Shanghai (ZXZC)- BAIC Group and Suning.com, a Chinese leading online-to-offline smart retail company owned by Suning Holdings Group Co. Ltd, reached a consensus on cooperation of smart automobile retail during Suning Holdings chairman Zhang Jindong's visit to the automaker's headquarters, according to BAIC BJEV's official WeChat account.

According to the agreement, BAIC Group's Beijing Benz, Beijing Hyundai, Foton Motor and BAIC BJEV will involve the collaboration with Suning.com.

Regarding how the cooperation will proceed, BAIC Group-owned car brands will open on-line official flagship shops on Suning.com platform. Besides, both parties wish to jointly develop off-line retail businesses in forms of car supermarket and retail cloud shop etc., people with knowledge of the matter revealed to local media. 

BAIC Group and Suning agreed a series of cooperative programs focusing on new energy vehicle (NEV) as early as June When Xu Heyi, chairman of BAIC Group, visited Suning's headquarters, including green mobility investment, new energy logistics procurement, battery swapping pile of “Optimus Prime Plan”, self-driving cars, and so on.

During Suning's latest visit to BAIC Group, both companies said more cooperation in new modes, new domains and new products surrounding new automobile retail will be extended between them.

With a number of car brands like Beijing Benz, Beijing Hyundai and BAIC BJEV, BAIC Group saw its sales in the first half of the year grew 7.6% from a year ago to 1.203 million units. Suning.com has opened independent on-line auto sector covering new cars, EVs, pre-owned cars, car finance and vehicle accessories, which offers more marketing channels to BAIC Group.