Mercedes-Benz acquires stake in Chinese autonomous driving developer for US$191 million

Acquisition Details - Mercedes-Benz completed the acquisition of a 3% stake in Chongqing Qianli Technology, valued at 1.34 billion yuan (US$191 million) [1] - The transaction involved Mercedes-Benz Digital Technology and Shanghai-listed Lifan Holdings, which transferred 135.6 million shares at 9.87 yuan per share [1] Stakeholder Changes - Prior to the transaction, Lifan Holdings held over 5% of Qianli's shares; post-acquisition, Mercedes-Benz became Qianli's fifth largest stakeholder [2] - The share transfer will not change the controlling shareholders or actual controllers of Qianli, nor will it affect the offer for acquisition [3] Strategic Intent - Mercedes-Benz is committed to maintaining its shareholding in Qianli for at least 12 months, indicating a long-term strategic interest [3] - This acquisition reflects Mercedes-Benz's efforts to strengthen ties and strategic collaborations in the Chinese automotive market, the largest in the world [3] AI Integration - Mercedes-Benz, along with Tesla and Volvo, became one of the first foreign carmakers approved to deploy AI chatbots in vehicles in China, signaling a potential acceleration in the regulatory process for AI services [4][5] - The "Mercedes-Benz virtual assistant" was registered as a generative AI service by the Cyberspace Administration of China's Beijing branch [5] Company Background - Lifan Holdings, originally a motorcycle manufacturer, has diversified into automobile components and has received investments from a private equity fund linked to Geely and the Chongqing municipal government [6] - The chairman of Lifan Holdings, Yin Qi, co-founded the AI firm Megvii, which is backed by Alibaba Group [7]