Third Quarter 2021 Financial and Operational Highlights

• Total revenues were RMB800.6 million (US$124.3 million), an 84.1% increase from RMB434.9 million in the same period of 2020, outperforming the high end of the Company's guidance by 6.8%. The increase was mainly driven by the increased amounts of both financing transactions the Company facilitated and car trading transactions in the third quarter of 2021.

• Car trading transactions revenues were RMB429.2 million (US$66.6 million), or 53.6% of total revenues in the third quarter of 2021.

• Automotive financing facilitation revenues were RMB266.5 million (US$41.4 million), a 15.8% increase from RMB230.2 million in the same period of 2020.

• The amount of financing transactions the Company facilitated in the third quarter of 2021 was RMB6,210.7 million (US$963.9 million). The total outstanding balance of financing transactions the Company facilitated was RMB47,955.2 million (US$7,442.5 million) as of September 30, 2021.

• M1+ and M3+ overdue ratios for all financing transactions that remained outstanding and were facilitated by the Company were 1.58% and 0.76%, respectively, as of September 30, 2021, compared to 1.35% and 0.69%, respectively, as of June 30, 2021.

• The number of dealers covered by the Company was 47,718 as of September 30, 2021, compared to 47,740 as of June 30, 2021.

Mr. Jiayuan Lin, Chief Executive Officer of Cango, commented, “As expected, the industry headwinds created by the global chip shortage continued to impact our business in the third quarter. Since the end of the second quarter, we have been proactively responding to industry changes, and delivered third quarter total revenues of RMB800.6 million, above our guidance.

Market disruptions had a particularly significant impact on our automotive financing facilitation business, leading to a decrease in the number of financing transactions the Company facilitated compared to the previous quarter. To address these challenges, we optimized our sales team’s organizational structure and focused on stimulating each sales person’s output while advancing our expansion into the high-end segment of this market and exploring used car financing facilitation. We are also excited about our achievements in our car trading transactions business which is now serving as an important growth driver. ‘Cango Haoche,’ our B2B service platform providing one-stop transaction, logistics, finance, insurance and other auto-related services, has been widely recognized by dealers, garnering over 1.5 million total views since its launch in the second quarter. Moreover, our after-market services facilitation business made solid progress as we continued to establish cooperation with new energy vehicle manufacturers including Li Auto and HiPhi.”

“Looking ahead, we expect the chip shortage-related upheaval in the auto market to linger for some time, probably until next year. Given the pervasiveness of the disruption, we remain cautious with respect to industry recovery. Nevertheless, we will continue to strengthen our platform and synergies between businesses in response to industry changes, as well as capitalize on the promising opportunities we see in the new energy vehicle sector,” Mr. Lin concluded.

Mr. Yongyi Zhang, Chief Financial Officer of Cango, stated, “Despite the ongoing uncertainty due to the global chip shortage, our third quarter performance demonstrates our business model’s flexibility and resilience. Total revenues were RMB800.6 million, coming in above our guidance. We are in a healthy operational and financial position and we remain confident in our ability to navigate the industry turmoil. Looking ahead, we will continue to carefully manage our cost structure while improving operating efficiency and profitability, creating value for our shareholders in the long run.”

Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

REVENUES

Total revenues in the third quarter of 2021 increased by 84.1% to RMB800.6 million (US$124.3 million) from RMB434.9 million in the same period of 2020. Revenues from car trading transactions in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB429.2 million (US$66.6 million), continuing to serve as an important revenue contributor. Revenues from automotive financing facilitation and after-market services facilitation in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB266.5 million (US$41.4 million) and RMB42.7 million (US$6.6 million), respectively.

OPERATING COST AND EXPENSES

Total operating cost and expenses in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB839.6 million (US$130.3 million) compared to RMB300.4 million in the same period of 2020. This was mainly due to the related costs incurred by car trading transactions business. Primarily as a result of the increase in revenues from car trading transactions, sales and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses each decreased as a percentage of total revenues in the third quarter of 2021, compared to the same period of 2020.

• Cost of revenue in the third quarter of 2021 increased to RMB610.5 million (US$94.7 million) from RMB180.9 million in the same period of 2020. As a percentage of total revenues, cost of revenue in the third quarter of 2021 was 76.3% compared to 41.6% in the same period of 2020, and the change was primarily due to an increase in the amount of car trading transactions. For automotive financing facilitation and after-market services facilitation, cost of revenue as a percentage of relevant revenues was around 50.1% in the third quarter of 2021.

• Sales and marketing expenses in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB46.8 million (US$7.3 million) compared to RMB41.9 million in the same period of 2020. As a percentage of total revenues, sales and marketing expenses in the third quarter of 2021 was 5.8% compared to 9.6% in the same period of 2020.

• General and administrative expenses in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB64.0 million (US$9.9 million) compared to RMB52.2 million in the same period of 2020. As a percentage of total revenues, general and administrative expenses in the third quarter of 2021 was 8.0% compared to 12.0% in the same period of 2020. 

• Research and development expenses in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB17.4 million (US$2.7 million) compared to RMB14.2 million in the same period of 2020. As a percentage of total revenues, research and development expenses in the third quarter of 2021 was 2.2% compared to 3.3% in the same period of 2020.

• Net loss on risk assurance liabilities in the third quarter of 2021 was RMB55.5 million (US$8.6 million) compared to a net gain of RMB12.9 million in the same period of 2020.

LOSS FROM OPERATIONS

Loss from operations in the third quarter of 2021 was RMB39.0 million (US$6.1 million), compared to an income of RMB134.5 million in the same period of 2020.

FAIR VALUE CHANGE OF EQUITY INVESTMENT

Fair value change of equity investment in the third quarter of 2021 was a loss of RMB447.5 million (US$69.5 million) compared to a gain of RMB1,827.7 million in the same period of 2020. The loss in the third quarter of 2021 is mainly due to the investment in Li Auto. As of September 30, 2021, Cango held 8,000,000 American Depositary Shares of Li Auto. Each American Depositary Share of Li Auto represents two Class A ordinary shares of Li Auto.

NET LOSS

Primarily due to the fair value change of the Company’s investment in Li Auto, net loss in the third quarter of 2021 was RMB416.5 million (US$64.6 million). Non-GAAP adjusted net loss in the third quarter of 2021 was RMB392.5 million (US$60.9 million). Non-GAAP adjusted net loss excludes the impact of share-based compensation expenses. For further information, see "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measure."

NET LOSS PER ADS

Basic and diluted net loss per American Depositary Share (ADS) in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB2.88 (US$0.45) and RMB2.88 (US$0.45). Non-GAAP adjusted basic and diluted net loss per ADS in the third quarter of 2021 were RMB2.72 (US$0.42) and RMB2.72 (US$0.42). Each ADS represents two Class A ordinary shares of the Company.

BALANCE SHEET

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of RMB906.4 million (US$140.7 million), compared to RMB1,498.9 million as of June 30, 2021.

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had short-term investments of RMB3,588.2 million (US$556.9 million), compared to RMB3,127.2 million as of June 30, 2021.

Business Outlook

For the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company expects total revenues to be between RMB950 million and RMB1,000 million. This forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary views on the market and operational conditions, which are subject to change.

The Company’s investment in Li Auto and the change in fair value of investment due to the price volatility of the stock may have a significant impact on the Company’s fourth quarter of 2021 financial results.