(Yicai) Oct. 15 -- JD.Com said the Chinese e-commerce giant will be the exclusive seller of a new electric car it will jointly launch with Contemporary Amperex Technology and Guangzhou Automobile Group, following speculation that the company is moving into car production.

JD.Com will not be directly involved in the vehicle’s manufacturing process, the Beijing-based company said yesterday following an announcement on the new car. JD.Com will mainly contribute consumer insights and act as the exclusive sales platform for the new auto, it added.

The car will be launched on Nov. 11, during China's annual Double 11 shopping festival. According to sources, JD.Com will start test drives of the beta and public versions of the vehicle at the end of this month.

The forthcoming car is a battery-swappable version of the Aion UT, a pure electric vehicle with a starting price of CNY69,800 (USD9,775) that was released in February, a source close to GAC Aion, the new energy vehicle unit of Guangzhou Automobile, told Yicai yesterday.

In April 2022, GAC Aion set up its first supercharging and swapping center in Guangzhou, while it signed a deal for a battery swap project with CATL and its unit Amperex Technology Service in May last year. In addition, it launched a battery-swappable version of its Aion S in August. 

JD Auto, a business unit that integrates online and offline auto services for its parent company, provides a one-stop platform for vehicle selection, auto parts sales, maintenance, and new energy solutions. JD.Com has nearly 3,000 auto service centers for vehicles, motorcycles, and two-wheeled electric cars across China.

Editor: Martin Kadiev