating profit
|
|
|
2,868,925
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,868,925
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
Our revenues are derived from media services, leads generation services and online marketplace and others.
Under Topic 606, revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. The
recognition of revenue involves certain management judgments including identification of performance obligations, stand-alone selling price for each performance obligation and estimation of variable consideration represented by sales rebates. We
provide rebates to agency companies based on cumulative annual advertising and service volume, which are accounted for as variable consideration. We estimate our obligations under such agreements applying the expected value or most likely estimate,
based on an evaluation of the likelihood of the agency companies achievement of the advertising and service volume targets and evaluation of the agency companies purchase trends and history. A refund liability, included in accrued
expenses and other payables, is recognized for expected sales rebates payable to agency companies in relation to advertising services provided until the end of the reporting period. We recognize revenue for the amount of fees we receive from the
customers, after deducting these sales rebates, and net of VAT collected from customers. We believe that there will not be significant changes to our estimates of variable consideration and updates the estimate at each reporting period as actual
utilization becomes available.
78
We determine revenue recognition through the following steps:
|
|
|
identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer;
|
|
|
|
identification of the performance obligations in the contract;
|
|
|
|
determination of the transaction price;
|
|
|
|
allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
|
|
|
|
recognition of revenue when, or as, we satisfy a performance obligation.
|
Media services
Media services revenues
mainly include revenues from automaker advertising services and regional marketing campaigns conducted by certain automobile brands regional offices. The majority of our online advertising service contracts involve multiple deliverables or
performance obligations presented on PC and mobile platforms and in different formats, such as banner advertisements, links and logos, other media insertions and promotional activities that are delivered over different periods of time.
Revenue is allocated among these different deliverables based on their relative stand-alone selling prices. We generally determine the
stand-alone selling price as the observable price of a product or service charged to customers when sold on a stand-alone basis. Advertising services are primarily delivered based on cost per day (CPD) pricing model. For CPD advertising
arrangements, revenue is recognized when the corresponding advertisements are published over the stated display period. For certain marketing campaigns and promotional activities services, revenue is recognized when the corresponding services have
been rendered.
Leads generation services
Leads generation services primarily include revenues from (i) dealer subscription services, (ii) advertising services sold to
individual dealer advertisers, (iii) used car listing services and other value-added services. Under the dealer subscription services, we make available throughout the subscription period a webpage linked to our websites and mobile applications
where the dealers can publish information such as the pricing of their products, locations and addresses and other related information. Advanced payment is normally made for the dealer subscription services and revenue is recognized over time on a
straight line basis as services are constantly provided over the subscription period. For the advertising services sold to individual dealers, revenue is recognized when the advertisement is published over the stated display period. The used car
listing services primarily include listing and display of used vehicles and generation of sales leads through our platform. Our used car marketplace acts as a user interface that allows potential used car buyers to identify listings that meet their
specific requirements and contact the relevant sellers. Our service fee is charged based on the number of displayed days, or quantity of sales leads delivered. Revenue is recognized at a point in time upon the display of vehicles or the delivery of
sales leads.
Online marketplace and others
Online marketplace and others revenues primarily consist of revenues related to new car and used car marketplace, auto-financing business, data
products, and others. For the new car and used car marketplace and auto-financing business, we provide platform-based services including facilitation of transactions, transaction-oriented marketing solutions, generation of sales leads and insurance
brokerage service. For the new car marketplace, we also act as the platform allowing users to review automotive-related information, purchase coupons offered by automakers for discounts and make purchases to complete transaction. For our used car
marketplace, we act as a C2B2C transaction system that facilitates the used car transaction between sellers and buyers and charge service fee per each sale. For the auto-financing business, we provide a platform which serves as a bridge to match
users and automobile sellers that have auto financing needs with our cooperative financial institutions that offer a variety of products covering merchant loans, consumer loans, leases and insurance services. The auto-financing service fee is
charged on a per sale or lead basis. The service fee is recognized at a point in time when the relevant information is displayed, marketing solution package is delivered, when the sales leads are delivered or upon the successful facilitation of a
transaction. For the data products, we provide data analysis reports and data-driven intelligent sales and marketing tools for automakers and dealers and recognize revenue at a point in time upon the delivery of reports or over the period of the
consumption or utilization of marketing tools by the automakers and dealers.
79
Contract Balances
Payment terms and conditions vary by contract and service types. However, excluding dealer subscription and used car listing, the rest of
service contracts usually require payment within several months of service delivery. The term between billings and when payment is due is not significant and we generally do not provide significant financing terms. Timing of revenue recognition may
differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. Accounts receivable represent amounts invoiced and revenue recognized prior to invoicing, when we have satisfied our performance obligations and have the unconditional right to collect payment.
Non-refundable
payments in advance of revenue recognition are recorded as deferred revenue and recognized as revenue along with the fulfillment of performance obligations. Deferred revenue is primarily related to
the advanced payment related to dealer subscription services and used car listings under leads generation services. The beginning balance of deferred revenue of RMB1.4 billion was fully recognized as revenue for the year ended December 31,
2018. There was no significant change in contract liability balance for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Accounts receivable are
carried at net realizable value. An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded in the period when a loss is probable based on an assessment of specific evidence indicating troubled collection, historical experience, accounts aging and other
factors. An accounts receivable balance is written off after all collection effort has ceased.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions
We have elected to use the practical expedient to not disclose the remaining performance obligations for contracts that have durations of one
year or less. We do not have significant remaining performance obligations in excess of one year. For the remaining performance obligations as of December 31, 2018, most of them are to be recognized within a year.
The revenue standard requires us to recognize an asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer if the benefit of
those costs is expected to be longer than one year. We have determined that sales commission for sales personnel meet the requirements of capitalization. However, we apply a practical expedient to expense these costs as incurred for costs to obtain
a contract with a customer when the amortization period would have been one year or less.
Income taxes
We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based
on the difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the differences are expected to reverse. We record a valuation allowance against deferred
tax assets if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is
more-likely-than-not
that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax
rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
We apply ASC 740,
Accounting for Income Taxes
, to
account for uncertainty in income taxes. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. We have recorded unrecognized tax benefits in the other liabilities line item
in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. We have elected to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if and when required, as part of income tax expense, in the consolidated statements of operations
data.
Our estimated liability for unrecognized tax benefits and the related interest and penalties are periodically assessed for adequacy
and may be affected by changing interpretations of laws, rulings by tax authorities, changes and/or developments with respect to tax audits, and expiration of the statute of limitations. The actual benefits ultimately realized may differ from our
estimates. As each audit is concluded, adjustments, if any, are recorded in our consolidated financial statements. Additionally, in future periods, changes in facts and circumstances, and new information may require us to adjust the recognition and
measurement estimates with regard to individual tax positions. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recognized in the period in which they occur.
We adopted ASU
No. 2015-17,
Income Taxes (Topic 740), Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred
Taxes
, which simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes by requiring deferred tax assets and liabilities to be classified as
non-current
on the balance sheet, starting the first quarter of 2017
on a retrospective basis. After adoption of this ASU, current deferred tax assets of RMB99.2 million as of December 31, 2016 on consolidated balance sheet was reclassified as
non-current.
80
Fair Value Measurements of Financial Instruments
Our financial instruments primarily comprise of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments, accounts receivable,
amounts due from related parties, prepaid expenses and other current assets, other
non-current
assets, accrued expenses and other payables, and amounts due to related parties. The carrying values of these
financial instruments excluding other
non-current
assets approximated their fair values due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.
ASC topic 820 (ASC 820),
Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures
, establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which
prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
Level 1 Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices
(unadjusted) for identical assets or liabilities in active markets
Level 2 Include other inputs that are directly or
indirectly observable in the marketplace
Level 3 Unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity
ASC 820 describes three main approaches to measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities: (1) market approach; (2) income
approach and (3) cost approach. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated from market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to convert
future amounts to a single present value amount. The measurement is based on the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. The cost approach is based on the amount that would currently be required to replace an
asset.
Goodwill
Goodwill
represents the excess of the purchase price over the amounts assigned to the fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed of an acquired business. Our goodwill at December 31, 2017 and 2018 were related to our acquisition of
Cheerbright, China Topside and Norstar. In accordance with ASC 350,
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
, recorded goodwill amounts are not amortized, but rather are tested for impairment annually or more frequently if there are indicators of
impairment present.
Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis (December 31 for us) and between
annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would
more-likely-than-not
reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. These events or circumstances include a significant
change in stock prices, business environment, legal factors, financial performances, competition, or events affecting the reporting unit. Application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units,
assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. The estimation of fair value of reporting unit using a discounted cash flow methodology
also requires significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur,
and determination of our weighted average cost of capital. The estimates used to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit change from year to year based on operating results and market conditions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could
materially affect the determination of fair value and goodwill impairment for the reporting unit.
Our management has determined that we
represent the lowest level within the entity at which goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes. Our management evaluated the recoverability of goodwill by performing a qualitative assessment before using a
two-step
impairment test approach at the reporting unit level. Based on an assessment of the qualitative factors, our management determined that it is
more-likely-than-not
that the fair value of the reporting unit is in excess of its carrying amount. Therefore, our management concluded that it was not necessary to proceed to the
two-step
goodwill impairment test. As of
December 31, 2017 and 2018, goodwill was RMB1.5 billion and RMB1.5 billion (US$218.8 million), respectively. No impairment loss was recorded for any of the years presented.
81
If we reorganize our reporting structure in a manner that changes the composition of one or more
of its reporting units, goodwill is reassigned based on the relative fair value of each of the affected reporting units.
Other
non-current
assets
Other
non-current
assets are
primarily comprised of an investment in TTP in the form of a three-year convertible bond with an annual 8% compound interest rate, in an aggregate principal amount of US$100 million. Concurrently with the issuance of the convertible bond, we
were granted the right to purchase an additional 8.0% convertible bond in an aggregate principal amount of US$65 million, to be issued by TTP upon our request from time to time, within three years after the consummation of transaction in June
2018. On or prior to June 11, 2021, the maturity date, unless extended otherwise, any or all of the outstanding principal under the bond is automatically convertible into preferred shares of TTP subject to certain conditions, or optionally
convertible into preferred shares of TTP at our discretion.
A convertible bond that is not within the scope of ASC 320
Investments - debt and equity securities
is accounted for under ASC 310
Receivables
. The initial investment amount of US$100 million was first allocated, based on fair value, to any free standing instrument
that was purchased together with the convertible loan, and to any embedded features requiring separate recognition under ASC 815
Derivatives and Hedging
. The US$65 million warrant was recognized as a freestanding financial
derivative and recorded at its fair value; any subsequent changes in fair value will be recognized in earnings. There were no embedded features that required separate recognition. After allocation, the remaining investment amount was recognized as
the convertible bond. The difference between the carrying value and face value of the convertible bond, after allocation, was treated as a discount on convertible bond and is amortized and recognized as interest income using the effective interest
method. The convertible bond is carried at its amortized cost, net of the discount.
According to ASC
310-10-35,
a loan receivable should be evaluated for impairment at each reporting period. A loan is impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that a creditor will be unable to
collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. All amounts due according to the contractual terms means that both the contractual interest payments and the contractual principal payments of a loan will be collected
as scheduled in the loan agreement.
Share-based Compensation
We account for share-based awards granted to employees under ASC 718,
CompensationStock Compensation
, which requires that
share-based awards granted to employees be measured based on the grant date fair value and recognized as compensation expense over the requisite service period (which is generally the vesting period) in the consolidated statements of operations
data. We have elected to recognize compensation expense using the straight-line method for all share-based awards granted with service conditions that have a graded vesting schedule. Under ASC 718, an entity can make an accounting policy election to
either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest or account for forfeitures when they occur. We have elected to estimate the forfeitures rate at the time of grant and revise, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures
differ from initial estimates.
Forfeiture rates are estimated based on historical and future expectations of employee turnover rates and
are adjusted to reflect future changes in circumstances and facts, if any. Share-based compensation expense is recorded net of estimated forfeitures such that expense is recorded only for those share-based awards that are expected to vest. To the
extent that we revise these estimates in the future, the share-based payments could be materially impacted in the period of revision, as well as in following periods. We, with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation firm, determined
the fair value of the stock options granted to employees. The binomial option pricing model was applied in determining the estimated fair value of the options granted to employees. Subsequent to the IPO, fair value of the ordinary shares is the
price of our publicly traded shares.
We account for a change in any of the terms or conditions of share-based awards as a modification in
accordance with ASC subtopic
718-20,
Compensation-Stock Compensation: Awards Classified as Equity
, whereby the incremental fair value, if any, of a modified award, is recorded as compensation cost on
the date of modification for vested awards or over the remaining vesting period for unvested awards. The incremental compensation cost is the excess of the fair value of the modified award on the date of modification over the fair value of the
original award immediately before the modification.
82
Results of Operations
The following table presents our results of operations in absolute amounts and as a percentage of our total net revenues for the years
indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
(in thousands, except percentages)
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Media services
|
|
|
2,203,099
|
|
|
|
41.2
|
%
|
|
|
2,892,333
|
|
|
|
51.2
|
%
|
|
|
3,508,254
|
|
|
|
510,254
|
|
|
|
48.5
|
%
|
Leads generation services
|
|
|
1,677,502
|
|
|
|
31.4
|
|
|
|
2,288,281
|
|
|
|
40.5
|
|
|
|
2,870,996
|
|
|
|
417,569
|
|
|
|
39.7
|
|
Online marketplace and others
|
|
|
1,463,992
|
|
|
|
27.4
|
|
|
|
466,709
|
|
|
|
8.3
|
|
|
|
853,901
|
|
|
|
124,195
|
|
|
|
11.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net revenues
|
|
|
5,344,593
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
5,647,323
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
7,233,151
|
|
|
|
1,052,018
|
|
|
|
100.0
|
|
Cost of revenues
(1)
|
|
|
(1,934,802
|
)
|
|
|
(36.2
|
)
|
|
|
(1,006,000
|
)
|
|
|
(17.8
|
)
|
|
|
(820,288
|
)
|
|
|
(119,306
|
)
|
|
|
(11.3
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross Profit
|
|
|
3,409,791
|
|
|
|
63.8
|
|
|
|
4,641,323
|
|
|
|
82.2
|
|
|
|
6,412,863
|
|
|
|
932,712
|
|
|
|
88.7
|
|
Operating expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sales and marketing expenses
(1)
|
|
|
(1,536,939
|
)
|
|
|
(28.8
|
)
|
|
|
(1,647,519
|
)
|
|
|
(29.2
|
)
|
|
|
(2,435,236
|
)
|
|
|
(354,190
|
)
|
|
|
(33.6
|
)
|
General and administrative
expenses
(1)
|
|
|
(306,794
|
)
|
|
|
(5.7
|
)
|
|
|
(281,951
|
)
|
|
|
(5.0
|
)
|
|
|
(314,846
|
)
|
|
|
(45,792
|
)
|
|
|
(4.4
|
)
|
Product development expenses
(1)
|
|
|
(571,354
|
)
|
|
|
(10.7
|
)
|
|
|
(878,773
|
)
|
|
|
(15.6
|
)
|
|
|
(1,135,247
|
)
|
|
|
(165,115
|
)
|
|
|
(15.7
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total operating expense
|
|
|
(2,415,087
|
)
|
|
|
(45.2
|
)
|
|
|
(2,808,243
|
)
|
|
|
(49.8
|
)
|
|
|
(3,885,329
|
)
|
|
|
(565,097
|
)
|
|
|
(53.7
|
)
|
Other income, net
|
|
|
172,618
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
|
|
|
218,750
|
|
|
|
3.9
|
|
|
|
341,391
|
|
|
|
49,653
|
|
|
|
4.7
|
|
Operating profit
|
|
|
1,167,322
|
|
|
|
21.8
|
|
|
|
2,051,830
|
|
|
|
36.3
|
|
|
|
2,868,925
|
|
|
|
417,268
|
|
|
|
39.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest income
|
|
|
88,168
|
|
|
|
1.6
|
|
|
|
220,282
|
|
|
|
3.9
|
|
|
|
358,811
|
|
|
|
52,187
|
|
|
|
5.0
|
|
Earnings/(loss) from equity method investments
|
|
|
(6,638
|
)
|
|
|
(0.1
|
)
|
|
|
(10,571
|
)
|
|
|
(0.2
|
)
|
|
|
24,702
|
|
|
|
3,593
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
|
Fair value change of other
non-current
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11,017
|
)
|
|
|
(1,602
|
)
|
|
|
(0.2
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income before income taxes
|
|
|
1,248,852
|
|
|
|
23.3
|
|
|
|
2,261,541
|
|
|
|
40.0
|
|
|
|
3,241,421
|
|
|
|
471,446
|
|
|
|
44.8
|
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
(32,629
|
)
|
|
|
(0.6
|
)
|
|
|
(267,082
|
)
|
|
|
(4.7
|
)
|
|
|
(377,890
|
)
|
|
|
(54,962
|
)
|
|
|
(5.2
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
|
1,216,223
|
|
|
|
22.7
|
|
|
|
1,994,459
|
|
|
|
35.3
|
|
|
|
2,863,531
|
|
|
|
416,484
|
|
|
|
39.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
|
|
|
11,691
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
7,160
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
|
|
7,484
|
|
|
|
1,089
|
|
|
|
0.1
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
|
|
22.9
|
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
|
|
35.4
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
417,573
|
|
|
|
39.7
|
|
Note:
(1)
|
Including share-based compensation expenses as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
(in thousands, except percentages)
|
|
Allocation of Share-Based Compensation Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
12,310
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
|
|
15,166
|
|
|
|
0.3
|
%
|
|
|
16,112
|
|
|
|
2,343
|
|
|
|
0.2
|
%
|
Sales and marketing expenses
|
|
|
50,814
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
53,064
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
61,599
|
|
|
|
8,959
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
77,965
|
|
|
|
1.5
|
|
|
|
59,954
|
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
|
|
55,992
|
|
|
|
8,144
|
|
|
|
0.8
|
|
Product development expenses
|
|
|
54,304
|
|
|
|
1.0
|
|
|
|
49,602
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
68,622
|
|
|
|
9,981
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total share-based compensation expenses
|
|
|
195,393
|
|
|
|
3.7
|
|
|
|
177,786
|
|
|
|
3.2
|
|
|
|
202,325
|
|
|
|
29,427
|
|
|
|
2.8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
83
Year Ended December 31, 2018 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2017
Net Revenues
. Our net revenues increased by 28.1% from RMB5,647.3 million in 2017 to RMB7,233.2 million
(US$1,052.0 million) in 2018. This increase was due to a 23.1% increase in combined revenues from media and leads generation services, and an 83.0% increase in online marketplace and others revenue, partially offset by the close of direct
vehicle sales as part of our implementation of an asset-light strategy.
Media services
. Our media services revenues increased by
21.3% from RMB2,892.3 million in 2017 to RMB3,508.3 million (US$510.3 million) in 2018. This increase was due to increased revenue from automaker advertising services and regional marketing campaigns conducted by certain automobile
brands regional offices.
The increase in revenues from our media services was primarily attributable to 18.9% increase in average
revenue per automaker advertiser from RMB28.6 million in 2017 to RMB34.1 million (US$5.0 million) in 2018, as automakers continued to allocate a greater portion of their advertising budgets to our online advertising and marketing channels,
with increasingly diversified and optimized portfolio of products being offered.
Leads generation services
. Leads generation
services revenues increased by 25.5% from RMB2,288.3 million in 2017 to RMB2,871.0 million (US$417.6 million) in 2018. The increase in leads generation services revenues was mainly driven by a 19.1% increase in average revenue per paying
dealer from RMB84.2 thousand in 2017 to RMB100.3 thousand (US$14.6 thousand) in 2018, as well as an expanded dealer client base. We provided leads generation services to 28,613 dealers in 2018, compared to 27,167 dealers in 2017.
Online marketplace and others.
Revenues from online marketplace and others increased by 83.0% from RMB466.7 million in 2017 to
RMB853.9 million (US$124.2 million) in 2018. Excluding direct vehicle sales in 2017, the year-over-year increase would have been 429.4%. This increase was primarily attributable to the increased contribution from auto-financing business and
data products and others. Revenues from online marketplace and others in 2018 consisted of revenues related to new car and used car marketplace business, auto-financing business, data products and others. Revenues from direct vehicle sales account
for 65.4% and nil of revenues from online marketplace and others in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Cost of Revenues
. Our cost
of revenues decreased by 18.5% from RMB1,006.0 million in 2017 to RMB820.3 million (US$119.3 million) in 2018. Excluding the cost of direct vehicle sales in 2017, cost of revenues would have increased 16.1% compared to 2017.
Content-related Costs
. Our content-related costs increased by 12.9% from RMB390.9 million in 2017 to RMB441.5 million
(US$64.2 million) in 2018, primarily due to a 22.6% increase of salaries and benefits of our editorial personnel (including share-based compensation expenses) from RMB139.5 million in 2017 to RMB171.0 million (US$24.9 million) in 2018. Our
content-related costs included share-based compensation expenses, which increased from RMB15.2 million in 2017 to RMB16.1 million (US$2.3 million) in 2018.
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
. Our depreciation and amortization expenses were RMB41.6 million (US$6.1 million) in 2018,
compared to RMB41.6 million in 2017.
Bandwidth and IDC Costs
. Our bandwidth and IDC costs increased by 17.2% from
RMB89.9 million in 2017 to RMB105.3 million (US$15.3 million) in 2018, primarily due to increased bandwidth and IDC requirements to fulfill the growth of our user traffic, improve the user experience and enhance our big data analytics
capabilities.
Tax Surcharges
. Tax surcharges increased by 26.0% from RMB184.1 million for 2017 to RMB231.9 million
(US$33.7 million) in 2018, as a result of increased revenues.
Operating Expenses
. Our operating expenses increased by 38.4%
from RMB2,808.2 million in 2017 to RMB3,885.3 million (US$565.1 million) in 2018, primarily due to increases in sales and marketing expenses and product development expenses as we continued to reinvest in future growth opportunities.
84
Sales and Marketing Expenses
. Our sales and marketing expenses increased by 47.8% from
RMB1,647.5 million in 2017 to RMB2,435.2 million (US$354.2 million) in 2018. This increase was primarily due to (i) an increase in marketing and promotional expenses from RMB994.4 million in 2017 to RMB1,650.9 million
(US$240.1 million) in 2018, mainly in connection with the increased offline execution along with business development and promotion and branding expenses related to our platform, and (ii) an 18.3% increase in salaries and benefits (including
share-based compensation expenses) from RMB555.8 million in 2017 to RMB657.6 million (US$95.6 million) in 2018, which is in line with our overall growth. As a percentage of net revenues, sales and marketing expenses were 33.6% in 2018,
compared to 29.2% in 2017. Our sales and marketing expenses in 2018 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB61.6 million (US$9.0 million), compared to RMB53.1 million in 2017.
General and Administrative Expenses
. Our general and administrative expenses increased by 11.7% from RMB282.0 million in 2017 to
RMB314.8 million (US$45.8 million) in 2018. This increase was primarily attributable to a 15.2% increase in salaries and benefits (including share-based compensation expenses) from RMB181.7 million in 2017 to RMB209.2 million (US$30.4
million) in 2018. As a percentage of net revenues, general and administrative expenses decreased from 5.0% in 2017 to 4.4% in 2018. Our general and administrative expenses for 2018 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB56.0 million
(US$8.1 million), compared to RMB60.0 million in 2017.
Product Development Expenses
. Our product development expenses
increased by 29.2% from RMB878.8 million in 2017 to RMB1,135.2 million (US$165.1 million) in 2018. The increase was primarily due to a 25.6% increase in salaries and benefits (including share-based compensation expenses) from
RMB713.6 million in 2017 to RMB896.5 million (US$130.4 million) in 2018, as a result of the increase in product development headcount, which is in line with our overall growth and continued reinvestment in future growth opportunities. As a
percentage of net revenues, product development expenses were 15.7% in 2018, compared to 15.6% in 2017. Our product development expenses for 2018 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB68.6 million (US$10.0 million), compared to
RMB49.6 million in 2017.
Other income, net
.
Our other income, net, primarily consists of VAT refund, government
grants and others. Other income, net, was RMB341.4 million (US$49.7 million) in 2018, compared to RMB218.8 million in 2017.
Income before Income Taxes
. Our income before income taxes was RMB3,241.4 million (US$471.4 million) in 2018 compared to
RMB2,261.5 million in 2017.
Income Tax Expense
. We incurred income tax expense of RMB377.9 million (US$55.0
million) in 2018, representing a 41.5% increase compared with RMB267.1 million in 2017, primarily due to an increase in taxable income.
Net Income Attributable to Autohome Inc.
As a result of the foregoing, we had net income attributable to Autohome Inc. of
RMB2,871.0 million (US$417.6 million) in 2018, increased by 43.4% compared to net income attributable to Autohome Inc. of RMB2,001.6 million in 2017.
Year Ended December 31, 2017 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2016
Net Revenues
. Our net revenues increased by 5.7% from RMB5,344.6 million in 2016 to RMB5,647.3 million in 2017. This
increase was due to a 33.5% increase in combined revenues from media and leads generation services, partially offset by the decrease in revenues from direct vehicle sales as part of the Companys implementation of an asset-light strategy.
Media services
. Our media services revenues increased by 31.3% from RMB2,203.1 million in 2016 to RMB2,892.3 million in 2017.
This increase was due to increased revenue from automaker advertising services and regional marketing campaigns conducted by certain automobile brands regional offices.
The increase in revenues from our media services was attributable to 23.5% increase in average revenue per automaker advertiser from
RMB23.2 million in 2016 to RMB28.6 million in 2017, as automakers continued to allocate more of their advertising budgets to our online advertising and marketing channels, with increasingly diversified and optimized portfolio of products
being offered.
85
Leads generation services
. Leads generation services revenues increased by 36.4% from
RMB1,677.5 million in 2016 to RMB2,288.3 million in 2017. The increase in leads generation services revenues was mainly driven by 21.0% year-over-year increase in average revenue per paying dealer from RMB69.6 thousand in 2016 to
RMB84.2 thousand in 2017 as dealers continue to allocate a greater portion of their budgets to our services, as well as an expanded dealer client base. We provided leads generation services to 27,167 dealers in 2017, compared with 24,096
dealers in 2016.
Online marketplace and others.
Revenues from online marketplace and others were RMB466.7 million in 2017,
compared to RMB1,464.0 million in 2016. Revenues from direct vehicle sales account for 95.3% and 65.4% of revenues from online marketplace and others in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Cost of Revenues
. Our cost of revenues decreased by 48.0% from RMB1,934.8 million in 2016 to RMB1,006.0 million in
2017, primarily due to a decrease in cost of sales related to direct vehicle sales.
Content-related Costs
. Our content-related
costs increased by 45.1% from RMB269.3 million in 2016 to RMB390.9 million in 2017, primarily due to a 20.3% increase of salaries and benefits of our editorial personnel (including share-based compensation expenses) from
RMB116.0 million in 2016 to RMB139.5 million in 2017. Our content-related costs included share-based compensation expenses, which increased from RMB12.3 million in 2016 to RMB15.2 million in 2017.
Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
. Our depreciation and amortization expenses were RMB41.6 million in 2017, compared to
RMB42.6 million in 2016.
Bandwidth and IDC Costs
. Our bandwidth and IDC costs increased by 73.6% from RMB51.8 million in
2016 to RMB89.9 million in 2017, primarily due to increased bandwidth and IDC requirements to fulfill the growth of our user traffic, improve the user experience and enhance our big data analytics capabilities.
Tax Surcharges
. Tax surcharges increased by 38.9% from RMB132.5 million for 2016 to RMB184.1 million in 2017, as a result of
increased revenues.
Cost of sales.
Cost of sales was RMB299.5 million in 2017, compared to RMB1,438.6 million in 2016.
RMB50.2 million and RMB1.5 million of write-down was recorded in cost of sales in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Operating
Expenses
. Our operating expenses increased by 16.3% from RMB2,415.1 million in 2016 to RMB2,808.2 million in 2017, primarily due to increases in product development expenses and sales and marketing expenses.
Sales and Marketing Expenses
. Our sales and marketing expenses increased by 7.2% from RMB1,536.9 million in 2016 to
RMB1,647.5 million in 2017. This increase was primarily due to (i) a 13.1% increase in marketing and promotional expenses from RMB879.1 million in 2016 to RMB994.4 million in 2017, mainly in connection with the promotion of our
mobile platforms and offline execution and promotional expenses, and (ii) a 5.1% increase in salaries and benefits (including share-based compensation expenses) from RMB528.6 million in 2016 to RMB555.8 million in 2017, which is in
line with our overall growth. As a percentage of net revenues, sales and marketing expenses were 29.2% in 2017, compared to 28.8% in 2016. Our sales and marketing expenses in 2017 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB53.1 million,
compared to RMB50.8 million in 2016.
General and Administrative Expenses
. Our general and administrative expenses decreased
by 8.1% from RMB306.8 million in 2016 to RMB282.0 million in 2017. This decrease was primarily attributable to a 4.6% decrease in salaries and benefits (including share-based compensation expenses) from RMB190.4 million in 2016 to
RMB181.7 million in 2017. As a percentage of net revenues, general and administrative expenses decreased from 5.7% in 2016 to 5.0% in 2017. Our general and administrative expenses for 2017 included share-based compensation expenses of
RMB60.0 million, compared to RMB78.0 million in 2016.
Product Development Expenses
. Our product development expenses
increased by 53.8% from RMB571.4 million in 2016 to RMB878.8 million in 2017. The increase was primarily attributable to a 41.1% increase in salaries and benefits (including share-based compensation expenses) from RMB505.7 million in
2016 to RMB713.6 million in 2017, as a result of the increase in product development headcount, which is in line with our overall growth and continued reinvestment in future growth opportunities. As a percentage of net revenues, product
development expenses increased from 10.7% in 2016 to 15.6% in 2017. Our product development expenses for 2017 included share-based compensation expenses of RMB49.6 million, compared to RMB54.3 million in 2016.
86
Other income, net
.
Our other income, net, primarily consists of VAT refund,
government grants and others. Other income, net, was RMB218.8 million in 2017, compared to RMB172.6 million in 2016.
Income before Income Taxes
. Our income before income taxes was RMB2,261.5 million in 2017, compared to
RMB1,248.9 million in 2016.
Income Tax Expense
. We incurred income tax expense of RMB267.1 million in 2017, a
significant increase compared with RMB32.6 million in 2016, primarily due to an increase in taxable income and withholding tax liability associated with special cash dividend.
Net Income Attributable to Autohome Inc
.
As a result of the foregoing, we had net income attributable to Autohome Inc. of
RMB2,001.6 million in 2017, increased by 63.0% compared with net income attributable to Autohome Inc. of RMB1,227.9 million in 2016.
Inflation
Since our inception, inflation
in China has not materially impacted our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the consumer price index in China increased by 2.0%, 1.6% and 2.1% in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and the year-over-year percent
changes in the consumer price index for December 2016, 2017 and 2018 were increases of 2.1%, 1.8% and 1.9%, respectively. Although we have not in the past been materially affected by inflation since our inception, we can provide no assurance that we
will not be affected in the future by higher rates of inflation in China.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Item 17 of Part III, Financial StatementsNote 2Summary of significant accounting policiesRecent accounting
pronouncements.
B.
|
Liquidity and Capital Resources
|
Cash Flows and Working Capital
Our
principal sources of liquidity are cash generated from our operating activities and our issuance of ADSs. In December 2013, we completed our initial public offering and raised net proceeds of US$142.6 million, after deducting underwriting
commissions and discounts and expenses. In November 2014, we completed our 2014 Offering and raised net proceeds of US$97.3 million, after deducting underwriting commissions and discounts and expenses. Our principal uses of cash for 2016, 2017
and 2018 were primarily composed of operating activities, including employee compensation, tax expenses, promotion and marketing expenses, bandwidth and IDC costs, investment in research and development, investing activities including equity and
strategic investments and other capital expenditures, and payment of dividends. As of December 31, 2018, we had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments altogether amounting to RMB10.1 billion (US$1,464.1
million).
We believe that our current cash and anticipated cash flow from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash
needs, including our cash needs for at least the next 12 months. We may require additional cash due to unanticipated business conditions or other future developments. We may also need additional cash resources if we find and wish to pursue
opportunities for investments, acquisitions, strategic cooperation or other similar actions. If our existing cash is insufficient to meet our requirements, we may seek to sell additional equity securities, debt securities or secure debt funding from
financial institutions.
We adopted ASU
No. 2016-18,
Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 320):
Restricted Cash
, which requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents, starting from the
first quarter of 2018 on a retrospective basis. After the adoption of this ASU, restricted cash of RMB61,091 as of January 1, 2016 and RMB9,319 as of December 31, 2016, respectively, was included in cash and cash equivalents when
reconciling the beginning- and
end-of-period
total amounts shown on our statement of cash flows. As a result, the change in restricted cash of RMB51,772 and RMB9,319 was
excluded from cash from operating activities for 2016 and 2017, respectively.
87
The following table provides a reconciliation of the amount of cash, cash equivalents, and
restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets to the total of the same such amounts shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
(RMB in thousands)
|
|
Amounts shown in Consolidated Balance Sheets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
3,293,911
|
|
|
|
911,588
|
|
|
|
211,970
|
|
Restricted cash
|
|
|
9,319
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as shown in Consolidated Statements of Cash
Flows
|
|
|
3,303,230
|
|
|
|
911,588
|
|
|
|
216,970
|
|
The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the years indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Year Ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
Net cash generated from operating activities
|
|
|
1,574,124
|
|
|
|
2,463,699
|
|
|
|
3,111,438
|
|
|
|
452,541
|
|
Net cash used in investing activities
|
|
|
(514,906
|
)
|
|
|
(4,913,827
|
)
|
|
|
(3,301,239
|
)
|
|
|
(480,146
|
)
|
Net cash generated from /(used in) financing activities
|
|
|
27,920
|
|
|
|
61,070
|
|
|
|
(543,968
|
)
|
|
|
(79,116
|
)
|
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
|
|
|
2,354
|
|
|
|
(2,584
|
)
|
|
|
39,151
|
|
|
|
5,693
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
|
|
|
1,089,492
|
|
|
|
(2,391,642
|
)
|
|
|
(694,618
|
)
|
|
|
(101,028
|
)
|
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year
|
|
|
2,213,738
|
|
|
|
3,303,230
|
|
|
|
911,588
|
|
|
|
132,585
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year
|
|
|
3,303,230
|
|
|
|
911,588
|
|
|
|
216,970
|
|
|
|
31,557
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating Activities
Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB3,111.4 million (US$452.5 million) for 2018. This amount was primarily attributable to
net income of RMB2,863.5 million (US$416.5 million), (a) adjusted for (i) certain
non-cash
items, primarily including share-based compensation expenses of RMB202.3 million (US$29.4 million),
deferred income taxes of RMB102.1 million (US$14.9 million), depreciation of property and equipment of RMB90.3 million (US$13.1 million), interest income from convertible bond of RMB36.2 million (US$5.3 million), earnings from
equity method investments of RMB24.7 million (US$3.6 million), and fair value change of short-term investments of RMB29.7 million (US$4.3 million) and (ii) changes in operating assets and liabilities that positively affected operating
cash flow, primarily due to an increase in accrued expenses and other payables of RMB807.3 million (US$117.4 million), an increase in deferred revenue of RMB101.2 million (US$14.7 million), (b) partially offset by changes in operating
assets and liabilities that negatively affected operating cash flow, primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable of RMB904.3 million (US$131.5 million), an increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets of RMB62.8 million
(US$9.1 million). The increase in accrued expenses and other payables was mainly due to the increase in accrued rebates to advertising agencies in accordance with the growth of media service revenues, increase in
year-end
bonuses to employees during the period and marketing expenses. The increase in deferred revenue was mainly attributable to the growth of our dealer subscription services. The increase in accounts
receivable was primarily due to the increase of our media services and online marketplace and others services. The increase in prepaid expenses and other current assets was primarily attributable to advanced payment of VAT and surcharges and VAT
refund receivable.
88
Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB2,463.7 million for 2017. This amount
was primarily attributable to net income of RMB1,994.5 million, (a) adjusted for (i) certain
non-cash
items, primarily including share-based compensation expenses of RMB177.8 million,
deferred income taxes of RMB12.3 million, depreciation of property and equipment of RMB81.9 million, loss from equity method investments of RMB10.6 million, and fair value change of short-term investments of RMB29.0 million and
(ii) changes in operating assets and liabilities that positively affected operating cash flow, primarily due to an increase in accrued expenses and other payables of RMB425.3 million, an increase in deferred revenue of
RMB397.3 million, a decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets of RMB191.3 million and a decrease in inventory of RMB94.1 million, (b) partially offset by changes in operating assets and liabilities that negatively
affected operating cash flow, primarily due to an increase in accounts receivable of RMB688.9 million, decrease in income tax payable of RMB172.4 million, and a decrease in notes payable of RMB31.1 million. The increase in accrued
expenses and other payables was mainly due to the increase in accrued rebates to advertising agencies in accordance with the growth of media service revenues, accrual for the
year-end
bonuses to employees
during the period and marketing expenses. The increase in deferred revenue was mainly attributable to the growth of our dealer subscription services. The decrease in prepaid expenses and other current assets and inventories was attributable to the
clearance of direct sales vehicle inventories. The decrease in notes payable was primarily due to the maturity and settlement of short-term bank acceptance notes used for the purchase of new vehicles. The increase in accounts receivable was
primarily due to the increase of our media services.
Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB1,574.1 million for 2016.
This amount was primarily attributable to net income of RMB1,216.2 million, (a) adjusted for (i) certain
non-cash
expenses, primarily share-based compensation expenses of RMB195.4 million,
deferred income taxes of RMB103.8 million, depreciation of property and equipment of RMB65.2 million, and write-down of inventories and prepayment for vehicle purchase cost of RMB50.2 million and (ii) changes in operating assets
and liabilities that positively affected operating cash flow, primarily an increase in accrued expenses and other payables of RMB308.9 million and an increase in deferred revenue of RMB139.7 million, (b) partially offset by changes in
operating assets and liabilities that negatively affected operating cash flow, primarily a decrease in notes payable of RMB143.9 million, an increase in accounts receivable of RMB132.8 million and increase in prepaid expenses and other
current assets of RMB77.6 million. The increase in accrued expenses and other payables was mainly due to the increase in accrued rebates to advertising agencies in accordance with growth of media service revenues, accrual for the
year-end
bonuses to employees during the period and customer deposit received. The increase in deferred revenue was mainly attributable to the growth of our dealer subscription services. The decrease in notes
payable was primarily due to the maturity and settlement of short-term bank acceptance notes used for the purchase of new vehicles. The increase in accounts receivable was primarily due to the increase of our media services. The increase in prepaid
expenses and other current assets was mainly due to the advance payment for purchase of new vehicles.
Investing Activities
Net cash used in investing activities was RMB3,301.2 million (US$480.1 million) in 2018, which was primarily attributable to the purchase
of term deposits and adjustable-rate financial products, investment in TTP in the form of convertible bond and capital expenditures primarily related to the purchase of electronic equipment, partially offset by the cash inflow from our disposal of
the Financing JV.
Net cash used in investing activities was RMB4,913.8 million in 2017, which was primarily attributable to the
purchase of term deposits and adjustable-rate financial products, capital expenditures primarily related to the purchase of electronic equipment, purchase of operating license and investment in and disposal of equity investees.
Net cash used in investing activities was RMB514.9 million in 2016, which was primarily attributable to the purchase of term deposits and
adjustable-rate financial products, capital expenditures primarily related to purchase of electronic equipment and leasehold improvements and investment in our new joint ventures.
Financing Activities
Net cash
used in financing activities in 2018 was RMB544.0 million (US$79.1 million), which was attributable to payment of dividends, partially offset by proceeds from exercise of share-based awards.
89
Net cash generated from financing activities in 2017 was RMB61.1 million, which was
attributable to proceeds from exercise of share-based awards.
Net cash generated from financing activities in 2016 was
RMB27.9 million, which was primarily attributable to proceeds from exercise of share-based awards.
Capital Expenditures
Cash outflow in connection with capital expenditures amounted to RMB88.8 million, RMB86.4 million and RMB113.8 million (US$16.6
million) in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. These capital expenditures were primarily used to purchase servers and other electronic equipment for our business.
Holding Company Structure
Our
ability to pay dividends is primarily dependent on our receiving distributions of funds from our subsidiaries. Relevant PRC statutory laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by our PRC subsidiaries only out of their retained earnings, if
any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. The results of operations reflected in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP differ from those reflected in the statutory financial
statements of our PRC subsidiaries.
Under PRC law, our PRC subsidiaries are required to provide for certain statutory reserves, namely a
general reserve, an enterprise expansion fund and a staff welfare and bonus fund and allocate at least 10% of their
after-tax
profits on an individual company basis as determined under PRC accounting standards
to the general reserve, and have the right to discontinue allocations to the general reserve if such reserve has reached 50% of registered capital on an individual company basis. In addition, they are also required to make appropriations to the
enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund at the discretion of their respective boards of directors. Our VIEs in the PRC are also subject to similar statutory reserve requirements. These reserves can only be used for specific
purposes and are not transferable to us in the form of loans, advances or cash dividends. As of December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs had appropriated RMB36.0 million, RMB51.8 million and
RMB75.9 million (US$11.0 million), respectively, of retained earnings for their statutory reserves.
As a result of these PRC laws
and regulations, prior to allocations of
after-tax
profits to the statutory reserves, our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to us.
Foreign exchange and other regulation in the PRC may further restrict our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs from transferring funds to us in the form
of dividends, loans and advances. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, the amounts of the net restricted assets of our PRC subsidiaries and our VIEs were RMB6,789.4 million and RMB9,747.1 million (US$1,417.7 million), respectively.
C.
|
Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.
|
Technology and Product Development
Our
technologies and infrastructure are critical to our success. We follow a user-centric strategy for our system architecture and have developed robust and scalable technology platforms with sufficient flexibility to support our rapid growth.
A key component of our user-centric strategy is our user intelligence engine which we have developed and are continually enhancing. Our user
intelligence engine allows us to rapidly gather user intelligence by analyzing large amounts of data from many sources throughout our content production system. We can utilize such user intelligence data to personalize user interfaces, associate and
understand the relationship of information from different sources and facilitate interactions among users and various elements on our websites and mobile applications. It also helps us recommend suitable products, services and user connections to
our users. Through our user intelligence engine, we can engage our users more closely by providing them with relevant content. We are also able to provide precision marketing services to our automakers, dealers and other automotive-related customers
so that they can deliver relevant advertisements to targeted users who are more receptive to such marketing information.
90
We distribute our web content to numerous network nodes close to our users by utilizing the
content delivery networks, allowing most of our user communications to bypass internet congestion. With our technological expertise, we manage the content delivery networks to enhance our website responsiveness and to improve user experience. As
such, we believe our websites have a performance advantage over other automotive vertical websites.
We invested heavily in mobile
technologies and were among the earliest in our industry in China to introduce a mobile version of our websites and both Apple
iOS-
and Android-based applications to allow our users to easily access our
content. We have built up a team of research and development personnel to focus exclusively on the development of our mobile websites and applications and to explore new business models and opportunities through mobile technology. We plan to
continue to leverage our mobile technology to enhance the functions and user interfaces of our mobile applications for Apple
iOS-
and Android- platforms focusing on convenience, real-time interaction and
location based services.
We had an experienced product development team of 1,762 engineers as of December 31, 2018. Our past
innovation has focused on helping users research, select and purchase suitable automobiles through our websites. We have also begun to develop additional products and services for our mobile applications and media-related technology, enhance the big
data analytics capabilities as well as
AR-
and
VR-related
technologies. Our product development expenses were RMB571.4 million, RMB878.8 million and
RMB1,135.2 million (US$165.1 million) for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Intellectual Property
See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewIntellectual Property.
Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events since
the beginning of our fiscal year 2018 that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our net revenues, income from operations, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that would cause the disclosed financial information to be not
necessarily indicative of future operating results or financial condition.
E.
|
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
|
We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not
entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholders equity. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as
credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. We do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and
development services with us.
F.
|
Tabular Disclosures of Contractual Obligations
|
The following summarizes our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2018:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payments Due by Period
|
|
|
|
Less than
1 Year
|
|
|
1 to 3
years
|
|
|
3 to 5
Years
|
|
|
More than
5 Years
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
(in thousands of RMB)
|
|
Operating lease obligations
(1)
|
|
|
109,194
|
|
|
|
41,499
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
150,693
|
|
Note:
(1)
|
Operating lease obligations related to the lease of office space.
|
91
Rental expenses for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 were
RMB84.7 million, RMB95.7 million and RMB100.0 million (US$14.5 million), respectively.
See Forward-Looking Statements on page 1 of this annual report.
ITEM 6. DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES
A.
|
Directors and Senior Management
|
The following table sets forth information regarding our directors and executive officers as of the date of this annual report.
|
|
|
|
|
Directors and Executive Officers
|
|
Age
|
|
Position/Title
|
Min Lu
|
|
58
|
|
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
|
Dong Liu
|
|
54
|
|
Director
|
Han Qiu
|
|
44
|
|
Director
|
Zheng Liu
|
|
50
|
|
Director
|
Junling Liu
|
|
54
|
|
Independent Director
|
Tianruo Pu
|
|
50
|
|
Independent Director
|
Dazong Wang
|
|
64
|
|
Independent Director
|
Jun Zou
|
|
48
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
Haifeng Shao
|
|
47
|
|
President
|
Mr.
Min Lu
has served as our chairman of the board and our chief executive officer
since June 2016. Before joining our company, Mr. Min Lu was the chief of the strategy center of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd., or Ping An Group. Having worked at Ping An for 20 years, Mr. Lu is an experienced
professional in the Chinese insurance industry, as well as a specialist in strategic development. Mr. Lu has also served as deputy general manager of Ping An Life Insurance Company of China, Ltd., or Ping An Life, and general manager of the
bank assurance business unit of Ping An Life. From 2009 to 2014, Mr. Lu served as chairman and chief executive officer of Ping An Health Insurance Company of China, Ltd. Mr. Lu holds an MBA degree from the University of Dundee.
Mr.
Dong Liu
has served as our director since June 2016. Mr. Dong Liu joined Ping An Group in 2014 and is
currently deputy general manager of China Ping An Trust Co., Ltd., or Ping An Trust, and the principal partner of Ping An Capital. Prior to joining Ping An Group, Mr. Liu was the chief representative of the Government of Singapore Investment
Corporation, or GIC, Greater China, and a Senior Vice President of GIC from 2007 to 2014, a principal investment officer of the International Finance Corporation, a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group, in China
from 2003 to 2007, a senior investment officer of the International Finance Corporation in Washington D.C. from 1998 to 2003 and a senior economist at The World Bank Group in Washington D.C. from 1994 to 1998. Mr. Liu has more than 20 years of
international and domestic investment experience. Since returning to China in 2003, Mr. Liu has led investments in sectors such as the consumer, healthcare, education, environmental protection, financial services, technology and agribusiness
industries.
Ms.
Han Qiu
has served as our director since June 2016. Ms. Han Qiu is the
co-general
manager of Shanghai One Connect Financial Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Ping An Group. With over 16 years of experience in finance, risk management and data science, Ms. Qiu has deep
technical knowledge in big data and analytics. Prior to her current role, Ms. Qiu headed the Group Big Data Center at Ping An Group. In addition, Ms. Qiu has served as head of change at Standard Chartered Bank and vice president of
business intelligence at Fullerton Financial Holdings/Temasek Holdings. Ms. Qiu has also previously worked as an associate at McKinsey & Company and held technical leadership positions at GE Money/GE Capital.
Mr.
Zheng Liu
has served as our director since December 2017. Mr. Liu currently serves as the deputy general
manager of Ping An Property Insurance Company of China and the general director of its agency business unit. Mr. Liu has nearly 26 years of experience in business management and the industry of insurance, in particular property insurance. He
joined Ping An Group in 1993 and has served consecutively as the assistant to the general manager, the deputy general manager and the general manager of Ping An Property Insurance Company of Chinas Beijing Branch. In 2011, Mr. Liu was
relocated to Ping An Property Insurance Company of Chinas headquarters, and has since then served consecutively as its deputy general manager and general director of western China business unit, then its deputy general manager and general
director of new sales channel business unit, and its deputy general manager and general director of northern Chines business unit. Mr. Zheng Liu received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Sun
Yat-sen
University in China.
92
Mr.
Junling Liu
has served as our independent director since January
2015. Mr. Liu is the
co-founder,
chairman and chief executive officer of 111, Inc. (NYSE: YI), an online healthcare cloud service provider. He
co-founded
and served
as chief executive officer of YHD.com from 2008 to 2015. Prior to founding YHD.com, Mr. Liu served as the global vice president and president for mainland China and Hong Kong at Dell Inc. from 2006 to 2007. He also held various executive
positions at internationally renowned technology companies such as Avaya China, Openwave Systems and Lucent Technologies Asia. Mr. Liu serves as an independent director of Hua Medicine (HKSE: 02552). Mr. Liu received his bachelors
degree in education from Flinders University in Australia and masters degree in international business administration from Flinders University. Mr. Liu became an inductee of Chinas Thousand Talent Plan in 2012.
Mr.
Tianruo Pu
has served as our independent director since December 2016. Mr. Pu currently serves as an
independent director and chairman of the audit committee of JMU Limited (Nasdaq: JMU), a Chinese
e-commerce
company, as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee of Renren Inc. (NYSE: RENN),
a company operating a used auto business and SaaS business, and as an independent director and chairman of the audit committee of 3SBio Inc. (HKSE: 1530), a Chinese
bio-pharmaceutical
company. Mr. Pu has
more than twenty years of work experience in finance and accounting in both the United States and China. Previously, Mr. Pu served as the chief financial officer of several companies including Zhaopin Limited (NYSE: ZPIN, now privatized),
UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI) and Nuokang
Bio-Pharmaceutical.
Mr. Pu received an MBA degree from Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management and a Master of Science degree in accounting from
the University of Illinois.
Dr.
Dazong Wang
has served as our independent director since December 2016.
Dr. Wang has been the founder and the chairman of Ophoenix Capital Management since 2011. Dr. Wang also serves as a director of FUBA Automotive Electronics GmbH, Germany, a leading supplier of automotive reception systems, as a director of
Merit Automotive Electronics Systems, S.L., Spain, a leading supplier of complex automotive mechatronics modules and as a director of Committee of 100, a
non-profit
membership organization of prominent Chinese
Americans. From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Wang was the president and chief executive officer of Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation. From 2006 to 2008, Dr. Wang served as the vice president of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, where he
was responsible for engineering and key component operations. Before that, Dr. Wang served several positions in General Motors Company, or GM, from 1985 to 2006, including, senior staff engineer, China country manager and engineering director
for North America operations. Dr. Wang received a Ph.D. degree from Cornell University and a Master of Science degree from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.
Mr.
Jun Zou
has served as our chief financial officer since September 2017. Mr. Zou has over 25 years of
experience in financial management and capital markets in the U.S., Europe and China. He most recently served as iDreamSkys chief financial officer from 2014 to 2016, during which time he led the companys initial public offering on the
Nasdaq Global Select Market and the companys subsequent privatization. Prior to joining iDreamSky, Mr. Zou served as the chief financial officer for several U.S.-listed Chinese companies, including
E-Commerce
China Dangdang Inc. (NYSE: DANG, now privatized), a leading
business-to-consumer
e-commerce
company in China from 2012 to 2014, and Xunlei Limited (Nasdaq: XNET), a shared cloud computing and blockchain technology company in China, from 2010 to 2012. He has also worked as the chief
financial officer for the global technical services business unit and the head of the global customer financing and treasury at Huawei Technologies, a Fortune 500 technology company in China from 2006 to 2008. Before returning to China, Mr. Zou
served in progressive managerial roles in treasury, customer finance, strategic planning and eventually as global controller for the managed services business unit at Ericsson in the U.S. and Sweden. Mr. Zou received a master degree in business
administration from the University of Texas in the U.S. and a bachelor degree in international business and economics from Shanghai International Studies University in China.
93
Mr.
Haifeng Shao
has served as our president since February 2018.
Mr. Shao worked for Ping An Group for over 22 years, including 15 years as a senior manager in the financial services division, and seven years in its internet finance division. He joined Ping An Group in 1996 where he served successively as
the General Assistant Manager of Ping An Life Insurance, Shanghai Branch; the Deputy General Manager of Ping An Life Insurance, Yunnan Branch; and the Deputy General Manager of Ping An Annuity Insurance. Starting 2012, Mr. Shao served as the
General Manager of Ping An
E-wallet.
In 2016, Mr. Shao served as the General Manager of Ping An Finance One Connect. Mr. Shao received a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from Nanjing Normal University
in China.
B.
|
Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers
|
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, we incurred an aggregate compensation expense of approximately RMB14.5 million (US$2.1
million) for our executive officers and directors (not including share-based compensation expenses). Our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are required by law to make contributions equal to certain percentages of each employees salary for his or her
pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, housing fund and other statutory benefits. Other than the above-mentioned statutory contributions mandated by applicable PRC law, we have not set aside or accrued any amount to provide
pension, retirement or other similar benefits to our executive officers and directors. For additional information on share incentive grants to our directors and executive officers, see Share Incentive Plans.
Employment Agreements
We have entered
into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our executive officers is employed for a specified time period. We may terminate employment for cause at any time without advance notice or remuneration
for certain acts of the executive officer, such as a conviction or plea of guilty to a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, negligent or dishonest acts to our detriment, or misconduct or a failure to perform agreed duties. In such case,
the executive officer will not be entitled to receive payment of any severance benefits or other amounts by reason of the termination, and the executive officers right to all other benefits will terminate, except as required by any applicable
law. We may also terminate an executive officers employment without cause upon
one-month
advance written notice. In such case of termination by us, we are required to provide compensation to the
executive officer, including cash compensation determined based on the term of office of the involved executive officer. The executive officer may terminate the employment at any time with a
one-month
advance
written notice, if there is any significant change in the executive officers duties and responsibilities inconsistent in any material and adverse respect with his or her title and position, or a material reduction in the executive
officers annual salary before the next annual salary review, or if otherwise approved by the board of directors.
Each executive
officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the termination or expiry of his or her employment agreement, in strict confidence and not to use, except as required in the performance of his duties in connection with the employment, any of our
confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our clients or prospective clients, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential
obligations. The executive officers have also agreed to disclose in confidence to us all inventions, designs and trade secrets which they conceive, develop or reduce to practice and to assign all right, title and interest in them to us, and assist
us in obtaining patents, copyrights and other legal rights for these inventions, designs and trade secrets.
In addition, each executive
officer has agreed to be bound by
non-competition
and
non-solicitation
restrictions during the term of his or her employment. Specifically, each executive officer has
agreed not to (a) approach our clients, advertisers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer for the purpose of doing business with such persons or entities that will harm our business relationships with
these persons or entities; (b) assume employment with or provide services to any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of our competitors; or (c) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit
the services of any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officers termination, or in the year preceding such termination.
94
Share Incentive Plans
2011 Share Incentive Plan
In May
2011, we adopted our 2011 Share Incentive Plan to attract and retain the best available personnel, provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants and promote the success of our business. The maximum aggregate number of our
Class A ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the 2011 Share Incentive Plan, as currently in effect, is 7,843,100. As of March 31, 2019, options to purchase 27,520 Class A ordinary shares under the 2011
Share Incentive Plan at an exercise price of US$2.20 were outstanding. The following table summarizes, as of March 31, 2019, the outstanding options we had granted to our directors and officers and to other individuals as a group under our 2011
Share Incentive Plan:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Options
|
|
|
Exercise Price
(US$/Share)
|
|
|
Date of Grant
|
|
Date of
Expiration
|
|
Vesting Schedule
|
Individuals other than directors and officers as a group
|
|
|
27,520
|
|
|
|
US$2.20
|
|
|
December 19, 2011
|
|
Ten years after date of grant
|
|
Approximately
four years from
each date of
grant
|
The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the 2011 Share Incentive Plan:
Types of Awards
. The Plan permits the awards of incentive and
non-statutory
share-based awards,
share appreciation rights, restricted shares and restricted share units. The following briefly describes the principal features of the various awards that may be granted under the 2011 Share Incentive Plan.
|
|
|
Options
. The administrator may grant incentive stock options, or ISOs, or
non-statutory
stock options, NSOs, under our 2011 Share Incentive Plan. Unless the administrator determines otherwise, the exercise price of options granted under our 2011 Share Incentive Plan must at least be
equal to the fair market value of our ordinary shares on the date of grant and its term may not exceed ten years. In addition, for any participant who owns more than 10% of the total combined voting rights of all classes of our outstanding shares,
or of certain of our parent or subsidiary, the term of an ISO must not exceed five years and the exercise price of such ISO must equal at least 110% of the fair market value on the grant date. The administrator determines the term of all other
options.
|
After termination of an employee, director or consultant, he or she may exercise his or her option, to the
extent vested as of such date of termination, within 60 days of termination, or such longer period of time stated in the option agreement. In the absence of a specified period of time in the option agreement, the option will remain exercisable for a
period of 12 months in the event of a termination due to death or disability. However, in no event may an option be exercised later than the expiration of its term.
|
|
|
Share appreciation rights
. Share appreciation rights may be granted under our 2011 Share Incentive Plan.
Share appreciation rights allow the recipient to receive the appreciation in the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares between the exercise date and the date of grant. The exercise price of share appreciation rights granted under our
2011 Share Incentive Plan must at least be equal to the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares on the date of grant. The administrator determines the terms of share appreciation rights, including when such rights vest and become
exercisable and whether to settle such awards in cash or with our ordinary shares, or a combination thereof. Share appreciation rights expire under the same rules that apply to options.
|
|
|
|
Restricted shares
. Restricted shares may be granted under our 2011 Share Incentive Plan. Restricted share
awards are Class A ordinary shares that are subject to various restrictions, including restrictions on transferability and forfeiture provisions. Restricted shares will vest and the restrictions on such shares will lapse, in accordance with
terms and conditions established by the administrator. The administrator will determine the number of restricted shares granted to any employee. The administrator may impose whatever conditions to vesting it determines to be appropriate. For
example, the administrator may set restrictions based on the achievement of specific performance goals and/or continued service to us. Holders of restricted share awards generally will have voting rights but not dividend rights, unless the
administrator provides otherwise. Restricted shares that do not vest for any reason will be forfeited by the recipient and will revert to us.
|
95
|
|
|
Restricted Share Units
. A restricted share unit award is the grant of the right to receive an ordinary
share at a future date and may be subject to forfeiture. Our plan administrator has the discretion to set performance objectives or other vesting criteria that will determine the number or value of restricted share units to be granted. Unless
otherwise determined by our plan administrator, a restricted share unit is nontransferable and may be forfeited or repurchased by us upon termination of employment or service during a restricted period. Our plan administrator, at the time of grant,
specifies the dates on which the restricted share units become fully vested.
|
Administration
. Our board of
directors or the compensation committee of our board of directors administers our 2011 Share Incentive Plan. Subject to the provisions of our 2011 Share Incentive Plan, the administrator has the power to determine the terms of the awards, including
the recipients, the exercise price, the number of shares subject to each such award, the vesting schedule applicable to the awards, together with any vesting acceleration, and the form of consideration payable upon exercise. The administrator also
has the authority to modify or amend awards, to prescribe rules and to construe and interpret the 2011 Share Incentive Plan. Our board of directors may delegate limited authority to additional committees with respect to certain employees and
consultants to reduce the burden on the board in administering the 2011 Share Incentive Plan.
Award Agreement
. Options, share
appreciation rights, restricted shares, or restricted share units granted under the plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth the terms, conditions, and limitations for each grant.
Eligibility
. We may grant awards to our employees, directors and consultants of our company. However, we may grant options that are
intended to qualify as incentive share-based awards only to our employees and employees of our parent companies and subsidiaries.
Transferability
. Unless the administrator provides otherwise, our 2011 Share Incentive Plan does not allow for the transfer of awards
other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution and only the recipient of an award may exercise an award during his or her lifetime.
Certain Adjustments
. In the event of certain changes in our capitalization, to prevent diminution or enlargement of the benefits or
potential benefits available under the 2011 Share Incentive Plan, the administrator will make adjustments to one or more of the number and class of shares that may be delivered under the plan and/or the number, class and price of shares covered by
each outstanding award and the numerical share limits contained in the plan. In the event of our proposed liquidation or dissolution, the administrator will notify participants as soon as practicable and all awards will terminate immediately prior
to the consummation of such proposed transaction.
Change in Control Transactions
. Our 2011 Share Incentive Plan provides that in
the event of our merger or change in control, as defined in the 2011 Share Incentive Plan, each outstanding award will be treated as the administrator determines, except that if the successor corporation or its parent or subsidiary does not assume
or substitute an equivalent award for each outstanding option or share appreciation right, then such option or share appreciation right will be exercisable for a period of time determined by the administrator in its sole discretion. The option or
share appreciation right will then terminate upon the expiration of the specified period of time.
Term
. Our 2011 Share Incentive
Plan will continue in effect for a term of ten years from the later of (a) the date upon its adoption by our board of directors, or (b) the date of the most recent approval by our board of directors or shareholders of an increase in the
number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2011 Share Incentive Plan.
Amendment and Termination
. Our board of directors has
the authority to amend, suspend or terminate the 2011 Share Incentive Plan. We will need to obtain a shareholder approval of any amendment to the 2011 Share Incentive Plan to the extent necessary and desirable to comply with applicable laws.
96
2013 Share Incentive Plan
We adopted the 2013 Share Incentive Plan in November 2013. The maximum aggregate number of Class A ordinary shares which may be issued
pursuant to all awards under the 2013 Share Incentive Plan is 3,350,000. As of March 31, 2019, 481,920 restricted shares under the 2013 Share Incentive plan were outstanding. The following table summarizes, as of March 31, 2019, the
outstanding awards we had granted to our directors and officers and to other individuals as a group under the 2013 Share Incentive Plan:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Restricted Shares
|
|
Date of Grant
|
|
Vesting Schedule
|
Min Lu
|
|
*
|
|
March 23, 2017
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of grant
|
Junling Liu
|
|
*
|
|
December 19, 2016
|
|
Approximately four years
from each date of grant
|
Tianruo Pu
|
|
*
|
|
December 19, 2016
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of grant
|
Dazong Wang
|
|
*
|
|
December 19, 2016
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of grant
|
Directors and officers as a group
|
|
*
|
|
Between
December 19, 2016
to
March 23, 2017
|
|
Approximately four years
from each date of grant
|
Other individuals as a group
|
|
*
|
|
Between
April 1, 2015
to
April 13, 2017
|
|
Approximately four years
from each date of grant
|
*
|
Less than one percent of our total outstanding share capital.
|
The following paragraphs summarize the terms of the 2013 Share Incentive Plan:
Types of Awards
. The 2013 Share Incentive Plan permits the awards of options, restricted shares and restricted share units. The
following briefly describe the principal features of the various awards that may be granted under the 2013 Share Incentive Plan.
|
|
|
Options
. Options provide for the right to purchase a specified number of our ordinary shares at a
specified price and usually will become exercisable at the discretion of our plan administrator in one or more installments after the grant date. The option exercise price may be paid, subject to the discretion of the plan administrator, in cash or
check, in our Class A ordinary shares which have been held by the option holder for such period of time as may be required by our plan administrator, in other property with value equal to the exercise price, through a broker-assisted cashless
exercise, or by any combination of the foregoing.
|
|
|
|
Restricted Shares
. A restricted share award is the grant of our Class A ordinary shares which are
subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture. Unless otherwise determined by our plan administrator, a restricted share is nontransferable and may be forfeited or repurchased by us upon termination of employment or
service during a restricted period. Our plan administrator may also impose other restrictions on the restricted shares, such as limitations on the right to vote or the right to receive dividends.
|
|
|
|
Restricted Share Units
. A restricted share unit award is the grant of the right to receive an ordinary
share at a future date and may be subject to forfeiture. Our plan administrator has the discretion to set performance objectives or other vesting criteria that will determine the number or value of restricted share units to be granted. Unless
otherwise determined by our plan administrator, a restricted share unit is nontransferable and may be forfeited or repurchased by us upon termination of employment or service during a restricted period. Our plan administrator, at the time of grant,
specifies the dates on which the restricted share units become fully vested.
|
Plan Administration
. Our board or a
committee of one or more members of our board duly authorized for the purpose of the 2013 Share Incentive Plan can act as the plan administrator.
Award Agreement.
Options, restricted shares or restricted share units granted under the 2013 Share Incentive Plan are evidenced by an
award agreement that sets forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each grant.
97
Eligibility.
We may grant awards to our directors, employees or consultants.
Exercise Price.
The exercise price in respect of any option shall be determined by the plan administrator and set forth in the award
agreement which may be a fixed or variable price related to the fair market value of the shares. The exercise price per share subject to an option may be amended or adjusted in the absolute discretion of the plan administrator, the determination of
which shall be final, binding and conclusive.
Term of the Options.
The term of each option grant shall normally be no more than ten
years from the date of the grant. If the grantee is an employee of ours who owns shares representing more than ten percent of the voting power of all classes of our shares immediately prior to the time the option is granted, then the term of the
grant shall be no more than five years from the date of the grant.
Vesting Schedule and Condition.
In general, the plan
administrator determines the vesting schedule and vesting condition, which is set forth in the award agreement.
Transfer
Restrictions.
Unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator, no awards may be transferred other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Nevertheless, awards (other than incentive share-based awards) can be transferred to
certain persons or entities related to the plan participants.
Termination
. The 2013 Share Incentive Plan will expire in 2023 and
may be terminated earlier with the approval of our board.
Amended and Restated 2016 Share Incentive Plan
Our board of directors adopted and amended the 2016 Share Incentive Plan, or the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan, in March 2017 and April 2017,
respectively. The Amended and Restated 2016 Plan was approved by our parent company, Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd., a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, at its general meeting on June 16, 2017 and was
subsequently approved, confirmed and ratified by our shareholders at our extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on June 27, 2017. The maximum aggregate number of Class A ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards
under the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan is 4,890,000. As of March 31, 2019, options to purchase 1,110,159 Class A ordinary shares under the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan at exercise prices ranging from US$22.19 to US$83.27 were
outstanding. The following table summarizes, as of March 31, 2019, the outstanding options we had granted to our directors and officers and to other individuals as a group under the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Options
|
|
Exercise
Price
(US$/Share)
|
|
Date of Grant
|
|
Date of Expiration
|
|
Vesting Schedule
|
Min Lu
|
|
*
|
|
29.55
|
|
July 11, 2017
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years
from the
date of grant
|
|
|
*
|
|
77.84
|
|
August 29, 2018
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of
grant
|
Dong Liu
|
|
*
|
|
58.68
|
|
January 1, 2018
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of
grant
|
Jun Zou
|
|
*
|
|
65.10
|
|
December 1, 2017
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of
grant
|
|
|
*
|
|
77.84
|
|
August 29, 2018
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of
grant
|
Haifeng Shao
|
|
*
|
|
69.90
|
|
March 22, 2018
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of
grant
|
|
|
*
|
|
77.84
|
|
August 29, 2018
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years
from the date of
grant
|
Directors and officers as a group
|
|
*
|
|
29.55~
77.84
|
|
Between
July 11, 2017
and
August 29, 2018
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately four years from each date of grant
|
Other individuals as a
group
|
|
*
|
|
22.19~
83.27
|
|
Between
June 3, 2016
and
October 1, 2018
|
|
Ten years after
grant date
|
|
Approximately three or four years from each date of grant
|
*
|
Less than one percent of our total outstanding share capital.
|
98
The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan:
Types of Awards
. The Amended and Restated 2016 Plan permits the awards of options, restricted shares, restricted share units and share
appreciation rights. The following briefly describe the principal features of the various awards that may be granted under the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan.
|
|
|
Options
. Options provide for the right to purchase a specified number of our ordinary shares at a
specified price and usually will become exercisable at the discretion of our plan administrator in one or more installments after the grant date. The total number of Class A ordinary shares issued and to be issued upon the exercise of the
options granted and to be granted to any participant in any
12-month
period up to and including the date of grant shall not exceed 1% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company as at the date of
grant. The option exercise price may be paid, subject to the discretion of the plan administrator, in cash or check, in our Class A ordinary shares which have been held by the option holder for such period of time as may be required by our plan
administrator, in other property with value equal to the exercise price, through a broker-assisted cashless exercise, or by any combination of the foregoing. For so long as we remain a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Parent, the administration of the
Amended and Restated 2016 Plan shall comply with the Hong Kong Listing Rules in respect of options.
|
The options shall
lapse (to the extent not already exercised) automatically on the earliest of: (i) expiry of the term of any option, (ii) the date of termination of employment for certain causes, (iii) expiry of the
60-day
period from the date of voluntary resignation of the participant, (iv) the date of termination of such other contract or agreement constituting a participant for his breach of the terms thereof or
in accordance with the termination provisions of such contract or agreement by any contracting party, (v) expiry of the three-month period following the occurrence of an event which causes the participant to cease to be an eligible person,
including
ill-health,
injury, disability, death or retirement, (vi) the date on which the resolution to voluntarily wind up the Company is passed and the date of the commencement of winding up of the
Company.
|
|
|
Restricted Shares
. A restricted share award is the grant of our Class A ordinary shares which are
subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture. Unless otherwise determined by our plan administrator, a restricted share is nontransferable and may be forfeited or repurchased by us upon termination of employment or
service during a restricted period. Our plan administrator may also impose other restrictions on the restricted shares, such as limitations on the right to vote or the right to receive dividends.
|
|
|
|
Restricted Share Units
. A restricted share unit award is the grant of the right to receive an ordinary
share at a future date and may be subject to forfeiture. Our plan administrator has the discretion to set performance objectives or other vesting criteria that will determine the number or value of restricted share units to be granted. Unless
otherwise determined by our plan administrator, a restricted share unit is nontransferable and may be forfeited or repurchased by us upon termination of employment or service during a restricted period. Our plan administrator, at the time of grant,
specifies the dates on which the restricted share units become fully vested.
|
|
|
|
Share Appreciation Rights
. Share appreciation rights may be granted under our Amended and Restated 2016
Plan. Share appreciation rights allow the recipient to receive the appreciation in the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares between the exercise date and the date of grant. The exercise price of share appreciation rights granted
under our Amended and Restated 2016 Plan must at least be equal to the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares on the grant date. The plan administrator determines the terms of share appreciation rights, including when such rights vest
and become exercisable and whether to settle such awards in cash or with our ordinary shares, or a combination thereof. Share appreciation rights expire under the same rules that apply to options.
|
99
Plan Administration
. Our board or a committee of one or more members of our board duly
authorized for the purpose of the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan can act as the plan administrator. Such committee may from time to time in its absolute discretion waive or amend the rules of the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan as it deems desirable,
provided that, except with the prior approval of the shareholders of our Company and the shareholders of our Hong Kong Parent (for so long as we remain a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Parent) in general meetings: (i) no alteration to any of the
matters set out in Rule 17.03 of the Hong Kong Listing Rules shall be made to the advantage of participants; and (ii) no alteration to the terms and conditions of the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan which are of a material nature or any change
to the terms of the options granted may be made, except where the alterations take effect automatically under the existing terms of the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan, provided that as we remain a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Parent, the amended
terms must still comply with the relevant requirements of Chapter 17 of the Hong Kong Listing Rules.
Award Agreement
. Options,
restricted shares or restricted share units granted under the Amended and Restated 2016 Plan are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each grant.
Eligibility.
We may grant awards to our directors, employees or consultants.
Exercise Price.
The exercise price in respect of any option shall be determined by the plan administrator and set forth in the award
agreement which may be a fixed or variable price related to the fair market value of the shares. The exercise price per share subject to an option may be amended or adjusted in the absolute discretion of the plan administrator, the determination of
which shall be final, binding and conclusive. For so long as we remain a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Parent, the determination of the exercise price shall comply with the Hong Kong Listing Rules.
Term of the Options.
The term of each option grant shall normally be no more than ten years from the date of the grant. If the grantee
is an employee of ours who owns shares representing more than ten percent of the voting power of all classes of our shares immediately prior to the time the option is granted, then the term of the grant shall be no more than five years from the date
of the grant.
Vesting Schedule and Condition.
In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule and condition,
which is set forth in the award agreement.
Transfer Restrictions.
Unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator, no awards
may be transferred other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Nevertheless, awards (other than options) can be transferred to certain persons or entities related to the plan participants.
Termination.
The Amended and Restated 2016 Plan will expire in 2027 and may be terminated earlier with the approval of our board.
Amended 2016 Share Incentive Plan II
We adopted the 2016 Share Incentive Plan II (as amended by Amendment No. 1 to the 2016 Share Incentive Plan II), or the Amended 2016 Share
Incentive Plan II, in December 2016. The maximum aggregate number of Class A ordinary shares which may be issued pursuant to all awards under the Amended 2016 Share Incentive Plan II is 3,000,000. As of March 31, 2019, 721,266
restricted shares under the Amended 2016 Share Incentive Plan II were outstanding.
100
The following table summarizes, as of March 31, 2019, the outstanding restricted shares that
we had granted to our directors and officers and to other individuals as a group under our Amended 2016 Share Incentive Plan II.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Restricted Shares
|
|
Date of Grant
|
|
Vesting Schedule
|
Jun Zou
|
|
*
|
|
December 1, 2017
|
|
Approximately four years from the date of grant
|
Haifeng Shao
|
|
*
|
|
March 22, 2018
|
|
Approximately four years from the date of grant
|
Directors and officers as a group
|
|
*
|
|
December 1, 2017;
March 22, 2018
|
|
Approximately four years from each date of grant
|
Other individuals as a group
|
|
*
|
|
Between April 13,
2017 and
March 22, 2019
|
|
Approximately two to four years from each date of grant
|
*
|
Less than one percent of our total outstanding share capital.
|
The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of the Amended 2016 Share Incentive Plan II:
Types of Awards
. The Amended 2016 Share Incentive Plan II permits the awards of restricted shares. A restricted share award is the
grant of our Class A ordinary shares which are subject to certain restrictions and may be subject to risk of forfeiture. Unless otherwise determined by our plan administrator, a restricted share is nontransferable and may be forfeited or
repurchased by us upon termination of employment or service during a restricted period. Our plan administrator may also impose other restrictions on the restricted shares, such as limitations on the right to vote or the right to receive dividends.
Plan Administration
. Our board or a committee of one or more members of our board duly authorized for the purpose of the Amended
2016 Share Incentive Plan II can act as the plan administrator.
Award Agreement
. Restricted shares granted under the Amended 2016
Share Incentive Plan II are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth the terms, conditions and limitations for each grant.
Eligibility.
We may grant awards to our directors, employees or consultants.
Vesting Schedule and Condition.
In general, the plan administrator determines the vesting schedule and condition, which is set forth in
the award agreement.
Transfer Restrictions.
Unless otherwise determined by the plan administrator, no awards may be transferred
other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, or to certain persons or entities related to the plan participants.
Termination.
The Amended 2016 Share Incentive Plan II will expire in 2026 and may be terminated earlier with the approval of our board
of directors.
Our board of directors consists of seven directors. A director is not required to hold any shares in the Company by way of qualification. A
director may vote with respect to any contract, proposed contract or arrangement in which he or she is materially interested provided (a) such director, if his or her interest in such contract or arrangement is material, has declared the nature
of his or her interest at the earliest meeting of the board at which it is practicable for him or her to do so, either specifically or by way of a general notice and (b) if such contract or arrangement is a transaction with a related party,
such transaction has been approved by the audit committee. The directors may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money, mortgage its undertaking, property and uncalled capital, and issue debentures or other securities whenever money is
borrowed or as security for any obligation of the company or of any third party. None of our
non-executive
directors has a service contract with us that provides for benefits upon termination of service.
101
Committees of the Board of Directors
We have established three committees under the board of directors: the audit committee, the compensation committee and the nominating and
corporate governance committee. We have adopted a charter for each of the three committees. Each committees members and functions are described below.
Audit Committee
. Our audit committee consists of Messrs. Tianruo Pu, Dazong Wang and Junling Liu. Mr. Tianruo Pu is the chairman
of our audit committee. We have determined that Messrs. Tianruo Pu, Dazong Wang and Junling Liu satisfy the independence requirements of Section 303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual and Rule
10A-3
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In addition, our board of directors has determined that Mr. Tianruo Pu qualifies as an audit committee financial expert as defined in Item 16A of Form
20-F.
The audit committee oversees our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of the financial statements of our company. The audit committee is responsible for, among other things:
|
|
|
appointing the independent auditors and preapproving all auditing and
non-auditing
services permitted to be performed by the independent auditors;
|
|
|
|
reviewing with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and managements response;
|
|
|
|
discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors;
|
|
|
|
reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any
steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures;
|
|
|
|
reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions;
|
|
|
|
meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and
|
|
|
|
monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and
effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.
|
In 2018, our audit committee held meetings or passed
resolutions by unanimous written consent six times.
Compensation Committee
. Our compensation committee consists of Messrs. Min Lu,
Zheng Liu and Dazong Wang. Mr. Min Lu is the chairman of our compensation committee. We have determined that Dr. Dazong Wang satisfies the independence requirements of Section 303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed
Company Manual. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present
at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:
|
|
|
reviewing and approving, or recommending to the board for its approval, the compensation for our chief executive
officer and other executive officers;
|
|
|
|
reviewing and recommending to the board for determination with respect to the compensation of our nonemployee
directors; and
|
|
|
|
reviewing periodically and approving any incentive compensation or equity plans, programs or similar
arrangements.
|
In 2018, our compensation committee held meetings or passed resolutions by unanimous written consent
seven times.
102
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
. Our nominating and corporate governance
committee consists of Messrs. Min Lu and Tianruo Pu and Ms. Han Qiu. Mr. Min Lu is the chairperson of our nominating and corporate governance committee. We have determined that Mr. Tianruo Pu satisfies the independence
requirements of Section 303A of the New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual. The nominating and corporate governance committee assists the board of directors in selecting individuals qualified to become our directors and in determining
the composition of the board and its committees. The nominating and corporate governance committee is responsible for, among other things:
|
|
|
selecting and recommending to the board nominees for election by the shareholders or appointment by the board;
|
|
|
|
reviewing annually with the board the current composition of the board with regards to characteristics such as
independence, knowledge, skills, experience and diversity;
|
|
|
|
making recommendations on the frequency and structure of board meetings and monitoring the functioning of the
committees of the board; and
|
|
|
|
advising the board periodically with regards to significant developments in the law and practice of corporate
governance as well as our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and making recommendations to the board on all matters of corporate governance and on any remedial action to be taken.
|
In 2018, our nominating and corporate governance committee held meetings or passed resolutions by unanimous written consent three times.
Duties of Directors
Under Cayman Islands
law, our directors have a duty to act honestly in good faith with a view to our best interests. Our directors also owe to our company a duty to act with skill and care. It was previously considered that a director need not exhibit in the performance
of his or her duties a greater degree of skill than may reasonably be expected from a person of his or her knowledge and experience. However, English and Commonwealth courts have moved towards an objective standard with regard to the required skill
and care and these authorities are likely to be followed in the Cayman Islands. In fulfilling their duty of care to us, our directors must ensure compliance with our memorandum and articles of association. Our company has the right to seek damages
if a duty owed by our directors is breached.
Terms of Directors and Officers
Our officers are elected by and serve at the discretion of the board of directors. At each annual general meeting,
one-third
of our directors then existing, or if their number is not a multiple of three, then the number nearest to and not exceeding
one-third,
shall retire from office by
rotation, provided that the chairman of the board and/or our chief executive officer shall not, whilst holding such office, be subject to retirement by rotation or be taken into account in determining the number of directors to retire in each year.
We had 3,752, 4,097 and 4,335 employees as of December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The following table sets forth the number of
our employees by function as of December 31, 2018:
|
|
|
|
|
Functional Area
|
|
Number of Employees
|
|
Sales and marketing
|
|
|
1,901
|
|
Product development
|
|
|
1,762
|
|
Content and editorial
|
|
|
481
|
|
Management and administrative
|
|
|
191
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
4,335
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Through a combination of short-term performance evaluations and long-term incentive arrangements, we intend to
build a competent, loyal and highly motivated workforce. We have not experienced any work stoppages due to labor disputes.
103
Class A Ordinary Shares
As of
March 31, 2019, we had 118,384,708 Class A ordinary shares outstanding (excluding 777,592 Class A ordinary shares that are reserved for future grants under our share incentive plans). In addition, as of March 31, 2019, we had
granted, and had outstanding, options to purchase a total of 1,137,679 Class A ordinary shares and 1,203,186 restricted shares to our employees and directors. For information regarding the Share Incentive Plans, see Item 6. Directors,
Senior Management and EmployeesB. Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers.
Class B Ordinary Shares
As of March 31, 2019, we did not have any Class B ordinary shares outstanding.
Beneficial Ownership of Ordinary Shares
Except as specifically noted in the table, the following table sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our
Class A ordinary shares as of March 31, 2019:
|
|
|
each of our directors and executive officers; and
|
|
|
|
each person known to us to own beneficially more than 5% of our ordinary shares.
|
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. In computing the number of shares beneficially
owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, we have included shares that the person has the right to acquire within 60 days, including through the exercise of any option, warrant or other right or the conversion of any other
security. These shares, however, are not included in the computation of the percentage ownership of any other person.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class A Ordinary Shares Beneficially Owned as of March 31, 2019
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|
|
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Number
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|
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%
(1)
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Directors and Executive Officers:
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|
|
|
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Min Lu
(2)
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*
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*
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Dong Liu
(3)
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*
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|
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*
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Han Qiu
(4)
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Zheng Liu
(5)
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|
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Junling Liu
(6)
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Tianruo Pu
(7)
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|
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*
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|
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*
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Dazong Wang
(8)
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|
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*
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|
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*
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Jun Zou
(9)
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|
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|
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Haifeng Shao
(10)
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*
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*
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All Directors and Executive Officers as a Group
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*
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*
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Principal Shareholders:
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|
|
|
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Yun Chen Capital Cayman
(11)
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61,824,328
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|
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52.2%
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Entities Affiliated with Kayne
Anderson
(12)
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12,551,001.62
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10.6%
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Entities Affiliated with Orbis
Investment
(13)
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8,504,268
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7.2%
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*
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Less than one percent of our total outstanding share capital.
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Notes:
(1)
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For each person and group included in this column, percentage ownership is calculated by dividing the number of
shares beneficially owned by such person or group by the sum of the total number of our total ordinary shares outstanding, which is 118,384,708 as of March 31, 2019, and the number of shares such person or group has the right to acquire upon
exercise of option, warrant or other right within 60 days after March 31, 2019.
|
104
(2)
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Represents Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs vested from options held by Mr. Lu. The
business address of Mr. Lu is 10th Floor, Tower B, CEC Plaza, No. 3 Dan Ling Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100080, Peoples Republic of China.
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(3)
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Represents Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs vested from options held by Mr. Liu. The
business address of Mr. Liu is Ping An Finance Building, No. 1333 Lujiazui Loop, Pudong District, Shanghai 200120, Peoples Republic of China.
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(4)
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The business address of Ms. Qiu is Block A, Poly West Bund Center, No. 1119, Wanping South Road,
Xuhui District, Shanghai 200232, Peoples Republic of China.
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(5)
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The business address of Mr. Liu is No. 5033, Yitian Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 518000,
Peoples Republic of China.
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(6)
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The business address of Mr. Liu is No. 295, Zuchongzhi Road, Pudong, Shanghai, 201203, Peoples
Republic of China.
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(7)
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Represents Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs vested from restricted shares held by Mr. Pu.
The address of Mr. Pu is Jing Shu Yuan, Haidian District, Beijing 100102, Peoples Republic of China.
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(8)
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Represents Class A ordinary shares in the form of ADSs vested from restricted shares held by
Dr. Wang. The business address of Dr. Wang is 502 North Tower, 1 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100020, Peoples Republic of China.
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(9)
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The business address of Mr. Zou is 10th Floor, Tower B, CEC Plaza, No. 3 Dan Ling Street, Haidian
District, Beijing 100080, Peoples Republic of China.
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(10)
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Represents Class A ordinary shares Mr. Shao has the right to acquire upon exercise of options and
restricted shares within 60 days after March 31, 2019
. The business address of Mr. Shao is 10th Floor, Tower B, CEC Plaza, No. 3 Dan Ling Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100080, Peoples Republic of China.
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(11)
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Represents 61,824,328 Class A ordinary shares beneficially owned as of March 31, 2019 and as reported
in a Schedule 13D/A filed by Yun Chen Capital Cayman, a Cayman Islands company and a special purpose vehicle and subsidiary of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd., a company organized under the laws of the Peoples Republic of
China. Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd.s business address is Ping An Finance Building, No. 1333 Lujiazui Loop, Pudong District, Shanghai 200120, Peoples Republic of China.
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(12)
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The number of Class A ordinary shares beneficially owned is as of December 31, 2018, as reported in a
Schedule 13G/A jointly filed with the SEC on February 12, 2019 by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC, or Kayne Anderson, Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. and Virtus Equity Trust, on behalf of Virtus KAR Small Cap Growth Fund,
which are collectively referred to as the Entities Affiliated with Kayne Anderson, and consists of 12,551,001.62 Class A ordinary shares represented by American depositary shares. Entities Affiliated with Kayne Anderson are investment advisers
in accordance with
§240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E).
Kayne Andersons business address is 1800 Avenue of the Stars, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067, USA. Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc.s business
address is One Financial Plaza, Hartford, CT 06103, USA. The business address of Virtus Equity Trust, on behalf of Virtus KAR Small Cap Growth Fund, is 101 Munson Street, Greenfield, MA 01301, USA.
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(13)
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The number of Class A ordinary shares beneficially owned is as of December 31, 2018, as reported in a
Schedule 13G jointly filed with the SEC on February 14, 2019 by Orbis Investment Management Limited, or Orbis Investment, and Allan Gray Australia Pty Limited, which are collectively referred to as the Entities Affiliated with Orbis Investment,
and consists of 8,504,268 Class A ordinary shares represented by American depositary shares. Entities Affiliated with Orbis Investment are
non-U.S.
institutions in accordance with
240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J)
and groups in accordance with
240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K).
Orbis Investments business address is Orbis House, 25 Front Street, Hamilton Bermuda HM11.
Allan Gray Australia Pty Limiteds business address is Level 2, Challis House, 4 Martin Place, Sydney NSW2000, Australia.
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To our knowledge, as of March 31, 2019, 56,560,380 Class A ordinary shares were held by one record holder in the United States,
which was Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, the depositary of our ADS program (excluding 777,592 Class A ordinary shares that are reserved for future grants under our share incentive plans). No Class B ordinary shares were held by
record holders in the United States. The number of beneficial owners of our ADSs in the United States is likely to be much larger than the number of record holders of our Class A ordinary shares in the United States.
ITEM 7. MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
As of March 31, 2019, Yun Chen owned 52.2% of our total issued and outstanding ordinary shares. Yun Chen is a wholly owned subsidiary of
Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. As such, we are indirectly controlled by Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd., which beneficially owned 52.2% of the total voting rights in our company.
Please refer to Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and EmployeesE. Share Ownership.
105
B.
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Related Party Transactions
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Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entities
PRC laws and regulations currently limit foreign ownership of companies that engage in internet services. We established the following
contractual arrangements by and among the following entities to conduct part of our operations in China:
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Autohome WFOE, a wholly owned PRC subsidiary of ours, Autohome Information, the shareholders of Autohome
Information and two subsidiaries of Autohome Information, namely Chengshi Advertising and Autohome Advertising; and
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Chezhiying WFOE, a wholly owned PRC subsidiary of ours, Shengtuo Hongyuan, the shareholders of Shengtuo Hongyuan
and two subsidiaries of Shengtuo Hongyuan, namely Beijing Autohome Used Car Appraisal Co., Ltd., or Autohome Used Car Appraisal, and Beijing Autohome Used Car Brokerage Co., Ltd., or Autohome Used Car Brokerage.
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In September 2016, the then individual nominee shareholders of Shengtuo Hongyuan and Guangzhou Advertising, our previous VIE that is already
dissolved and deregistered, entered into Equity Interest Purchase Agreements and Debt Transfer and Offset Agreements with Min Lu and Haiyun Lei, pursuant to which the then individual nominee shareholders transferred all of their equity interests in
each of the entities to Min Lu and Haiyun Lei. In March 2017, the then individual nominee shareholders of Autohome Information and Shanghai Advertising entered into Equity Interest Purchase Agreements and Debt Transfer and Offset Agreements with Min
Lu and Haiyun Lei, pursuant to which the then individual nominee shareholders transferred all of their equity interests in each of the entities to Min Lu and Haiyun Lei. Upon the execution of the above Equity Interest Purchase Agreements and Debt
Transfer and Offset Agreements, all contractual arrangements between the then individual nominee shareholders and our wholly owned subsidiaries have been terminated. Autohome WFOE entered into a series of contractual agreements with
(i) Autohome Information and each of its individual nominee shareholders in March 2017, (ii) Autohome Information and each of its subsidiaries, namely Autohome Advertising and Chengshi Advertising, in September 2016, and
(iii) Shanghai Advertising and each of its individual nominee shareholders in March 2017. Chezhiying WFOE entered into a series of contractual agreements with Shengtuo Hongyuan, each of its individual nominee shareholders and its two
subsidiaries in September 2016. Shanghai Advertising is currently not conducting any substantial business and is in the process of liquidation and dissolution, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2019. During such process, Autohome WFOE
has signed the termination agreements with respect to the contractual agreements that it has entered into with Shanghai Advertising and each of their individual nominee shareholders to terminate the contractual arrangements on the date of the
issuance of an approval notice for the deregistration of Shanghai Advertising by the competent Bureau of Industry and Commerce in charge of Shanghai Advertising. We also entered into a series of contractual arrangements with Guangzhou You Che You
Jia Advertising Co., Ltd., or Guangzhou Advertising, and each of its then individual nominee shareholders previously. We have terminated such agreements and have completed the dissolution and deregistration of Guangzhou Advertising in December 2018.
The following is a summary of our current contractual arrangements (i) by and among Autohome WFOE, Autohome Information and two of
its subsidiaries, Autohome Advertising and Chengshi Advertising, and the shareholders of Autohome Information, and (ii) by and among Chezhiying WFOE, Shengtuo Hongyuan and its two subsidiaries, and the shareholders of Shengtuo Hongyuan. The
contractual agreements by and among Autohome WFOE and Shanghai Advertising and its shareholders are substantially the same as the contractual agreements among Autohome WFOE, Autohome Information and its shareholders.
Agreements that Provide Effective Control over Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan
Equity Interest Pledge Agreements
. Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements between Autohome WFOE and each of the two
shareholders of Autohome Information entered into in March 2017, each shareholder of Autohome Information pledges to Autohome WFOE all of his or her equity interests in Autohome Information to secure the performance of such shareholders
respective obligations and Autohome Informations obligations under the loan agreements, equity option agreements, and the exclusive technology consulting and service agreements. See Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable
Interest EntitiesAgreements that Transfer Economic Benefits of Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan to Us and Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest EntitiesAgreements that Provide Us the Options to
Purchase the Equity Interests in Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan for a brief description of these obligations. Without Autohome WFOEs consent, shareholders of Autohome Information shall not create or permit to create any
encumbrances on the pledged equity interests in Autohome Information. In the event of default, Autohome WFOE is entitled to request immediate repayment of the outstanding amounts payable under the loan agreements, the equity option agreements and
the exclusive technology consulting and service agreements or to dispose of the pledged equity interests at Autohome WFOEs sole discretion. The equity pledge agreements have an indefinite term and will terminate after all the secured
obligations under these agreements have been satisfied in full or the pledged equity interests have been transferred to Autohome WFOE or its designee.
106
Pursuant to the equity interest pledge agreements between Autohome WFOE and Autohome Information
entered into in September 2016, Autohome Information pledges to Autohome WFOE all of its equity interests in Chengshi Advertising and Autohome Advertising to secure the performance of its obligations under the equity option agreements and the
obligations of Chengshi Advertising and Autohome Advertising under the exclusive technology consulting and service agreements. These equity interest pledge agreements contain substantially the same terms as the equity interest pledge agreements
between Autohome WFOE and the shareholders of Autohome Information.
In September 2016, Chezhiying WFOE and each of the shareholders of
Shengtuo Hongyuan entered into equity interest pledge agreements. The terms of these agreements are substantially the same as the equity interest pledge agreements between Autohome WFOE and each of the two shareholders of Autohome Information
described above. In September 2016, Chezhiying WFOE and Shengtuo Hongyuan entered into equity interest pledge agreements. The terms of these agreements are substantially the same as the equity interest pledge agreements between Autohome WFOE and
Autohome Information. As of the date of this annual report, we have completed the registration for the equity interest pledge agreements between Autohome WFOE and Autohome Informations individual shareholders, and between Chezhiying WFOE and
Shengtuo Hongyuans individual shareholders.
Power of Attorney.
In September 2016 and March 2017, Autohome Information and
each of the shareholders of Autohome Information executed an irrevocable power of attorney appointing Autohome WFOE, or any person designated by Autohome WFOE, as their
attorney-in-fact,
to vote on their behalf at the shareholders meetings of Autohome Advertising, Chengshi Advertising and Autohome Information and to exercise full
voting rights as the shareholders of these companies with powers granted under PRC laws and regulations and the articles of association of each of the above companies, including the rights to appoint directors and management personnel.
In September 2016, Shengtuo Hongyuan and each of the shareholders of Shengtuo Hongyuan executed an irrevocable power of attorney appointing
Chezhiying WFOE, or any person designated by Chezhiying WFOE, as their
attorney-in-fact,
to vote on their behalf at the shareholders meetings of Shengtuo
Hongyuans subsidiaries and Shengtuo Hongyuan and to exercise full voting rights as the shareholders of these companies with powers granted under PRC laws and regulations and the articles of association of each of the above companies, including
the rights to appoint directors and management personnel.
Agreements that Transfer Economic Benefits of Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan
to Us
Exclusive Technology Consulting and Service Agreements.
Pursuant to the exclusive technology consulting and service
agreements entered into between Autohome WFOE and each of Autohome Information, Autohome Advertising and Chengshi Advertising in March 2017, September 2016 and September 2016, respectively, Autohome WFOE has the exclusive right to provide each of
these VIEs comprehensive technology and management consulting services. In addition, Autohome WFOE is obligated to provide financing support to each of these VIEs to ensure the cash flow requirements of the
day-to-day
operations of these VIEs. Each of these VIEs is obligated to pay to Autohome WFOE service fees, which are calculated based on such VIEs revenues reduced by its tax, operating expenses and an
appropriate amount of retained profit that is determined pursuant to our tax planning strategies and relevant tax laws. Such service fees may be adjusted by Autohome WFOE at Autohome WFOEs sole discretion. Autohome WFOE owns the intellectual
properties arising from the performance of these agreements. These agreements have a
30-year
term that can be automatically extended for another 10 years at the option of Autohome WFOE and can only be
terminated by the parties mutual written consent or by Autohome WFOEs prior
30-day
notice at its sole discretion. During the term of these agreements, these VIEs may not enter into any agreements
with third parties for the provision of any technology or management consulting services without prior consent of Autohome WFOE.
107
In September 2016, Chezhiying WFOE and each of Shengtuo Hongyuan and its two subsidiaries entered
into exclusive technology consulting and service agreements. The terms of these agreements are substantially the same as the exclusive technology consulting and service agreements between Autohome WFOE and each of Autohome Information, Autohome
Advertising and Chengshi Advertising described above.
Autohome WFOE and Chezhiying WFOE recognized service fees from all the VIEs in the
amount of RMB125.8 million in 2016, RMB414.8 million in 2017 and RMB289.5 million (US$42.1 million) in 2018 in consideration for services provided to the VIEs.
Loan Agreements.
Pursuant to the loan agreements between Autohome WFOE and each of the two shareholders of Autohome Information entered
into in March 2017, Autohome WFOE granted interest-free loans to these two shareholders of Autohome Information. The loans are to be used solely for the purpose of making capital contributions to the registered capital of Autohome Information. The
term of the loans is indefinite and must be repaid in the manner specified in the agreements upon written notice from Autohome WFOE at any time in Autohome WFOEs sole discretion or upon an event of default by the shareholders of Autohome
Information.
In September 2016, Chezhiying WFOE and each of the shareholders of Shengtuo Hongyuan entered into loan agreements. The terms
of these agreements are substantially the same as the loan agreements between Autohome WFOE and each of the two shareholders of Autohome Information described above.
Agreements that Provide Us the Options to Purchase the Equity Interests in Autohome Information and Shengtuo Hongyuan
Equity Option Agreements.
Pursuant to the equity option agreements among Autohome WFOE, Autohome Information and each of the two
shareholders of Autohome Information entered into in March 2017, each shareholder of Autohome Information jointly and severally grants to Autohome WFOE an option to purchase all or part of his or her equity interests in Autohome Information at a
price equivalent to the lowest price permitted by PRC law. The purchase price is to be offset against the loan repayments under the loan agreements. If there will be additional payments to be made by Autohome Information to these shareholders
required by the PRC law, these shareholders must immediately return the received payments to Autohome WFOE. Autohome WFOE may exercise its option at any time or transfer the rights and obligations under the equity option agreement to any of its
designated parties. The equity option agreements have an indefinite term and will terminate at the earlier of (i) the date on which the equity interests in Autohome Information have been transferred to Autohome WFOE or its designated parties,
or (ii) the unilateral termination by Autohome WFOE.
Pursuant to the equity option agreements among Autohome WFOE, Autohome
Information and two of Autohome Informations subsidiaries, namely Autohome Advertising and Chengshi Advertising, entered into in September 2016, Autohome Information granted Autohome WFOE or its designated parties an option to purchase all or
part of Autohome Informations equity interests in these Autohome Information subsidiaries at a price equivalent to the lowest price permitted by PRC law. Autohome WFOE may exercise its option at any time. The equity option agreements have an
indefinite term and will terminate at the earlier of (i) the date on which all of Autohome Informations equity interests in these subsidiaries have been transferred to Autohome WFOE or its designated parties, or (ii) the unilateral
termination by Autohome WFOE.
In September 2016, Chezhiying WFOE, Shengtuo Hongyuan and each of the shareholders of Shengtuo Hongyuan
entered into equity option agreements. The terms of these agreements are substantially the same as the equity option agreements among Autohome WFOE, Autohome Information and each of the two shareholders of Autohome Information described above. In
September 2016, Chezhiying WFOE, Shengtuo Hongyuan and each of the two subsidiaries of Shengtuo Hongyuan entered into equity option agreements. The terms of these agreements are substantially the same as the equity option agreements among Autohome
WFOE, Autohome Information and each of Autohome Advertising and Chengshi Advertising.
108
Transactions with Entities Affiliated with Our Shareholders
Since Ping An Group became our controlling shareholder, it provided services including rental and property management services, technical
services and other miscellaneous services to us for a total amount of RMB21.6 million in 2016, RMB55.2 million in 2017 and RMB88.7 million (US$12.9 million) in 2018.
We earned service fees primarily for providing facilitation services related to insurance products and loan and leasing product transactions
for Ping An Group or its affiliates on our platform as well as providing advertising services to Ping An Group for a total amount of RMB21.2 million in 2017 and RMB473.5 million (US$68.9 million) in 2018.
Since Ping An Group became our controlling shareholder, we and a subsidiary of Ping An Group entered into a sales contract under which we sold
vehicles to the subsidiary for a total amount of RMB21.9 million in 2016. The outstanding receivable was collected in full as of December 31, 2016.
Investors Rights Agreements
We
entered into an investors rights agreement with Yun Chen on September 30, 2016. Under this investors rights agreement, so long as Yun Chen holds at least 20% of our issued and outstanding shares, (i) we must permit Yun Chen and
its designated representatives, at their own cost and expense, at reasonable times and upon reasonable prior notice to us, to review our books and records and to discuss our financial condition with our officers; and (ii) we must provide to Yun
Chen our financial statements stated in the investors rights agreement so long as its external auditor considers it to be necessary to consolidate our financial statements into Yun Chens financial statements in accordance with the PRC
accounting standards.
Employment Agreements
See Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and EmployeesB. Compensation of Directors and Executive OfficersEmployment
Agreements for a description of the employment agreements we have entered into with our senior executive officers.
Share Incentive Plans
See Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and EmployeesB. Compensation of Directors and Executive OfficersShare
Incentive Plans for a description of share-based compensation awards we have granted to our directors and officers and to other individuals as a group.
See Note 12 to our financial statements for further information about our related party transactions.
C.
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Interests of Experts and Counsel
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Not applicable.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
A.
|
Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information
|
We have appended consolidated financial statements filed as part of this annual report.
Legal Proceedings
From time to time, we
may be subject to various claims and legal actions that arise in the ordinary course of our business. There are currently no legal proceedings that, in the opinion of our management, may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of
operations.
109
Dividend Policy
Our board of directors has complete discretion to declare dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to pay dividends, the form,
frequency and amount will depend upon our future operations and earnings, capital requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that the board of directors may deem relevant.
In November 2017, our board of directors declared a special cash dividend to the holders of our ordinary shares of record as of the close of
business on January 4, 2018, or the Record Date. We paid a cash dividend of US$0.76 per share (inclusive of applicable fees payable to our depositary bank) on or about January 15, 2018 to the holders of our ordinary shares as of the Record
Date. Our board of directors decides the timing, amount and form of any future dividends, if any, based on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, the amount of distributions, if
any, received by us from our subsidiaries, our financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. We do not have any plan to pay additional cash dividends on our ordinary shares in the
foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our remaining available funds and any future earnings to operate and expand our business.
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands. We may rely on dividends from our subsidiaries in China for our cash
requirements, including any payment of dividends to our shareholders. PRC regulations may restrict the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC
RegulationRegulations on Dividend Distribution.
If we pay any dividends, we will pay our ADS holders to the same extent as
holders of our ordinary shares, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See Item 12. Description of Securities other than Equity SecuritiesD. American Depositary Shares.
Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.
Except as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we have not experienced any significant changes since the date of our audited consolidated
financial statements included in this annual report.
ITEM 9. THE OFFER AND LISTING
A.
|
Offering and Listing Details
|
See C. Markets.
Not applicable.
Our ADSs have been listed on the NYSE since December 11, 2013 under the symbol ATHM.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
110
Not applicable.
ITEM 10. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Not applicable.
B.
|
Memorandum and Articles of Association
|
We are a Cayman Islands company and our affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and the Companies Law of the Cayman
Islands, referred to as the Companies Law below. The following are summaries of certain provisions of our memorandum and articles of association in effect as of the date of this annual report insofar as they relate to the material terms of our
ordinary shares.
Registered Office and Objects
Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at 2nd Floor Harbour Center 42 North Church Street George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman
Islands. The memorandum of association provides,
inter alia
, that the liability of the shareholders of our company is limited to the amount, if any, for the time being unpaid on the ordinary shares. The objects for which our company is
established are unrestricted (including acting as an investment company), and we shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of corporate benefit, as provided in section 27(2) of the
Companies Law and in view of the fact that we are an exempted Company, we will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of our business carried on outside the Cayman Islands.
Board of Directors
See Item 6.
Directors, Senior Management and EmployeesC. Board PracticesDuties of Directors and Terms of Directors and Officers.
Ordinary Shares
General
Our ordinary shares are divided into Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares
and Class B ordinary shares will have the same rights except for voting and conversion rights. All of our outstanding ordinary shares, which consist of Class A ordinary shares, are fully paid and non-assessable. Certificates representing
the Class A ordinary shares are issued in registered form. Our shareholders who are
non-residents
of the Cayman Islands may freely hold and transfer their Class A ordinary shares.
Class Rights of our Class A and Class B Ordinary Shares
Subject to our fourth memorandum and articles of association and any resolution of the shareholders to the contrary and without prejudice to
any special rights conferred thereby on the holders of any other shares or class of shares, the Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares carry equal rights and rank
pari passu
with one another other than as set out below.
Conversion
Subject to the
provisions of our fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and in compliance with all fiscal and other laws and regulations applicable thereto, a holder of Class B ordinary shares shall have the right to convert all or
any of its Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares on a
one-for-one
basis. We previously had Class B ordinary shares held by Telstra. As a
result of the sale by Telstra to Yun Chen in June 2016, all of our then outstanding Class B ordinary shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares. As of the date of this annual report, we do not have any Class B ordinary shares
outstanding.
111
A holder of Class A ordinary shares has no rights of conversion in respect of each such
Class A ordinary share into Class B ordinary shares.
Dividends
The holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to such dividends as may be declared by us in general meeting or by our board of directors
subject to the Companies Law and to the fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Voting Rights
Subject to any special rights or restrictions as to voting for the time being attached to any shares, at any general meeting every holder of
Class A ordinary shares who is present in person or by proxy (or, in the case of a shareholder being a corporation, by its duly authorized representative) shall have one vote on a show of hands, and on a poll every shareholder holding
Class A ordinary shares present in person or by proxy (or, in the case of a shareholder being a corporation, by its duly appointed representative) shall have one vote for each fully paid Class A ordinary share of which such shareholder is
the holder. As a result of the sale by Telstra to Yun Chen in June 2016, all of our then outstanding Class B ordinary shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares.
A quorum required for a meeting of shareholders consists of two shareholders entitled to vote and present in person or by proxy or, if a
corporation or other
non-natural
person, by its duly authorized representative holding at least one third of the voting rights represented by the issued and outstanding ordinary shares throughout the meeting.
We may, but are not obligated to, hold a general meeting in each year as our annual general meeting. The annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as may be determined by the directors. Each general meeting, other than an annual
general meeting, shall be an extraordinary general meeting. A majority of our board of directors or our chairman may call extraordinary general meetings. Advance notice of at least ten clear days is required for the convening of our annual general
meeting and other shareholders meetings. The agenda of any extraordinary general meeting will be set by a majority of the directors then in office.
An ordinary resolution to be passed by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes attaching to the
ordinary shares cast in a general meeting, while a special resolution requires the affirmative vote of at least
two-thirds
of the votes cast attaching to the outstanding ordinary shares. A special resolution
will be required for important matters such as a change of name or making changes to our fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Transfer of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the restrictions of our fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as applicable, any of our shareholders
may transfer all or any of his or her ordinary shares by an instrument of transfer in the usual or common form or any other form approved by our board of directors.
Our board of directors may, in its absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share which is not fully paid up or
on which we have a lien. Our board of directors may also decline to register any transfer of any ordinary share unless:
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the instrument of transfer is lodged with us, accompanied by the certificate for the ordinary shares to which it
relates and such other evidence as our board of directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer;
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the instrument of transfer is in respect of only one class of ordinary shares;
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the instrument of transfer is properly stamped, if required; and
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in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the ordinary share is to be
transferred does not exceed four.
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If our directors refuse to register a transfer, they shall, within three months after the date on
which the instrument of transfer was lodged, send to each of the transferor and the transferee notice of such refusal.
The registration
of transfers may, after compliance with any notice required of the Designated Stock Exchange (as defined in the fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association), be suspended and the register closed at such times and for such
periods as our board of directors may from time to time determine, provided, however, that the registration of transfers shall not be suspended nor the register closed for more than 30 days in any year.
Liquidation
On a return of
capital on winding up or otherwise (other than on conversion, redemption or purchase of ordinary shares), assets available for distribution among the holders of ordinary shares shall be distributed among the holders of the ordinary shares on a pro
rata basis. The amount received by holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares should be the same in any liquidation event. If our assets available for distribution are insufficient to repay all of the
paid-up
capital, the assets will be distributed so that the losses are borne by our shareholders proportionately.
Calls on Ordinary Shares and Forfeiture of Ordinary Shares
Our board of directors may from time to time make calls upon shareholders for any amounts unpaid on their ordinary shares in a notice served to
such shareholders at least 14 days prior to the specified time of payment. The ordinary shares that have been called upon and remain unpaid are subject to forfeiture.
Redemption of Ordinary Shares
Subject to the provisions of the Companies Law, we may repurchase or redeem shares at our option or at the option of the holders of these
shares, on such terms and in such manner, including out of capital, as may be determined by our board of directors.
Variations of Rights of Shares
All or any of the special rights attached to any class of shares may, subject to the provisions of the Companies Law, be varied
with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a general meeting of the holders of the shares of that class. The rights conferred upon the holders of the shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, unless otherwise
expressly provided by the terms of issue of the shares of that class, be deemed to be varied by the creation or issue of further shares ranking
pari passu
with such existing class of shares.
General Meetings of Shareholders
Shareholders meetings may be convened by a majority of our board of directors or our chairman. Advance notice of at least ten clear days
is required for the convening of our annual general shareholders meeting and any other general meeting of our shareholders. In addition, general meetings will also be convened on the requisition in writing of any shareholder or shareholders
entitled to attend and vote at our general meetings holding at least one third of the voting rights represented by our issued voting shares.
Appointment of Directors
Our
shareholders may by ordinary resolution elect any person to fill a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing board.
The directors
will also have the power from time to time and at any time to appoint any person as a director to fill a casual vacancy on the board or as an addition to the existing board.
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Inspection of Books and Records
Holders of our ordinary shares have no general right under Cayman Islands law to inspect or obtain copies of our list of shareholders or our
corporate records. However, we will allow our shareholders to inspect our register of members and provide our shareholders with annual audited financial statements.
Pursuant to the investors rights agreement we have with the Yun Chen and other shareholders, Yun Chen has the right to access our books
and records so long as it holds in aggregate at least 20% of our issued and outstanding share capital.
Issuance of Additional Preferred Shares
Our fourth amended and restated memorandum of association authorizes our board of directors to issue additional ordinary shares
from time to time as our board of directors shall determine, to the extent of available authorized but unissued shares.
Our fourth
amended and restated memorandum of association authorizes our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preferred shares and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that
series, including:
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the designation of the series;
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the number of shares of the series;
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the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, voting rights; and
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the rights and terms of redemption and liquidation preferences.
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Our board of directors may issue preferred shares without action by our shareholders to the extent authorized but unissued. The issuance of
preferred shares may be used as an anti-takeover device without further action on the part of the shareholders. Issuance of these shares may dilute the voting rights of holders of ordinary shares.
We have not entered into any material contracts other than in the ordinary course of business and other than those described elsewhere in
Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business Overview, Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party TransactionsB. Related Party Transactions, or elsewhere in this annual report.
See Item 4. Information on the CompanyB. Business OverviewPRC RegulationRegulations on Foreign Exchange.
Cayman Islands Taxation
The Cayman
Islands currently levies no taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes levied by the Government of the
Cayman Islands that are likely to be material to holders of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. The Cayman Islands is not party to any double tax treaties, except for a double tax treaty entered into with the United Kingdom in 2010. There are no
exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.
Pursuant to Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Law (2018
Revision) of the Cayman Islands, we have obtained an undertaking from the
Governor-in-Cabinet:
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(a) that no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits
or income or gains or appreciation shall apply to us or our operations; and
(b) that the aforesaid tax or any tax in the nature of estate
duty or inheritance tax shall not be payable on our shares, debentures or other obligations.
The undertaking for us is for a period of 20
years from July 22, 2008.
Peoples Republic of China Taxation
We are a holding company incorporated in the Cayman Islands, which indirectly holds Autohome WFOE, Chezhiying WFOE and other subsidiaries in
the PRC. Our business operations are principally conducted through our PRC subsidiaries and VIEs. Although we believe we are not a PRC resident enterprise for enterprise income tax purposes, substantial uncertainty exists. In the event that our
company or any of our offshore entities, is considered to be a PRC resident enterprise: (a) our company or our offshore entities, as the case may be, would be subject to the PRC enterprise income tax at the rate of 25% on worldwide income; and
(b) dividend income that our company or our offshore entities, as the case may be, receives from our PRC subsidiaries would be exempt from the PRC withholding tax since such income is exempted under the Enterprise Income Tax Law for PRC
resident enterprise; and (c) any dividends we pay to our
non-PRC
shareholders or ADS holders as well as gains realized by such shareholders or ADS holders from the transfer of our shares or ADSs may be
regarded as China-sourced income and as a result become subject to PRC withholding tax at a rate of up to 10%, subject to reduction or exemption by an applicable treaty. See Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to
Doing Business in ChinaOur global income and the dividends that we may receive from our PRC subsidiaries, dividends distributed to our
non-PRC
shareholders and ADS holders, and gains recognized by such
shareholders or ADS holders, may be subject to PRC taxes under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
As uncertainties remain regarding the interpretation and implementation of the Enterprise Income Tax Law and its implementation rules, we
cannot assure you that, if we are deemed a PRC resident enterprise, any dividends to be distributed by us to our
non-PRC
shareholders and ADS holders would not be subject to any PRC withholding tax. See
Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk FactorsRisks Related to Doing Business in ChinaOur global income and the dividends that we may receive from our PRC subsidiaries, dividends distributed to our
non-PRC
shareholders and ADS holders, and gains recognized by such shareholders or ADS holders, may be subject to PRC taxes under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, which would have a material adverse effect on
our results of operations.
United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following discussion is a summary of United States federal income tax considerations relating to the ownership and disposition of our ADSs
or Class A ordinary shares by U.S. Holders (as defined below) that will hold ADSs or Class A ordinary shares as capital assets (generally, property held for investment) under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the Code). This discussion is based upon applicable provisions of the Code, Treasury regulations (proposed, temporary and final) promulgated thereunder, pertinent judicial decisions, interpretive rulings of the Internal Revenue
Service and such other authorities as we have considered relevant, which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not address all aspects of United States federal income taxation that may be important to
particular investors in light of their individual investment circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (for example, certain financial institutions, insurance companies, broker-dealers, pension plans, regulated investment
companies, real estate investment trusts, cooperatives, and
tax-exempt
organizations (including private foundations), holders who are not U.S. Holders, holders who own (directly, indirectly, or constructively)
10% or more of our stock (by vote or value), investors that will hold their ADSs or Class A ordinary shares as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion, constructive sale, or other integrated transaction for United States federal income tax
purposes, investors that are traders in securities that have elected the
mark-to-market
method of accounting, investors required to accelerate the recognition of any
item of gross income with respect to our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement or investors that have a functional currency other than the United States dollar), all of
whom may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those discussed below. In addition, this discussion does not address United States federal estate, gift, Medicare, and alternative minimum tax considerations, or any
non-United
States, state, or local tax considerations. Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the United States federal, state, local, and
non-United
States income and other tax considerations of an investment in ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.
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General
For purposes of this summary, a U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares that is, for United
States federal income tax purposes, (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation, or other entity treated as a corporation for United States federal income tax purposes, created in, or organized
under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia, or treated as such for United States federal income tax purposes, (iii) an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for United States federal
income tax purposes regardless of its source, or (iv) a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a United States court and which has one or more United States persons who have the authority to control
all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has otherwise validly elected to be treated as a United States person under the Code.
If a partnership (or other entity treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of our ADSs or
Class A ordinary shares, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If a U.S. Holder is a partner of a partnership holding our ADSs or
Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding an investment in our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.
It is generally expected that a U.S. Holder of ADSs will be treated as the beneficial owner, for United States federal income tax purposes, of
the underlying shares represented by the ADSs. The remainder of this discussion assumes that a U.S. Holder of our ADSs will be treated in this manner. Accordingly, deposits or withdrawals of our Class A ordinary shares for our ADSs will not be
subject to United States federal income tax.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations
A
non-United
States corporation, such as our company, will be classified as a passive foreign
investment company (or a PFIC), for United States federal income tax purposes for any taxable year, if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of passive income or (ii) 50% or
more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income (the asset test). Passive income generally includes dividends, interest,
royalties, rents, annuities, net gains from the sale or exchange of property producing such income and net foreign currency gains. For this purpose, cash is categorized as a passive asset and the companys goodwill and other unbooked
intangibles associated with active business activity are taken into account as
non-passive
assets. We will be treated as owning our proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the
income of any other corporation in which we own, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value) of the stock.
Although the law in this
regard is unclear, we treat our VIEs as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes, not only because we exercise effective control over the operation of such entities but also because we are entitled to substantially all of
their economic benefits, and, as a result, we consolidate their results of operation in our consolidated financial statements. If it were determined, however, that we are not the owner of our VIEs for United States federal income tax purposes, we
would likely be treated as a PFIC for our current and any subsequent taxable year.
Furthermore, the determination of whether we will be
or become a PFIC will depend, in part, on the composition of our income and assets. Fluctuations in the market price of our ADSs may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years because the value of assets for the purpose of
the asset test may be determined by reference to the market price of our ADSs. The composition of our income and assets may also be affected by how, and how quickly, we use our liquid assets. Under circumstances where our revenue from activities
that produce passive income significantly increase relative to our revenue from activities that produce
non-passive
income, or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes,
our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase. In addition, because there are uncertainties in the application of the relevant rules, it is possible that the Internal Revenue Service may challenge our classification of certain
income and assets as
non-passive
or our valuation of our tangible and intangible assets, each of which may result in our becoming a PFIC for the current or subsequent taxable years.
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Assuming we are the owner of our VIEs for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we believe that we
primarily operate as an active provider of online automotive advertising solutions in China. Based on our current income and assets, we do not believe that we were a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2018 and do not anticipate
becoming a PFIC in future taxable years. While we do not believe that we were a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2018 and do not anticipate becoming a PFIC for the current taxable year or the foreseeable future, no assurance can be
given in this regard. Because the determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC is a fact-intensive inquiry made on an annual basis, the determination of whether we will be or become a PFIC will depend, in part, upon the value of our goodwill
and other unbooked intangibles (which will depend upon the market value of our ADSs from time to time, which may be volatile). In estimating the value of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, we have taken into account our current market
capitalization. If our market capitalization subsequently declines, we may be or become classified as a PFIC for the current taxable year or future taxable years. It is also possible that the Internal Revenue Service may challenge our classification
or valuation of our goodwill and other unbooked intangibles, which may result in our company being or becoming a PFIC for the current taxable year or foreseeable future.
If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, the PFIC tax
rules discussed below under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules generally will apply to such U.S. Holder for such taxable year and, unless the U.S. Holder makes certain elections, will apply in future years even if we cease to be a
PFIC in subsequent years. The discussion below under Dividends and Sale or Other Disposition of ADSs or Class A Ordinary Shares is written on the basis that we will not be classified as a PFIC for United States federal
income tax purposes.
Dividends
Any cash distributions (including the amount of any PRC tax withheld, if any) paid on ADSs or Class A ordinary shares out of our earnings
and profits, as determined under United States federal income tax principles, will generally be includible in the gross income of a U.S. Holder as dividend income on the day actually or constructively received by the U.S. Holder, in the case of
Class A ordinary shares, or by the depositary bank, in the case of ADSs. Because we do not intend to determine our earnings and profits on the basis of United States federal income tax principles, any distribution paid will generally be treated
as a dividend for United States federal income tax purposes.
Non-corporate
U.S. Holders receiving dividend income generally will be subject to tax on such dividend income from a qualified
foreign corporation at a lower applicable capital gains rate rather than the marginal tax rates generally applicable to ordinary income provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met. A
non-United
States corporation (other than a corporation that is classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year) generally will be considered to be a
qualified foreign corporation (i) with respect to any dividend it pays on stock (or ADSs in respect of such stock) which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, or (ii) if it is eligible for the
benefits of a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States that the Secretary of Treasury of the United States determines is satisfactory for purposes of this provision and that includes an exchange of information program. Our ADSs are listed on
the NYSE, which is an established securities market in the United States, and will be considered readily tradable on an established securities market for as long as the ADSs continue to be listed on such exchange. Thus, we believe that we will be a
qualified foreign corporation with respect to dividends we pay on our ADSs, but there can be no assurance that our ADSs will continue to be considered readily tradable on an established securities market in later years.
Since we do not expect that our Class A ordinary shares be listed on established securities markets, it is unclear whether dividends that
we pay on our ordinary shares that are not backed by ADSs currently meet the requirements for the reduced tax rate. However, in the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the Enterprise Income Tax Law (see Peoples
Republic of China Taxation), we may be eligible for the benefits of the United
States-PRC
income tax treaty, which the United States Treasury Department has determined is satisfactory for this purpose,
and be treated as a qualified foreign corporation with respect to dividends paid on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Dividends received on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction
allowed to corporations. Each U.S. Holder is advised to consult its tax advisors regarding the availability of the reduced tax rate applicable to qualified dividend income for any dividends we pay with respect to our ADSs or Class A ordinary
shares.
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Dividends generally will be treated as income from foreign sources for United States foreign tax
credit purposes. In the event that we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise under the Enterprise Income Tax Law, a U.S. Holder may be subject to PRC withholding taxes on dividends paid on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. A U.S. Holder
may be eligible, subject to a number of complex limitations, to claim a foreign tax credit in respect of any foreign withholding taxes imposed on dividends received on ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. A U.S. Holder who does not elect to claim a
foreign tax credit for foreign tax withheld may instead claim a deduction, for United States federal income tax purposes, in respect of such withholding taxes, but only for a year in which such U.S. Holder elects to do so for all creditable foreign
income taxes. The rules governing the foreign tax credit are complex and U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.
Sale or Other Disposition of ADSs or Class A Ordinary Shares
A U.S. Holder will generally recognize capital gain or loss upon the sale or other disposition of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares in an
amount equal to the difference between the amount realized upon the disposition and the holders adjusted tax basis in such ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Any capital gain or loss will be long-term gain or loss if the ADSs or
Class A ordinary shares have been held for more than one year and will generally be United States-source gain or loss for United States foreign tax credit purposes. Long-term capital gain of
non-corporate
U.S. Holders is generally eligible for reduced rates of taxation. In the event that gain from the disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares is subject to tax in the PRC, a U.S. Holder that is eligible for the benefits of the United
States-PRC
income tax treaty may elect to treat the gain as
PRC-source
income. The deductibility of a capital loss may be subject to limitations. U.S. Holders are urged to
consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences if a foreign tax is imposed on a disposition of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, including the availability of the foreign tax credit under their particular circumstances.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
If we are classified as a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, and unless the
U.S. Holder makes a
mark-to-market
election with respect to ADSs (as described below), the U.S. Holder will generally be subject to special tax rules that have a
penalizing effect, regardless of whether we remain a PFIC, on (i) any excess distribution that we make to the U.S. Holder (which generally means any distribution paid during a taxable year that is greater than 125% of the average annual
distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years or, if shorter, the U.S. Holders holding period for the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares), and (ii) any gain realized on the sale or other disposition, including a pledge, under
certain circumstances, of ADSs or Class A ordinary shares. Under these PFIC rules:
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the U.S. Holders excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holders holding
period for the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares;
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the amount allocated to the current taxable year and any taxable years in the U.S. Holders holding period
prior to the first taxable year in which we are classified as a PFIC (each, a
pre-PFIC
year) will be taxable as ordinary income;
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the amount allocated to each prior taxable year, other than a
pre-PFIC
year, will be subject to tax at the highest tax rate in effect applicable to individuals or corporations, as appropriate, for that year;
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an additional tax equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on
the tax attributable to each prior taxable year, other than a
pre-PFIC
year.
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If
we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and any of our
non-United
States subsidiaries is also a PFIC (i.e., a lower-tier PFIC), such U.S.
Holder would be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the shares of the lower-tier PFIC and would be subject to the rules described above on certain distributions by a lower-tier PFIC and a disposition of shares of a lower-tier PFIC
even though such U.S. Holder would not receive the proceeds of those distributions or dispositions. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to any of our subsidiaries.
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As an alternative to the foregoing rules, a U.S. Holder of marketable stock in a PFIC
may make a
mark-to-market
election with respect to our ADSs, provided that the ADSs are regularly traded on the NYSE. We anticipate that the ADSs should qualify as being
regularly traded, but no assurances may be given in this regard. If a U.S. Holder makes this election, the U.S. Holder will generally (i) include as ordinary income for each taxable year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of ADSs held
at the end of the taxable year over the adjusted tax basis of such ADSs and (ii) deduct as an ordinary loss the excess, if any, of the adjusted tax basis of such ADSs over the fair market value of such ADSs held at the end of the taxable year,
but such deduction will be allowed only to the extent of the amount previously included in income as a result of the
mark-to-market
election. The U.S. Holders
adjusted tax basis in the ADSs would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss resulting from the
mark-to-market
election. If a U.S. Holder makes a
mark-to-market
election in respect of a corporation classified as a PFIC and such corporation ceases to be classified as a PFIC, the U.S. Holder will not be required to take
into account the gain or loss described above during any year that such corporation is not classified as a PFIC. If a U.S. Holder makes a
mark-to-market
election, any
gain such U.S. Holder recognizes upon the sale or other disposition of our ADSs in a year when we are a PFIC will be treated as ordinary income and any loss will be treated as ordinary loss, but such loss will only be treated as ordinary loss to the
extent of the net amount previously included in income as a result of the
mark-to-market
election. In the case of a U.S. Holder who has held ADSs or Class A
ordinary shares during any taxable year in respect of which we were classified as a PFIC and continues to hold such ADSs or Class A ordinary shares (or any portion thereof) and has not previously made a
mark-to-market
election, and if such U.S. Holder makes a
mark-to-market
election, special tax rules may apply relating to
purging the PFIC taint of such ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.
Because, as a technical matter, a
mark-to-market
election cannot be made for any lower-tier PFICs that we may own, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules with respect to its indirect interest in any investments held by us
that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes.
We do not intend to provide information
necessary for U.S. Holders to make qualified electing fund elections which, if available, would result in tax treatment different from the general tax treatment for PFICs described above.
Dividends that we pay on our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares will not be eligible for the reduced tax rate that applies to qualified
dividend income discussed above under Dividends if we are classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year. If a U.S. Holder owns our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares during any
taxable year that we are a PFIC, the U.S. Holder must generally file an annual report with the Internal Revenue Service, subject to certain limited exceptions. Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor concerning the United States federal
income tax consequences of owning and disposing of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares if we are or become a PFIC, including filing requirements, the possibility of making a
mark-to-market
election and the unavailability of the qualifying electing fund election.
Information Reporting
Certain
U.S. Holders are required to report information to the Internal Revenue Service relating to an interest in specified foreign financial assets, including shares issued by a
non-United
States
corporation, for any year in which the aggregate value of all specified foreign financial assets exceeds $50,000 (or a higher dollar amount prescribed by the Internal Revenue Service), subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for shares
held in custodial accounts maintained with a U.S. financial institution). These rules also impose penalties if a U.S. Holder is required to submit such information to the Internal Revenue Service and fails to do so.
In addition, dividend payments with respect to our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our
ADSs or Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the Internal Revenue Service. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the United States information reporting rules to their
particular circumstances.
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F.
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Dividends and Paying Agents
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Not applicable.
Not applicable.
We previously filed with the SEC registration statements on Form
F-1
under the Securities Act with
respect to our initial public offering and our
follow-on
offering of our Class A ordinary shares represented by ADSs.
We are subject to the periodic reporting and other informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act.
Under the Exchange Act, we are required to file reports and other information with the SEC. Specifically, we are required to file annually a Form
20-F
within four months after the end of each fiscal year,
which is December 31. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding registrants that make electronic filings with the SEC using its EDGAR system. Copies of reports
and other information, when filed, may also be inspected without charge, and may be obtained at prescribed rates at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain
information regarding the Washington, D.C. Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at
1-800-SEC-0330.
As a foreign private
issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act prescribing the furnishing and content of quarterly reports and proxy statements, and officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit
recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
We will furnish Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, the depositary
of our ADSs, with our annual reports, which will include a review of operations and annual audited consolidated financial statements prepared in conformity with U.S. GAAP, and all notices of shareholders meetings and other reports and
communications that are made generally available to our shareholders. The depositary will make such notices, reports and communications available to holders of ADSs and, upon our request, will mail to all record holders of ADSs the information
contained in any notice of a shareholders meeting received by the depositary from us.
In accordance with NYSE Rule 203.01, we will
post this annual report on our website http://ir.autohome.com.cn. In addition, we will provide hardcopies of our annual report to shareholders, including ADS holders, free of charge upon request.
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Subsidiary Information
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Not applicable.
ITEM 11. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Interest Rate Risk
Our exposure to
interest rate risk primarily relates to the interest income generated by excess cash, which is mostly held in interest-bearing bank deposits, and adjustable-rate short-term investments. We have not used derivative financial instruments in our
investment portfolio. Interest earning instruments carry a degree of interest rate risk.
We have not been exposed to, nor do we anticipate being exposed to, material risks due to changes in market interest rates. Based on our interest
earning instruments during the year ended December 31, 2018, a 10% change in the interest rates would result in an increase or decrease of RMB35.8 million (US$5.2 million) of our total amount of interest income for 2018. However, our
future interest income may fluctuate due to changes in market interest rates. See Item 5.B. Operating and Financial Review and ProspectsLiquidity and Capital Resources.
Foreign Exchange Risk
We earn
substantially all of our revenues and incur most of our expenses in RMB, and substantially all of our sales contracts are denominated in RMB. We do not believe that we currently have any significant direct foreign exchange risk and have not used any
derivative financial instruments to hedge our exposure to such risk. Although in general, our exposure to foreign exchange risks should be limited, the value of your investment in our ADSs will be affected by the exchange rate between the U.S.
dollar and the RMB because the value of our business is effectively denominated in RMB, while the ADSs will be traded in U.S. dollars. Based on the amount of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments as of December 31, 2018, a
1.0% change in the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar would result in an increase or decrease of approximately US$0.6 million to our cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments.
120
Significant revaluation of RMB against U.S. dollar may materially affect our earnings and
financial position, the conversion of RMB into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the PBOC. In July 2005, the PRC government changed its
decades-old
policy of pegging the
value of the RMB to the U.S. dollar, and the RMB appreciated more than 20% against the U.S. dollar over the following three years. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation halted and the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar
remained within a narrow band. Since June 2010, the RMB has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. On November 30, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund completed the regular
five-year review of the basket of currencies that make up the Special Drawing Right, or the SDR, and decided that with effect from October 1, 2016, RMB is determined to be a freely usable currency and will be included in the SDR basket as a
fifth currency, along with the U.S. dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the British pound. In the fourth quarter of 2016, the RMB has depreciated significantly in the backdrop of a surging U.S. dollar and persistent capital outflows of China. In
2017, the RMB has appreciated significantly in the backdrop of a weak U.S. dollar, robust Chinese economy in 2017 and stringent foreign exchange regulation. In the first quarter of 2018, the RMB continued to appreciate. However, the RMB depreciated
significantly in the remaining quarters of 2018. With the development of the foreign exchange market and progress towards interest rate liberalization and RMB internationalization, the PRC government may in the future announce further changes to the
exchange rate system. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the RMB and the U.S. dollar in the future.
To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into RMB for capital expenditures and working capital and other business purposes,
appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert RMB into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our
ordinary shares or ADSs, strategic acquisitions or investments or other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the RMB would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.
ITEM 12. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
D.
|
American Depositary Shares
|
Fees and Charges Our ADS Holders May Have to Pay
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, the depositary of our ADS program, collects its fees for delivery and surrender of ADSs directly from
investors depositing shares or surrendering ADSs for the purpose of withdrawal or from intermediaries acting for them. The principal executive office of the depositary is located at 60 Wall Street, New York, NY 1005, USA. As an ADS holder, you will
be required to pay the following service fees to the depositary bank:
121
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|
|
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Service
|
|
Fees
|
|
|
|
|
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Issuance of ADSs, including issuances resulting from a distribution of shares or rights or other property
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Up to US$0.05 per ADS issued
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Cancellation of ADSs, including in the case of termination of the deposit agreement
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|
Up to US$0.05 per ADS cancelled
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Distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions
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Up to US$0.05 per ADS held
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|
|
|
|
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Distribution of ADSs pursuant to share dividends, free share distributions or exercise of rights
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|
Up to US$0.05 per ADS held
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|
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Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs
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A fee equivalent to the fee that would be payable if securities distributed to you had been Class A ordinary shares and the Class A ordinary shares had been deposited for issuance of ADSs
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|
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Depositary services
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Up to US$0.05 per ADS held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary bank
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Transfer of ADRs
|
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US$1.50 per certificate presented for transfer
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As an ADS holder, you will also be responsible for paying certain fees and expenses incurred by the depositary
bank and certain taxes and governmental charges (in addition to any applicable fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges payable on the deposited securities represented by any of your ADSs) such as:
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|
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Fees for the transfer and registration of Class A ordinary shares charged by the registrar and transfer
agent for the Class A ordinary shares in the Cayman Islands (i.e., upon deposit and withdrawal of Class A ordinary shares).
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Expenses incurred for converting foreign currency into U.S. dollars.
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Expenses for cable, telex and fax transmissions and for delivery of securities.
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Taxes and duties upon the transfer of securities, including any applicable stamp duties, any stock transfer
charges or withholding taxes (i.e., when Class A ordinary shares are deposited or withdrawn from deposit).
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Fees and expenses incurred in connection with the delivery or servicing of Class A ordinary shares on
deposit.
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Fees and expenses incurred in connection with complying with exchange control regulations and other regulatory
requirements applicable to Class A ordinary shares, deposited securities, ADSs and ADRs.
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Any applicable fees and penalties thereon.
|
The depositary fees payable upon the issuance and cancellation of ADSs are typically paid to the depositary bank by the brokers (on behalf of
their clients) receiving the newly issued ADSs from the depositary bank and by the brokers (on behalf of their clients) delivering the ADSs to the depositary bank for cancellation. The brokers in turn charge these fees to their clients. Depositary
fees payable in connection with distributions of cash or securities to ADS holders and the depositary services fee are charged by the depositary bank to the holders of record of ADSs as of the applicable ADS record date.
The depositary fees payable for cash distributions are generally deducted from the cash being distributed or by selling a portion of
distributable property to pay the fees. In the case of distributions other than cash (i.e., share dividends, rights), the depositary bank charges the applicable fee to the ADS record date holders concurrent with the distribution. In the case of ADSs
registered in the name of the investor (whether certificated or uncertificated in direct registration), the depositary bank sends invoices to the applicable record date ADS holders. In the case of ADSs held in brokerage and custodian accounts (via
DTC), the depositary bank generally collects its fees through the systems provided by DTC (whose nominee is the registered holder of the ADSs held in DTC) from the brokers and custodians holding ADSs in their DTC accounts. The brokers and custodians
who hold their clients ADSs in DTC accounts in turn charge their clients accounts the amount of the fees paid to the depositary banks.
122
In the event of refusal to pay the depositary fees, the depositary bank may, under the terms of
the deposit agreement, refuse the requested service until payment is received or may set off the amount of the depositary fees from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder.
Fees and Other Payments Made by the Depositary to Us
Our depositary has agreed to reimburse us for a portion of certain expenses we incur that are related to establishment and maintenance of the
ADR program, including investor relations expenses. There are limits on the amount of expenses for which the depositary will reimburse us, but the amount of reimbursement available to us is not related to the amounts of fees the depositary collects
from investors. Further, the depositary has agreed to reimburse us certain fees payable to the depositary by holders of ADSs. Neither we nor the depositary can determine the exact amount to be made available to us because (i) the number of ADSs
that will be issued and outstanding, (ii) the level of service fees to be charged to holders of ADSs and (iii) our reimbursable expenses related to the program are not known at this time. In 2018, we received from the depositary a
reimbursement of approximately US$0.6 million.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Amounts in thousands of Renminbi (RMB) and US dollars (US$) except for number of shares and per share data)
Autohome Inc., formerly known as Sequel Limited (the Company), was incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands on June 23, 2008. Upon
incorporation, the Company was 100% owned by Telstra Holdings Pty Ltd. (Telstra). On June 27, 2008 (the Acquisition date), the Company acquired Cheerbright International Holdings Limited (Cheerbright), China
Topside Co., Ltd. (China Topside), and Norstar Advertising Media Holdings Co., Ltd. (Norstar), and their respective wholly foreign-owned enterprises and variable interest entities (VIEs). Subsequent to the
acquisition, the Company was owned 55% by Telstra, and 45% by the selling shareholders of Cheerbright, China Topside and Norstar. In May 2012, Telstra acquired additional ordinary shares of the Company from other shareholders. In June 2016, Telstra
completed the sale of approximately 47.4% of the then total issued shares in the Company to Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Ltd. (Ping An) and on February 22, 2017, Ping An further acquired from Telstra approximately 6.5%
of the then total issued shares in the Company. After the consummation of the sale, Ping An became the Companys controlling shareholder.
The
Company successfully completed its IPO and listing of 8,993,000 American Depositary Shares (ADSs) on the New York Stock Exchange in December, 2013, and raised net proceeds of US$142,590 from the offering. Each ADS represents one ordinary
share. Upon the completion of IPO in December, 2013, the Companys dual-class ordinary share structure came into effect (Note 15). Upon the completion of
follow-on
offering in November 2014, 2,424,801
ADSs were issued by the Company and 6,964,612 Class B ordinary shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares. The net proceeds from the
follow-on
offering amounted to US$97,344 net of issuance
cost. Upon the transfer of 47.4% share ownership by Telstra to Ping An in June 2016, all the Class B ordinary shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had ordinary shares outstanding,
all comprised of 118,056,345 Class A ordinary shares. Ping An became the Companys controlling shareholder holding 52.4% of the total equity interest and voting rights, respectively in the Company as of December 31, 2018.
The Company, through its subsidiaries and VIEs (as disclosed in the table below), is engaged in the provision of media services, leads generation services and
online marketplace and others in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC).
As of December 31, 2018, the Companys principal
subsidiaries and VIEs where Autohome WFOE and Chezhiying WFOE are the primary beneficiaries include the following entities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Entity
|
|
Date of
incorporation or
acquisition
|
|
Place of incorporation
|
|
Percentage of
direct
ownership by
the Company
|
|
Subsidiaries
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cheerbright International Holdings, Limited (Cheerbright)
|
|
June 13, 2006
|
|
British Virgin Islands
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome
E-commerce
Inc.
|
|
February 6, 2015
|
|
Cayman Islands
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome Link Inc.
|
|
January 29, 2015
|
|
Cayman Islands
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome Financing Limited
|
|
March 23, 2015
|
|
Cayman Islands
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome (Hong Kong) Limited (Autohome HK)
|
|
March 16, 2012
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome Media Limited (Autohome Media, formerly known as Prbrownies Marketing
Limited)
|
|
October 18, 2013
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome
E-commerce
Hong Kong Limited
|
|
February 18, 2015
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome Link Hong Kong Limited
|
|
February 16, 2015
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome Financing Hong Kong Limited
|
|
April 15, 2015
|
|
Hong Kong
|
|
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100
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%
|
Beijing Cheerbright Technologies Co., Ltd. (Autohome WFOE)
|
|
September 1, 2006
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|
PRC
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|
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100
|
%
|
Autohome Shanghai Advertising Co., Ltd.
|
|
September 29, 2013
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
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%
|
Beijing Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Beijing Autohome Software Co.,
Ltd.)
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|
November 12, 2013
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|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
F-9
1.
|
ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Entity
|
|
Date of
incorporation or
acquisition
|
|
Place of incorporation
|
|
Percentage of
direct
ownership by
the Company
|
|
Beijing Autohome Technologies Co., Ltd.
|
|
November 12, 2013
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Beijing Autohome Advertising Co., Ltd.
|
|
November 13, 2013
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Guangzhou Autohome Advertising Co., Ltd.
|
|
November 25, 2013
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome (Tianjin) Automobile Sales Co., Ltd.
|
|
October 20, 2014
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Beijing Chezhiying Technology Co., Ltd. (Chezhiying WFOE)
|
|
May 26, 2015
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Beijing Chezhiying Software Co., Ltd. (Chezhiying Software)
|
|
December 9, 2015
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Beijing Kemoshijie Technology Co., Ltd.
|
|
September 11, 2015
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Beijing Haochezhijia
E-commerce
Co., Ltd.
|
|
April 25, 2016
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
75
|
%
|
Huaian Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd.
|
|
September 13, 2016
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd.
|
|
September 30, 2016
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Guangzhou Chezhihuitong Advertising Co., Ltd.
|
|
August 20, 2018
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Hainan Chezhiyitong Information Technology Co., Ltd.
|
|
August 20, 2018
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Tianjin Autohome Data Information Technology Co., Ltd.
|
|
October 15, 2018
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
Autohome Zhejiang Advertising Co., Ltd.
|
|
December 19, 2018
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
VIEs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing Autohome Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Autohome Information)
|
|
August 28, 2006
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing Shengtuo Autohome Advertising Co., Ltd.
|
|
September 21, 2010
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing Shengtuo Hongyuan Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Shengtuo
Hongyuan)
|
|
November 8, 2010
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing Shengtuo Chengshi Advertising Co., Ltd.
|
|
November 12, 2010
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
Shanghai You Che You Jia Advertising Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Advertising)
|
|
December 31, 2011
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing Autohome Used Car Appraisal Co., Ltd.
|
|
January 30, 2015
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
Beijing Autohome Used Car Brokerage Co., Ltd.
|
|
June 10, 2015
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
Shanghai Tianhe Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.
|
|
September 21, 2017
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
|
|
The Company, its subsidiaries and VIEs are hereinafter collectively referred to as the Group. The Group provides
media services, leads generation services and online marketplace and others through its websites and mobile applications. These services are offered to automakers and dealers, and advertising agencies that represent automakers and dealers in the
automobile industry, and financial institutions. The Groups principal geographic market is in the PRC. The Company does not conduct any substantive operations of its own but conducts its primary business operations through its wholly-owned
subsidiaries and VIEs in the PRC.
F-10
1.
|
ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)
|
PRC laws and regulations prohibit or restrict foreign ownership of internet content businesses. To comply
with these foreign ownership restrictions, the Company and its subsidiaries operate websites and mobile applications and conduct its business related to internet content services through VIEs. The
paid-in
capital of the VIEs was funded by the Companys PRC subsidiaries, Autohome WFOE and Chezhiying WFOE, through loans extended to the VIEs shareholders (Nominee Shareholders). The effective control of the VIEs is held by WFOEs,
through a series of contractual agreements (the Contractual Agreements). As a result of the Contractual Agreements, the WFOEs maintain the ability to control the VIEs, are entitled to substantially all of the economic benefits from the
VIEs and are obligated to absorb all of the VIEs expected losses.
In September 2016 and March 2017, the then individual nominee shareholders of
Shengtuo Hongyuan, Autohome Information and Shanghai Advertising, entered into Equity Interest Purchase Agreements and Debt Transfer and Offset Agreements with Min Lu and Haiyun Lei, pursuant to which the then individual nominee shareholders
transferred all of their equity interest in each of the entities to Min Lu and Haiyun Lei. In September 2016 and in March 2017, each of Chezhiying WFOE and Autohome WFOE, and each of Shengtuo Hongyuan and its two subsidiaries, Autohome Information
and its two subsidiaries and Shanghai Advertising, and each of Min Lu and Haiyun Lei, as the individual nominee shareholder of VIEs, entered into contractual agreements.
Despite the lack of technical majority ownership, there exists a parent-subsidiary relationship between the Company and the VIEs through the irrevocable power
of attorney agreement, whereby the Nominee Shareholders effectively assigned all of their voting rights underlying their equity interest in the VIEs to the WFOEs. In addition, through the Contractual Agreements the Company demonstrates its ability
and intention to continue to exercise the ability to absorb substantially all of the expected losses and majority of the profits of the VIEs through the WFOEs.
Thus, the Company is also considered the primary beneficiary of the VIEs through the WFOEs. As a result of the above, the Company consolidates the VIEs in
accordance with SEC Regulation
SX-3A-02
and Accounting Standards Codification (ASC)
810-10
(ASC 810-10)
Consolidation: Overall
.
The following is a summary of the Contractual Agreements:
Exclusive technical consulting and service agreements
Pursuant to the exclusive technical consulting and service agreements that have been entered into by the WFOEs and the VIEs, the VIEs have engaged the WFOEs as
their exclusive provider of technical support and management consulting services. In addition, the WFOEs shall provide the necessary financial support to the VIEs whether or not the VIEs incur any losses, and not request for repayment if the VIEs
are unable to do so. The VIEs shall pay to the WFOEs service fees calculated based on such VIEs revenues reduced by its value-added taxes and surcharges, operating expenses and an appropriate amount of retained profit that is determined
pursuant to the Groups tax planning strategies and relevant tax laws. The service fees can be adjusted by the WFOEs unilaterally. The WFOEs shall exclusively own any intellectual property arising from the performance of this agreement. This
agreement has a 30 year term that can be automatically extended for another 10 years at the option of the WFOEs. The agreement can only be terminated mutually by the parties in writing. During the term of the agreement, the VIEs may not enter into
any agreement with third parties for the provision of any technical or management consulting services without prior consent of the WFOEs.
Loan
agreement
Pursuant to the loan agreements between the Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs and the WFOEs, the WFOEs granted interest-free loans for the
Nominee Shareholders contributions to the VIEs. The term of the loan is indefinite until the WFOEs requests repayment. The manner and timing of the repayment shall be at the sole discretion of the WFOEs and at the WFOEs option may be in
the form of transferring the VIEs equity interest to the WFOEs or their designated persons.
F-11
1.
|
ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)
|
Exclusive equity option agreements
Pursuant to the exclusive equity option agreements entered into among the Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs, VIEs and the WFOEs, the Nominee Shareholders
jointly and severally granted to the WFOEs an option to purchase their equity interests in the VIEs. The purchase price will be offset against the loan repayments under the loan agreements. If the transfer price of the equity interest is greater
than the loan amount, the Nominee Shareholders are required to immediately return the received transfer price in excess of the loan amount to the WFOEs or any person designated by the WFOEs. The WFOEs may exercise such option at any time until it
has acquired all equity interests of the VIEs or freely transfer the option to any third party and such third party may assume the right and obligations of the option agreement. In addition, dividends and distributions are not permitted without the
prior consent of the WFOEs, to the extent there is a dividend or distribution, the Nominee Shareholders will remit the amounts in full to the WFOEs immediately. In the event of liquidation or dissolution of the VIEs, all assets shall be sold to the
WFOEs at the lowest selling price permitted by applicable PRC law, and any proceeds from the transfer and any residual interests in the VIEs shall be remitted to the WFOEs immediately. The exclusive equity option agreements have an indefinite term
and will terminate at the earlier of i) the date on which all of the equity interests have been transferred to the WFOEs or any person designated by the WFOEs; or ii) the unilateral termination by the WFOEs.
Equity interest pledge agreements
Pursuant to the equity
interest pledge agreements entered into between the Nominee Shareholders of the VIEs and the WFOEs, the Nominee Shareholders pledged all of their equity interests in the VIEs to the WFOEs as collateral for all of their payments due to the WFOEs and
to secure their obligations under the above agreements. The Nominee Shareholders may not transfer or assign the shares, the rights and obligations in the share pledge agreement or create or permit to create any pledges which may have an adverse
effect on the rights or benefits of the VIEs without the WFOEs preapproval. The WFOE is entitled to transfer or assign in full or in part the shares pledged. In the event of default, the WFOE as the pledgee will be entitled to request
immediate repayment of the loan or to dispose of the pledged equity interests through transfer or assignment. There have been no dividends or distributions from inception to date. The equity interest pledge agreements have an indefinite term and
will terminate after all the obligations under these agreements have been satisfied in full or the pledged equity interests have been transferred to the WFOEs or their designees.
Power of attorney agreements
Pursuant to the power of
attorney agreements, shareholders of the VIEs have given the WFOEs an irrevocable proxy to act on their behalf on all matters pertaining to the VIEs and to exercise all of their rights as shareholders of the VIEs, including the right to attend
shareholders meetings, to exercise voting rights and to transfer all or a part of his equity interests in the VIEs.
Risk in relation to the VIE
Structure
Internet content related businesses are subject to significant restrictions under current PRC laws and regulations. Specifically, foreign
investors are not allowed to own more than 50% equity interest in any Internet Content Provider (ICP) business.
The Group conducts its
operations in China through Contractual Agreements entered into between the WFOEs and VIEs. In 2014, the Group began gradually migrating the advertising service business from the VIEs to the subsidiaries of Autohome Media, a transition that was
completed to a substantial extent. If the Company or any of its current or future VIEs or subsidiaries are found in violation of any existing or future laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the
relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including levying fines, confiscating the income of Autohome WFOE, Chezhiying WFOE and VIEs, revoking their business licenses or operating licenses,
shutting down the Groups servers or blocking the Groups websites and mobile applications, discontinuing or placing restrictions or onerous conditions on the Groups operations, requiring the Group to undergo a costly and disruptive
restructuring, restricting the Groups rights to use the proceeds from the offering to finance the Groups business and operations in China, or enforcement actions that could be harmful to the Groups business. Any of these actions
could cause significant disruption to the Groups business operations and severely damage the Groups reputation, which would in turn materially and adversely affect the Groups business and results of operations. In addition, if the
imposition of any of these penalties causes the Company to lose the rights to direct the activities of VIEs or the Companys right to receive their economic benefits, the Company would no longer be able to consolidate the VIEs.
F-12
1.
|
ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)
|
In addition, if Shanghai Advertising, Autohome Information and its subsidiaries, Shengtuo Hongyuan and its
subsidiaries or their shareholders fail to perform their obligations under the Contractual Agreements, the Company may have to incur substantial costs and expend resources to enforce the Companys rights under the contracts. The Company may
have to rely on legal remedies under PRC law, including seeking specific performance or injunctive relief and claiming damages, which may not be effective. All of these Contractual Agreements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of
disputes through arbitration in the PRC. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal system in PRC is not as developed as in other
jurisdictions, such as United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit the Companys ability to enforce these Contractual Agreements. Under PRC law, rulings by arbitrators are final, parties cannot appeal the
arbitration results in courts, and prevailing parties may only enforce the arbitration awards in PRC courts through arbitration award recognition proceedings, which would incur additional expenses and delay. In the event the Company is unable to
enforce these Contractual Agreements, the Company may not be able to exert effective control over its VIEs, and the Companys ability to conduct its business may be negatively affected.
Based on the advice of the Companys PRC legal counsel, the corporate structure and Contractual Agreements of the Companys VIEs and WFOEs in China
are in compliance with all existing PRC laws and regulations. Therefore, in the opinion of management, (i) the ownership structure of the Company and the VIEs are in compliance with existing PRC laws and regulations; (ii) the Contractual
Agreements with VIEs and their nominee shareholders are valid and binding, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect; and (iii) the Groups business operations are in compliance with existing PRC
law and regulations in all material respects.
VIEs contributed an aggregate of 5.5%, 4.4% and 9.3% of the consolidated net revenues for the years ended
December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively, after elimination of inter-company transactions. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, the VIEs accounted for an aggregate of 21.1% and 14.8%, respectively, of the consolidated total assets, and
6.7% and 6.5%, respectively, of the consolidated total liabilities after elimination of inter-company balances.
Relevant PRC laws and regulations
restrict the VIE from transferring a portion of its net assets to the Company in the form of loans and advances or cash dividends. Please refer to Note 16 for disclosure of restricted net assets.
The following table sets forth the assets, liabilities, results of operations and cash flows of the VIEs included in the Companys consolidated balance
sheets, consolidated statements of comprehensive income and consolidated statements of cash flows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Current assets
|
|
|
1,326,075
|
|
|
|
855,789
|
|
|
|
124,469
|
|
Non-current
assets
|
|
|
1,645,183
|
|
|
|
1,641,154
|
|
|
|
238,696
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
2,971,258
|
|
|
|
2,496,943
|
|
|
|
363,165
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued expenses and other payables
|
|
|
162,423
|
|
|
|
182,885
|
|
|
|
26,600
|
|
Advance from customers
|
|
|
45,747
|
|
|
|
55,268
|
|
|
|
8,038
|
|
Deferred revenue
|
|
|
47,507
|
|
|
|
36,847
|
|
|
|
5,359
|
|
Amounts due to related parties
|
|
|
4,309
|
|
|
|
1,569
|
|
|
|
228
|
|
Inter-company payables
|
|
|
1,031,877
|
|
|
|
509,899
|
|
|
|
74,162
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
1,291,863
|
|
|
|
786,468
|
|
|
|
114,387
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other liabilities
|
|
|
20,010
|
|
|
|
14,880
|
|
|
|
2,164
|
|
Deferred tax liabilities
|
|
|
12,708
|
|
|
|
12,135
|
|
|
|
1,765
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
non-current
liabilities
|
|
|
32,718
|
|
|
|
27,015
|
|
|
|
3,929
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
1,324,581
|
|
|
|
813,483
|
|
|
|
118,316
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net assets
|
|
|
1,646,677
|
|
|
|
1,683,460
|
|
|
|
244,849
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-13
1.
|
ORGANIZATION (CONTINUED)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
|
328,618
|
|
|
|
274,774
|
|
|
|
673,188
|
|
|
|
97,911
|
|
Net (loss)/income
|
|
|
(71,931
|
)
|
|
|
20,380
|
|
|
|
29,099
|
|
|
|
4,232
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Net cash generated from/(used in) operating activities
|
|
|
20,337
|
|
|
|
851,872
|
|
|
|
(224,531
|
)
|
|
|
(32,657
|
)
|
Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities
|
|
|
(33,204
|
)
|
|
|
(802,710
|
)
|
|
|
131,087
|
|
|
|
19,066
|
|
Net cash generated from financing activities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The revenue-producing assets that are held by the VIEs comprise of customer relationships, trademarks, websites, domain names,
operating license and servers.
The current assets of the VIEs included amounts due from PRC subsidiaries of RMB381,388 and RMB169,546 (US$24,659), as of
December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively, which were eliminated upon consolidation by the Company. The current liabilities of the VIEs included amounts due to PRC subsidiaries of RMB1,031,877 and RMB509,899 (US$74,162), as of December 31,
2017 and 2018, respectively, which were eliminated upon consolidation by the Company. There was no pledge or collateralization of the VIEs assets and the WFOEs have not provided any financial support that they were not previously contractually
required to provide to the VIEs. There were no assets of the VIEs that can only be used to settle their own obligations. Creditors of the VIEs have no recourse to the general credit of the WFOEs, which are the primary beneficiaries of the VIEs.
F-14
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
|
The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (U.S. GAAP).
The Group adopted ASU
No. 2016-18,
Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 320): Restricted Cash,
which
require that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period in the total of cash, cash equivalents, and amounts generally described as restricted cash or restricted cash equivalents, starting from the first quarter of 2018 on a
retrospective basis. After adoption of this ASU, restricted cash of RMB61,091 as of January 1, 2016 and RMB9,319 as of December 31, 2016 was included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the
beginning-of-period
and
end-of-period
total amounts shown on the statement of cash flows. Correspondingly, the change in
restricted cash of RMB51,772 and RMB9,319 was excluded from cash from operating activities for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017, respectively.
The following table provides a reconciliation of the amount of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash reported within the consolidated balance sheets to
the total of the same such amounts shown in the consolidated statements of cash flows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
Amounts shown in Consolidated
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance Sheets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
3,293,911
|
|
|
|
911,588
|
|
|
|
211,970
|
|
Restricted cash
|
|
|
9,319
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as shown in Consolidated Statements of Cash
Flows
|
|
|
3,303,230
|
|
|
|
911,588
|
|
|
|
216,970
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(b)
|
Principles of Consolidation
|
The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company, its subsidiaries, and the VIEs for which the Company or subsidiaries of
the Company are the primary beneficiaries. All significant inter-company transactions and balances between the Company, its subsidiaries, and the VIEs are eliminated upon consolidation. Results of acquired subsidiaries and VIEs are consolidated from
the date on which control is transferred to the Company.
The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the
reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the year. Areas where management uses
subjective judgment include, but are not limited to, estimating the useful lives of long-lived assets and intangible assets, identification of performance obligations, standalone selling price for each performance obligation and estimation of
variable consideration represented by sales rebates, etc. related to revenue transactions, assessing the initial valuation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination and the subsequent impairment assessment of financial
assets, long-lived assets, intangible assets, goodwill, other
non-current
assets and long-term investments, determining the provision for accounts receivable, accounting for deferred income taxes and
accounting for the share-based compensation. Changes in facts and circumstances may result in revised estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates, and as such, differences may be material to the consolidated financial statements.
F-15
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
The functional currency of the Company, its Cayman subsidiaries and Cheerbright, is the United States dollar (US$), whereas the functional currency
of Hong Kong subsidiaries is the Hong Kong dollar (HK$), and the functional currency of the PRC subsidiaries and VIEs is the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) as determined based on the criteria of ASC 830
, Foreign Currency
Matters
. The Company uses the RMB as its reporting currency. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are
re-measured
into the functional currency at the exchange rates prevailing on the transaction
dates. Foreign currency denominated financial assets and liabilities are
re-measured
at the balance sheet date exchange rate. Exchange gains and losses are included in other income, net in the consolidated
statements of comprehensive income.
Assets and liabilities of the Company, its Cayman subsidiaries, Cheerbright and Hong Kong subsidiaries are translated
into RMB at fiscal
year-end
exchange rates. Income and expense items are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the fiscal year.
(e)
|
Convenience Translation
|
Amounts in United States dollars (US$) are presented for the convenience of the reader and are translated at the noon buying rate of US$1.00 to
RMB6.8755 on December 31, 2018 in the City of New York for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted
into US$ at such rate.
(f)
|
Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash on hand, demand deposits, time deposits and money market funds placed with banks or other financial institutions
which are unrestricted as to withdrawal and use and have original maturities of three months or less.
(g)
|
Short-term Investments
|
Short-term investments represent bank deposits, adjustable-rate financial products with original maturities of greater than 3 months but less than 1 year and
money market funds that are measured at fair value. In accordance with ASC 825
, Financial Instruments
, for adjustable-rate financial products with the interest rate indexed to performance of underlying assets and money market funds, the Group
elected the fair value method at the date of initial recognition and carried these investments at fair value. Changes in the fair value are reflected in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income as interest income.
Restricted cash represents cash deposits in a regulatory escrow account related to insurance brokerage services.
(i)
|
Fair Value Measurements of Financial Instruments
|
Financial instruments of the Group primarily comprise of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments, accounts receivable, amounts due
from related parties, prepaid expenses and other current assets, other
non-current
assets, accrued expenses and other payables, and amounts due to related parties. The carrying values of these financial
instruments excluding other
non-current
assets approximated their fair values due to the short-term maturity of these instruments.
ASC topic 820 (ASC 820),
Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures
, establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the
inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
Level 1 Observable inputs that reflect quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical assets or
liabilities in active markets
Level 2 Include other inputs that are directly or indirectly observable in the marketplace
Level 3 Unobservable inputs which are supported by little or no market activity
F-16
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
ASC 820 describes three main approaches to measuring the fair value of assets and liabilities:
(1) market approach; (2) income approach and (3) cost approach. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated from market transactions involving identical or comparable assets or liabilities. The income
approach uses valuation techniques to convert future amounts to a single present value amount. The measurement is based on the value indicated by current market expectations about those future amounts. The cost approach is based on the amount that
would currently be required to replace an asset.
(j)
|
Property and Equipment
|
Property and equipment are stated at cost and are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, as follows:
|
|
|
Category
|
|
Estimated useful life
|
Electronic equipment
|
|
3 5 years
|
Office equipment
|
|
3 5 years
|
Motor vehicles
|
|
4 5 years
|
Software
|
|
3 5 years
|
Leasehold improvements
|
|
Shorter of lease term or the estimated useful lives of the assets
|
Repair and maintenance costs are charged to expense as incurred, whereas the costs of betterments that extend the useful life
of property and equipment are capitalized as additions to the related assets. Retirements, sale and disposals of assets are recorded by removing the cost and accumulated depreciation with any resulting gain or loss reflected in the consolidated
statements of comprehensive income.
Intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortization and any recorded impairment. Intangible assets acquired in a business combination were
recognized initially at fair value at the date of acquisition. Intangible assets acquired in asset acquisitions are measured based on the cost to the acquiring entity, which generally includes transaction costs. Intangible assets with finite useful
lives are amortized using a straight-line method of amortization that reflects the estimated pattern in which the economic benefits of the intangible asset are to be consumed. The estimated useful life for the intangible assets is as follows:
|
|
|
Category
|
|
Estimated useful life
|
Trademark
|
|
3-15
years
|
Customer relationship
|
|
5 years
|
Websites
|
|
4 years
|
Domain names
|
|
4-10
years
|
Licensing agreements
|
|
1.75 years
|
Insurance brokerage license
|
|
4 years
|
(l)
|
Long-term Investments
|
The Companys long-term investments consist of equity method investments. Investments in entities in which the Company can exercise significant influence
and holds an investment in voting common stock or
in-substance
common stock (or both) of the investee but does not own a majority equity interest or control are accounted for using the equity method of
accounting in accordance with ASC topic 323 (ASC 323),
Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures
. Under the equity method, the Company initially records its investments at cost. The Company subsequently adjusts the carrying
amount of the investments to recognize the Companys proportionate share of each equity investees net income or loss into earnings after the date of investments. The Company evaluates the equity method investments for impairment under ASC
323. An impairment loss on the equity method investments is recognized in earnings when the decline in value is determined to be other-than-temporary.
F-17
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the amounts assigned to the fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed of an
acquired business. The Groups goodwill at December 31, 2017 and 2018 were related to its acquisition of Cheerbright, China Topside and Norstar. In accordance with ASC 350,
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
, recorded goodwill
amounts are not amortized, but rather are tested for impairment annually or more frequently if there are indicators of impairment present.
Goodwill is
tested for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis (December 31 for the Company) and between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would
more-likely-than-not
reduce the
fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. These events or circumstances include a significant change in stock prices, business environment, legal factors, financial performances, competition, or events affecting the reporting unit.
Application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value
of each reporting unit. The estimation of fair value of reporting unit using a discounted cash flow methodology also requires significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of
the long-term rate of growth for the Companys business, estimation of the useful life over which cash flows will occur, and determination of the Companys weighted average cost of capital. The estimates used to calculate the fair value of
a reporting unit change from year to year based on operating results and market conditions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and goodwill impairment for the reporting unit.
Management has determined that the Group represents the lowest level within the entity at which goodwill is monitored for internal management purposes.
Management evaluated the recoverability of goodwill by performing a qualitative assessment before using a
two-step
impairment test approach at the reporting unit level. Based on an assessment of the
qualitative factors, management determined that it is
more-likely-than-not
that the fair value of the reporting unit is in excess of its carrying amount. Therefore, management concluded that it was not
necessary to proceed to the
two-step
goodwill impairment test. At December 31, 2017 and 2018, goodwill was RMB1,504,278 and RMB1,504,278 (US$218,788), respectively. No impairment loss was recorded for any
of the years presented.
If the Group reorganizes its reporting structure in a manner that changes the composition of one or more of its reporting units,
goodwill is reassigned based on the relative fair value of each of the affected reporting units.
(n)
|
Other
non-current
assets
|
Other
non-current
assets are primarily comprised of an investment in TTP Car Inc. (TTP) in the form of a
three year convertible bond with an annual 8% compound interest rate, in an aggregate principal amount of US$100,000. Concurrently with the issuance of the convertible bond, the Group was granted the right (not the obligation) to purchase an
additional 8.0% convertible bond in an aggregate principal amount of US$65,000, to be issued by TTP upon its request from time to time, within three years after the consummation of transaction in June 2018 . On or prior to the maturity date, which
is June 11, 2021 unless extended otherwise, any or all of the outstanding principal under the bond is automatically convertible into preferred shares of TTP subject to certain conditions, or optionally convertible into preferred shares of TTP
at the Companys discretion.
A convertible bond that is not within the scope of ASC 320
Investments - debt and equity securities
is accounted for under ASC 310
Receivables
. The initial investment amount of US$100,000 was first allocated, based on fair value, to any free standing instrument that was purchased together with the convertible loan, and to any
embedded features requiring separate recognition under ASC 815
Derivatives and Hedging
. The US$65,000 warrant was recognized as a freestanding financial derivative and recorded at its fair value; any subsequent changes in fair
value will be recognized in earnings. There were no embedded features that required separate recognition. After allocation, the remaining investment amount was recognized as the convertible bond. The difference between the carrying value and face
value of the convertible bond, after allocation, was treated as a discount on convertible bond and is amortized and recognized as interest income using the effective interest method. The convertible bond is carried at its amortized cost, net of the
discount.
F-18
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
According to ASC
310-10-35,
a
loan receivable should be evaluated for impairment at each reporting period. A loan is impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that a creditor will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual
terms of the loan agreement. All amounts due according to the contractual terms means that both the contractual interest payments and the contractual principal payments of a loan will be collected as scheduled in the loan agreement.
(o)
|
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Intangibles
|
The Group evaluates its long-lived assets or asset group, including intangible assets with finite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances (such as a significant adverse change to market conditions that will impact the future use of the assets) indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or a group of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. When these events occur,
the Group evaluates impairment by comparing the carrying amount of the assets to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flow is
less than the carrying amount of the assets, the Group would recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount of the asset group over its fair value. No impairment charge was recorded for any of the years presented.
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued ASU
No. 2014-09,
Revenue
from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)
(ASU
2014-09),
which amends the existing accounting standards for revenue recognition. Subsequently, the FASB issued several amendments and
updates to the new revenue guidance. The Company adopted the new revenue guidance beginning January 1, 2018 by applying the modified retrospective method to those contracts that are not completed as of January 1, 2018, with the comparative
information not being adjusted and continues to be reported under ASC 605. The most significant impact for the Company is the change from presentation of value-added tax (VAT) on gross basis to net basis. This change reduces revenues and
cost of revenues for the gross amount of VAT collected and paid, respectively, and presents VAT refunds as a component of other income, net. This change has no impact on the determination of the amount or timing of services and other revenue to be
recognized and is only a change in classification. There were no adjustments to the opening balance of retained earnings upon initially applying the new guidance. Adoption of the new revenue recognition standards had no impact to the Groups
consolidated balance sheet, consolidated statement of cash flows, consolidated statement of changes in shareholders equity for the year ended December 31, 2018.
The following table illustrates the effect of the adoption of ASC 606 by presenting a comparison of selected line items from the Groups consolidated
statement of comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2018:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the year ended December 31, 2018
|
|
|
|
Under Previous
revenue
guidance
|
|
|
Effects of new
revenue guidance
|
|
|
Under New
revenue
guidance
|
|
Net revenues
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Media services
|
|
|
3,718,748
|
|
|
|
(210,494
|
)
|
|
|
3,508,254
|
|
Leads generation services
|
|
|
3,274,619
|
|
|
|
(403,623
|
)
|
|
|
2,870,996
|
|
Online marketplace and others
|
|
|
919,368
|
|
|
|
(65,467
|
)
|
|
|
853,901
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total net revenues
|
|
|
7,912,735
|
|
|
|
(679,584
|
)
|
|
|
7,233,151
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
(1,210,545
|
)
|
|
|
390,257
|
|
|
|
(820,288
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross profit
|
|
|
6,702,190
|
|
|
|
(289,327
|
)
|
|
|
6,412,863
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other income, net
|
|
|
52,064
|
|
|
|
289,327
|
|
|
|
341,391
|
|
Operating profit
|
|
|
2,868,925
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,868,925
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
F-19
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
The Groups revenues are derived from media services, leads generation services and online marketplace
and others. Under Topic 606, revenues are recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to the Groups customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Group expects to be entitled to in exchange for those
goods or services. The recognition of revenue involves certain management judgments including identification of performance obligations, standalone selling price for each performance obligation, estimation of variable consideration represented by
sales rebates, etc. The Group provides rebates to agency companies based on cumulative annual advertising and service volume, which are accounted for as variable consideration. The Group estimate its obligations under such agreements applying the
expected value or most likely estimate, based on an evaluation of the likelihood of the agency companies achievement of the advertising and service volume targets and evaluation of the agency companies purchase trends and history. A
refund liability (included in accrued expenses and other payables) is recognized for expected sales rebates payable to agency companies in relation to advertising services provided until the end of the reporting period. The Group recognizes revenue
for the amount of fees it receives from its clients, after deducting these sales rebates, and net of VAT collected from customers. The Group believes that there will not be significant changes to its estimates of variable consideration and updates
the estimate at each reporting period as actual utilization becomes available.
The Group determines revenue recognition through the following steps
|
|
|
identification of the contract, or contracts, with a customer;
|
|
|
|
identification of the performance obligations in the contract;
|
|
|
|
determination of the transaction price;
|
|
|
|
allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and
|
|
|
|
recognition of revenue when, or as, the Group satisfies a performance obligation
|
Media services
Media services revenues mainly include
revenues from automaker advertising services and regional marketing campaigns conducted by certain automobile brands regional offices. The majority of online advertising service contracts involve multiple deliverables or performance
obligations presented on PC and mobile platforms and under different formats such as banner advertisements, links and logos, other media insertions and promotional activities that are delivered over different periods of time. Revenue is allocated
among these different deliverables based on their relative standalone selling prices. The Group generally determines the standalone selling price as the observable price of a product or service charged to customers when sold on a standalone basis.
Advertising services are primarily delivered based on cost per day (CPD) pricing model. For CPD advertising arrangements, revenue is recognized when the corresponding advertisements are published over the stated display period. For
certain marketing campaigns and promotional activities services, revenue is recognized when the corresponding services have been rendered.
Leads
generation services
Leads generation services primarily include revenues from (i) dealer subscription services, (ii) advertising services
sold to individual dealer advertisers, and (iii) used car listing services and other value-added services. Under the dealer subscription services, the Group makes available throughout the subscription period a webpage linked to its websites and
mobile applications where the dealers can publish information such as the pricing of their products, locations and addresses and other related information. Usually, advanced payment is made for the dealer subscription services and revenue is
recognized over time on a straight line basis as services are constantly provided over the subscription period. For the advertising services sold to individual dealers, revenue is recognized when the advertising is published over the stated display
period. The used car listing services primarily include listing and display of used vehicles, generation of sales leads, etc, through the Groups platform. The used car platform acts as a user interface that allows potential used car buyers to
identify listings that meet their specific requirements and contact the seller. The service fee is charged per the number of displayed days, or quantity of sales leads delivered. Revenue is recognized respectively at a point in time upon the display
of vehicles or the delivery of sales leads.
F-20
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
Online marketplace and others
Online marketplace and others revenue primarily consist of revenues related to new car and used car marketplace, auto-financing business, data products and
others. For the new car and used car marketplace, and auto-financing business, the Group provides platform-based services including facilitation of transactions, transaction-oriented marketing solutions, generation of sales leads and facilitation of
transactions as an insurance brokerage service provider. For the new car marketplace, the Group also acts as the platform for users to review automotive-related information, purchase coupons offered by automakers for discounts and make purchases to
complete the transaction. For the used car platform, the Group acts as a C2B2C transaction system that facilitates the used car transaction between the sellers and buyers and charge the service fee per each sale. For the auto-financing business, the
Group provides a platform which serves as a bridge to match users and automobile sellers that have auto financing needs with the Groups cooperative financial institutions that offer a variety of products covering merchant loans, consumer
loans, leases and insurance services. The auto-financing service fee is charged on a per sale or lead basis. The service fee is recognized at a point in time when the relevant information is displayed, marketing solution package is delivered, when
the sales leads are delivered or upon the successful facilitation of transaction. For the data products, the Group provides data analysis reports and data-driven intelligent sales and marketing tools for the automakers and dealers and recognizes
revenue at a point in time upon the delivery of reports or over the period of the consumption or utilization of marketing tools by the automakers and dealers.
Contract Balances
Payment terms and conditions vary by
contract and service types. However, generally speaking, excluding dealer subscription and used car listing, the rest of service contracts usually require payment within several months of service delivery. The term between billings and when payment
is due is not significant and the Company generally does not provide significant financing terms. Timing of revenue recognition may differ from the timing of invoicing to customers. Accounts receivable represent amounts invoiced and revenue
recognized prior to invoicing, when the Group has satisfied its performance obligations and has the unconditional right to payment.
Non-refundable
payments in advance of revenue recognition are recorded as
deferred revenue and recognized as revenue along with the fulfillment of performance obligations. Deferred revenue is primarily related to the advanced payment related to dealer subscription services and used car listings under leads generation
services. The beginning balance of deferred revenue of RMB1,409,485 was fully recognized as revenue for the year ended December 31, 2018. There is no significant change in contract liability balance for the year ended December 31, 2018.
Accounts receivable are carried at net realizable value. An allowance for doubtful accounts is recorded in the period when a loss is probable based on an
assessment of specific evidence indicating troubled collection, historical experience, accounts aging and other factors. An accounts receivable balance is written off after all collection effort has ceased.
Practical Expedients and Exemptions
The Company has
elected to use the practical expedient to not disclose the remaining performance obligations for contracts that have durations of one year or less. The Company does not have significant remaining performance obligations in excess of one year. For
the remaining performance obligations as of December 31, 2018, most of them are to be recognized within a year.
The revenue standard requires the
Company to recognize an asset for the incremental costs of obtaining a contract with a customer if the benefit of those costs is expected to be longer than one year. The Group has determined that sales commission for sales personnel meet the
requirements of capitalization. However, the Group applies a practical expedient to expense these costs as incurred for costs to obtain a contract with a customer when the amortization period would have been one year or less.
Cost of revenues primarily consist of bandwidth and internet data center fees, depreciation of the Groups long-lived assets, amortization of acquired
intangible assets, tax surcharges, content-related costs, cost of sales and write-downs of inventories and prepayment for vehicle purchase cost. Content-related costs primarily comprise of salaries and benefits for employees directly involved in
revenue generation activities, cost related to content generation and acquisition and execution cost and other overhead expenses directly attributable to the provision of the media services, leads generation services and online marketplace and
others. Cost of sales include vehicle purchase cost and other directly attributable costs. Rebates relating to new vehicles purchased and sold during the reporting period are recorded as a reduction to cost of revenues.
F-21
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
(r)
|
Advertising Expenditures
|
Advertising expenditures which amounted to RMB756,073, RMB767,528 and RMB1,047,160 (US$152,303) for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018,
respectively, are expensed as incurred and are included in sales and marketing expenses.
(s)
|
Product Development Expenses
|
Product development expenses consist primarily of employee costs related to personnel involved in the development and enhancement of the Groups service
offerings on its websites and mobile applications, and expenditure for research and development activities. The Group recognizes these costs as expenses when incurred, unless they result in significant additional functionality or are related to
application development stage, in which case they are capitalized.
Leases are classified at the inception date as either a capital lease or an operating lease. The Group assesses a lease to be a capital lease if any of the
following conditions exist: a) ownership is transferred to the lessee by the end of the lease term, b) there is a bargain purchase option, c) the lease term is at least 75% of the propertys estimated remaining economic life or d) the present
value of the minimum lease payments at the beginning of the lease term is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased property to the lessor at the inception date. A capital lease is accounted for as if there was an acquisition of an asset and an
incurrence of an obligation at the inception of the lease. The Group has no capital leases for the years presented.
All other leases are accounted for as
operating leases wherein rental payments are expensed on a straight-line basis over the periods of their respective lease terms. The Group leases office space under operating lease agreements. Certain of the lease agreements contain rent holidays.
Rent holidays are considered in determining the straight-line rental expense to be recorded over the lease term. The lease term begins on the date of initial possession of the lease property for purposes of recognizing lease expense on straight-line
basis over the term of the lease.
The Group accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the
difference between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates that will be in effect in the period in which the differences are expected to reverse. The Group records a valuation allowance against
deferred tax assets if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is
more-likely-than-not
that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The effect on deferred taxes of a
change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Group applies ASC 740,
Accounting for Income
Taxes
, to account for uncertainty in income taxes. ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. The Group has recorded unrecognized tax benefits in the other
liabilities line item in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Group has elected to classify interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits, if and when required, as part of income tax expense, in the
consolidated statements of comprehensive income.
The Groups estimated liability for unrecognized tax benefits and the related interest and
penalties are periodically assessed for adequacy and may be affected by changing interpretations of laws, rulings by tax authorities, changes and/or developments with respect to tax audits, and expiration of the statute of limitations. The actual
benefits ultimately realized may differ from the Groups estimates. As each audit is concluded, adjustments, if any, are recorded in the Companys consolidated financial statements. Additionally, in future periods, changes in facts and
circumstances, and new information may require the Group to adjust the recognition and measurement estimates with regard to individual tax positions. Changes in recognition and measurement estimates are recognized in the period in which they occur.
F-22
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
Earnings per share are calculated in accordance with ASC
260-10,
Earnings per Share: Overall.
Basic earnings per
share are computed by dividing net income attributable to holders of ordinary shares by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year using the
two-class
method.
Diluted earnings per ordinary share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities to issue ordinary shares were exercised. The dilutive
effect of outstanding share-based awards is reflected in the diluted earnings per share by application of the treasury stock method.
Comprehensive income is defined to include all changes in shareholders equity except those resulting from investments by owners and distributions to
owners. Among other disclosures, ASC
220-10,
Comprehensive Income: Overall
requires that all items that are required to be recognized under current accounting standards as components of comprehensive
income be reported in a financial statement that is displayed with the same prominence as other financial statements. For each of the periods presented, the Companys comprehensive income includes foreign currency translation adjustments and is
presented in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income. There have been no reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income to net income for the years presented.
(x)
|
Noncontrolling interests
|
Noncontrolling interests are recognized to reflect the portion of the equity of majority-owned subsidiary which is not attributable, directly or indirectly, to
the controlling shareholder.
Non-controlling
interests are classified as a separate line item in the equity section of the Groups consolidated balance sheets and have been separately disclosed in the
Groups consolidated statements of comprehensive income to distinguish the interests from that of the Company.
In accordance with ASC
280-10,
Segment Reporting: Overall
, the Groups chief operating decision maker has
been identified as the Chief Executive Officer who reviews the consolidated results of operations when making decisions about allocating resources and assessing performance of the Group as a whole; hence, the Group has only one operating segment.
The Group does not distinguish between markets or segments for the purpose of internal reporting. As the Groups long-lived assets and revenue are substantially located in and derived from the PRC, no geographical segments are presented.
The full-time employees of the Companys PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are entitled to staff welfare benefits including medical care, housing fund, pension
benefits and unemployment insurance, which are governmental mandated defined contribution plans. These entities are required to accrue for these benefits based on certain percentages of the employees respective salaries, subject to certain
ceilings, in accordance with the relevant PRC regulations, and make cash contributions to the state-sponsored plans out of the amounts accrued. The total expenses for the employee benefits plans were RMB214,596, RMB270,794 and RMB319,491 (US$46,468)
for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
(aa)
|
Share-based Compensation
|
Share-based awards granted to employees are accounted for under ASC 718,
CompensationStock Compensation
, which requires that share-based awards
granted to employees be measured based on the grant date fair value and recognized as compensation expense over the requisite service period (which is generally the vesting period) in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income. The Company
has elected to recognize compensation expense using the straight-line method for all share-based awards granted with service conditions that have a graded vesting schedule. Under ASC 718, an entity can make an accounting policy election to either
estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest or account for forfeitures when they occur. The Company has elected to estimate the forfeiture rate at the time of grant and revise, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures
differ from initial estimates.
F-23
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
Forfeiture rates are estimated based on historical and future expectations of employee turnover rates and are
adjusted to reflect future changes in circumstances and facts, if any. Share-based compensation expense is recorded net of estimated forfeitures such that expense is recorded only for those share-based awards that are expected to vest. To the extent
the Company revises these estimates in the future, the share-based payments could be materially impacted in the period of revision, as well as in following periods. The Company, with the assistance of an independent third-party valuation firm,
determined the fair value of the stock options granted to employees. The binomial option pricing model was applied in determining the estimated fair value of the options granted to employees. Subsequent to the IPO, fair value of the ordinary shares
is the price of the Companys publicly traded shares.
The Company accounts for a change in any of the terms or conditions of share-based awards as a
modification in accordance with ASC subtopic
718-20,
Compensation-Stock Compensation: Awards Classified as Equity
, whereby the incremental fair value, if any, of a modified award, is recorded as
compensation cost on the date of modification for vested awards or over the remaining vesting period for unvested awards. The incremental compensation cost is the excess of the fair value of the modified award on the date of modification over the
fair value of the original award immediately before the modification.
Commencing in 2018 with the adoption of the new revenue accounting standard, VAT refunds are presented as a component of other income, net. For Beijing
Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. and Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd., they are subject to 17% VAT (or 16% VAT beginning from May 1, 2018) for the dealer subscription services and other services, which were sold in the form of software
products. Since November 2014 and December 2016, respectively, Beijing Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. and Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. are entitled to an immediate 14% VAT (or 13% beginning from May 1, 2018) refund, which is a refund in
excess of 3% VAT on the total VAT payable, after their registration of software products with relevant authority and obtaining the refund approval from local tax bureau. Other income, net also includes government grants, which primarily represent
subsidies and tax refunds for operating a business in certain jurisdictions and fulfilment of specified tax payment obligations. These grants are not subject to any specific requirements and are recorded when received. For the years ended December
31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, RMB12,576, RMB25,657 and RMB45,190 (US$6,573) of government grants were recorded as other income, net. The prior figures have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation to facilitate comparison.
(cc)
|
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
|
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU
No. 2016-02,
Leases
(ASU
2016-02).
Further, as a clarification of the new guidance, the FASB issued several amendments and updates. Under the new provisions, all lessees will report a
right-of-use
asset and a liability for the obligation to make payments for all leases with the exception of those leases with a term of 12 months or less. All other leases will fall into one of two
categories: (i) financing leases, similar to capital leases, which will require the recognition of an asset and liability, measured at the present value of the lease payments and (ii) operating leases which will require the recognition of
an asset and liability measured at the present value of the lease payments. Lessor accounting remains substantially unchanged with the exception that no leases entered into after the effective date will be classified as leveraged leases. For sale
leaseback transactions, the sale will only be recognized if the criteria in the new revenue recognition standard are met. It is expected to be effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2018 for public entities.
Early application is permitted. The Company will adopt the new lease guidance beginning January 1, 2019. The Company has finalized its analysis and the most significant impact will be the recognition of
right-of-use
assets and lease liabilities for operating lease.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU
No. 2016-13
Financial InstrumentsCredit Losses
(ASU
2016-13).
The amendments in this Update replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in
current GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. The amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning
after December 15, 2019, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is evaluating the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.
F-24
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU
No. 2017-04,
Simplifying
the Test for Goodwill Impairmen
t (ASU
2017-04).
The amendments in ASU
2017-04
removes Step 2 of the goodwill impairment test, which requires a
hypothetical purchase price allocation. A goodwill impairment will now be the amount by which a reporting units carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The amendments in ASU
2017-04
are effective for annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests beginning after December 15, 2019 and should be applied on a prospective basis. Early adoption is permitted for interim or annual
goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The adoption of the guidance is not expected to have significant impact on the Companys consolidated financial statements.
(dd)
|
Concentration of Risk
|
Credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially
subject the Group to significant concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments and accounts receivable. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, cash and cash equivalents,
restricted cash and short-term investments altogether amounting to RMB8,154,224 and RMB10,066,458 (US$1,464,106), respectively, were deposited with various major reputable financial institutions located in the PRC and international financial
institutions outside of the PRC. Management believes that these financial institutions are of high credit quality and continually monitors the creditworthiness of these financial institutions. Historically, deposits in Chinese banks are secure due
to the state policy on protecting depositors interests. However, China promulgated a new Bankruptcy Law in August 2006 that came into effect on June 1, 2007, which contains a separate article expressly stating that the State Council may
promulgate implementation measures for the bankruptcy of Chinese banks based on the Bankruptcy Law. Under the new Bankruptcy Law, a Chinese bank may go into bankruptcy. In the event of bankruptcy of one of the banks which holds the Groups
deposits, it is unlikely to claim its deposits back in full since it is unlikely to be classified as a secured creditor based on PRC laws. The Group continues to monitor the financial strength of these financial institutions.
Accounts receivable are typically unsecured and derived from revenue earned from customers in the PRC, which are exposed to credit risk. The risk is mitigated
by the Groups assessment of its customers creditworthiness and its ongoing monitoring process of outstanding balances. The Group maintains reserves for estimated credit losses and these losses have generally been within expectations.
There were one customer and three customers that individually represented greater than 10% of the total accounts receivable as of December 31, 2017 and 2018.
Business, customer, political, social and economic risks
The Group participates in a dynamic high technology industry and believes that changes in any of the following areas could have a material adverse effect on
the Groups future financial position, results of operations or cash flows; changes in the overall demand for services and products; changes in business offerings; competitive pressures due to new entrants; acceptance of the Internet as an
effective marketing platform by Chinas automotive industry; changes in certain strategic relationships or customer relationships; growth in Chinas automotive industry, regulatory considerations; and risks associated with the Groups
ability to attract and retain employees necessary to support its growth.
There were no customers that individually represented greater than 10% of the
total net revenues for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Currency convertibility risk
The Group transacts substantially all its business in RMB, which is not freely convertible into foreign currencies. According to the relevant regulations in
the PRC, all foreign exchange transactions are required to take place either through the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) or other banks authorized to buy and sell foreign currencies at the exchange rates quoted by the PBOC. Approval
of foreign currency payments by the PBOC or other institutions requires submitting a payment application form together with suppliers invoices, shipping documents and signed contracts.
Most of the cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments held by PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs are denominated in RMB, while a portion of cash and
cash equivalents and short-term investments held by PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs are denominated in US$. Cash distributed outside of the PRC by PRC subsidiaries and the VIEs are subject to PRC dividend withholding tax.
F-25
2.
|
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)
|
Foreign Currency exchange rate risk
Since July 21, 2005, the RMB was permitted to fluctuate within a narrow and managed band against a basket of certain foreign currencies. There was
depreciation of 6.7%, appreciation of 6.7%, depreciation of 5.4% for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. Any significant appreciation or depreciation of the RMB may materially and adversely affect the Groups
earnings and financial position, and the value of, and any dividends payable on, the Companys ADSs in U.S. dollars. For example, to the extent that the Group need to convert U.S. dollars it received from its initial public offering into RMB to
pay its operating expenses, appreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the RMB amount it would receive from the conversion. Conversely, a significant depreciation of the RMB against the U.S. dollar may
significantly reduce the U.S. dollar equivalent of the Groups earnings, which in turn could adversely affect the price of ADSs.
3.
|
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT
|
Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis are summarized below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurement at
December 31, 2018 Using
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted Prices
in Active Market
for Identical
Assets (Level 1)
|
|
|
Significant Other
Observable
Inputs (Level 2)
|
|
|
Unobservable
inputs
(Level 3)
|
|
|
Fair Value at December 31, 2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Cash equivalents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money market fund
|
|
|
7,295
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,295
|
|
|
|
1,061
|
|
Short-term investments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Term deposits
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,732,110
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,732,110
|
|
|
|
251,925
|
|
Money market fund
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,394
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,394
|
|
|
|
3,548
|
|
Adjustable-rate financial products
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,092,984
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8,092,984
|
|
|
|
1,177,076
|
|
Restricted cash,
non-current
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
727
|
|
Other
non-current
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warrant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
36,375
|
|
|
|
36,375
|
|
|
|
5,291
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,295
|
|
|
|
9,854,488
|
|
|
|
36,375
|
|
|
|
9,898,158
|
|
|
|
1,439,628
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair Value Measurement at
December 31, 2017 Using
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quoted Prices
in Active Market
for Identical
Assets (Level 1)
|
|
|
Significant Other
Observable
Inputs (Level 2)
|
|
|
Unobservable
inputs
(Level 3)
|
|
|
Fair Value at December 31, 2017
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
Cash equivalents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Time deposits
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
694,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
694,500
|
|
Money market fund
|
|
|
34,105
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
34,105
|
|
Short-term investments
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Term deposits
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
842,912
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
842,912
|
|
Money market fund
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,042
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,042
|
|
Adjustable-rate financial products
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,389,682
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,389,682
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
34,105
|
|
|
|
7,937,136
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,971,241
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-26
3.
|
FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT (CONTINUED)
|
Other financial instruments
The followings are other financial instruments not measured at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets, but for which the fair value is estimated for
disclosure purposes.
Financial assets including accounts receivable, amounts due from related parties and prepaid expenses and other current assets are
not measured at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets, and the carrying values approximated fair value due to their short-term maturity. Financial liabilities including accrued expense and other payables, and amounts due to related parties
are also not measured at fair value in the consolidated balance sheets, and the carrying values approximated fair value due to their short-term maturity.
Assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis
The Group measures certain assets, including long-term investments, goodwill and intangible assets, at fair value on a nonrecurring basis when they are deemed
to be impaired (Level 3). The fair values of these assets are determined based on valuation techniques using the best information available, and may include management judgments, future performance projections, etc. An impairment charge to these
investments is recorded when the cost of the investment exceeds its fair value and this condition is determined to be other-than-temporary.
4.
|
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET
|
Accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts consist of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Accounts receivable
|
|
|
1,895,145
|
|
|
|
2,799,424
|
|
|
|
407,159
|
|
Allowance for doubtful accounts
|
|
|
(1,408
|
)
|
|
|
(3,589
|
)
|
|
|
(522
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
1,893,737
|
|
|
|
2,795,835
|
|
|
|
406,637
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, all accounts receivable were due from third party customers.
An analysis of the allowance for doubtful accounts is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Beginning balance
|
|
|
512
|
|
|
|
1,408
|
|
|
|
205
|
|
Additions charged to bad debt expense
|
|
|
1,854
|
|
|
|
3,789
|
|
|
|
551
|
|
Reversal
|
|
|
(744
|
)
|
|
|
(1,574
|
)
|
|
|
(229
|
)
|
Write off
|
|
|
(214
|
)
|
|
|
(34
|
)
|
|
|
(5
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ending balance
|
|
|
1,408
|
|
|
|
3,589
|
|
|
|
522
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Group recognized additions to allowance for doubtful accounts amounting to RMB2,303, RMB1,110 and RMB2,215 (US$322) within
general and administrative expenses, for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
F-27
5.
|
PREPAID EXPENSES AND OTHER CURRENT ASSETS
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets consist of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Prepayments
|
|
|
125,317
|
|
|
|
188,481
|
|
|
|
27,413
|
|
Rental and other deposits
|
|
|
24,804
|
|
|
|
6,646
|
|
|
|
967
|
|
Interest receivable
|
|
|
3,462
|
|
|
|
8,030
|
|
|
|
1,168
|
|
Staff advances
|
|
|
7,496
|
|
|
|
5,444
|
|
|
|
792
|
|
Receivables from third-party payment platform
|
|
|
14,757
|
|
|
|
5,793
|
|
|
|
843
|
|
Other receivables
|
|
|
10,287
|
|
|
|
35,583
|
|
|
|
5,175
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
186,123
|
|
|
|
249,977
|
|
|
|
36,358
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Prepayments primarily include prepaid VAT and surcharges, prepaid promotional expenses and service fee.
Enterprise income tax
Cayman Islands
The Company is incorporated in the Cayman Islands and conducts substantially all of its business through its PRC subsidiaries and VIEs. Under the current laws
of the Cayman Islands, the Company is not subject to tax on income or capital gains. In addition, upon payments of dividends by these entities to their shareholders, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed.
British Virgin Islands
Cheerbright is incorporated in
the British Virgin Islands and conducts substantially all of its businesses through its PRC subsidiary and VIEs. Under the current laws of the British Virgin Islands, Cheerbright is not subject to tax on income or capital gains. In addition, upon
payments of dividends by these entities to their shareholders, no British Virgin Islands withholding tax will be imposed.
Hong Kong
Autohome HK is incorporated in Hong Kong on March 16, 2012. In October 2013, Autohome HK acquired Autohome Media, a Hong Kong advertising and
marketing company. Also in 2015, three new entities are established in Hong Kong. Companies registered in Hong Kong are subject to Hong Kong Profits Tax on the taxable income as reported in their respective statutory financial statements adjusted in
accordance with relevant Hong Kong tax laws. The applicable tax rate is 16.5% in Hong Kong. For the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, except for the tax payment made by Autohome Financing Hong Kong Limited in relation to its
disposal of Shanghai Youcheyoujia Financing Co., Ltd. as its 25% shareholder, the Company did not make any provisions for Hong Kong profit tax as there were no assessable profits derived from or earned in Hong Kong during this period. Under the
Hong Kong tax law, subsidiaries in Hong Kong are exempted from income tax on its foreign-derived income and there are no withholding taxes in Hong Kong on remittance of dividends.
The PRC
Autohome WFOE
In September 2010, Autohome WFOE was recognized as a
High-New
Technology Enterprise (HNTE), and
eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective through 2019. Besides being an HNTE, Autohome WFOE filed for key software enterprise. Pursuant to the Circular on Issues concerning Preferential Enterprise Income Tax Policies for Software and
Integrated Circuit Industries in May 2016, it was entitled to a more favorable tax rate of 10% for the tax year of 2017.
F-28
Beijing Autohome Technologies Co., Ltd.
In July 2015, Beijing Autohome Technologies Co., Ltd. was recognized as a HNTE and eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective through 2020. Besides
being an HNTE, Beijing Autohome Technologies Co., Ltd. also filed for key software enterprise and was entitled to a more favorable tax rate of 10% for the tax year of 2017.
Beijing Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd.
In February 2016,
Beijing Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. was recognized as a HNTE and eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective through 2020. Besides being an HNTE, Beijing Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. also filed for key software enterprise and was entitled
to a more favorable tax rate of 10% for the tax year of 2017.
Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd.
Pursuant to the aforementioned Circular, the eligible software enterprises would enjoy a preferential tax rate policy, whereby the enterprise will be entitled
to
two-year
enterprise income tax exemption and reduced enterprise income tax rate of 12.5% for the three years thereafter, depending on the results of annual tax filing and examination afterwards instead of
pre-approval
process.
Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. filed for software enterprise and was exempt from income
tax for the tax year of 2017 and could be exempt from income tax for the tax year of 2018, followed by a 50% reduction in the statutory income tax rate of 25% for the years of 2019, 2020 and 2021 provided that it continues to maintain its status as
a software enterprise during each relevant tax year.
Considering the uncertainty in the results of tax filing and subsequent examination on the key
software enterprise and software enterprise status by relevant authority, Autohome WFOE, Beijing Autohome Technologies Co., Ltd. and Beijing Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. accrued the income tax expenses by applying the preferential HNTE tax rate of
15% and Chengdu Prbrownies Software Co., Ltd. accrued the income tax expenses by applying statutory tax rate of 25% for tax year of 2017.
The management
subsequently assessed and concluded that the aforementioned uncertainty was eliminated in the fourth quarter of 2018 and a reversal of RMB117,470 (US$17,085)) was recorded in 2018, composed of current income tax expense of RMB118,996 (US$17,307) and
deferred income tax benefit of RMB1,526 (US$222). A reversal of RMB173,557 and RMB158,995 was also recorded in the fourth quarter of 2016 and 2017, each composed of current income tax expense of RMB181,586 and deferred income tax expense of
RMB8,029, current income tax expense of RMB163,651 and deferred income tax expense of RMB4,656.
The basic earnings per share effects related to the
preferential tax rate were RMB2.89, RMB3.29 and RMB3.18 (US$0.46) for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The
Companys remaining PRC subsidiaries and all the VIEs were subject to Enterprise Income Tax (EIT) at a rate of 25% for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Under the New EIT Law, dividends paid by PRC enterprises out of profits earned post-2007 to
non-PRC
tax resident
investors are subject to PRC withholding tax of 10%. A lower withholding tax rate may be applied based on applicable tax treaty with certain countries.
The New EIT Law also provides that enterprises established under the laws of foreign countries or regions and whose place of effective management
is located within the PRC are considered PRC tax resident enterprises and subject to PRC income tax at the rate of 25% on worldwide income. The definition of place of effective management refers to an establishment that exercises, in
substance, overall management and control over the production and business, personnel, accounting, properties, and other aspects of an enterprise. If the Company is deemed as a PRC tax resident, it would be subject to PRC tax under the New EIT Law.
The Company has analyzed the applicability of this law and believes that the chance of being recognized as a tax resident enterprise is remote for PRC tax purposes.
F-29
The Group had minimal operations in jurisdictions other than the PRC. Income/(loss) before income tax expense
consists of:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
PRC
|
|
|
1,263,223
|
|
|
|
2,266,075
|
|
|
|
3,197,471
|
|
|
|
465,054
|
|
Non PRC
|
|
|
(14,371
|
)
|
|
|
(4,534
|
)
|
|
|
43,950
|
|
|
|
6,392
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,248,852
|
|
|
|
2,261,541
|
|
|
|
3,241,421
|
|
|
|
471,446
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The income tax expense is comprised of:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Current
|
|
|
136,429
|
|
|
|
254,803
|
|
|
|
275,779
|
|
|
|
40,111
|
|
Deferred
|
|
|
(103,800
|
)
|
|
|
12,279
|
|
|
|
102,111
|
|
|
|
14,851
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32,629
|
|
|
|
267,082
|
|
|
|
377,890
|
|
|
|
54,962
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The reconciliation of income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Income before income tax expense
|
|
|
1,248,852
|
|
|
|
2,261,541
|
|
|
|
3,241,421
|
|
|
|
471,446
|
|
Income tax expense computed at PRC statutory tax rates (25%)
|
|
|
312,213
|
|
|
|
565,385
|
|
|
|
810,355
|
|
|
|
117,861
|
|
Non-deductible
expenses
|
|
|
50,163
|
|
|
|
63,223
|
|
|
|
49,117
|
|
|
|
7,143
|
|
Research and development expenses superdeduction
|
|
|
(24,365
|
)
|
|
|
(30,806
|
)
|
|
|
(89,796
|
)
|
|
|
(13,060
|
)
|
Change in valuation allowances
|
|
|
47,006
|
|
|
|
(15,510
|
)
|
|
|
(15,285
|
)
|
|
|
(2,223
|
)
|
Outside basis difference
|
|
|
(28,265
|
)
|
|
|
7,360
|
|
|
|
8,481
|
|
|
|
1,234
|
|
Effect of international tax rate difference
|
|
|
3,593
|
|
|
|
1,133
|
|
|
|
(10,988
|
)
|
|
|
(1,598
|
)
|
Interest expense relating to unrecognized tax benefits
|
|
|
2,482
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect of preferential tax rate
|
|
|
(330,198
|
)
|
|
|
(383,039
|
)
|
|
|
(373,994
|
)
|
|
|
(54,395
|
)
|
Effect of withholding tax on dividend
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
59,336
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
32,629
|
|
|
|
267,082
|
|
|
|
377,890
|
|
|
|
54,962
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-30
Deferred tax
The significant components of deferred taxes are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Deferred tax assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Allowance for doubtful accounts
|
|
|
352
|
|
|
|
756
|
|
|
|
110
|
|
Accrued staff cost
|
|
|
1,563
|
|
|
|
1,268
|
|
|
|
184
|
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
73,500
|
|
|
|
26,061
|
|
|
|
3,790
|
|
Revenue recognition
|
|
|
48,774
|
|
|
|
5,941
|
|
|
|
865
|
|
Tax losses
|
|
|
101,746
|
|
|
|
96,025
|
|
|
|
13,966
|
|
VAT refund
|
|
|
3,842
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Less: Valuation allowances
|
|
|
(55,157
|
)
|
|
|
(39,872
|
)
|
|
|
(5,799
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total deferred tax assets
|
|
|
174,620
|
|
|
|
90,179
|
|
|
|
13,116
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred tax liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Intangible assets and internally-developed software
|
|
|
14,262
|
|
|
|
10,540
|
|
|
|
1,532
|
|
Outside basis difference and others
|
|
|
423,989
|
|
|
|
445,381
|
|
|
|
64,779
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total deferred tax liabilities
|
|
|
438,251
|
|
|
|
455,921
|
|
|
|
66,311
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In assessing the realizability of deferred tax assets, the Group has considered whether it is
more-likely-than-not
that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during
the periods in which those temporary differences become deductible. The Group records a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to a net amount that management believes is
more-likely-than-not
of
being realizable based on the weight of all available evidence. The Company recorded valuation allowances against the deferred tax assets of fourteen and eleven PRC subsidiaries and VIEs as of December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively, due to
the cumulative tax loss positions and insufficient forecasted future taxable income.
As of December 31, 2018, the Group had net operating losses of
approximately RMB384,099 (US$55,865), which can be carried forward to offset taxable income. The net operating loss will start to expire in 2019 if not utilized.
Deferred tax liabilities arising from undistributed earnings
The Enterprise Income Tax Law also imposes a withholding income tax of 10% on dividends distributed by a Foreign Invested Enterprises (FIEs) to its
immediate holding company outside of China. A lower withholding income tax rate of 5% is applied if the FIEs immediate holding company is registered in Hong Kong or other jurisdictions that have a tax treaty arrangement with China.
On November 6, 2017, the board of directors of the Company declared a special cash dividend of approximately RMB5.08 per ordinary share. The Company does
not have present plan to pay additional dividends in the foreseeable future and the board of directors of the Company currently intends to retain the remaining available funds and earnings to operate and expand the business. In 2017, The Company
accrued RMB59,336 of deferred income tax expenses associated with the expected cash dividend payment. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, the total amount of undistributed earnings from the Companys PRC subsidiaries and VIEs that are
considered to be permanently reinvested was RMB5,318,555 and RMB8,274,556 (US$1,203,484), respectively. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, determination of the amount of unrecognized deferred tax liability related to the earnings that are
indefinitely reinvested is not practical.
Unrecognized tax benefits
As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, the Company recorded an unrecognized tax benefit of RMB32,122 and RMB24,068 (US$3,501), respectively, of which nil and
nil, respectively, are presented on a net basis against the deferred tax assets related to tax loss carry forwards on the consolidated balance sheets. This represents the difference between the amount of benefit recognized in the statement of
financial position and the amount taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. It is possible that the amount of uncertain tax position will change in the next twelve months, however, an estimate of the range of the possible outcomes cannot be
made at this time. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, unrecognized tax benefits of RMB16,995 and RMB11,659 (US$1,695), respectively, if ultimately recognized, will impact the effective tax rate.
F-31
A roll-forward of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Beginning balance
|
|
|
21,902
|
|
|
|
19,047
|
|
|
|
2,770
|
|
Additions based on tax positions related to current year
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Decreases based on tax positions related to prior years
|
|
|
(2,855
|
)
|
|
|
(7,388
|
)
|
|
|
(1,075
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ending balance
|
|
|
19,047
|
|
|
|
11,659
|
|
|
|
1,695
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
During the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Company recorded late payment interest expense of RMB2,482,
nil and nil, and penalties of nil, nil and nil, respectively, as part of income tax expense. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, the Company recorded RMB13,075 and RMB12,409 (US$1,806) for late payment interest expense, and nil and nil for
penalties.
The tax years ended December 31, 2014 through 2018 for the Companys PRC subsidiaries and VIEs remain subject to examination by the
PRC tax authorities.
7.
|
PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
|
Property and equipment consist of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
At cost:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Electronic equipment
|
|
|
301,783
|
|
|
|
418,381
|
|
|
|
60,851
|
|
Office equipment
|
|
|
1,361
|
|
|
|
1,534
|
|
|
|
223
|
|
Motor vehicles
|
|
|
2,855
|
|
|
|
3,645
|
|
|
|
530
|
|
Software
|
|
|
34,310
|
|
|
|
40,255
|
|
|
|
5,855
|
|
Leasehold improvements
|
|
|
40,408
|
|
|
|
41,225
|
|
|
|
5,996
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
380,717
|
|
|
|
505,040
|
|
|
|
73,455
|
|
Less: Accumulated depreciation
|
|
|
(250,395
|
)
|
|
|
(334,842
|
)
|
|
|
(48,701
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
130,322
|
|
|
|
170,198
|
|
|
|
24,754
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation expense was RMB65,246, RMB81,915 and RMB90,270 (US$13,129) for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and
2018, respectively.
F-32
8.
|
INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET
|
The following tables present the Groups intangible assets with definite lives as of the respective balance sheet dates:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2018
|
|
|
|
Gross
Carrying
Value
|
|
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
|
|
Net Carrying
Value
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Trademarks
|
|
|
68,380
|
|
|
|
(47,868
|
)
|
|
|
20,512
|
|
|
|
2,983
|
|
Customer relationship
|
|
|
9,050
|
|
|
|
(9,050
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Websites
|
|
|
27,000
|
|
|
|
(27,000
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Domain names
|
|
|
2,021
|
|
|
|
(1,884
|
)
|
|
|
137
|
|
|
|
20
|
|
Licensing agreements
|
|
|
2,612
|
|
|
|
(2,612
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Insurance brokerage license
|
|
|
28,133
|
|
|
|
(9,378
|
)
|
|
|
18,755
|
|
|
|
2,728
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
137,196
|
|
|
|
(97,792
|
)
|
|
|
39,404
|
|
|
|
5,731
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2017
|
|
|
|
Gross
Carrying
Value
|
|
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
|
|
Net
Carrying
Value
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
Trademarks
|
|
|
68,380
|
|
|
|
(43,292
|
)
|
|
|
25,088
|
|
Customer relationship
|
|
|
9,050
|
|
|
|
(9,050
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Websites
|
|
|
27,000
|
|
|
|
(27,000
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Domain names
|
|
|
1,917
|
|
|
|
(1,870
|
)
|
|
|
47
|
|
Licensing agreements
|
|
|
2,492
|
|
|
|
(2,492
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
Insurance brokerage license
|
|
|
28,133
|
|
|
|
(2,345
|
)
|
|
|
25,788
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
136,972
|
|
|
|
(86,049
|
)
|
|
|
50,923
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Company obtained insurance brokerage license in 2017 through acquisition of Shanghai Tianhe Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd.,
which was accounted for as asset acquisition. The intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method, which is the Groups best estimate of how these assets will be economically consumed over their respective estimated useful lives
ranging from approximately 1.75 to 15 years. Amortization expense was RMB4,558, RMB6,923 and RMB11,623 (US$1,690) for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
The annual estimated amortization expenses for the acquired intangible assets for each of the next five years are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
2020
|
|
|
2021
|
|
|
2022
|
|
|
2023
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
Amortization expenses
|
|
|
11,662
|
|
|
|
11,635
|
|
|
|
9,247
|
|
|
|
4,559
|
|
|
|
2,282
|
|
As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, the Company holds several equity investments through its subsidiaries or VIEs, all of which were accounted for under the
equity method since the Company can exercise significant influence but does not own a majority equity interest in or control them.
Hunan Mango
Autohome Automobile Sales Co., Ltd. (Mango JV)
In May 2015, the Group entered into a shareholder agreement with HappiGo Home Shopping
Co. (HappiGo) to establish a strategic joint venture, Mango JV, with total capital contribution of RMB100,000, of which the Company subscribed for RMB49,000 or 49% of the ordinary shares.
F-33
9.
|
LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS (CONTINUED)
|
Shanghai Youcheyoujia Financing Co., Ltd. (Financing JV)
In September 2015, the Group signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint venture with three parties. In 2015, the Group made a full payment of
RMB75,000, for a 25% equity interest of the Financing JV. In September 2017, the Group entered into a definitive agreement to transfer all its equity interests in Financing JV to an unaffiliated party. As of December 31, 2018, the equity
transfer was completed. The difference between the selling price and carrying amount upon the completion of sales was recognized as disposal gain and recorded under earnings from equity method investments.
Visionstar Information Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (Shanghai Visionstar)
In July 2017, the Group acquired a 10% interest in Shanghai Visionstar, which primarily engages in augmented reality technology and related operations in the
PRC, with a total cash consideration of RMB30,000. The investment was accounted for using equity method as the Group determined that it can exercise significant influence over Shanghai Visionstar.
Other investments
The company also holds several other
investments in equity investees.
The carrying amount of all of the equity method investments was RMB147,929 and RMB70,979 (US$10,323) as of
December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The Company excluded the summarized information for these equity method investees as they were insignificant either individually or on an aggregated basis for all the years presented.
No impairment charges associated with the equity method investments were recognized during any of the years presented.
10.
|
OTHER
NON-CURRENT
ASSETS
|
Other
non-current
assets consist of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Convertible bond
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
675,334
|
|
|
|
98,223
|
|
Warrant
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
36,375
|
|
|
|
5,291
|
|
Others
|
|
|
17,361
|
|
|
|
21,096
|
|
|
|
3,068
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17,361
|
|
|
|
732,805
|
|
|
|
106,582
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Fair value change of the warrant was nil, nil and RMB11,017 (US$1,602) for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and
2018, respectively.
In June 2018, the Company entered into a definitive agreement with TTP Car Inc., or TTP, a company operating an online auction
platform for used automobiles, pursuant to which the Company made an investment in TTP in the form of a three year convertible bond, with an annual 8% compound interest rate, in an aggregate principal amount of US$100,000 in cash. The transaction
was successfully consummated in June 2018. The Company was granted the right (warrant), not the obligation to purchase an additional 8.0% convertible bond in an aggregate principal amount of US$65 million to be issued by TTP upon
the Companys request from time to time within three years after the after the consummation of transaction in June 2018. The conversion feature does not meet the definition of derivative and the put option (redemption right) was considered as
embedded derivatives that does not meet the criteria to be bifurcated and accounted for together with the convertible bond itself. The warrant for the subscription of additional convertible bond was considered as a freestanding financial instrument
and was accounted for at fair value with the change in fair value recognized in earnings.
F-34
10.
|
OTHER
NON-CURRENT
ASSETS (CONTINUED)
|
To estimate the fair value of the warrant, Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model was used in the valuation, with
the following assumptions:
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2018
|
Risk-free interest rate
|
|
2.5%
|
Exercise price
|
|
US$65,000
|
Dividend yield
|
|
0.00%
|
Expected time to exercise (years)
|
|
2.4
|
Asset volatility
|
|
25.0%
|
11.
|
ACCRUED EXPENSES AND OTHER PAYABLES
|
The components of accrued expenses and other payables are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
VAT and surcharges payable
|
|
|
88,435
|
|
|
|
156,045
|
|
|
|
22,696
|
|
Payroll and welfare payable
|
|
|
409,691
|
|
|
|
574,389
|
|
|
|
83,541
|
|
Accrued rebates
|
|
|
646,922
|
|
|
|
880,624
|
|
|
|
128,081
|
|
Deposit from customers
|
|
|
46,321
|
|
|
|
80,385
|
|
|
|
11,692
|
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
328,315
|
|
|
|
571,625
|
|
|
|
83,139
|
|
Payable for purchase of fixed assets
|
|
|
6,303
|
|
|
|
27,132
|
|
|
|
3,946
|
|
Professional service fees
|
|
|
5,236
|
|
|
|
9,206
|
|
|
|
1,339
|
|
Payable for exercise of share-based awards
|
|
|
5,735
|
|
|
|
39,500
|
|
|
|
5,745
|
|
Others
|
|
|
121,976
|
|
|
|
101,042
|
|
|
|
14,696
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,658,934
|
|
|
|
2,439,948
|
|
|
|
354,875
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12.
|
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
|
|
|
|
Name of related parties
|
|
Relationship with the Group
|
Ping An and its subsidiaries (Ping An Group)
|
|
The Companys controlling shareholder and its subsidiaries
|
Mango JV
|
|
An equity-method investee of the Companys subsidiary
|
Ping An became the Companys controlling shareholder in June 2016 and therefore Ping An Group became the Companys
related party since then. The following related party transactions represent the transactions occurred afterwards.
During the years ended
December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, related party transactions were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Sales of new vehicles to Ping An Group
|
|
|
21,938
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Services provided to Ping An Group (a)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
21,171
|
|
|
|
473,466
|
|
|
|
68,863
|
|
Services provided to other related parties
|
|
|
5,064
|
|
|
|
1,768
|
|
|
|
124
|
|
|
|
18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net revenues from related parties
|
|
|
27,002
|
|
|
|
22,939
|
|
|
|
473,590
|
|
|
|
68,881
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Services provided by Ping An Group (b)
|
|
|
21,594
|
|
|
|
55,220
|
|
|
|
88,658
|
|
|
|
12,894
|
|
Services provided by other related parties
|
|
|
4,603
|
|
|
|
2,644
|
|
|
|
10,415
|
|
|
|
1,515
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenues and operating expenses from related parties
|
|
|
26,197
|
|
|
|
57,864
|
|
|
|
99,073
|
|
|
|
14,409
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest income from Ping An Group
|
|
|
3,564
|
|
|
|
35,049
|
|
|
|
50,968
|
|
|
|
7,413
|
|
F-35
12.
|
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (CONTINUED)
|
As of December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018, balances with related parties were as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31, 2017
|
|
|
December 31, 2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Amounts due from related parties, current
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ping An Group (c)
|
|
|
21,014
|
|
|
|
34,018
|
|
|
|
4,948
|
|
Mango JV
|
|
|
3,425
|
|
|
|
29
|
|
|
|
4
|
|
Other related parties
|
|
|
63
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,502
|
|
|
|
34,047
|
|
|
|
4,952
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amounts due from related parties,
non-current
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ping An Group (c)
|
|
|
10,956
|
|
|
|
2,041
|
|
|
|
297
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,956
|
|
|
|
2,041
|
|
|
|
297
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Amounts due to related parties
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ping An Group (d)
|
|
|
1,101
|
|
|
|
19,463
|
|
|
|
2,831
|
|
Mango JV
|
|
|
9,049
|
|
|
|
208
|
|
|
|
30
|
|
Other related parties
|
|
|
135
|
|
|
|
197
|
|
|
|
29
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,285
|
|
|
|
19,868
|
|
|
|
2,890
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(a)
|
The amount represents the commission fee for transaction facilitation service on financial product including
loan, leasing and insurance products and advertising service provided to Ping An Group.
|
(b)
|
The amount represents rental and property management services, technical services and other miscellaneous
services provided by Ping An Group.
|
(c)
|
Receivable from Ping An Group primarily consists of deposit in relation to the operating lease and other
agreements, service fee receivable, and interest receivable from cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments held at Ping An Group. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018, the Group had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of
RMB1,374,574 and RMB1,117,132 (US$162,480) at Ping An Group, respectively.
|
(d)
|
The outstanding payable to Ping An Group primarily consists of payable for purchase of technical service and
other miscellaneous services.
|
13.
|
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
|
Operating lease commitments
The Group leases
office space and employee accommodation in the PRC under
non-cancellable
operating leases expiring on various dates. Payments under operating leases are expensed on a straight-line basis, after considering
rent holidays, over the periods of the respective lease terms. The terms of the leases do not contain rent escalation or contingent rents, and for the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, total rental expenses for all operating leases
amounted to RMB84,673, RMB95,654 and RMB100,006 (US$14,545) respectively.
As of December 31, 2018, the Group has future minimum lease payments under
non-cancellable
operating leases, with initial terms in excess of one year, for office premises consisting of the following:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
2019
|
|
|
109,194
|
|
|
|
15,882
|
|
2020
|
|
|
39,898
|
|
|
|
5,803
|
|
2021 and thereafter
|
|
|
1,601
|
|
|
|
233
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
150,693
|
|
|
|
21,918
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Legal proceedings
From time to time, the Group is subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. The Group does not believe that any currently
pending legal proceeding to which the Group is a party will have a material effect on its business, balance sheets, and results of operations or cash flows.
F-36
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Content-related costs
|
|
|
269,313
|
|
|
|
390,885
|
|
|
|
441,459
|
|
|
|
64,208
|
|
Depreciation and amortization
|
|
|
42,570
|
|
|
|
41,579
|
|
|
|
41,600
|
|
|
|
6,050
|
|
Bandwidth and internet data center
|
|
|
51,766
|
|
|
|
89,889
|
|
|
|
105,313
|
|
|
|
15,317
|
|
VAT and surcharges
(1)
|
|
|
349,373
|
|
|
|
484,811
|
|
|
|
231,916
|
|
|
|
33,731
|
|
Cost of sales
(1)
|
|
|
1,680,143
|
|
|
|
351,521
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,393,165
|
|
|
|
1,358,685
|
|
|
|
820,288
|
|
|
|
119,306
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) Due to adoption of the new revenue standard, the operating results for the year ended December 31, 2018 were
presented on a net basis, with the net revenues and cost of revenues excluding VAT, while those for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2017 have not been restated and were presented on a gross basis with the net revenues and cost of revenues
including VAT.
Write-down of inventories and prepayment for vehicle purchase cost of RMB50,190, RMB1,483 and nil was included in cost of sales for the
years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Upon the effectiveness of the IPO registration statement, the Companys ordinary shares were redeemed and cancelled in consideration for the issuance of
an equivalent number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares to the holders of former ordinary shares, respectively. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares have the same rights except for
conversion and voting rights. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time, while Class A ordinary shares cannot be converted into Class B ordinary shares under any circumstances. Each
Class A ordinary share is entitled to one vote.
Immediately prior to the completion of the IPO in December 2013, the Company had 27,354,496
Class A ordinary shares and 68,788,940 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. During the IPO, the Company issued 8,993,000 Class A ordinary shares. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had ordinary shares outstanding comprised of
36,347,496 Class A ordinary shares and 68,788,940 Class B ordinary shares.
Upon the completion of
follow-on
offering in November, 2014, 2,424,801 ADSs were issued by the Company and 6,964,612 Class B ordinary shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares, and the net proceeds from the
follow-on
offering amounted to US$97,344, net of issuance costs. Each ADS represents one ordinary share. In June 2016, Telstra completed the sale of approximately 47.4% of the then Companys total issued and
outstanding shares to Yun Chen Capital Cayman, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ping An. Upon the completion of sale, all of the Companys remaining Class B ordinary shares were converted into Class A ordinary shares. On February 22,
2017, Ping An further acquired from Telstra approximately 6.5% of the then total issued shares in the Company. There were 61,824,328, nil and nil class B ordinary shares converted into Class A ordinary shares for the years ended
December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. As of December 31, 2018, the Company had ordinary shares outstanding, all comprised of 118,056,345 Class A ordinary shares.
16.
|
RESTRICTED NET ASSETS
|
The Companys ability to pay dividends is primarily dependent on the Company receiving distributions of funds from its subsidiaries. Relevant PRC
statutory laws and regulations permit payments of dividends by the Companys PRC subsidiaries only out of its retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. The results of operations
reflected in the consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S.GAAP differ from those reflected in the statutory financial statements of the Companys PRC subsidiaries.
Under PRC law, the Companys PRC subsidiaries are required to provide for certain statutory reserves, namely a general reserve, an enterprise expansion
fund and a staff welfare and bonus fund. The subsidiary is required to allocate at least 10% of their after tax profits on an individual company basis as determined under PRC accounting standards to the general reserve and has the right to
discontinue allocations to the general reserve if such reserve has reached 50% of registered capital on an individual company basis.
F-37
16.
|
RESTRICTED NET ASSETS (CONTINUED)
|
Appropriations to the enterprise expansion fund and staff welfare and bonus fund are at the discretion of the
Board of Directors of the subsidiary. The Companys VIEs in the PRC are also subject to similar statutory reserve requirements. These reserves can only be used for specific purposes and are not transferable to the Group in the form of loans,
advances or cash dividends. As of December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Companys PRC subsidiaries and VIEs had appropriated RMB36,000, RMB51,847 and RMB75,929 (US$11,043), respectively, of retained earnings for its statutory reserves.
As a result of these PRC laws and regulations subject to the limit discussed above that require annual appropriations of 10% of
after-tax
income to be set aside, prior to payment of dividends as general reserve fund, the Companys PRC subsidiaries and VIEs are restricted in their ability to transfer a portion of their net assets to the
Company. Foreign exchange and other regulations in the PRC may further restrict the Companys PRC subsidiaries and VIEs from transferring funds to the Company in the form of dividends, loans and advances. As of December 31, 2017 and 2018,
amounts restricted are the net assets of the Companys PRC subsidiaries and VIEs, which amounted to RMB6,789,409 and RMB9,747,124 (US$1,417,660), respectively.
The Company performed a test on the restricted net assets of its consolidated subsidiaries and VIEs in accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission
Regulation
S-X
Rule
4-08
(e)(3), General Notes to the Financial Statements and concluded that it was applicable for the Company to disclose the condensed
financial information for the parent company (Note 19) for the year ended December 31, 2018. For the purposes of presenting parent only financial information, the Company records its investments in its subsidiaries and VIEs under the equity
method of accounting. Such investments are presented on the separate condensed balance sheets of the Company as Investments in subsidiaries and VIEs and the profit of the subsidiaries and VIEs is included in Share of income of
subsidiaries and VIEs in the condensed statements of comprehensive income.
Basic and diluted earnings per share for each of the years presented are calculated as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares
|
|
|
Ordinary shares
|
|
|
Ordinary shares
|
|
|
Ordinary shares
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Basic earnings per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Numerator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
417,573
|
|
Denominator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding
|
|
|
114,237,600
|
|
|
|
116,379,846
|
|
|
|
117,671,971
|
|
|
|
117,671,971
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic earnings per share
|
|
|
10.75
|
|
|
|
17.20
|
|
|
|
24.40
|
|
|
|
3.55
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted earnings per share:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Numerator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
417,573
|
|
Denominator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding
|
|
|
114,237,600
|
|
|
|
116,379,846
|
|
|
|
117,671,971
|
|
|
|
117,671,971
|
|
Dilutive effect of share-based awards
|
|
|
1,798,727
|
|
|
|
1,679,010
|
|
|
|
1,563,408
|
|
|
|
1,563,408
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted average number of shares outstanding-diluted
|
|
|
116,036,327
|
|
|
|
118,058,856
|
|
|
|
119,235,379
|
|
|
|
119,235,379
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diluted earnings per share
|
|
|
10.58
|
|
|
|
16.95
|
|
|
|
24.08
|
|
|
|
3.50
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The effects of 831,042, 272,421 and 159,033 stock options were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as
their effect would have been anti-dilutive during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The effects of 354,423, 201,432 and 254,829 restricted shares were excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share as
their effect would have been anti-dilutive during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively.
F-38
18.
|
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
|
In order to provide additional incentives to employees and to promote the success of the Companys business, the Company adopted a share incentive plan in
2011 (the 2011 Plan) and a share incentive plan in 2013 (the 2013 Plan), Amended and Restated 2016 Share Incentive Plan (the 2016 Plan) and 2016 Share Incentive Plan II (the 2016 Plan II) in 2016,
collectively the Plans. The Company may grant share-based awards to its employees, directors and consultants to purchase an aggregate of no more than 7,843,100, 3,350,000, 4,890,000 and 3,000,000 ordinary shares of the Company under the
2011 Plan, 2013 Plan, 2016 Plan and 2016 Plan II, respectively. 2011 Plan, 2013 Plan, 2016 Plan and 2016 Plan II were approved by the Board of Directors in May 2011, November 2013, March 2017 and December 2016, respectively. The Plans are
administered by the Board of Directors or any of its committees as set forth in the Plans. For share options and restricted shares granted under the Plans, majority are subject to vesting schedules of approximately four years with 25% of the awards
vesting each year and have a contractual term of ten years.
Share options
The following table summarizes the Companys employee share option activity under the share option plans:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number of
options
|
|
|
Weighted
average
exercise
price
|
|
|
Weighted
average
grant
date fair
value
|
|
|
Weighted
average
remaining
contractual
term
|
|
|
Aggregate
intrinsic
value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
US$
|
|
|
Years
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Outstanding, January 1, 2018
|
|
|
1,587,614
|
|
|
|
24.88
|
|
|
|
19.67
|
|
|
|
8.53
|
|
|
|
63,190
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
355,545
|
|
|
|
74.30
|
|
|
|
52.60
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercised
|
|
|
(395,633
|
)
|
|
|
19.42
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Forfeited
|
|
|
(124,875
|
)
|
|
|
23.49
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding, December 31, 2018
|
|
|
1,422,651
|
|
|
|
38.87
|
|
|
|
29.66
|
|
|
|
8.26
|
|
|
|
56,505
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2018
|
|
|
1,385,958
|
|
|
|
38.98
|
|
|
|
29.75
|
|
|
|
8.26
|
|
|
|
54,877
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercisable as of December 31, 2018
|
|
|
293,381
|
|
|
|
23.41
|
|
|
|
20.62
|
|
|
|
7.30
|
|
|
|
16,084
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The aggregate intrinsic value in the table above is calculated as the difference between the exercise price of the underlying
awards and US$78.23, the closing stock price of the Companys ordinary shares on December 31, 2018. The weighted-average grant-date fair value of options granted during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 was US$14.62,
US$30.23 and US$52.60, respectively. The total grant date fair value of options vested during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 was RMB25,168, RMB64,334 and RMB63,708 (US$9,266), respectively. Total intrinsic value of options
exercised during the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 was RMB246,754, RMB257,025 and RMB189,564 (US$27,571), respectively.
The aggregate
fair value of the outstanding options at the grant dates were determined to be RMB290,077 (US$42,190) and such amount shall be recognized as compensation expenses using the straight-line method for all employee share options granted with graded
vesting. As of December 31, 2018, there was RMB196,997 (US$28,652) of total unrecognized share-based compensation expenses, net of estimated forfeitures, related to unvested share-based awards which are expected to be recognized over a
weighted-average period of 2.71 years. Total unrecognized compensation expenses may be adjusted for future changes in estimated forfeitures.
Restricted shares
Restricted shares activity for the
year ended December 31, 2018 was as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number
of shares
|
|
|
Weighted
average grant
date fair
value
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Outstanding, January 1, 2018
|
|
|
1,651,008
|
|
|
|
29.95
|
|
Granted
|
|
|
493,848
|
|
|
|
91.00
|
|
Vested
|
|
|
(519,856
|
)
|
|
|
29.81
|
|
Forfeited
|
|
|
(294,938
|
)
|
|
|
40.80
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Outstanding, December 31, 2018
|
|
|
1,330,062
|
|
|
|
50.27
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Expected to vest, December 31, 2018
|
|
|
1,267,046
|
|
|
|
50.26
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-39
18.
|
SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION (CONTINUED)
|
The weighted average grant-date fair value of restricted shares granted during the years ended
December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 was US$22.30, US$34.63 and US$91.00, respectively, which was derived from the fair value of the underlying ordinary shares. The total grant date fair value of restricted shares vested during the years ended
December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 was RMB131,861, RMB140,887 and RMB106,563 (US$15,499). The aggregate fair value of the outstanding restricted shares at the grant dates were determined to be RMB459,710 (US$66,862) and such amount shall be
recognized as compensation expense using the straight-line method for all restricted shares granted with graded vesting. As of December 31, 2018, there was RMB353,277 (US$51,382) of total unrecognized share-based compensation expenses, net of
estimated forfeitures, related to unvested restricted shares which are expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.93 years. Total unrecognized compensation expenses may be adjusted for future changes in estimated forfeitures.
The binomial option pricing model was applied in determining the estimated fair value of the options granted to employees. The model requires the input of
highly subjective assumptions including the estimated expected stock price volatility and the exercise multiple for which employees are likely to exercise share options. For expected volatilities, the Company has made reference to the historical
price volatilities of ordinary shares of several comparable companies in the same industry as the Company. The exercise multiple is estimated as the ratio of fair value of underlying shares over the exercise price as at the time the option is
exercised and is based on a consideration of research study regarding exercise pattern based on historical statistical data. The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury Bills yield curve in
effect at the time of grant. The Companys management is ultimately responsible for the determination of the estimated fair value of its ordinary shares. Subsequent to the IPO, fair value of the ordinary shares was the price of the
Companys publicly traded shares.
In November 2016, the Company approved the vesting acceleration plan of options and restricted shares for certain
employees and incremental compensation cost of RMB53,896 occurred as a result of the modification.
The Company calculated the estimated fair value of the
share-based awards on the respective grant dates using the binomial option pricing model with the following assumptions:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
2017
|
|
2018
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
RMB
|
|
RMB
|
Fair value of ordinary share
|
|
US$23.76-US$24.88
|
|
US$45.36-US$54.84
|
|
US$63.91-US$98.31
|
Risk-free interest rates
|
|
1.70%-1.75%
|
|
2.30%-2.44%
|
|
2.42%-3.09%
|
Expected exercise multiple
|
|
2.2-2.8
|
|
2.2-2.8
|
|
2.2-2.8
|
Expected volatility
|
|
63%
|
|
57%-60%
|
|
52%-60%
|
Expected dividend yield
|
|
0.00%
|
|
0.00%
|
|
0.00%
|
Weighted average fair value per option granted
|
|
US$14.12-US$15.26
|
|
US$27.05-US$33.73
|
|
US$40.71-US$78.09
|
Share-based compensation expenses relating to options and restricted shares granted to employees recognized for the years
ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018 is as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Cost of revenues
|
|
|
12,310
|
|
|
|
15,166
|
|
|
|
16,112
|
|
|
|
2,343
|
|
Sales and marketing expenses
|
|
|
50,814
|
|
|
|
53,064
|
|
|
|
61,599
|
|
|
|
8,959
|
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
77,965
|
|
|
|
59,954
|
|
|
|
55,992
|
|
|
|
8,144
|
|
Product development expenses
|
|
|
54,304
|
|
|
|
49,602
|
|
|
|
68,622
|
|
|
|
9,981
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
195,393
|
|
|
|
177,786
|
|
|
|
202,325
|
|
|
|
29,427
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-40
19.
|
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY
|
CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December 31,
|
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents
|
|
|
31,781
|
|
|
|
18,168
|
|
|
|
2,642
|
|
Short-term investments
|
|
|
699,159
|
|
|
|
272,332
|
|
|
|
39,609
|
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
|
|
|
23,315
|
|
|
|
13,752
|
|
|
|
2,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current assets
|
|
|
754,255
|
|
|
|
304,252
|
|
|
|
44,251
|
|
Non-current
assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
non-current
assets
|
|
|
3,816
|
|
|
|
713,854
|
|
|
|
103,826
|
|
Investment in subsidiaries and VIEs
|
|
|
7,798,858
|
|
|
|
10,167,881
|
|
|
|
1,478,857
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
non-current
assets
|
|
|
7,802,674
|
|
|
|
10,881,735
|
|
|
|
1,582,683
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total assets
|
|
|
8,556,929
|
|
|
|
11,185,987
|
|
|
|
1,626,934
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY
Current liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued expenses and other payables
|
|
|
6,932
|
|
|
|
50,709
|
|
|
|
7,375
|
|
Dividend payable
|
|
|
595,779
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Due to subsidiaries
|
|
|
2,581
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total current liabilities
|
|
|
605,292
|
|
|
|
50,709
|
|
|
|
7,375
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities
|
|
|
605,292
|
|
|
|
50,709
|
|
|
|
7,375
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments and Contingencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shareholders equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares (par value of US$0.01 per share; 100,000,000,000 (including 99,931,211,060
Class A and 68,788,940 Class B ) shares authorized; 117,140,856 and 118,056,345 shares issued and outstanding, all comprised of Class A, as of December 31, 2017 and 2018, respectively)
|
|
|
7,909
|
|
|
|
7,969
|
|
|
|
1,159
|
|
Additional
paid-in
capital
|
|
|
3,246,475
|
|
|
|
3,500,620
|
|
|
|
509,144
|
|
Accumulated other comprehensive income
|
|
|
69,954
|
|
|
|
128,375
|
|
|
|
18,671
|
|
Retained earnings
|
|
|
4,627,299
|
|
|
|
7,498,314
|
|
|
|
1,090,585
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders equity
|
|
|
7,951,637
|
|
|
|
11,135,278
|
|
|
|
1,619,559
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total liabilities and shareholders equity
|
|
|
8,556,929
|
|
|
|
11,185,987
|
|
|
|
1,626,934
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
F-41
19.
|
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION OF THE PARENT COMPANY (CONTINUED)
|
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Operating expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
General and administrative expenses
|
|
|
(20,533
|
)
|
|
|
(13,334
|
)
|
|
|
(14,797
|
)
|
|
|
(2,152
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating losses
|
|
|
(20,533
|
)
|
|
|
(13,334
|
)
|
|
|
(14,797
|
)
|
|
|
(2,152
|
)
|
Interest income
|
|
|
7,492
|
|
|
|
13,441
|
|
|
|
45,023
|
|
|
|
6,548
|
|
Fair value change of other
non-current
assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11,017
|
)
|
|
|
(1,602
|
)
|
Share of income of subsidiaries and VIEs
|
|
|
1,240,955
|
|
|
|
2,001,512
|
|
|
|
2,851,806
|
|
|
|
414,779
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income before income taxes
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
417,573
|
|
Income tax expense
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net income
|
|
|
1,227,914
|
|
|
|
2,001,619
|
|
|
|
2,871,015
|
|
|
|
417,573
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax of nil
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Foreign currency translation adjustments
|
|
|
62,256
|
|
|
|
(55,055
|
)
|
|
|
58,421
|
|
|
|
8,497
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comprehensive income
|
|
|
1,290,170
|
|
|
|
1,946,564
|
|
|
|
2,929,436
|
|
|
|
426,070
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
|
2016
|
|
|
2017
|
|
|
2018
|
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
US$
|
|
Net cash (used in)/generated from operating activities
|
|
|
(23,846
|
)
|
|
|
(8,303
|
)
|
|
|
14,214
|
|
|
|
2,067
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash (used in)/generated from investing activities
|
|
|
(86,743
|
)
|
|
|
(77,005
|
)
|
|
|
515,101
|
|
|
|
74,918
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net cash generated from/(used in) financing activities
|
|
|
25,420
|
|
|
|
61,070
|
|
|
|
(543,968
|
)
|
|
|
(79,116
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
|
|
|
5,864
|
|
|
|
(1,486
|
)
|
|
|
1,040
|
|
|
|
151
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash
|
|
|
(79,305
|
)
|
|
|
(25,724
|
)
|
|
|
(13,613
|
)
|
|
|
(1,980
|
)
|
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of year
|
|
|
136,810
|
|
|
|
57,505
|
|
|
|
31,781
|
|
|
|
4,622
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of year
|
|
|
57,505
|
|
|
|
31,781
|
|
|
|
18,168
|
|
|
|
2,642
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the Company only condensed financial information, the Company records its investment in its subsidiaries and VIEs under the equity method of accounting as
prescribed in ASC
323-10
, Investments-Equity Method and Joint Ventures: Overall.
Such investment is presented on the condensed balance sheets as Investment in subsidiaries and VIEs and share
of their income as Share of income of subsidiaries and VIEs on the condensed statements of comprehensive income. The parent companys condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Companys consolidated
financial statements.
The Company does not have any significant commitments or long-term obligations as of any of the years presented.
F-42