EHang Announces Strategic Partnership and Investment with Qingdao West Coast New Area
24 December 2022 - 12:00AM
EHang Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: EH) (“EHang” or the “Company”), the
world’s leading autonomous aerial vehicle (“AAV”) technology
platform company, today announced its strategic partnership with
Qingdao West Coast New Area, one of China’s national new areas in
Shandong province. This partnership comes with a binding
US$10,000,000 equity investment and a potential additional
investment of US$10,000,000 in the future.
Through this strategic partnership, EHang plans
to develop its AAV business and the urban air mobility (“UAM”)
industry and market in Qingdao with the goal to make Qingdao a
world-class UAM application demonstration area. Additionally, EHang
intends to establish a Northeast Asia regional headquarters as well
as a national firefighting business center in Qingdao West Coast
New Area. Qingdao West Coast New Area will facilitate the local
governments’ applications of EHang’s full range of products while
providing comprehensive support to the Company’s local business
operations, sales and services, production and infrastructure
construction, among other things.
As part of this partnership, Qingdao West Coast
New Area’s investment arm will initially invest a total
of US$10,000,000 in the Company through a private placement of
newly issued Class A ordinary shares of the Company. The purchase
price for each Class A ordinary share is calculated based on the
average of the closing sales prices of the Company’s American
depositary shares (“ADS”) for the 30 trading days immediately
preceding the signing of the share subscription agreement on
December 21, 2022. Each ADS represents two Class A ordinary shares
of the Company. The Company intends to use the proceeds for its
working capital and general corporate purposes.
The private placement is expected to close in
the first quarter of 2023, subject to the receipt of certain
investment-related regulatory approvals and clearances in China and
the satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. Pending the
closing of the private placement, the investor has made available
to the Company the RMB equivalent of the purchase price as interim
funding at no cost, and the Company intends to use such funds for
its working capital and general corporate purposes until closing.
The issuance of the Class A ordinary shares will be made in
reliance on, and in compliance with Regulation S under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended. This press release shall not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy,
nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or
jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
In addition, Qingdao West Coast New Area and/or
certain of its affiliates have indicated an interest in subscribing
for additional Class A ordinary shares of the Company for an
aggregate purchase price of up to US$10,000,000, on such terms and
conditions (including subscription price) as the parties shall
further discuss and agree upon in the future. However, because
indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments
to purchase, Qingdao West Coast New Area and/or certain of its
affiliates may determine to purchase fewer securities than they
indicate an interest in purchasing or not to purchase any
securities at all.
“EHang is a global leader in the eVTOL sector
ranging from hardware to software. Its AAV products and fleet
operations are fully in line with Qingdao’s development
requirements for smart, eco-friendly and highly efficient UAM
solutions. We believe it will be a ‘win-win’ cooperation with our
joint efforts to advance high-end industries and aviation sectors
in Qingdao and to create a beneficial UAM industrial ecosystem,”
said Guilong Shi, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee
of Qingdao West Coast New Area.
Xin Fang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang,
commented, “This strategic investment and business partnership is a
significant milestone for EHang’s long-term growth. With more
funding and strong product demands in the Qingdao local market,
which is estimated to reach the level of RMB100 million in two
years, EHang expects to accelerate the development of Qingdao’s AAV
industry through new aviation business and low-altitude economy. We
believe our cooperation will propel Qingdao to be a world-class,
innovative UAM application demonstration area with comprehensive
AAV industrial chains and commercial operations.”
About EHang Holdings
LimitedEHang Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: EH) is the world's
leading autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology platform
company. Our mission is to make safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly
air mobility accessible to everyone. EHang provides customers in
various industries with AAV products and commercial solutions: air
mobility (including passenger transportation and logistics), smart
city management, and aerial media solutions. As the forerunner of
cutting-edge AAV technologies and commercial solutions in the
global Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry, EHang continues to
explore the boundaries of the sky to make flying technologies
benefit our life in smart cities. For more information, please
visit www.ehang.com.
Safe Harbor StatementThis press
release contains statements that may constitute “forward-looking”
statements pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as
“will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “aims,” “future,” “intends,”
“plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “likely to” and similar
statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including
statements about management’s beliefs and expectations, are
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve
inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause
actual results to differ materially from those contained in any
forward-looking statement, including but not limited to those
relating to EH216-S Type Certification, our expectations regarding
demand for, and market acceptance of, our AAV products and
solutions and the commercialization of UAM services, our
relationships with strategic partners, and current litigation and
potential litigation involving us. Management has based these
forward-looking statements on its current expectations,
assumptions, estimates and projections. While they believe these
expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are
reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions
and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of
which are beyond management's control. These statements involve
risks and uncertainties that may cause EHang's actual results,
performance or achievements to differ materially from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these
forward-looking statements.
Investor Contact:
ir@ehang.com Media Contact:
pr@ehang.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/df25e28d-17dc-4e0f-9a2f-cd3aa9147819
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