On October 10, the start signal was sounded for the 2014 Tour of Beijing cycling race. As official partner and leading sponsor of this race, BAIC Group provided the official vehicles and put into action about 160 vehicles.

The biggest highlight of this year is that the tour is trans-regional and will be held in Beijing and in scenic Zhangjiakou City, located in Hebei Province. The tour has shown to the world that Beijing and Zhangjiakou City are strong locations which can handle the requirements of large-scale, international events. The result is intended to have a positive effect on the 2022 Winter Olympics bid. BAIC Group is a sponsor of the Olympic Winter Games bid of the Beijing Winter Olympic Committee and will provide safe, reliable and comfortable service vehicles with the highest standards to the personnel.

Mr Lv Zhenqing, vice chairman of BAIC Group expressed support for these sports activities and emphasized that it also helps to establish a sense of responsibility at BAIC and underlines BAIC’s enhanced international corporate image and brand value. In recent years, BAIC was involved in sponsorships for Tour of Beijing, the formation of the Beijing Volleyball Club and the bid for the Winter Olympics. As a result, BAIC was able to establish itself as the leader in China’s sports marketing.

The Tour of Beijing is the UCI World Tour’s only race in Asia. Together with the Tour de France, it belongs to the highest level of competition of the International Cycling Union. The five-day 2014 Tour of Beijing attracted 18 of the world’s top cycling teams from the International Cycling Union. 135 people participated in the competition.

BAIC Group is one of China’s five major automotive groups. It is primarily engaged in vehicle manufacturing, parts, service trade, development and reform and adjustment. BAIC Group, with its 11 subsidiaries, including BAIC Motor, Beijing Benz, Beijing Hyundai, Beiqi Foton, BAW and Changhe Auto, is one of China’s most complete and advanced automotive groups. In 2013, BAIC achieved a sales volume of 2,164,000 vehicles and reached an operating income of 266.3 billion yuan. In 2014, BAIC Group ranked 248 in the Fortune 500 list.