Chinese carmaker Li Auto set to offer secondary listing in Hong Kong as a hedge against geopolitical risks between America and China.
Automobile manufacturer Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), is going ahead with a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) despite regulatory crackdowns in the country. The Chinese electric vehicle startup, which is already listed on the NASDAQ, is looking to raise $1.93 billion. It plans to do this by offering 100 million Class A ordinary shares to investors at 150 Hong Kong dollars or $19.29. Li Auto plans to funnel the proceeds from its share offering into research and development of technology and future models. The automobile company is also looking to scale production and increase retail activities around its products.
Li Auto will announce a final price on August 6th amid the crackdown on Chinese listings. The recent regulatory actions have sparked a huge recent sell-off in Chinese technology stocks. The sell-off has affected everything from food delivery to ride-hailing.
The Chinese government looks to tighten its grip over Chinese technology companies in a bid to avoid a tech-led bubble bursting. This comes on the back of the US SEC imposing stricter listing requirements for Chinese-based companies in America. Amid the excitement and uncertainty of the crackdown, Chinese electric vehicle makers are also looking to capitalize.
Li Auto Is One of Many Chinese Tech Companies with Secondary Listings in Hong Kong
Several Chinese companies already listed on Wall Street have secondary listings in Hong Kong to hedge against Chinese-American tensions. In July, Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) generated $1.8 billion in a Hong Kong listing. The Li Auto rival issued 85 million Class A ordinary shares and is also already listed in the US. Other Wall Street Chinese technology companies with secondary listings back home are Alibaba, NetEase, and JD.com.
Owing to the increasing growth of Chinese electric vehicles, the competition has become very intense in recent times, especially among startups. Li Auto, Xpeng, and Nio are all jockeying for dominance in the playing field. In addition to this, all three companies are also directly competing with established companies such as Tesla and BYD. Even the more traditional automakers are always looking to take a sizable market share in the automobile industry. As far as the electrical startups go, Xpeng has already proven to be a force in coming years and is already being dubbed ‘The Chinese Tesla Rival’.
In July 2021, Li Auto recorded a record number of monthly vehicle sales. The company said it delivered 8,589 of its Li One vehicles, the only model in its current model lineup. The Li One is a hybrid vehicle with a fuel tank for charging the battery, giving the car an increased mile range.
Li Auto sold the highest number of vehicles among the trio of Chinese electric vehicle startups listed in the US. Xpeng delivered 8,040 vehicles which was also a company record. In comparison, Nico sold 7,931 cars in the same period.
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