EHang Holdings Ltd [EH] Filings

Large accelerated filer

Accelerated filer

Non-accelerated filer

Emerging growth company

20-F 1 d709315d20f.htm FORM 20-F Form 20-F

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM

20-F

(Mark One)

☐	REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

☐	SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report

For the transition period from

Commission file number

001-39151

EHang Holdings Limited

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

11/F Building One, EHang Technology Park

No. 29 Bishan Blvd., Huangpu District

Guangzhou, 510700

People’s Republic of China

(Address of principal executive offices)

Conor Chia-hung Yang, Chief Financial Officer

Telephone: +86 20 2902 8899

EHang Holdings Limited

11/F Building One, EHang Technology Park

No. 29 Bishan Blvd., Huangpu District

Guangzhou, 510700

People’s Republic of China

(Name, Telephone,

E-mail

and/or Facsimile number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
American depositary shares, each representing two Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share	EH	The Nasdaq Global Market
Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share*		The Nasdaq Global Market*

*	Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on the Nasdaq Global Market of American depository shares, each representing two Class A ordinary shares

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act:

None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.

As of December 31, 2023, there were 127,011,481 ordinary shares outstanding, comprised of (i) 87,984,921 Class A ordinary shares (excluding Class A ordinary shares issued to the depositary bank for bulk issuance of ADSs reserved for future issuances upon the exercise or vesting of awards granted under our share incentive plans), par value of US$0.0001 per share, and (ii) 39,026,560 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, par value of US$0.0001 per share.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☒ No ☐

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes ☐ No ☒

Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation

S-T

(§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a

non-accelerated

filer or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “emerging growth company” in Rule

12b-2

of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

†	The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §

240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:


U.S. GAAP ☒	International Financial Reporting Standards as issued	Other ☐
	by the International Accounting Standards Board ☐

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. ☐ Item 17 ☐ Item 18

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule

12b-2

of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes ☐ No ☐

TABLE OF CONTENTS


		Page

INTRODUCTION			1

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION			3

PART I			5

Item 1.	Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers		5
Item 2.	Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable		5
Item 3.	Key Information		5
Item 4.	Information on the Company		69
Item 5.	Operating and Financial Review Prospects		111
Item 6.	Directors, Senior Management and Employees		127
Item 7.	Major Shareholders and Related Party Transaction		138
Item 8.	Financial Information		140
Item 9.	The Offer and Listing		142
Item 10.	Additional Information		142
Item 11.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk		159
Item 12.	Description of Securities Other than Equity Securities		159

PART II			161

Item 13.	Defaults, Dividend Arrearages and Delinquencies		161
Item 14.	Material Modifications to the Rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds		161
Item 15.	Controls and Procedures		161
Item 16A.	Audit Committee Financial Expert		163
Item 16B.	Code of Ethics		163
Item 16C.	Principal Accountant Fees and Services		163
Item 16D.	Exemptions from the Listing Standards for Audit Committees		163
Item 16E.	Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers		163
Item 16F.	Change in Registrant’s Certifying Accountant		164
Item 16G.	Corporate Governance		164
Item 16H.	Mine Safety Disclosure		165
Item 16I.	Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections		165
Item 16J.	Insider Trading Policies		165
Item 16K.	Cybersecurity		165

PART III			167

Item 17.	Financial Statements		167
Item 18.	Financial Statements		167
Item 19.	Exhibits		167

SIGNATURES			170

INTRODUCTION

Conventions Used in this Annual Report

In this annual report, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires:

•

“ADSs” means American depositary shares, each of which represents two of our Class A ordinary shares;

•

“CAAC” means the Civil Aviation Administration of China;

•

“China” and the “PRC” means the People’s Republic of China, and only in the context of describing the PRC laws, rules, regulations, regulatory authorities, and any PRC entities or citizens under such rules, laws and regulations and other legal or tax matters in this annual report, excludes Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan;

•

“Class A ordinary shares” means class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of EHang Holdings;

•

“Class B ordinary shares” means class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.0001 per share, of EHang Holdings;

•

“Ehfly Technology” means Ehfly Technology Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong and a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of EHang Holdings;

•

“EHang,” “we,” “us,” “our company” and “our” means collectively EHang Holdings and its subsidiaries and only in the context of describing our consolidated financial information only, also includes the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries;

•

“EHang Holdings” means EHang Holdings Limited, an exempted company incorporated in the Cayman Islands;

•

“eVTOL” means electric vertical takeoff and landing;

•

“PCAOB” means Public Company Accounting Oversight Board of the United States.

•

“RMB” and “Renminbi” means the legal currency of China;

•

“shares” and “ordinary shares” means the Class A ordinary shares and/or the Class B ordinary shares;

•

“UAM” means urban air mobility;

•

“UAVs” means unmanned aerial vehicles;

•

“US$,” “U.S. dollars,” “$,” and “dollars” means the legal currency of the United States;

•

“VIE” means Guangzhou EHang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in the PRC that has entered into a series of contractual arrangement with our wholly-owned PRC subsidiary. Under these contractual arrangements, EHang Holdings has a “controlling financing interest” as defined in FASB ASC 810 such that it is considered the primary beneficiary for accounting purposes only and thus consolidates each of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries under U.S. GAAP; and

•

“WFOE” means EHang Intelligent Equipment (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., a company incorporated in the PRC and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of EHang Holdings.

Our reporting currency is the Renminbi because our business is mainly conducted in China and substantially all of our revenues are denominated in Renminbi. This annual report contains translations of Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. The translations of Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars in this annual report is based on the rate certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to Renminbi amounts in this annual report were made at a rate of RMB7.0999 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect as of December 29, 2023 set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board. We make no representation that any Renminbi or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or Renminbi, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This annual report contains forward-looking statements that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe-harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategies and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

•

our goals and strategies;

•

our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;

•

the trends in and expected growth of the UAV industry in the PRC and globally;

•

our expectation regarding the regulatory approvals and certifications for our products and services;

•

our expectations regarding the demand for and market acceptance of our products and services;

•

our expectations regarding our relationships with distributors, customers, component suppliers, strategic partners and other stakeholders;

•

our expectations regarding fulfilment of conditional orders and pre-orders for our products;

•

competition in our industry;

•

relevant government policies and regulations relating to our industry; and

•

assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing.

These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. You should read thoroughly this annual report and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from, or worse than, what we expect. Other sections of this annual report include additional factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

This annual report contains certain data and information that we obtained from various government and private publications. Statistical data in these publications also include projections based on a number of assumptions. The UAV industry may not grow at the rate projected by market data, or at all. Failure of this market to grow at the projected rate may have a material adverse effect on our business and the market price of the ADSs. In addition, the rapidly evolving nature of the UAV industry results in significant uncertainties for any projections or estimates relating to the growth prospects or future condition of our market. Furthermore, if any one or more of the assumptions underlying the market data are later found to be incorrect, actual results may differ from the projections based on these assumptions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this annual report and the documents that we refer to in this annual report and have filed as exhibits to this annual report, of which this annual report is a part, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from, or worse than, what we expect.

PART I

Item 1.

Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers

Not applicable.

Item 2.

Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable

Not applicable.

Item 3.

Key Information

Our Corporate Structure and Contractual Arrangements with the VIE and its Shareholders

EHang Holdings is not a PRC operating company but a Cayman Islands holding company conducting operations in China primarily through its subsidiaries incorporated in the PRC, including EHang Intelligent Equipment (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd., or the WFOE. PRC laws and regulations impose certain restrictions or prohibitions on foreign ownership of companies in the UAM industry. Pursuant to the latest version of the “negative list,” namely, the Special Management Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2021), which became effective on January 1, 2022, our principal business does not fall into the “restricted” or “prohibited” categories. However, foreign investment in commercial and general aviation is restricted under PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, Guangzhou EHang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., or the VIE, and its subsidiaries conduct business operations in the PRC, which may not be conducted by EHang Holdings and/or its subsidiaries under PRC laws and regulations, and the WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders have entered into a series of contractual arrangements. These agreements enable us to:

•

have the power to direct significant activities of the VIE;

•

receive economic benefits from the VIE that potentially could be significant to the VIE; and

•

have an exclusive option to purchase all or part of the equity interests and assets in the VIE, when and to the extent permitted by PRC laws.

These contractual arrangements among the WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders include shareholders voting proxy agreements, exclusive consulting and services agreements, exclusive option agreements, loan agreements, and share pledge agreements. Under the contractual arrangements, EHang Holdings has a “controlling financing interest” as defined in FASB ASC 810 such that EHang Holdings is considered the primary beneficiary of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries for accounting purposes only and thus consolidates each of these entities under U.S. GAAP. For more details of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Arrangements with the VIE and its Shareholders.” Investors in the ADSs are not purchasing equity interest in the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries but instead are purchasing equity interest in EHang Holdings, a Cayman Islands holding company. Revenues contributed by the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries accounted for 0.4%, 0.01% and 7.9% of our consolidated revenues for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively.

However, the contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with power to direct the activities of the VIE and we may incur substantial costs to enforce the terms of the agreements. If the VIE or the VIE’s shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under the contractual arrangements, we could be limited in our ability to enforce the contractual arrangements that give us power to direct the activities of the VIE, and these agreements have not been tested in China courts. Furthermore, if we are unable to direct the activities of the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries, we would not be able to continue to consolidate the financial results of these entities in our financial statements. Please see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure—We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders for certain business operations in the PRC, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure—The shareholders of the VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.”

There are also substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws, regulations and rules regarding the status of the rights of our Cayman Islands holding company with respect to the contractual arrangements with the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders. It is uncertain whether any new PRC laws or regulations relating to variable interest entity structures will be adopted or if adopted, what they would provide. If we or the VIE is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, or fail to obtain or maintain any of the required permits or approvals, the relevant PRC regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations to take action in dealing with such violations or failures. Please see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government finds that the contractual arrangements between the WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure—Our business may be significantly affected by the Foreign Investment Law.”

Our corporate structure is subject to risks associated with our contractual arrangements with the VIE. Investors may never have a direct ownership interest in the businesses that are conducted by the VIE. Uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements, and these contractual arrangements have not been tested in a court of law. If the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our business in China do not comply with PRC laws and regulations, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change or are interpreted differently in the future, we and the VIE could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations. Our holding company, the WFOE, the VIE, and investors of our company face uncertainty about potential future actions by the PRC government that could affect the enforceability of the contractual arrangements with the VIE and, consequently, significantly affect the financial performance of the VIE and our company as a whole.

We and the VIE face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties related to doing business in China. Some of our business operations are conducted in China through the VIE, and we and the VIE are subject to complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, we and the VIE face risks associated with regulatory approvals on offshore offerings, the use of variable interest entities, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, as well as the lack of inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, on our auditors, which may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list on a U.S. or other foreign exchange. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of the ADSs, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause such securities to significantly decline in value. For a detailed description of risks related to doing business in China, “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China.”

PRC government’s significant authority in regulating our operations and its oversight and control over offerings conducted overseas by, and foreign investment in, China-based issuers could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. Implementation of industry-wide regulations, including data security or anti-monopoly related regulations, in this nature may cause the value of such securities to significantly decline. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—The PRC government’s significant oversight over our and the VIE’s business operation could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of the ADSs.”

Risks and uncertainties arising from the legal system in China, including risks and uncertainties regarding the enforcement of laws and quickly evolving rules and regulations in China, could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of the ADSs. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.”

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, determines that we have filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that has not been subject to inspections by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit our shares or the ADSs from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report to notify the SEC of its determination that the PCAOB was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong, including our auditor. On May 26, 2022, the SEC conclusively listed us as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed mainland China and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. For this reason, we do not expect to be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer under the HFCAA after we file this annual report on Form 20-F. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in mainland China and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions. If PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to complete inspection and investigation over accounting firms in mainland China and Hong Kong and we continue to use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the SEC, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. There can be no assurance that we would not be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for any future fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, we would become subject to the prohibition on trading under the HFCAA. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—The ADSs will be delisted and prohibited from trading in the U.S. under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or fully investigate auditors located in China.”

Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations

The VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries currently conduct operations in the PRC and we consolidate the financial results of such operations under U.S. GAAP as a result of the contractual arrangements. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. As of the date of this annual report, our PRC subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries have obtained the requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are material for the business operations of our subsidiaries and the VIE in China, including, among others, General Aviation Enterprise Operation Licenses required for using UAVs in aerial spraying, aerial photography, operator training, flight show, aerial media solutions and other purposes. Given the uncertainties of interpretation and implementation of relevant laws and regulations and the enforcement practice by relevant government authorities, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for our business operations in the future. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the PRC Foreign Investment Law and its Implementation Regulations and how they may impact the viability of our current corporate structure, corporate governance and business operations” and “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—We may be adversely affected by the complexities, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulations on technology companies.”

Furthermore, in connection with our previous issuance of securities to foreign investors, under current PRC laws, regulations and regulatory rules, as of the date of this annual report, we, our PRC subsidiaries and the VIE, (i) are not required to obtain permissions from the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, for our listing, (ii) are not required to go through cybersecurity review by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, and (iii) have not been asked to obtain such permissions by any PRC authority.

Cash and Asset Flows through Our Organization

Our offshore holding company is permitted under PRC laws and regulations to provide funding to our PRC subsidiary only through loans or capital contributions, subject to the approval of government authorities and limits on the amount of capital contributions and loans.

For the years ended December 31, 2021 2022 and 2023, EHang Holdings made capital contributions of RMB190.0 million, RMB58.9 million and RMB150.3 million (US$21.2 million), respectively, to its subsidiaries. No other transfers, dividends or distributions of cash or assets were made between EHang Holdings and EHang Holdings’ subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries, on the other hand, except for the foregoing capital contributions.

EHang Holdings is a Cayman Islands holding company with no material operations of its own. The VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries currently conduct operations in the PRC and we consolidate the financial results of such operations under U.S. GAAP as a result of the contractual arrangements. As a result, although other means are available for us to obtain financing at the holding company level, EHang Holdings’ ability to pay dividends and to service any debt it may incur may depend upon dividends paid by its subsidiaries. Among them, our Hong Kong subsidiary Ehfly Technology’s source of dividend depends on dividends paid by its PRC subsidiaries, which in part depends on payments from the VIE under the contractual arrangements with the VIE.

Current PRC regulations permit our PRC subsidiaries, such as the WFOE, to pay dividends to us only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, the VIE and the WFOE are required to set aside at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund certain reserve funds until the total amount set aside reaches 50% of their respective registered capital. The WFOE and the VIE may also allocate a portion of their after-tax profits based on PRC accounting standards to employee welfare and bonus funds at their discretion. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, if the WFOE incurs debt on its own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict its ability to pay dividends or make other payments to us. In addition, the PRC tax authorities may require us to adjust our taxable income under the contractual arrangements we currently have in place in a manner that would materially and adversely affect the WFOE’s ability to pay dividends and other distributions to us. Any limitation on the ability of our subsidiary to distribute dividends to us or on the ability of the VIE to make payments to the WFOE may restrict our ability to satisfy our liquidity requirements. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—PRC Regulation—Dividend Distribution.”

Additionally, the VIE receives substantially all of its revenues in RMB and the PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the RMB into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of China. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments of current account items, such as profit distributions and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made in foreign currencies without prior approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange of the PRC, or the SAFE by complying with certain procedural requirements. Dividends payments to us by Ehfly Technology, our Hong Kong subsidiary, in foreign currencies are subject to the condition that the remittance of such dividends outside of the PRC complies with certain procedures under PRC foreign exchange regulations, such as the overseas investment registrations by our shareholders or the ultimate shareholders of our corporate shareholders who are PRC residents. Approval by or registration with appropriate government authorities is required where RMB is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of China to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies. The PRC government may also at its discretion restrict access in the future to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control system prevents us from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy our foreign currency demands, the WFOE may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to us and our access to cash generated from its operations will be restricted. See “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Relating to Doing Business in China—Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our operating revenues effectively and affect the value of your investment.”

None of our subsidiaries has declared or paid any dividend or distribution to us. We have never declared or paid any dividend on our ordinary shares. We currently intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Dividend Policy.” For the Cayman Islands, PRC and U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares, see “Item 10. Additional Information—E. Taxation.”

Under the current laws of the Cayman Islands, EHang Holdings is not subject to tax on income or capital gains. Upon payments of dividends to our shareholders, no Cayman Islands withholding tax will be imposed. For purposes of illustration, the following discussion reflects the hypothetical taxes that might be required to be paid in Mainland China and Hong Kong, assuming that: (i) the VIE has taxable earnings, and (ii) we determine to pay a dividend in the future.


	Tax Calculation⁽¹⁾
Hypothetical pre-tax earnings in the VIE⁽¹⁾		100
Tax on earnings at statutory rate of 25% at WFOE level⁽²⁾		(25	)
Amount to be distributed as dividend from WFOE to Ehfly Technology⁽³⁾		75
Withholding tax at a treaty rate of 5%		(3.75	)
Amount to be distributed as dividend at Ehfly Technology level and net distribution to EHang Holdings⁽⁴⁾		71.25

Notes:

(1)	For purposes of this example, the tax calculation has been simplified. The hypothetical book pre-tax earnings amount is assumed to equal Chinese taxable income.

(2)

Certain of our subsidiaries and the VIE qualifies for a 15% preferential income tax rate in China. However, such rate is subject to qualification, is temporary in nature, and may not be available in a future period when distributions are paid. For purposes of this hypothetical example, the table above reflects a maximum tax scenario under which the full statutory rate would be effective.

(3)

China’s Enterprise Income Tax Law imposes a withholding income tax of 10% on dividends distributed by a Foreign Invested Enterprise to its immediate holding company outside of Mainland China. A lower withholding income tax rate of 5% is applied if the Foreign Invested Enterprise’s immediate holding company is registered in Hong Kong or other jurisdictions that have a tax treaty arrangement with Mainland China, subject to a qualification review at the time of the distribution. There is no incremental tax at Ehfly Technology level for any dividend distribution to EHang Holdings.

(4)	If a 10% withholding income tax rate is imposed, the withholding tax will be 7.5 and the amount to be distributed as dividend at Ehfly Technology level and net distribution to EHang Holdings will be 67.5.

The table above has been prepared under the assumption that all profits of the VIE will be distributed as fees to our PRC subsidiaries under tax neutral contractual arrangements. If, in the future, the accumulated earnings of the VIE exceed the service fees paid to our PRC subsidiaries (or if the current and contemplated fee structure between the intercompany entities is determined to be non-substantive and disallowed by Chinese tax authorities), the VIE could make a non-deductible transfer to our PRC subsidiaries for the amounts of the stranded cash in the VIE. This would result in such transfer being non-deductible expenses for the VIE but still taxable income for the PRC subsidiaries. Our management believes that there is only a remote possibility that this scenario would happen.

Should all tax planning strategies fail the VIE could, as a matter of last resort, make a non-deductible transfer to the WFOE for amounts of stranded cash in the VIE. This would result in the double taxation of earnings: once at the VIE level (non-deductible expense) and again at the WFOE level (for presumptive earnings on the transfer). This has the impact of reducing the amount available above from 71.25% to approximately 53% of pre-tax income, respectively. Management believes this scenario to be remote.

Financial Information Relating to the VIE

The following tables present the condensed consolidating schedule showing the results of operations, financial position and cash flows for our holding company, EHang Holdings, EHang Holdings’ subsidiaries other than the WFOE, the WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries, eliminating adjustments and consolidated totals as of December 31, 2022 and 2023 and for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Selected Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations Data


	For the year ended December 31,
	2021																		2022																		2023
	EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals			EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals			EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals

	(RMB in thousands)
Revenues		—			2,199			57,550			28,399			(31,341	)		56,807			—			3,175			44,098			10,147			(13,103	)		44,317			—			5,346			109,581			32,808			(30,309	)		117,426
- Third-party revenues		—			2,199			54,378			230			—			56,807			—			2,595			41,716			6			—			44,317			—			5,346			102,855			9,225			—			117,426
- Inter-company revenues⁽¹⁾		—			—			3,172			28,169			(31,341	)		—			—			580			2,382			10,141			(13,103	)		—			—			—			6,726			23,583			(30,309	)		—
Costs of revenues		—			(1,616	)		(49,098	)		(720	)		30,657			(20,777	)		—			(1,496	)		(24,655	)		(836	)		11,889			(15,098	)		—			(3,450	)		(62,372	)		(5,467	)		29,174			(42,115	)
- Third-party cost of revenues		—			(48	)		(20,069	)		(660	)		—			(20,777	)		—			—			(14,516	)		(582	)		—			(15,098	)		—			394			(39,846	)		(2,663	)		—			(42,115	)
- Inter-company cost of revenues⁽¹⁾		—			(1,568	)		(29,029	)		(60	)		30,657			—			—			(1,496	)		(10,319	)		(254	)		11,889			—			—			(3,844	)		(22,526	)		(2,804	)		29,174			—

Gross profit		—			583			8,452			27,679			(684	)		36,030			—			1,679			19,443			9,311			(1,214	)		29,219			—			1,896			47,209			27,341			(1,135	)		75,311
Sales and marketing expenses		—			(6,859	)		(29,848	)		(7,105	)		583			(43,229	)		—			(8,009	)		(37,908	)		(8,309	)		1,110			(53,116	)		—			(7,627	)		(43,184	)		(10,004	)		426			(60,389	)
General and administrative expenses		(5,668	)		(1,383	)		(166,531	)		(13,889	)		83			(187,388	)		(13,630	)		(1,554	)		(116,451	)		(19,380	)		(50	)		(151,065	)		(5,246	)		206			(136,544	)		(8,508	)		—			(150,092	)
Research and development expenses		—			—			(115,141	)		(22,123	)		116			(137,148	)		—			—			(114,692	)		(20,428	)		38			(135,082	)		—			—			(150,457	)		(16,861	)		3			(167,315	)

Total operating expenses		(5,668	)		(8,242	)		(311,520	)		(43,117	)		782			(367,765	)		(13,630	)		(9,563	)		(269,051	)		(48,117	)		1,098			(339,263	)		(5,246	)		(7,421	)		(330,185	)		(35,373	)		429			(377,796	)
Other operating income		—			1,696			4,544			4,959			—			11,199			—			409			4,150			1,535			—			6,094			—			839			2,648			2,746			—			6,233

Operating loss		(5,668	)		(5,963	)		(298,524	)		(10,479	)		98			(320,536	)		(13,630	)		(7,475	)		(245,458	)		(37,271	)		(116	)		(303,950	)		(5,246	)		(4,686	)		(280,328	)		(5,286	)		(706	)		(296,252	)
Share of losses from subsidiaries⁽²⁾		(299,575	)		(298,012	)		—			—			597,587			—			(253,575	)		(251,156	)		—			—			504,731			—			(290,785	)		(292,422	)		—			—			583,207			—
Income (losses) from the VIEs		(8,730	)		(8,730	)		(8,730	)		—			26,190			—			(37,603	)		(37,603	)		(37,603	)		—			112,809			—			(5,829	)		(5,829	)		(5,829	)		—			17,487			—
Interest and investment income		14			3,965			891			273			—			5,143			1			3,971			639			58			—			4,669			160			4,220			4,077			27			—			8,484
Interest expenses		—			—			(1,445	)		(358	)		—			(1,803	)		—			—			(1,788	)		(357	)		—			(3,819	)		—			—			(2,728	)		(202	)		—			(2,930	)
Amortization of debt discounts		—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(1,674	)		—			—			—			—			—			(12,023	)		—			—			(12,023	)
Foreign exchange gain (loss)		—			(450	)		(253	)		(124	)		—			(827	)		—			(494	)		(1,474	)		480			—			(1,488	)		—			342			(46	)		98			—			394
Other income		—			742			2,735			2,610			(1	)		6,086			—			1,182			393			369			—			1,944			—			1,525			257			184			—			1,966
Other expenses		—			(6	)		(1,340	)		(343	)		140			(1,549	)		(23,414	)		—			(2,082	)		(1,308	)		—			(26,804	)		—			(4	)		(147	)		(63	)					(214	)
Loss before income tax and income (loss) from equity method investment		(313,959	)		(308,454	)		(306,666	)		(8,421	)		624,014			(313,486	)		(328,221	)		(291,575	)		(289,047	)		(38,029	)		617,424			(329,448	)		(301,700	)		(296,854	)		(296,767	)		(5,242	)		599,988			(300,575	)

Income tax expenses		—			(21	)		—			(113	)		—			(134	)		—			(17	)		—			(62	)		—			(79	)		—			(181	)		(25	)		—			—			(206	)

Loss before income (loss) from equity method investment		(313,959	)		(308,475	)		(306,666	)		(8,534	)		624,014			(313,620	)		(328,221	)		(291,592	)		(289,047	)		(38,091	)		617,424			(329,527	)		(301,700	)		(297,035	)		(296,792	)		(5,242	)		599,988			(300,781	)
Income (loss) from equity method investments		—			—			(276	)		—			—			(276	)		—			—			196			—			—			196			—			—			(1,568	)		8			—			(1,560	)

Net (loss) income		(313,959	)		(308,475	)		(306,942	)		(8,534	)		624,014			(313,896	)		(328,221	)		(291,592	)		(288,851	)		(38,091	)		617,424			(329,331	)		(301,700	)		(297,035	)		(298,360	)		(5,234	)		599,988			(302,341	)


	For the year ended December 31,
	2021																	2022																	2023
	EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments		Consolidated totals			EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments		Consolidated totals			EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments		Consolidated totals

	(RMB in thousands)
Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interest		—			170			135			(368	)		—		(63	)		—			414			218			478			—		1,110			—			421			189			31			—		641

Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders		(313,959	)		(308,305	)		(306,807	)		(8,902	)		624,014		(313,959	)		(328,221	)		(291,178	)		(288,633	)		(37,613	)		617,424		(328,221	)		(301,700	)		(296,614	)		(298,171	)		(5,203	)		599,988		(301,700	)

Selected Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets Data


	As of December 31,
	EHang Holdings		Other subsidiaries		WFOE		2022 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries		Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals		EHang Holdings		Other subsidiaries		WFOE		2023 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries		Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals

	(RMB in thousands)
Cash and cash equivalents		362		52,226		185,318		11,404		—			249,310		12,239		130,316		81,582		4,113		—			228,250
Short-term deposits		—		—		—		—		—			—		14,397		—		—		—		—			14,397
Short-term investments		—		—		—		—		—			—		57,494		—		—		—		—			57,494
Restricted short-term deposits		—		—		—		—		—			—		—		—		33,942		—		—			33,942
Accounts receivable, net		—		105		19,991		202		—			20,298		—		543		32,607		1,636		—			34,786
Inventories		—		1,915		71,067		837		(1,455	)		72,364		—		1,926		58,247		834		(1,519	)		59,488
Prepayments and other current assets		—		2,268		39,262		3,653		—			45,183		—		5,216		15,151		4,324		—			24,691
Amounts due from subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries⁽³⁾		13,697		67,980		28,770		6,911		(117,358	)		—		13,697		57,278		52,215		6,161		(129,351	)		—
Property and equipment, net and intangible assets, net		—		219		45,609		1,273		(41	)		47,060		—		1,446		37,052		6,806		(681	)		44,623
Right-of-use assets, net		—		36		72,647		799		—			73,482		—		167		74,111		250		—			74,528
Investment in subsidiaries⁽²⁾		213,579		111,169		—		—		(324,748	)		—		207,846		49,091		—		—		(256,937	)		—
Others		—		4,899		18,003		268					23,170		—		2,919		17,898		6,621		(992	)		26,446

Total assets		227,638		240,817		480,667		25,347		(443,602	)		530,867		305,673		248,902		402,805		30,745		(389,480	)		598,645

Short-term bank loans		—		—		49,794		—		—			49,794		—		—		69,798		—		—			69,798
Short-term debt		—		—		57,838		—		—			57,838		—		—		—		—		—			—


Amounts due to the Company, subsidiaries, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries⁽³⁾	11,230	12,941	37,736	55,451		(117,358	)	—	3,435	24,098	25,603		76,215		(129,351	)	—
Accounts payables	—	—	32,356	3,100		—		35,456	—	—	31,517		3,584		—		35,101
Accrued expenses and other liabilities	27,432	3,223	47,396	19,712		—		97,763	8,943	1,915	59,870		23,421		—		94,149
Contract liabilities	—	—	17,294	2,027		—		19,321	—	3,438	32,054		1,677		—		37,169
Long-term loans	—	—	—	3,846		—		3,846	—	—	7,000		2,308		—		9,308
Lease liabilities	—	36	74,597	800		—		75,433	—	167	80,486		250		—		80,903
Net interest of subsidiaries and the VIEs⁽²⁾	64,718	64,718	64,718	—		(194,154	)	—	79,503	79,503	79,503		—		(238,509	)	—

Others	—	11,607	49,389	5,742				66,738	—	11,371	44,502		2,126		—		57,998

Total liabilities	103,380	92,525	431,118	90,678		(311,512	)	406,189	91,881	120,492	430,332		109,581		(367,860	)	384,426

Total shareholders’ equity (deficit)⁽²⁾	124,258	148,292	49,549	(65,331	)	(132,090	)	124,678	213,792	128,410	(27,527	)	(78,836	)	(21,620	)	214,219

Selected Condensed Consolidated Cash Flows Data


	For the year ended December 31,
	EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			2021 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals			EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			2022 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals			EHang Holdings			Other subsidiaries			WFOE			2023 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries			Eliminating adjustments			Consolidated totals

	(RMB in thousands)
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities⁽⁴⁾		(4,874	)		(5,792	)		(107,481	)		(3,482	)		—			(121,629	)		(13,738	)		(24,239	)		(140,108	)		4,627			—			(173,458	)		(18,778	)		(72,341	)		(12,161	)		14,870			—			(88,410	)

Cash flows from investing activities
Capital contribution		(190,026	)		(109,000	)		—			—			299,026			—			(58,898	)		(208,484	)		—			—			267,382			—			(150,255	)		(500	)		—			—			150,755			—
Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments		—			—			—			—			—			—			—			141,388			—			10,000			—			151,388			—			—			—			—			—			—
Purchase of short-term investments		—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(66,807	)		—			(10,000	)		—			(76,807	)		(56,694	)		—			—			—			—			(56,694	)
Payments for short-term deposits		—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(14,164	)		—			—			—			—			(14,164	)
Payments for restricted short-term deposits		—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(33,437	)		—			—			(33,437	)
Other investing activities		150			(17,062	)		(15,611	)		(878	)		—			(33,401	)					1,580			(19,524	)		(237	)		—			(18,181	)		(2	)		114			(7,502	)		(17,007	)		—			(24,397	)

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities		(189,876	)		(126,062	)		(15,611	)		(878	)		299,026			(33,401	)		(58,898	)		(132,323	)		(19,524	)		(237	)		267,382			56,400			(221,115	)		(386	)		(40,939	)		(17,007	)		150,755			(128,692	)

Cash flows from financing activities
Capital contribution		—			190,026			109,000			—			(299,026	)		—			—			58,898			208,484			—			(267,382	)		—			—			150,255			500			—			(150,755	)		—
Proceeds from short-term bank loans		—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			49,794			—			—			49,794			—			—			69,090			—			—			69,090
Repayment of a short-term bank loan		—			—			—			—			—			—			—			—			(9,000	)		(1,000	)		—			(10,000	)		—			—			(44,640	)		(5,154	)		—			(49,794	)
Other financing activities		256,947			—			5,000			5,000			—			266,947			—			85			66,861			—			—			66,946			251,770			—			(75,586	)		—			—			176,184

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities		256,947			190,026			114,000			5,000			(299,026	)		266,947			—			58,983			316,139			(1,000	)		(267,382	)		106,740			251,770			150,255			(50,636	)		(5,154	)		(150,755	)		195,480

Effect of exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash⁽⁵⁾		—			(5,067	)		—			—			—			(5,067	)		—			12,605			—			—			—			12,605			—			562			—			—			—			562
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash		62,197			53,105			(9,092	)		640			—			106,850			(72,636	)		(84,974	)		156,507			3,390			—			2,287			11,877			78,090			(103,736	)		(7,291	)		—			(21,060	)


	For the year ended December 31,
	EHang Holdings		Other subsidiaries		WFOE		2021 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries		Eliminating adjustments		Consolidated totals		EHang Holdings		Other subsidiaries		WFOE		2022 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries		Eliminating adjustments		Consolidated totals		EHang Holdings		Other subsidiaries		WFOE		2023 VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries		Eliminating adjustments		Consolidated totals

	(RMB in thousands)
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the year		10,801		84,095		37,903		7,374		—		140,173		72,998		137,200		28,811		8,014		—		247,023		362		52,226		185,318		11,404		—		249,310
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the year		72,998		137,200		28,811		8,014		—		247,023		362		52,226		185,318		11,404		—		249,310		12,239		130,316		81,582		4,113		—		228,250

Notes:

(1)	Represents the elimination of the intercompany transactions at the consolidation level.

(2)	Represents the elimination of the investment among the EHang Holdings, EHang Holdings’ subsidiaries other than the WFOE, WFOE, and the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries.

(3)	Represents the elimination of intercompany balances among the EHang Holdings, EHang Holdings’ subsidiaries other than the WFOE, WFOE, and the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries.

(4)	For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the WFOE did not charge any service fee from the VIE as the VIE was in cumulative loss position.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, cash paid by WFOE to VIE and VIE’s subsidiaries were RMB3.2 million, RMB45.5 million and RMB37.2 million (US$5.2 million), respectively, which represented purchase of software and inventories.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, cash paid by WFOE to other subsidiaries were nil, RMB0.6 million and nil, respectively, which represented purchase of inventories.

For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, cash paid by other subsidiaries to WFOE were nil, nil and RMB3.2 million (US$0.4 million), respectively, which represented purchase of inventories.

Reserved

B.	Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C.	Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D.	Risk Factors

Below please find a summary of the principal risks we face, organized under relevant headings.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

•

Our future growth depends on the demand for, and customers’ willingness to adopt, our products and air mobility solutions.

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In the jurisdictions where we, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries sell and plan to sell products, the commercial use of eVTOL aircraft is subject to an uncertain or lengthy approval process; we cannot predict when regulations will change, and any new regulations may impose onerous requirements and restrictions with which we, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries, the eVTOL aircraft and potential customers may be unable to comply. As a result, we, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries may be limited in, or completely restricted from, growing business in the foreseeable future.

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We may be unable to make timely product deliveries due to limited production capacity.

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Our framework and conditional agreements may not result in material sales of our products.

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We have substantial customer concentration and we have experienced a significant increase in accounts receivable.

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Our technology platform may not perform in line with customer specifications or expectations; and

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We are a relatively young company with a short operating history, and we may not be able to sustain our rapid growth, effectively manage our growth or implement our business strategies.

Risks Relating to Our Corporate Structure

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If the PRC government finds that the contractual arrangements between the WFOE, the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders do not comply with PRC regulations relating to the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

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We rely on contractual arrangements with the VIE and the VIE’s shareholders for certain business operations in the PRC, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

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Any failure by the VIE or the VIE’s shareholders to perform their obligations under our contractual arrangements with them would have a material and adverse effect on our business.

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The shareholders of the VIE may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

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We may lose the ability to use and enjoy assets held by the VIE that are material to certain business operations in the PRC if the VIE goes bankrupt or becomes subject to a dissolution or liquidation proceeding.

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Our dual-class share structure with different voting rights will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

Risks Relating to Doing Business in China

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Changes in China’s economic, political or social conditions or government policies could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.

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Uncertainties in the interpretation and enforcement of PRC laws and regulations could limit the legal protections available to you and us.

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We may be adversely affected by the complexities, uncertainties and changes in PRC regulations on technology companies.

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The approval of and the filing with the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with our future offshore offerings under PRC law and if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval or complete such filing.

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The ADSs will be delisted and prohibited from trading in the U.S. under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCAA, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or fully investigate auditors located in China.

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Increases in labor costs and enforcement of stricter labor laws and regulations in the PRC may adversely affect our business and our profitability.

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We rely on dividends and other distributions on equity paid by our PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements we may have, and any limitation on the ability of our PRC subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business.

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The PCAOB had historically been unable to inspect our auditor in relation to their audit work performed for our financial statements and the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of our auditor in the past has deprived our investors with the benefits of such inspections.

Risks Relating to the ADSs and Trading Market

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The trading price of the ADSs is likely to be volatile, which could result in substantial losses to investors.

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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, or if they adversely change their recommendations regarding the ADSs, the market price for the ADSs and trading volume could decline.

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The sale or availability for sale of substantial amounts of the ADSs could adversely affect their market price.

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We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Stock Market Rules and, as a result, may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.

Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry

Our future growth depends on the demand for, and customers’ willingness to adopt, our products and air mobility solutions.

We operate in the new and evolving UAM industry. Our business and operating results depend in large part on the acceptance of and demand for our pilotless eVTOL aircraft and air mobility solutions. The success of these products and services are and will be subject to risks, including with respect to:

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the extent of market reception and adoption of pilotless eVTOL aircraft as transportation and logistics solutions;

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our navigating a new and evolving regulatory environment;

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our timely fulfillment of product orders;

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our ability to produce safe, high-quality and cost-effective eVTOL aircraft on an ongoing basis;

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the performance of our pilotless eVTOL aircraft relative to customer expectations and customers’ interest in and demand for our pilotless eVTOL aircraft and air mobility solutions; and

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our building a well-recognized and respected brand.

Our failure to manage the risks described above may discourage current or potential customers from purchasing our products or using our commercial solutions, and there may be downward price pressure on our products and commercial solutions. If the market for eVTOL aircraft or air mobility solutions does not develop as we expect or develops more slowly than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be materially and adversely affected.

We operate in a new and rapidly evolving industry, which is subject to extensive legal and regulatory requirements. As described below, in the jurisdictions relevant to us, the commercial use and delivery of our eVTOL aircraft are, and in the near future are expected to continue to be, subject to an uncertain or lengthy approval process. In October 2023, we obtained the type certificate for EH216-S from the CAAC, demonstrating that EH216-S is qualified for conducting passenger-carrying commercial operations. However, PRC and U.S. regulations impose significant restrictions on UAVs. We cannot predict when these regulations will change, and any new regulations may impose onerous requirements and restrictions.

In China, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, or the CAAC, published the Guidance on UAV Airworthiness Assessment Based on Operation Risks, or the UAV Airworthiness Guidance, on January 25, 2019, which is based on the assessment, classification and management of operational risks of UAVs. As we operate in the new and evolving industry, we contribute to the rules and regulations as a member of the CAAC Special Expert Taskforce. On October 29, 2021, the CAAC further published the Civil Unmanned Aircraft System Airworthiness Certification Management Procedures (Draft for Comments), Civil Unmanned Aircraft System Safety Analysis Guidelines (Draft for Comment), and Civil Unmanned Aircraft Registration Management Procedures (Draft for Comment). Such draft UAV rules mainly cover the medium UAVs weigh between 25 kilograms and 150 kilograms, and large UAVs exceed 150 kilograms in weight. We submitted an application for the EH216-S Type Certification to the CAAC in December 2020, which was accepted by the CAAC in January 2021. Our EH216-S passenger-carrying pilot eVTOL aircraft, as a special category aircraft under Section 21.17 of Certification Procedures for Civil Aviation Products and Parts, or CCAR-21, is required to meet the criteria set forth in Special Conditions for Type Certification of EH216-S Unmanned Aircraft System, or Special Conditions, promulgated by the CAAC on February 9, 2022. The Special Conditions provided clear safety requirements for the certification of EH216-S with respect to flight performance, aircraft structures, design and manufacture, propulsion system, data link, ground control station, etc. We have passed through the Type Certification phases of Concept Design, Requirements Definition, Compliance Planning, and Demonstration and Verification of Compliance to conduct tests, including laboratory tests, ground tests and inspections, flight tests and data analysis. On May 31, 2023, the Provisional Regulation for the Flight Administration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles was promulgated by the State Council and the Central Military Commission and came into effect on January 1, 2024, which is the first administrative regulation on the management of unmanned aerial vehicles in China that stipulates the standards and requirements to apply for the operation certificate of UAVs. In October 2023, we obtained the type certificate for EH216-S from the CAAC. This demonstrates that the EH216-S’s model design fully complies with CAAC’s safety standards and airworthiness requirements, and that the EH216-S is qualified for conducting passenger-carrying commercial operations. However, we cannot assure you that we can satisfy the relevant requirements or standards under the detailed rules or regulations to be promulgated in the future, which may materially and adversely affect our business and future prospects.

Under the Pilot Operation Rules (Interim) for Specific Unmanned Aircraft issued by the CAAC on February 1, 2019, or Interim Rules, to start any specific trial operation, the prospective operator of certain classes of UAVs must submit an application and be approved by the CAAC. In February 2019, we submitted an application to the CAAC for trial operation in relation to a customer’s use of our EH216-S, a model of our pilotless eVTOL aircraft, for aerial logistics purpose. In May 2020, we obtained the trial operation approval from the CAAC, which expired on May 31, 2021. There can be no assurance that similar approval will be granted to the operations of other customers or of other UAVs.

Further, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries are required to obtain approvals from local divisions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, or PLAAF, for proposed flight routes in connection with our business. As the approvals from the PLAAF are usually granted on a one-off basis or are only valid for a limited period of time and the local divisions of PLAAF may exercise air traffic control under certain circumstances which may restrict us from operating our eVTOL aircraft from time to time, we cannot assure you that the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries will be able to obtain such approval for each matter on which we will work on with our customers or partners in the future. If such approval is not granted in a timely manner, we, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries, as well as our and their customers or partners will not be able to fly the eVTOL aircraft in the proposed flight routes.

As we sell our products internationally, we face challenges in quickly and sufficiently familiarizing ourselves with foreign regulatory environments and policy frameworks. If any new regulation is put in place, or a different interpretation of existing regulation is adopted, our ability to manufacture, market, sell or operate our products or to advertise or deliver air mobility solutions in general may be limited or otherwise affected. Failure to comply with applicable regulations or to obtain, maintain or renew the necessary permits, licenses, registrations or certificates could cause delays in, or prevent us from, manufacturing, marketing, selling and operating our products, meeting product demand and expectations, introducing new products or expanding our service coverage, and could materially and adversely affect our operation results. If we are found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to administrative punishment, including fines, injunctions, recalls or asset seizures, as well as potential criminal sanctions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We may be unable to make timely product deliveries due to limited production capacity.

Commercial production of our pilotless eVTOL aircraft requires timely and adequate supply of various types of raw materials and components, as well as mass production capacity and efficient manufacturing and assembly. We have limited experience in high-volume manufacturing of our pilotless eVTOL aircraft. We cannot assure you that we will be able to expand our production capacity efficiently and cost-effectively, or to procure sufficient raw materials and components to meet our production volume. While we are looking into expanding our manufacturing capacity through partnerships, such partnerships may not be successful, or we may not be able to do so in a timely manner to fulfill our backlog orders. While we obtain components from multiple sources whenever possible, some of the components used in our products are currently selected to be purchased from a single source to improve cost-efficiency. Disruption in the supply of components, whether or not from a single-source supplier, could temporarily disrupt commercial production of our products. We also outsource certain manufacturing activities to third party contract manufacturers. We may experience operational difficulties with our contract manufacturers, including reductions in the availability of production capacity, failure to comply with product specifications, insufficient quality control, failure to meet production deadlines, increases in manufacturing costs and longer lead time.

Any of the foregoing could result in our failure to make timely deliveries to our customers. Such failure would materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

Our framework and conditional agreements may not result in material sales of our products.

We have entered into a number of long-term agreements with customers and partners relating to the sale of our products. Some of these agreements are conditional, and our counterparty is not obligated to purchase our products unless a number of conditions are satisfied. Some other agreements are framework agreements containing sales targets, but that does not obligate our counterparties to purchase our products at all. We expect the number of orders and pre-orders we receive under these framework agreements to depend on a number of factors, including changes in the regulatory environment, customers’ acceptance of and demand for our products and services and our production capacity. For the foregoing reasons, we may not receive substantial orders from our current or potential customers. As our long-term agreements may not result in material sales of our products, our future results of operations may not scale or otherwise meet our current expectations.

We have substantial customer concentration.

In 2021, 2022 and 2023, our largest customer accounted for 35%, 21% and 24% of our revenues, respectively. There are inherent risks whenever a large percentage of revenues are concentrated with a limited number of customers that mainly operate our pilotless eVTOL aircraft in tourism locations in China, rather than in broad, mainstream commercial operations. We are unable to predict the future level of demand for our products and/or services that will be generated by these customers. If our major customers were to cease purchasing our products or services, cancel existing orders or fail to make payments to us in a timely fashion, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.

Our technology platform may not perform in line with customer specifications or expectations.

Our technology platform, consisting of our pilotless eVTOL aircraft and other UAVs, in-flight operating systems and on-the-ground infrastructure, may not perform in line with customers’ expectations. For example, our products may not be as easy to operate or maintain as customers expect. In addition, certain orders and pre-orders of our products are conditioned on their meeting defined technical specifications (such as a specified cruising speed, operational range and payload capacity) according to agreed-upon delivery timetables. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Our Business Lines” for further details. Future customers may also require performance specifications that we are unable to deliver. Some of these target specifications, such as those dependent on battery technology, are constrained by the pace of general technological advancement and the capabilities of our suppliers, which are largely beyond our control.

Our technology platform may contain design or manufacturing defects that result in unsatisfactory performance or require repair. Our technology platform uses a substantial amount of algorithms and software to operate. Software products are inherently complex and often contain defects and errors, especially when first introduced. While we have performed extensive internal testing on our software and hardware systems, we have a limited frame of reference by which to evaluate the long-term performance of our technology platform. There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix any defects in our technology platform before we, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries sell products and services to customers.

If our technology platform is defective or otherwise fails to perform as expected or in accordance with prescribed technical specifications and timetable, our products may experience accidents and we may suffer adverse publicity, order cancellations, revenue declines, delivery delays, product recalls, product liability claims, and significant warranty and other expenses. These consequences could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.

Our reputation and the trading price of the ADSs may be negatively affected by adverse publicity or detrimental conduct against us.

Adverse publicity concerning our failure or perceived failure to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, alleged accounting or financial reporting irregularities, regulatory scrutiny and further regulatory action or litigation could harm our reputation and cause the trading price of the ADSs to decline and fluctuate significantly. For example, after Wolfpack Research, an entity unrelated to us, issued a report containing various allegations about us in February 2021, the trading price of the ADSs declined sharply. The negative publicity and the resulting decline of the trading price of the ADSs also led to the filing of three putative shareholder class action lawsuits against us and some of our senior executive officers. Though unsuccessful, these lawsuits had further negative impact on the market price of the ADSs and diverted management’s attention from the day-to-day operations of our company. Additionally, in November 2023, short seller Hindenburg Research published a report containing untrue statements and misinterpretation of information regarding our business operations and financial conditions. Our audit committee has conducted an independent review of the allegations raised in the report with the assistance of independent counsel and the independent review is complete. Based on such independent review, our audit committee has concluded that the allegations in the report published by Hindenburg Research were not substantiated. The report also led to the filing of a securities class action complaint against us and certain of our officers and directors. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.” Our management and audit committee conducted additional procedures and actions to mitigate risks of the short seller allegations. However, we may be constrained in the manner in which we can proceed against the relevant short sellers by principles of freedom of speech, applicable state law or issues of commercial confidentiality.

We may continue to be the target of adverse publicity and detrimental conduct against us, including complaints, anonymous or otherwise, to regulatory agencies regarding our operations, accounting, revenues and regulatory compliance. Additionally, allegations against us may be posted on the internet by any person or entity which identifies itself or on an anonymous basis. We, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries may be subject to government or regulatory investigation or inquiries, or shareholder lawsuits, as a result of such third-party conduct and may be required to incur significant time and substantial costs to defend ourselves, and there is no assurance that we, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries will be able to conclusively refute each of the allegations within a reasonable period of time or at all. Our reputation may also be negatively affected as a result of the public dissemination of allegations or malicious statements about us, which in turn may materially and adversely affect the trading price of the ADSs.

We are a relatively young company with a short operating history, and we may not be able to sustain our rapid growth, effectively manage our growth or implement our business strategies.

We, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries have been providing UAV commercial solutions since 2014. Although we have experienced growth, our historical performance may not be indicative of our future performance due to our limited operating history. We are currently commercializing our products and air mobility solutions, and have a short history of accepting orders for our products and delivering them to customers for testing, training and demonstration purposes. There is only a limited historical basis for making judgments on the demand for our products and services or our ability to produce and deliver products and air mobility solutions, or to become profitable in the future.

You should consider our business and future prospects in light of the risks and challenges we face as a new entrant to a nascent industry and to overseas markets, including risks and challenges associated with our ability to:

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provide safe, convenient and effective air mobility solutions;

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maintain reliable, secure, high-performance and scalable infrastructure;

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identify suitable facilities to expand manufacturing capacity;

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navigate the evolving and complex regulatory environment across all the markets in which we operate;

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anticipate and adapt to changing market conditions, including technological developments and changes in the competitive landscape, and adjust, manage and execute our marketing and sales activities to cater to local economic and demographic conditions, cultural differences and customer preferences across all our current and future markets;

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successfully market our commercial solutions;

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improve and maintain our operational efficiency; and

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attract, retain and motivate talented employees.

If we fail to address any or all of these risks and challenges, our business may be materially and adversely affected.

As our business grows, we, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries may adjust our product and service offerings. These adjustments may not bring about expected results and may instead have a material and adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. For example, we and the VIE historically manufactured and sold consumer drones while we and the VIE were developing our pilotless eVTOL aircraft and commercial solutions. Our consumer drone business was not successful. We and the VIE gradually phased out this business to focus on more innovative products and services. Our revenue structure may continue to evolve in response to market demand. In particular, we expect the relative revenue contribution from air mobility solutions to increase and that from aerial media solutions to decrease in the foreseeable future. Our growth is dependent on the development of such new products and services. We may not accurately identify market needs before we invest in the development of a new product or a new service. In addition, we might face difficulties or delays in the development process, which may result in losses in our market share and competitive advantages.

In pursuit of our growth strategy, we, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries may enter into new strategic relationships to further penetrate our targeted markets. Should these relationships fail to materialize and develop into demand or orders for our products and services, or should we fail to work effectively with these companies, we may lose opportunities to generate sales growth and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Our UAVs and commercial solutions are subject to safety standards, and the failure to satisfy such mandated safety standards or failure to design, manufacture and operate safe and high-performance products and related operating systems and infrastructure would have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results.

Sales of our products must comply with applicable standards in the market where they are sold, including standards on design, manufacturing and operation. In China, for example, certain components of our products must pass various tests and undergo a certification process and be affixed with a China Compulsory Certificate, or CCC, before they can be installed on our products. We cannot assure you that we have obtained the CCC for all the components of our products that are listed in the CCC Product Catalogue. Failure to install components with a CCC may prevent us from selling the affected products and negatively affect our manufacturing and sales of our products. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—PRC Regulation” for further details. In the United States, the FAA oversees the safety of aircraft operations in the national airspace system and has the authority to grant airworthiness certificates and related exemptions to unmanned aircraft systems. If we fail to have our products satisfy applicable aerial vehicle standards in any jurisdiction where we operate, our business and operating results would be adversely affected. To achieve a high level of safety assurance, we have also established our own products safety standards. While we are committed to producing safe and high-quality products, there can be no assurance that our safety technology will be effective in preventing incidents related to product safety, such as accidents involving our products. Failure to ensure the safe operation of our products will affect our reputation and the sales of our products, which will ultimately adversely affect our business operation and financial results.

We have incurred, and in the future may continue to incur, net losses.

We have incurred net losses in the past. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, we had net losses of RMB313.9 million, RMB329.3 million, and RMB302.3 million (US$42.6 million), respectively, and we had net operating cash outflows of RMB121.6 million, RMB173.5 million, and RMB88.4 million (US$12.5 million), respectively, in the same years. We expect our net losses to increase in future periods as we continue to expand our business and operations. See “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review Prospect—B. Liquidity and Capital Resources” for more information on our liquidity and capital resources. We also expect to incur substantial costs and expenses as a result of being a public company.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate net profits or positive operating cash flows in the future. Our ability to achieve profitability depends in large part on, among other factors, our ability to increase orders and sales of our eVTOL aircraft and other UAVs, commercial solutions and services, achieve economies of scale, establish effective pricing strategies, effectively navigate the regulatory environments in different jurisdictions, and increase operational efficiency. If we are unable to generate adequate revenues or effectively manage our expenses, we may continue to incur significant losses in the future and may not be able to achieve or subsequently maintain profitability.

We may not be successful in competing in the UAV industry.

We operate in the UAV industry and provide various commercial solutions, including air mobility (consisting of passenger transportation and logistics), smart city management and aerial media solutions. In addition to competing with other UAV companies, we compete with traditional industry players providing similar solutions, such as aircraft and ground transportation service providers. Many of our current and potential competitors, particularly international competitors, have significantly greater financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing and other resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to the design, development, manufacturing, distribution, promotion, sale and support of their products.

We expect competition in our industry to intensify in the future in light of increased demand for alternative transportation, continuing globalization and consolidation in the global UAV industry. Factors affecting competition include, among others, ability to innovate, development speed, product quality, reliability, safety and features, pricing and customer service. Increased competition may lead to lower product unit sales and increased inventory, which may result in downward price pressure and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects.

Our ability to successfully compete in our industry will be fundamental to our future success in existing and new markets and will affect our market share. If our competitors introduce products or services that are superior in quality or performance and/or lower in price compared with our offerings, we may lose existing customers or be unable to attract new customers at prices that would allow us to generate attractive rates of return on our investment, if at all.

Any significant cybersecurity incident or disruption to our operating systems, command-and-control centers, or information systems and infrastructure could subject us to significant reputational, financial, legal and operational consequences.

We depend on our and the VIE’s integrated in-flight operating systems and on-the-ground infrastructure to operate our products and services. Any material disruption to or slowdown of our operating systems or infrastructure could cause our products to malfunction or result in outages or delays in our services, which could harm our brand and adversely affect our operating results.

Our command-and-control centers rely on our proprietary cloud database, which can store all of the data collected under our clients’ approvals. Problems with our command-and-control centers or our telecommunications network providers could adversely affect our services and products. Our telecommunications network providers could decide to cease providing services to us without adequate notice. Any change in service levels of our telecommunications network or any errors, defects, disruptions or other performance problems with our operating systems or infrastructure could harm our brand and potentially affect our user data. If changes in technology cause our operating systems or infrastructure to become obsolete, or if our operating systems or command-and-control centers are inadequate to support our growth, we could lose customers, and our business and operating results could be adversely affected.

We could be subject to breaches of security by hackers. Although we proactively employ multiple measures to defend our systems against intrusions and attacks, our measures may not prevent unauthorized access or use of sensitive data. A breach of our UAV operating systems or command-and-control systems may result in product damages, data losses and, in extreme cases, accidents or hijacking of our UAVs to perform unlawful activities.

A cybersecurity breach could harm our reputation and deter our customers and potential customers from using our products. In addition, any such breach could cause us to incur costs to correct the breaches or failures, expose us to uninsured liability, increase our risk of regulatory scrutiny, subject us to lawsuits and result in the imposition of material penalties and fines.

In addition, we rely on information technology systems that we or our third-party providers operate to process, transmit and store electronic information in our day-to-day operations. A successful cyberattack or other cybersecurity incident could result in the theft or destruction of our operational, financial and other data, or other misappropriation of assets, or otherwise compromise our confidential or proprietary information and disrupt our operations. Cybersecurity incidents are increasing in their frequency, sophistication, level of persistence and intensity, and are being conducted by sophisticated and organized groups and individuals with a wide range of motives and expertise. Cyberattacks could include wrongful conduct by hostile foreign governments, industrial espionage, wire fraud and other forms of cyber fraud, the deployment of harmful malware, denial-of-service, ransomware, social engineering fraud or other means to threaten data security, confidentiality, integrity and availability. For example, in July 2023, we experienced a cybersecurity incident that caused a temporary disruption in accessing specific approval processes within our internal and independently functioning approval OA system. To mitigate the impact, we undertook several measures, including promptly restored a backup version. The OA system has no direct interface with other operational or financial systems, and no sensitive data leakage was reported up to the date of this annual report. We believe the impacts of the cybersecurity incident were immaterial. We may also experience cybersecurity incidents that may remain undetected for an extended period. A successful cyberattack could cause serious negative consequences for us, including, without limitation, the disruption of operations, the misappropriation of confidential business information, including financial information, trade secrets, financial loss and the disclosure of corporate strategic plans. Although we devote resources to protect our information systems, we realize that cybersecurity incidents are a threat, and there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent cybersecurity incidents that would result in business, legal, financial or reputational harm to us, or would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

An accident involving a UAV provided by us or another manufacturer could harm the UAV industry.

An accident involving a UAV provided by us or another manufacturer could cause regulatory agencies around the world to tighten restrictions on the use of UAVs, particularly over-populated areas, and could cause the public to lose confidence in our products and UAVs generally. There are risks associated with autopilot, flight control, communications and other advanced technologies, and, from time to time, there have been accidents associated with these technologies. The safety of certain cutting-edge technologies depends in part on user interaction, and users may not be accustomed to using such technologies. We, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries could face unfavorable and tightened regulatory control and intervention on the use of autopilot and other advanced technologies and be subject to liability and government scrutiny to the extent accidents associated with our autonomous navigation systems occur. Should a high-profile accident occur resulting in substantial casualty or damages, either involving our UAVs or products offered by other companies, public confidence in and regulatory attitudes toward UAVs could deteriorate. Any of the foregoing could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and growth prospects.

We may be compelled to undertake product recalls or take other actions, which could adversely affect our brand image and results of operations.

Our products may not perform in line with customers’ expectations. Any product defects, accidents or any other failure of our products to perform as expected could harm our reputation and result in adverse publicity, revenue loss, delivery delays and product recalls, which could harm our brand and reputation. Any product recall or lawsuit seeking significant monetary damages either in excess of or outside of our insurance coverage may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. In the future, we may, voluntarily or involuntarily, initiate a recall if any of our products, including any systems or components sourced from our suppliers, prove to be defective or noncompliant with applicable laws and regulations. Such recalls, whether voluntary or involuntary and whether caused by systems or components engineered or manufactured by us or our suppliers, could incur significant expenses and adversely affect our brand image in our target markets. They may also inhibit or prevent commercialization of our current and future product candidates.

We may become subject to product liability claims or warranty claims, which could harm our financial condition and liquidity if we are not able to successfully defend or insure against such claims.

We may be exposed to significant product liability claims if our products do not perform as expected or malfunction. Any defects, errors, or failures in our products or the misuse of our products, operating systems and infrastructure could also result in injury, death or property damage. Our risks in this area are particularly pronounced given we have limited field experience in the operation of our products. A successful product liability claim against us could require us to pay a substantial monetary award. Moreover, a product liability claim could generate substantial negative publicity about our products and business and inhibit or prevent commercialization of our current and future models. Our insurance coverage might not be sufficient to cover all potential product liability claims. In addition, the same level of insurance coverage may not be available in the future at economical prices, or at all. Even if we are fully insured as it relates to a claim, the claim could nevertheless diminish our brand and divert management’s attention and resources, which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and result of operations.

We generally provide standard warranties on our products. The term of a warranty is between six months to three years, depending on the product line and the specific part or component. The occurrence of any material defects in our products could make us liable for damages and warranty claims. In addition, we could incur significant costs to correct any defects or other problems, including costs related to product recalls. Warranty claims may also lead to litigation. Any negative publicity related to the perceived quality of our products could affect our brand image, decrease retailer, distributor and customer demand, and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

If we fail to successfully develop and commercialize new products, services and technologies that are well received by customers, our operating results may be materially and adversely affected.

Our future growth depends on whether we can continually develop and introduce new generations of our existing product lines and update our operating systems and infrastructure with enhanced functionalities and value-added services. This is particularly important in the current industry landscape where technologies and consumer preferences evolve rapidly, which may shorten the lifecycles of our existing products. We plan to upgrade our current models and introduce new models in order to continue to provide products with the latest technologies. As technological advancements can be complex and costly, we could experience delays in the development and introduction of new products and services in the future.

Our ability to roll out new and innovative products and services depends on a number of factors, including significant investments in research and development, quality control of our products and services and effective management of our supply chain. We may need to devote more resources to the research and development of new or enhanced products, services and technologies, which may reduce our profitability. In addition, our research and development efforts may not yield the benefits we expect to achieve in a timely manner, or at all. To the extent that we are unable to execute our strategy of continuously introducing new and innovative products, diversifying our product portfolio and satisfying consumers’ changing preferences, we may not be able to grow our user base, and our competitive position and results of operations may be adversely affected. Even if we are able to keep up with technological changes and develop new models, our prior models may as a result become obsolete sooner than expected, potentially reducing our return on investment.

We have limited experience in managing sales to multiple countries and we are subject to a variety of costs and risks due to our continued international expansion.

We delivered two, four, and six EH216 series products abroad in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. We have entered into sales contracts with customers outside China. In 2021, we delivered our EH216 series products to customers in Korea and Indonesia. In 2022, we delivered our EH216 series products to customers in Sweden, Mexico and Israel. In 2023, we delivered our EH216 series products to customers in Japan, Brazil, Columbia, Saudi Arab and Qatar. As international expansion is one of our core strategies, we expect our international sales to increase in the future. In markets outside China, we generally have less experience in marketing, selling and deploying our products. International expansion has required and will continue to require us to invest significant capital and other resources, and our efforts may not be successful. International sales and operations are subject to risks such as:

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limited brand recognition;

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costs associated with establishing new distribution networks;

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difficulty in finding qualified partners for overseas distribution;

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inability to anticipate changes in local market conditions, economic landscapes, and consumers’ preferences and customs;

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difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations;

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lack of familiarity with and understanding of the local legal, regulatory and policy frameworks, as well as burdens of complying with a wide variety of local laws and regulations, including those governing personal data protection and safety control;

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political and economic instability;

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trade restrictions;

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differing employment laws and practices, as well as potential labor disruptions;

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the imposition of government controls;

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lesser degrees of intellectual property protection;

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tariffs and customs duties and the classifications of our goods by applicable governmental bodies; and

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a legal system subject to undue influence or corruption.

Additionally, to export our products to certain jurisdictions, we may face challenges in coordinating with both PRC and the applicable foreign governments and regulatory authorities. If we cannot export our products to such jurisdictions, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results may be materially and adversely impacted.

The failure to manage any of these risks could negatively affect our international business and consequently our overall business and operating results. In addition, the concern over these risks may also prevent us from entering into, or marketing, selling or releasing certain of our products and commercial solutions and related services in, certain markets.

We may rely on some third-party distributors for sales, marketing and distribution activities relating to our products.

Currently we do not rely on any third-party distributors for sales, marketing and distribution activities relating to our products. However, some of our business partners may act as third-party distributors that sell, market and distribute our products to their customers in the future. Accordingly, we may be subject to a number of risks associated with third-party distributors, including a lack of day-to-day control over the activities of third-party distributors selling or using our products and solutions; third-party distributors may terminate their arrangements with us on limited or no notice, or may change the terms of these arrangements in a manner that is unfavorable to us for reasons outside of our control; and any disagreements with our third-party distributors could lead to costly and time-consuming litigation or arbitration. If we fail to establish and maintain satisfactory relationships with our third-party distributors, we may not be able to sell, market and distribute our products according to our internal budget and plans, our future revenues and market share may not grow at a pace that we expect, and we could be subject to increases in sales and marketing and other costs which would harm our results of operations and financial condition.

Our operations may be interrupted by production difficulties or delays due to mechanical failures, utility shortages or stoppages, fire, natural disaster or other calamities at or near our facilities.

Production difficulties, such as capacity constraints, mechanical and systems failures and the need for equipment upgrades, may suspend our production and/or reduce our output. There can be no assurance that we will not experience problems with our production facilities in the future or that we will be able to address any such problems in a timely manner. Problems with key equipment in one or more of our production facilities may affect our ability to produce our products or cause us to incur significant expenses to repair or replace such equipment. Scheduled and unscheduled maintenance programs may affect our production output. Any of these could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We depend on a continuous supply of utilities, such as electricity and water, to operate our production facilities. Any disruption to the supply of electricity or other utilities may disrupt our production, or cause the deterioration or loss of our inventory. This could adversely affect our ability to fulfill our sales orders and consequently may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In addition, we are vulnerable to natural disasters and other calamities such as hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and other adverse weather and climate conditions. Although we have servers that are hosted in an offsite location, our backup system does not capture data on a real-time basis, and we may be unable to recover certain data in the event of a server failure. We cannot assure you that any backup systems will be adequate to protect us from the effects of fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist attacks or similar events. Any of the foregoing events may give rise to interruptions, breakdowns, system failures, technology platform failures or internet failures, which could cause the loss or corruption of data or malfunctions of software or hardware as well as adversely affect our ability to provide services on our platform.

Our customers may experience service failures or interruptions due to defects in the software, infrastructure, components or engineering system that compromise our products and services, or due to errors in product installation, any of which could harm our business.

Our products and services may contain undetected defects in the software, infrastructure, components or engineering system. Sophisticated software and applications, such as those adopted and offered by us, often contain “bugs” that can unexpectedly interfere with the software and applications’ intended operations. Our internet services may from time to time experience outages, service slowdowns or errors. Defects may also occur in components or processes used in our products or for our services.

There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and fix all defects in the hardware, software and services we offer. Failure to do so could result in decreases in sales of our products and services, lost revenues, significant warranty and other expenses, decreases in customer confidence and loyalty, losing market share to our competitors, and harm to our reputation.

Our success depends on the continuing efforts of our key employees, including our senior management members and other key personnel. If we fail to hire, retain and motivate our key employees, we could lose the innovation, collaboration and focus that contribute to our business.

We believe that our success depends substantially on the continued efforts of our key employees, including our senior management members and other qualified and key personnel. We rely on our executive officers, senior management and key employees to generate business and execute programs successfully. In addition, the relationships and reputation that members of our management and key employees have established and maintain with government personnel contribute to our ability to maintain good customer relations and to identify new business opportunities. The loss of any key personnel or our failure to attract additional talent could reduce our employee retention, disrupt our research and development activities and operations, and impair our revenue growth and competitiveness. If one or more of our executive officers or key employees were unable or unwilling to continue their services with us, we might not be able to replace them easily, in a timely manner, or at all, and we might lose the innovation, collaboration and focus that contribute to our business.

Our business and prospects depend significantly on our ability to build our EHang brand.

Our business and prospects are heavily dependent on our ability to build, maintain and strengthen the EHang brand. If we do not continue to establish, maintain and strengthen our brand, we may lose the opportunity to build a critical mass of customers. Promoting and positioning our brand will likely depend significantly on our ability to provide high-quality products and commercial solutions and engage with our customers as intended. In addition, we expect that our ability to develop, maintain and strengthen the EHang brand will also depend heavily on the success of our user development and branding efforts. Such efforts mainly include building a community of engaged online and offline users as well as other branding initiatives, such as product shows and events. To promote our brand, we may be required to change our user development and branding practices, which could result in substantially increased expenses. If we do not develop and maintain a strong brand, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be materially and adversely impacted.

Our EHang brand could be subject to adverse publicity if incidents related to our products occur or are perceived to have occurred, whether or not we are at fault. In particular, given the popularity of social media, including WeChat and Weibo in China, any negative publicity, regardless of its truthfulness, could quickly proliferate and harm consumer perceptions of and confidence in our brand. Furthermore, we may be affected by adverse publicity related to our manufacturing or other partners, whether or not such publicity is related to their collaboration with us. Our ability to successfully position our brand could also be adversely affected by perceptions of the quality of our partners’ products and services. In addition, from time to time, our products and commercial solutions are evaluated and reviewed by third parties. Any unfavorable reviews could adversely affect consumer perceptions of our products and commercial solutions.

Weather and seasonality may have a material adverse effect on our operations.

Our sales of products and commercial solutions may be affected by weather and seasonality. Our commercial solutions are mainly delivered outdoor. Customers may choose alternative transportation in severe weather conditions in consideration of safety factors, even if our products are able to endure such conditions. As a result, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially and adversely impacted by the weather conditions. Our operating results may vary from period to period due to many factors, including seasonal factors that may have an effect on the demand for our commercial solutions in the future. As a result, our quarterly results of operations and financial position at the end of a particular quarter may not necessarily be representative of the results we expect at year-end or in other quarters of a year. Our operating results would suffer if we did not achieve revenues consistent with our expectations due to seasonal demand and weather changes because many of our expenses are based on anticipated levels of annual revenues.

Any decline in the business of our business partners or the deterioration of our relationship with them could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

We collaborate with various business partners to promote our products and commercial solutions. There can be no guarantee that those business partners will continue to collaborate with us in the future. If we are unable to maintain good relationships with our business partners, or the business of our business partners declines, the reach of our products and services may be adversely affected and our ability to maintain and expand our user base may decrease.

Most of the agreements with our business partners do not prohibit them from working with our competitors or from offering competing services. If our partners change their standard terms and conditions in a manner that is detrimental to our business, or if our business partners decide not to continue working with us, or choose to devote more resources to supporting our competitors or their own competing products, we may not be able to find a substitute on commercially favorable terms, or at all, and our competitive advantages may diminish.

We rely on external suppliers for raw materials and certain key externally sourced components and parts used in the assembly of our products, and have limited control over the quality of these components and parts.

We purchase certain key externally sourced components and raw materials, such as computers chips, batteries, motors and electronic displays, from external suppliers for use in our assembly, production and operations of our products. A continuous and stable supply of components and raw materials that meet our standards is crucial to our assembly, production and operations. We cannot assure you that we will be able to maintain our existing relationships with our suppliers and continue to be able to stably source key components and raw materials at reasonable prices, or at all. We have integrated our suppliers’ technologies within our products such that having to change to an alternative supplier may cause significant disruption to our operations. The supply of key components could be interrupted for any reason, or there could be significant increases in the prices of these key components. Additionally, changes in business conditions, force majeure, governmental changes and other factors beyond our control, or that we do not presently anticipate, could also affect our suppliers’ ability to deliver components to us on a timely basis. If any of these events occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We cannot guarantee that the quality of components and parts manufactured by external suppliers will be consistent and maintained at a high standard. Any defects of or quality issues with these components or any noncompliance incidents associated with these third-party suppliers could result in quality issues with our products and hence compromise our brand image and results of operations. In extreme situations, we may be exposed to liabilities as a result of significant damages caused by certain components from external suppliers and we cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain sufficient insurance coverage at an acceptable cost in the future. A successful claim brought against us in excess of our available insurance coverage may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and operating results.

Safety issues or public perceptions of safety issues concerning lithium-ion batteries could have a material adverse impact on our business.

The battery packs installed on our products make use of lithium-ion cells. On rare occasions, lithium-ion cells can rapidly release the energy they contain by venting smoke and flames in a manner that can ignite nearby materials as well as other lithium-ion cells. While the battery packs used for our products are designed to passively contain any single cell’s release of energy without spreading to neighboring cells, a field or testing failure of our products could occur, which could result in accidents, casualty or damages, and subject us to lawsuits, product recalls, and/or redesign efforts. Also, negative public perceptions regarding the suitability of lithium-ion cells for aircraft applications or any future incident involving lithium-ion cells, even if such incident does not involve our products, could seriously harm our business. In addition, we store a significant number of lithium-ion cells at our facilities. Any mishandling of battery cells may cause disruption to the operation of our facilities. While we have implemented safety procedures related to the handling of the cells, a safety issue or fire related to the cells could disrupt our operations. Such damage or injury could lead to adverse publicity and potentially a safety recall.

We rely on third-party logistics providers to deliver our domestic sales orders and certain overseas orders. Inadequate third-party logistics services or failure to mitigate the risks of damage or disruption to our distribution logistics could adversely affect our business.

Our ability to transport and sell our products is critical to our success across our operations. We typically rely on third-party logistics service providers to deliver our domestic sales orders and certain overseas orders. Damage or disruption to our distribution logistics due to disputes, weather, natural disasters, fire, explosions, terrorism, pandemics or labor strikes could impair our ability to distribute or sell our products. Inadequate third-party logistics services could also potentially disrupt our distribution and sales and compromise our business reputation. Failure to take adequate steps to mitigate the likelihood or potential impact of such events, or to effectively manage such events if they occur, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as require additional resources to restore our supply chain.

If we fail to comply with environmental protection and work safety laws and regulations, we could become subject to fines or penalties or incur costs that could harm our business.

We are subject to numerous environmental protection and work safety laws and regulations. For more details, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—PRC Regulation—Environmental Protection and Work Safety.” We also could incur significant costs associated with civil or criminal fines and penalties for failure to comply with such laws and regulations. Environmental and social laws and regulations have tended to become increasingly stringent. There has been increased global focus on environmental and social issues and it is possible that China may potentially adopt more stringent standards or new regulations in these areas. To the extent regulatory changes occur in the future, they could result in, among other things, increased costs to our company. In addition, we may incur substantial costs in order to comply with current or future environmental protection and work safety laws and regulations. These current or future laws and regulations may impair our research, development or production efforts. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations also may result in substantial fines, penalties or other sanctions.

If our business partners, contractors, suppliers, sales agents, dealers or third-party logistics services providers fail to use ethical business practices and comply with applicable laws and regulations, our brand image could be harmed due to negative publicity beyond our own control.

Our reputation is sensitive to allegations of unethical business practices. We do not control the business practices of our business partners, independent contractors and suppliers, sales agents, dealers or third-party logistics services providers. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee their compliance with ethical business practices, such as environmental responsibilities, fair wage practices, and compliance with child labor laws, among others. A lack of demonstrated compliance could lead us to seek alternative suppliers, sales agents or dealers, which could increase our costs and result in delayed delivery of our products, product shortages or other disruptions of our operations. Violation of labor or other laws by our suppliers, business partners, sales agent, dealers or third-party logistics services suppliers or the divergence of their labor or other practices from those generally accepted as ethical in the markets in which we do business could also attract negative publicity, diminish our brand image and reduce demand for our products and commercial solutions.

If customers modify our products or operating systems, the products may not operate properly, which may cause damage, create negative publicity and harm our business.

Our customers may try to modify our products or operating systems for various reasons, which could compromise the performance and safety of our products, as well as the safety of their passengers. During such modifications, they may use third-party parts that may not be compatible with our products. We do not test, nor do we endorse, such modification. In addition, the use of improper external cabling or unsafe charging outlets can expose our customers to injury from product malfunctioning. Any injuries or damages resulting from such modifications or misuses could result in adverse publicity, which would negatively affect our brand and harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

A new health epidemic could significantly disrupt our operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business could be significantly affected by public health epidemics that may hit China and/or other countries where we sell our products, such as the outbreak of coronavirus, avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, Zika virus, Ebola virus or other disease. For example, the severity of the past COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lock-downs, travel restrictions and quarantines imposed by governments across the world and materially affected general commercial activities on a global scale. In 2022, we experienced delayed fulfillments from suppliers as well as reduced demand for our products from the tourism sector, which suffered disproportionately from the pandemic. The majority of our revenue generated from sales of the EH216 series products are from a limited number of customers that mainly operate our products in tourism locations in China, rather than in broad, mainstream commercial operations. Therefore, in 2021 and 2022, we faced delayed collection of our accounts receivable from some of our customers later than the due dates. A COVID-19 outbreak may result in these customers ceasing purchases, canceling or reducing orders for our products or services, or failing to make payments owed to us in a timely manner or at all, which may materially and adversely impact our business and result of operations. The COVID-19 pandemic had caused an economic downturn in many countries. Such general economic slowdown may reduce the demand for our products and services. Any future outbreak of a contagious disease, and other adverse public health developments may restrict economic activities in affected regions, resulting in reduced business volume, temporary closure of our production facilities and offices or otherwise disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

We could be adversely affected by security-related concerns of the United States and other countries against Chinese companies and products and political tensions between the United States and China.

Due to security-related concerns, U.S. government actions targeting exports of certain technologies to China are becoming more pervasive. The U.S. government has in the past issued export restrictions that effectively banned U.S. companies from selling products to ZTE Corporation, and in May 2019 imposed a similar ban on sales of all products to Huawei. In 2018, the U.S. adopted new laws designed to address concerns about the export of emerging and foundational technologies to China. In May 2019, former U.S. President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order that invoked national emergency economic powers to implement a framework to regulate the acquisition or transfer of information communications technology in transactions that imposed undue national security risks. In October 2022, the Biden Administration issued extensive new restrictions on the export to China of advanced semiconductors, as well as design software and manufacturing equipment, without a special license. These actions could lead to additional restrictions on the export of products that include or enable technologies on which we rely. Such restrictions imposed by the United States or any other countries may make it more difficult for us to procure or license technological products from these countries, or affect the ability of our PRC suppliers to manufacture and provide us with advanced components, which may increase our costs, impair our products’ competitiveness, and have a material adverse effect on our business.

Similar security-related concerns may affect our ability to export our products to the United States and other countries. In May 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security advised American companies about the inherent security risks associated with Chinese-made drones. In a related development, the U.S. government was also reportedly considering placing Chinese surveillance systems providers, including Hikvision Digital Technology and Dahua Technology, on a trade blacklist that would cut off their access to American hi-tech suppliers. We cannot assure you that our products will not be placed on such trade blacklist in the future. If that event occurs, our ability to export our products to the United States will be adversely affected.

In addition, political tensions between the United States and China have escalated due to, among other things, the COVID-19 outbreak, the PRC National People’s Congress’ passage of Hong Kong national security legislation, sanctions imposed by the U.S. Department of Treasury on certain officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the central government of the PRC and the executive orders issued by former U.S. President Donald J. Trump in August 2020 that prohibit certain transactions with ByteDance Ltd., Tencent Holdings Ltd. and the respective subsidiaries of such companies. Rising political tensions could reduce levels of trades, investments, technological exchanges and other economic activities between the two major economies, which would have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.

We, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries may need to defend ourselves against claims of intellectual property infringement, which may be time-consuming and costly.

Companies, organizations or individuals, including our competitors, may hold or obtain patents, trademarks or other proprietary rights that would prevent, limit or interfere with our ability to make, use, develop, sell or market our products, operating systems and infrastructure or their components, which could make it more difficult for us to operate our business. Companies holding patents or other intellectual property rights may bring suits alleging infringement of such rights by us, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries or otherwise assert their rights against us, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries. Moreover, our, the VIE’s or its subsidiaries’ applications and uses of trademarks relating to design, software or artificial intelligence technologies could be found to infringe upon existing trademark ownership and rights. We, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries may also fail to apply for key trademarks in a timely manner. For example, there are some precedent registrations by several other Chinese companies of the trademark “ LOGO ” (the Chinese characters for our brand, “EHang”) for vehicles and bicycles, which fall into the same class of products as remote aerial vehicles and aerospace transportation. Although we received a favorable judgement in a proceeding relating to such precedent registrations, we may continue to face intellectual property infringement claims in the future.

If we, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries are determined to have infringed upon a third party’s intellectual property rights, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries may be required to do one or more of the following:

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cease selling, incorporating certain components into, or using products or offering goods or services that incorporate or use the challenged intellectual property;

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pay substantial damages;

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seek a license from the holder of the infringed intellectual property right, which license may not be available on reasonable terms or at all;

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redesign our, the VIE’s or its subsidiaries’ products, operating systems and infrastructure, components or services; or

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establish and maintain alternative branding for our, the VIE’s or its subsidiaries’ products and services.

In the event of a successful claim of infringement against us, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries and our, the VIE’s or its subsidiaries’ failure or inability to obtain a license to the infringed technology or other intellectual property right, our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, any litigation or claims, even if frivolous, could result in substantial costs, negative publicity and diversion of resources and management attention.

Our or the VIE’s intellectual property rights may not protect us effectively.

As of March 31, 2024, we and the VIE together owned 396 issued patents, 313 pending patent applications, 370 registered trademarks, and 24 registered copyrights in China in relation to our and the VIE’s technologies. We cannot assure you that our or the VIE’s pending patent applications will be granted. Even if our or the VIE’s applications are successful, patents may be contested, circumvented or invalidated in the future.

In addition, the rights granted under any issued patents may not provide us with proprietary protection or competitive advantages. The claims under any patents that are issued from our or the VIE’s patent applications may not be broad enough to prevent others from developing technologies that are similar or that achieve results similar to ours or the VIE’s. It is also possible that the intellectual property rights of others could bar us or the VIE from licensing and exploiting any patents that are issued from our or the VIE’s pending applications. Numerous patents and pending patent applications owned by others exist in the fields in which we and the VIE have developed and are developing our technologies. These patents and patent applications might have priority over our or the VIE’s patent applications and could subject our or the VIE’s patent applications to invalidation. Finally, in addition to those who may claim priority, any of our or the VIE’s existing or pending patents may also be challenged by others on the basis that they are otherwise invalid or unenforceable.

Implementation and enforcement of PRC laws on intellectual property rights have historically been deficient and ineffective. Accordingly, protection of intellectual property rights in China may not be as effective as in the United States or other developed countries. Furthermore, policing unauthorized use of proprietary technologies is difficult and expensive. We and the VIE rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws and restrictions on disclosure to protect our and the VIE’s intellectual property rights. Despite our efforts to protect our and the VIE’s proprietary rights, third parties may attempt to copy or otherwise obtain and use our or the VIE’s intellectual property or seek court declarations that they do not infringe upon our or the VIE’s intellectual property rights. Any unauthorized use of our or the VIE’s intellectual property by third parties may adversely affect our current and future revenues and our reputation. Monitoring unauthorized use of our and the VIE’s intellectual property is difficult and costly, and we cannot assure you that the steps we or the VIE have taken or will take will prevent misappropriation of our and the VIE’s intellectual property. From time to time, we or the VIE may have to resort to litigation to enforce our and the VIE’s intellectual property rights, which could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources.

Failure to safeguard personal information could subject us to penalties, damage our reputation and brand, and harm our business and results of operations.

Through our UAVs, app and command-and-control systems, we log information about each UAV’s use, such as charge time, battery usage, mileage and location information, in order to aid us in vehicle diagnostics, repair and maintenance, as well as to help us customize and optimize the flying experience. Images and videos captured by cameras attached to our UAVs are stored on our servers, servers of third-party cloud storage providers or other servers designated by our customers. We, therefore, process, including but not limited to collect, store, process, use, transfer, provide, disclose and delete, personal data from our users in order to better understand and serve our users. Such personal data processing also enables our content feeds recommendation. Possession and use of our users’ flying behavior and data in conducting our business may subject us to legislative and regulatory oversight in China and other jurisdictions, such as the European Union and the United States. For example, in January 2018, the European Union promulgated the General Data Protection Regulation to further protect fundamental rights in privacy and personal information so that members of the general public have more control over their personal information. Regulations in relevant jurisdictions may require us to obtain user consent for the collection of personal information, restrict our use of such personal information and hinder our ability to expand our user base. In the event of a data breach or other unauthorized access to our user data, we may have obligations to notify users about the incident and we may need to provide some form of remedy for the individuals affected by the incident.

Concerns or claims about our practices with regard to the processing of personal information or other privacy-related matters, even if unfounded, could damage our reputation and results of operations. In the PRC, governmental authorities have enacted a series of laws and regulations to enhance the protection of privacy and data. The PRC Constitution, the PRC Criminal Law, the Civil Code of the PRC, the Cybersecurity Law of the PRC and relevant regulations require network operators, which may include us, to ensure the security and stability of the services provided via network and protect individual privacy and the security of personal data in general by requiring the consent of internet users prior to the processing of their personal data. Under the Cybersecurity Law, the owners and administrators of networks and network service providers are subject to various personal information security protection obligations, including restrictions on the collection and use of personal information of users, and they are required to take steps to prevent personal data from being divulged, stolen, or tampered with. Regulatory requirements regarding the protection of personal information are constantly evolving and can be subject to differing interpretations or significant changes, making the extent of our responsibilities in that regard uncertain. For example, on June 10, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, or SCNPC, promulgated the Data Security Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the Data Security Law, effective from September 1, 2021. The Data Security Law provides that data processing activities that affects or may affect national security shall be subject to a data security review procedure. On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly promulgated the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities, which called for a heightened scrutiny over overseas-listed China-based companies of their compliance with the laws and regulations regarding data security, cross-border data flow and management of confidential information, and such laws and regulations are expected to undergo further changes, which may require increased information security responsibilities and stronger cross-border information management mechanism and process. We may need to adjust our business to comply with data security requirements and other laws and regulations from time to time.

On August 20, 2021, the SCNPC promulgated the Personal Information Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China, or the Personal Information Protection Law, which integrates the scattered rules with respect to personal information rights and privacy protection and took effect on November 1, 2021. We may be required to make further adjustments to our business practices to comply with the personal information protection laws and regulations.

On November 14, 2021, the CAC publicly solicited opinions on the Administration Regulations on Cyber Data Security (Draft for Comments), or the Draft Data Security Regulations. The Draft Data Security Regulations stipulates that data processors processing personal information of more than one million users shall be subject to the various requirements that apply to important data processors, including but not limited to: (a) important data processors shall specify the person in charge of data security and establish a data security management organization; (b) important data processors shall file with competent authorities within 15 working days after the identification of important data; (c) important data processors shall develop a data security training program for its employees; (d) important data processors shall carry out annual data security assessment and file such report with competent authorities annually. Uncertainties exist with respect to its enactment timetable, final content, interpretation and implementation. We cannot assure you that relevant governmental authorities will not interpret the laws and regulations in ways that may negatively affect us. At this stage, we are unable to predict the possible consequences of these drafts, if any, and we are monitoring and assessing the rulemaking process closely. Any failure, or perceived failure to maintain the security of our user data or to comply with applicable PRC or foreign privacy, data security and personal information protection laws and obligations may result in civil or regulatory liability, including governmental or data protection authority enforcement actions and investigations, fines, penalties, enforcement orders requiring us to cease operating in a certain way, litigation, or adverse publicity, and may require us to expend significant resources in responding to and defending allegations and claims.

On December 31, 2021, the CAC, together with other regulatory authorities, published the Administrative Provisions on Algorithm Recommendation for Internet Information Services, or the Administrative Provisions on Algorithm Recommendation, effective on March 1, 2022. Pursuant to the Administrative Provisions on Algorithm Recommendation, users should be given an option to easily turn off algorithm recommendation services, and service providers shall, among others, establish and improve the management systems and technical measures for algorithm driven recommendation mechanism and regularly review, evaluate and verify the principle, models, data and application results of algorithms. The Company will closely monitor the regulatory development and adjust its business operation from time to time to comply with the regulations over algorithm.

Pursuant to the National Security Law issued by SCNPC on July 1, 2015, the state shall establish a national security review and supervision system to review, among other things, foreign investment, key technologies, internet and information technology products and services, and other important activities that are likely to impact national security of China. On December 28, 2021, the CAC together with other regulatory authorities officially announced the Cybersecurity Review Measures, which is consistent with the Cybersecurity Review Measures (Revision Draft for Comment) announced by the CAC on July 10, 2021. Pursuant to the Cybersecurity Review Measures, the procurement of network products and services by critical information infrastructure operators and the data processing activities conducted by network platform operators which affects or may affect national security shall be subject to cybersecurity review. Network platform operators mastering personal information of more than one million users must apply to the Cybersecurity Review Office for cybersecurity review if they intend to be listed abroad. On July 30, 2021, the State Council promulgated the Regulations on Security Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, or the CIIO Regulations, which became effective on September 1, 2021. Pursuant to the CII Regulations, critical information infrastructure refers to any important network facilities or information systems of an important industry or field such as public communication and information service, energy, transport, water conservation, finance, public services, e-government affairs, science and technology industry for national defense and other industries and sectors that may seriously endanger national security, people’s livelihood and public interest in case of damage, function loss or data leakage. In addition, relevant administration departments of each critical industry and sector are responsible for formulating eligibility criteria and determining the critical information infrastructure in the respective industry or sector. The operators will be informed about the final determination as to whether they are categorized as critical information infrastructure operators, or CIIOs. As of the filing of this annual report on Form 20-F, no detailed rules or interpretations have been issued and we have not been informed as a CIIO by any governmental authorities. Furthermore, the exact scope of CIIOs, under the current regulatory regime remains unclear, and the PRC governmental authorities may have discretion in the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations. Therefore, it is uncertain whether we would be deemed as a CIIO under PRC law. If we are identified as CIIO, we will be subject to stricter requirements on business operations and cybersecurity compliance, and we may need to follow cybersecurity review procedure and apply with Cybersecurity Review Office before making certain purchases of network products and services, and if a cybersecurity review is applicable, we may be required to suspend providing any existing or new services to our users, and we may experience other disruptions of our operations.

In addition, the PRC regulatory authorities have recently taken steps to strengthen the regulations on data protection and conducted several rounds of relevant inspections. We have not been informed by the CAC of any further requirements of rectification. As laws and regulations in China on the protection of privacy and data are constantly evolving, complying with new laws and regulations could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner materially adverse to our business.

Despite our efforts to comply with applicable laws, regulations and other obligations relating to privacy, data protection and information security, it is possible that our practices, offerings or platform could fail to meet certain requirements imposed on us by such laws, regulations or obligations. Any failure on our part to comply with applicable laws or regulations or any other obligations relating to privacy, data protection or information security, or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access, collection, transfer, use or release of personally identifiable information or other data, or the perception or allegation that any of the foregoing types of failure or compromise has occurred, could damage our reputation, discourage new and existing users from using our platform or result in investigations, fines, suspension of our app, or other penalties by government authorities and private claims or litigation, any of which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the interpretation and application of the aforementioned laws and regulations are often uncertain and in flux. Our practice may become inconsistent with these laws and regulations.

Our platform and internal systems depend on the ability of software and hardware developed and maintained internally and/or by third parties to store, retrieve, process and manage immense amounts of data, including personal information or other privacy-related matters. The software and hardware on which we rely may now or in the future contain undetected programming errors, bugs, or vulnerabilities which may result in errors or compromise our ability to protect the data of our users and in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition and operation results. Any systems failure or compromise of security that results in the unauthorized access to or release of the data, photo or messaging history of our users could significantly limit the adoption of our services, as well as harm our reputation and brand, result in litigation or regulatory investigations against us, and we could be subject to material liability or penalties. Additionally, we connect our platform with software development kit provided by third parties who may also process users’ data. The integrity of our user data also depends on their ability to secure and protect the data they process. The risk that these types of events could seriously harm our business is likely to increase as we expand the scope of services we offer and as we increase the size of our user base.

We may also become subject to laws and regulations affecting data protection, data privacy and/or information security in other jurisdictions by virtue of having users who reside in these jurisdictions, even if we do not have a physical presence there. Many jurisdictions have in the past adopted, and may in the future adopt, new laws and regulations, or amendments to existing laws and regulations, affecting data protection, data privacy and/or information security, such as the General Data Protection Regulation, or the GDPR, adopted by the European Union that became fully effective on May 25, 2018. The interpretation and application of these laws or regulations are often uncertain and in flux. We cannot guarantee you that our practice is consistent with these laws and regulations and our practice may become inconsistent with these laws and regulations; if so, we could be subject to fines and orders requiring that we change our practices, which could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Complying with new data laws and regulations could cause us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices in a manner materially adverse to our business.

If users allege that we have improperly used, released or disclosed their personal information, we could face legal claims and reputational damage. We may incur significant expenses to comply with privacy, consumer protection and security standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards or contractual obligations. A major breach of our network security and systems could create serious negative consequences for our business and future prospects, including possible fines, penalties, reduced customer demand for our products, and harm to our reputation and brand. See “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—PRC Regulation” for further details.

The execution of our business plans requires a significant amount of capital. In addition, our future capital needs may require us to sell additional equity or debt securities that may dilute the equity interests of our shareholders or introduce covenants that may restrict our operations or our ability to pay dividends.

We will need significant capital to, among other things, conduct research and development, expand our manufacturing capacity, roll out new products and solutions and provide commercial services. We may also need significant capital to maintain our existing property and equipment. We believe that our balances of cash and cash equivalents, fund available from maturity of short-term deposit, short-term investments and restricted short-term deposits as of December 31, 2023 will be sufficient to meet our sustainable operations and material cash requirements, including capital expenditures, for at least the 12 months after the date of this annual report. Our expected sources of capital include both equity and debt financing. However, financing might not be available to us in a timely manner or on acceptable terms, or at all.

Our ability to obtain the necessary financing to carry out our business plan is subject to a number of factors, including general market conditions and investor acceptance of our business plans. These factors may make the timing, amount, terms and conditions of such financing unattractive or unavailable to us. If we are unable to raise sufficient funds, we will have to significantly reduce our spending, delay or cancel our planned activities, substantially change our current corporate structure, or even curtail or discontinue our operations.

In addition, our future capital needs and other business concerns could require us to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of additional equity or equity-linked securities could dilute the equity interests of our shareholders. Additional indebtedness would increase our debt-service obligations and may be accompanied by covenants that would restrict our operations or our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders.

We are subject to risks associated with strategic alliances or acquisitions. If we cannot manage the growth of our business or execute our strategies effectively, our business and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.

We have entered into strategic alliances with various business partners, and may in the future enter into joint research and development agreements or co-branding agreements with third parties to further our business purpose from time to time. These alliances could subject us to a number of risks, including risks associated with sharing proprietary information, non-performance by the third parties and increased expenses in establishing new strategic alliances, any of which may materially and adversely affect our business. We may have limited ability to monitor or control the actions of these third parties. If any of these strategic third parties suffer negative publicity or harm to their reputation from events relating to their business, we may also suffer negative publicity or harm to our reputation by virtue of our association with any such third party.

Although we currently do not have any specific acquisition plans, if appropriate opportunities arise, we may acquire additional assets, products, technologies or businesses that are complementary to our existing business. In addition to any required shareholders’ approval, we may also have to obtain approvals and licenses from relevant government authorities for the acquisitions and to comply with any applicable PRC laws and regulations, which could result in delays and increased costs, and may derail our business strategies if we fail to do so. Furthermore, past and future acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new assets and businesses into our own require significant attention from our management and could result in a diversion of resources from our existing business, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our business operations. Acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. Acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the occurrence of significant goodwill impairment charges, amortization expenses for other intangible assets and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business. Moreover, the costs of identifying and consummating acquisitions may be significant.

Our business could be adversely affected by trade tariffs or other trade barriers.

Starting from early 2018, the U.S. President announced the imposition of tariffs on certain Chinese goods entering the United States and both China and the United States have each imposed additional tariff since then. The United States may also in the future impose tariffs on the importation of consumer products related to our business, such as eVTOL aircraft. In addition, the European Union has imposed tariffs on imports of eVTOL aircraft originating from the PRC. We plan to export our products to the United States and the European Union. Any new tariffs on eVTOL aircraft or other relevant products imposed by the United States or the European Union may significantly increase our costs. It is not yet clear what impact these tariffs may have or what actions other governments, including the Chinese government, may take in retaliation. In addition, these developments could have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries have limited insurance coverage, which could subject us to significant costs and business disruption.

We, the VIE and the VIE’s subsidiaries have limited liability insurance coverage for our products and business operations. We may not be able to secure additional product liability insurance coverage on acceptable terms or at reasonable costs when needed. A successful liability claim against us, the VIE or the VIE’s subsidiaries due to injuries or damages suffered by our users could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and reputation. Even if unsuccessful, such a claim could cause us adverse publicity, require substantial costs to defend, and divert the time and attention of our management. In addition, we do not have any business disruption insurance. Any business disruption could result in substantial cost to us and diversion of our resources. Furthermore, China, the United States or any other jurisdiction relevant to our business may impose requirements for maintaining certain minimum liability or other insurance relating to the operation of our products. Such insurance policies could be costly, which would reduce the demand for our products. Alternatively, certain insurance products that would be desirable to operators may not be commercially available, which would increase the risks of operating our products and also reduce the demand for them.

We are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, financial and economic sanctions and similar laws, and noncompliance with such laws can subject us to administrative, civil and criminal fines and penalties, collateral consequences, remedial measures and legal expenses, all of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation.

We are subject to anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, financial and economic sanctions and similar laws and regulations in various jurisdictions in which we conduct our business or sell our products, including the PRC anti-corruption laws and regulations, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, and other anti-corruption laws and regulations. The FCPA and the U.K. Bribery Act 2010 prohibit us and our officers, directors, employees and business partners acting on our behalf, including agents, from corruptly offering, promising, authorizing or providing anything of value to a “foreign official” for the purposes of influencing official decisions or obtaining or retaining business or otherwise obtaining favorable treatment. The FCPA also requires companies to make and keep books, records and accounts that accurately reflect transactions and dispositions of assets and to maintain a system of adequate internal accounting controls. The U.K. Bribery Act 2010 also prohibits non-governmental “commercial” bribery and soliciting or accepting bribes. The PRC anti-corruption laws and regulations prohibit bribery to government agencies, state or government owned or controlled enterprises or entities, to government officials or officials that work for state or government owned enterprises or entities, as well as bribery to non-government entities or individuals. There is uncertainty in connection with the implementation of PRC anti-corruption laws. A violation of these laws or regulations could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation.

We have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies and state-owned affiliated entities in the ordinary course of business. We have also entered into joint ventures and/or other business partnerships with government agencies and state-owned or affiliated entities. These interactions subject us to an increased level of compliance-related concerns. We are in the process of implementing policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by us and our directors, officers, employees, representatives, consultants, agents and business partners with applicable anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, financial and economic sanctions and similar laws and regulations. However, our policies and procedures may not be sufficient, and our directors, officers, employees, representatives, consultants, agents, and business partners could engage in improper conduct for which we may be held responsible.

Non-compliance with anti-corruption, anti-bribery, anti-money laundering or financial and economic sanctions laws could subject us to whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, and severe administrative, civil and criminal sanctions, collateral consequences, remedial measures and legal expenses, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and reputation. In addition, changes in economic sanctions laws in the future could adversely impact our business and investments in our shares.

We are involved in litigation from time to time and, as a result, we could incur substantial judgments, fines, legal fees or other costs.

We may be the subject of complaints or litigation from customers, suppliers, employees or other third parties for various actions. For example, we received a judgment against us in a dispute with a former employee and entered into a settlement with the former employee in April 2023. The damages sought against us in some of these litigation proceedings could be substantial. We cannot assure you that we will always have meritorious defenses to the plaintiffs’ claims. While the ultimate effect of these legal actions cannot be predicted with certainty, our reputation and the result of operations could be negatively impacted. The proceedings we may be involved in from time to time, could incur substantial judgments, fines, legal fees or other costs and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. See “Item 8. Financial Information—A. Consolidated Statements and Other Financial Information—Legal Proceedings.”

Our and the VIE’s leased property interest may be defective and our right to lease the properties may be challenged, which could cause significant disruption to our business.

We and the VIE lease all the premises used in our operations from third parties. We and the VIE require the landlords’ cooperation to effectively manage the condition of such premises, buildings and facilities. In the event that the condition of the office premises, buildings and facilities deteriorates, or if any or all of our and the VIE’s landlords fail to properly maintain and renovate such premises, buildings or facilities in a timely manner or at all, the operation of our offices could be materially and adversely affected.

Moreover, certain lessors have not provided us and the VIE with valid ownership certificates or authorization of sublease for our and the VIE leased properties. Under the relevant PRC laws and regulations, if the lessors are unable to obtain certificate of title because such properties were built illegally or failed to pass the inspection or other reasons, such lease contracts may be recognized as void and as a result, we and the VIE may be required to vacate the relevant properties. In addition, if our and the VIE’s lessors are not the owners of the properties and they have not obtained consents from the owners or their lessors or permits from the relevant government authorities, our and the VIE’s leases could be invalidated. If this occurs, we and the VIE may have to renegotiate the leases with the owners or the parties who have the right to lease the properties, and the terms of the new leases may be less favorable to us and the VIE, or we and the VIE may be required to vacate the relevant properties if the terms of the new leases are not reached. We and the VIE may enter into new lease contracts with the lessors, and the terms of the new leases may be less favorable to us and the VIE, or we and the VIE may be required to vacate the relevant properties if the terms of the new leases are not reached.

Under PRC laws, all lease agreements are required to be registered with the local housing authorities. We and the VIE have not registered certain of our lease agreements with the relevant government authorities. Failure to complete these required registrations may expose our and the VIE’s landlords, lessors, us and the VIE to potential monetary fines.

We have granted, and may continue to grant, restricted share units and other types of awards under our share incentive plan, which may result in increased share-based compensation expenses.

We adopted the 2015 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2015 Plan, the 2019 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2019 Plan, and the 2023 Share Incentive Plan, or the 2023 Plan (collectively, the “Plans”), to incentivize our employees, directors and consultants and align their interests with ours. We recognize expenses in our consolidated statement of loss in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Under the Plans, we are authorized to grant restricted share units and other types of awards. As of the date of this annual report, the maximum number of ordinary shares that may be issued pursuant to all awards granted under the 2015 Plan, the 2019 Plan, and the 2023 Plan is 8,867,053, 13,941,558, and 7,592,899, respectively. As of March 31, 2024, 6,170,180 restricted share units and 4,737,557 share options had been granted and were outstanding under the Plans. As of December 31, 2023, our unrecognized share-based compensation expenses relating to unvested awards amounted to RMB347.0 million (US$48.9 million).

We believe the granting of share-based awards is of significant importance to our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant share-based awards to employees in the future. However, the number of shares reserved for issuance under our share incentive plan may not be sufficient to recruit new employees and to compensate existing employees. Furthermore, prospective candidates and existing employees often consider the value of the equity awards they receive in connection with their employment. Thus, our ability to attract or retain highly skilled employees may be adversely affected by declines in the perceived value of our equity or equity awards. To attract and retain qualified employees, our expenses associated with share-based compensation may increase, which may have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

If we fail to implement and maintain an effective system of internal controls to remediate the material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations or prevent fraud, and investor confidence in our company and the market price of the ADSs may be materially and adversely affected.

In connection with the audits of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2018, and the audit of our consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020, we and our independent registered public accounting firm, identified the following material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. As defined in the standards established by the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, a “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The material weaknesses that have been identified relate to our (i) lack of financial reporting policies and procedures that are commensurate with U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting and compliance requirements, and (ii) lack of monitoring of the collection of accounts receivable on a timely basis.

We have taken measures and plan to continue to take measures to remediate the material weaknesses. See “Item 15. Controls and Procedures—Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting.” However, these measures did not fully address all material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, and we concluded that the material weaknesses relating to our lack of financial reporting policies and procedures that are commensurate with U.S. GAAP and SEC reporting requirements and lack of monitoring of the collection of accounts receivable on a timely basis still existed as of December 31, 2023. Our failure to remediate the material weaknesses or our failure to discover and address any other control deficiencies could result in misstatements in our financial statements and impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. Moreover, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could significantly hinder our ability to prevent fraud.

We are subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or Section 404, requires that we include a report from management on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our annual report on Form 20-F beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. In addition, once we ceased to be an “emerging growth company” as such term is defined in the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm must attest to and report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Moreover, even if our management concludes that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, our independent registered public accounting firm, after conducting its own independent testing, may issue an adverse opinion on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting because of the existence of a material weakness if it is not satisfied with our internal controls or the level at which our controls are documented, designed, operated or reviewed, or if it interprets the relevant requirements differently from us. In addition, as a public company, our reporting obligations may place a significant strain on our management, operational and financial resources and systems for the foreseeable future. We may be unable to timely complete our evaluation testing and any required remediation.

During the course of documenting and testing our internal control procedures, in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404, we may identify other weaknesses and deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to maintain the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to conclude on an ongoing basis that we have effective internal control over financial reporting in accordance with Section 404. Generally speaking, if we fail to achieve and maintain an effective internal control environment, it could result in material misstatements in our financial statements and could also impair our ability to comply with applicable financial reporting requirements and related regulatory filings on a timely basis. As a result, our businesses, financial condition, results of operations and prospects, as well as the trading price of the ADSs, may be materially and adversely affected. Additionally, ineffective internal control over financial reporting could expose us to increased risk of fraud or misuse of corporate assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list, regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions. We may also be required to restate our financial statements from prior periods.

It may be difficult for overseas authorities to conduct investigations or collect evidence within China.

EHang Holdings Ltd [EH] Filings
20-F	[2024-04-15]
20-F	[2023-04-27]
20-F	[2022-04-28]
20-F	[2021-06-15]
20-F	[2020-04-20]
F-1	[2019-10-31]