Chinese AI marketing startup Qiyu Xinlian has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Weijia New Energy Auto Group, a Zhengzhou-based dealer group, to deploy AI-driven new-media marketing across the group's multi-brand store network. The deal, signed on October 28, marks a push to replace labor-intensive sales operations with automated tools for livestreaming, short-video content and lead management, according to the Chinese outlet 电动邦 (Dian Dong Bang).
AI takes over dealer showroom marketing
Under the agreement, Qiyu Xinlian's AI marketing platform will be integrated into Weijia's dealerships, using AI agents to handle live-stream sales events, generate short-video content and manage customer leads. The companies said the system is designed to cut costs while scaling up customer acquisition through new-media channels, gradually shifting away from a model that relied mainly on human staff.
Qiyu Xinlian founder and CEO Shen Yang said at the signing ceremony that the auto industry is being redefined by "content, data and intelligence" rather than the traditional pillars of "location, inventory and sales scripts." He described digital transformation as "not a choice but a must-answer question, and the answer is AI."
Weijia New Energy Auto Group president Wang Tongbin said the group is embracing AI and the shift to new-energy vehicles "with the trend, and actively breaking new ground." The partnership will use AI to broaden employee capabilities and digital pipelines to speed up lead conversion, he added.
The two companies will start with pilot stores before rolling out the system group-wide, focusing on content production, intelligent customer acquisition, livestream conversion and lead follow-up. They also plan to cooperate on training AI marketing talent and on-site coaching at dealerships.
Weijia also appointed Qiyu Xinlian's national delivery operations director Youyou as the group's "chief strategic AI marketing special advisor."
Dealer groups seek AI edge in China's EV market
The partnership reflects a broader trend among Chinese auto dealers, who face intense competition and thinning margins in the world's largest electric-vehicle market. Dealers are increasingly turning to AI tools to cut marketing costs and improve lead quality, as EV brands and traditional automakers alike push sales through livestreaming and social media.
Qiyu Xinlian, a specialist in AI marketing for the auto sector, has been building tools that automate the production of sales content and the management of customer interactions. Weijia New Energy Auto Group operates multiple brand showrooms in central China's Henan province, selling both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models.
Neither company disclosed financial terms of the agreement. The deal is the latest sign that Chinese car dealers are treating AI as a core part of their sales strategy, not just a novelty.
