BEIJING, Sept. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Bitauto Holdings Limited (“Bitauto” or the “Company”) (NYSE: BITA), a leading provider of internet content & marketing services, and transaction services for China’s automotive industry, today announced it has called an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the “EGM”), to be held on October 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. (China Standard Time), at JingAn Kerry Centre, Tower II, 46th Floor, 1539 Nanjing West Road, Shanghai 200040, China, to consider and vote on, among other things, the proposal to authorize and approve the previously announced agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”) , dated June 12, 2020, among the Company, Yiche Holding Limited (“Parent”), and Yiche Mergersub Limited, a wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”), the plan of merger required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands (the “Plan of Merger”) and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger.
According to the Merger Agreement and the Plan of Merger, at the effective time of the merger, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company and cease to exist, with the Company being the surviving company and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. If consummated, the merger would result in the Company becoming a privately held company, and its American depositary shares (each representing one Class A ordinary share, par value US$0.00004 per share) (the “ADSs”) would no longer be listed or traded on the New York Stock Exchange or any other stock exchange, and the Company’s ADS program would be terminated. In addition, the Company’s ADSs and Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs would cease to be registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 following the consummation of the merger.
The Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a committee of independent directors established by the Board, authorized and approved the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger, and recommends that the Company’s shareholders and ADS holders vote FOR, among other things, the proposal to authorize and approve the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the merger.
Shareholders of record at the close of business in the Cayman Islands on October 9, 2020 will be entitled to attend and vote at the EGM and any adjournment thereof. ADS holders as of the close of business in New York City on September 21, 2020 will be entitled to instruct Citibank, N.A., the ADS depositary, to vote the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs at the EGM.
Additional information regarding the EGM and the Merger Agreement can be found in the transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 and the definitive proxy statement attached as Exhibit (a)-(1) thereto, as amended, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), which can be obtained, along with other filings containing information about the Company, the proposed merger and related matters, without charge, from the SEC’s website www.sec.gov. Requests for additional copies of the definitive proxy statement should be directed to Innisfree M&A Incorporated, the Company’s proxy solicitor, at +1-888-750-5834 (toll free in the United States) or +1-412-232-3651 (outside the United States).
SHAREHOLDERS AND ADS HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY THESE MATERIALS AND OTHER MATERIALS FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS.
The Company and certain of its directors and executive officers may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be “participants” in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders with respect to the proposed Merger. Information regarding the persons who may be considered “participants” in the solicitation of proxies is set forth in the Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement relating to the proposed Merger and the definitive proxy statement attached thereto. Further information regarding persons who may be deemed participants, including any direct or indirect interests they may have, is also set forth in the definitive proxy statement.
This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities or a solicitation of any proxy, vote or approval with respect to the proposed transaction or otherwise, nor shall it be a substitute for any proxy statement or other filings that have been or will be made with the SEC.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that express the Company’s current opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Act”). These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “if,” “will,” “expected” and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include: uncertainties as to how the Company’s shareholders will vote at the meeting of shareholders; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the possibility that financing may not be available; the possibility that various closing conditions for the transaction may not be satisfied or waived; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed with the SEC by the Company, as well as the Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement and the proxy statement filed by the Company. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s expectations as of the date of this press release. You should not rely upon these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.
About Bitauto Holdings Limited
Bitauto Holdings Limited (NYSE: BITA) is a leading provider of internet content & marketing services, and transaction services for China’s automotive industry. Bitauto’s business consists of three segments: advertising and subscription business, transaction services business and digital marketing solutions business.
Bitauto’s advertising and subscription business provides a variety of advertising services to automakers through the bitauto.com website and corresponding mobile apps which provide consumers with up-to-date automobile pricing and promotional information, specifications, reviews and consumer feedback. Bitauto also provides transaction-focused online advertisements and services for promotional activities to its business partners, including automakers, automobile dealers, auto finance partners and insurance companies. Bitauto offers subscription services via its SaaS platform, which provides web-based and mobile-based integrated digital marketing solutions to new car automobile dealers in China. The SaaS platform enables automobile dealer subscribers to create their own online showrooms, list pricing and promotional information, provide automobile dealer contact information, place advertisements and manage customer relationships to help them reach a broad set of purchase-minded customers and effectively market their automobiles to consumers online.
Bitauto’s transaction services business is primarily conducted by its controlled subsidiary, Yixin Group Limited (SEHK: 2858), a leading online automobile finance transaction platform in China, which provides transaction platform services as well as self-operated financing services.
Bitauto’s digital marketing solutions business provides automakers with one-stop digital marketing solutions, including website creation and maintenance, online public relations, online marketing campaigns, advertising agent services, big data applications and digital image creation.
For more information, please visit ir.bitauto.com.
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
Suki Li
Bitauto Holdings Limited
Phone: +86-10-6849-2145
ir@bitauto.com
Philip Lisio
Foote Group
Phone: +86-10-8429-9544
bitauto@thefootegroup.com
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