Autohome Inc. Announces Unaudited First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

BEIJING,May24,2022 --Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) ("Autohome" or the "Company"),the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China,today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31,2022.

First Quarter2022Highlights[1]

Net Revenues in the first quarter of 2022 were RMB1,471.3 million (US$232.1 million),compared to RMB1,841.6 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. in the first quarter of 2022 was RMB318.2 million (US$50.2 million),compared to RMB704.3 million in the corresponding period of 2021 and net income attributable to ordinary shareholders in the first quarter of 2022 was RMB307.5 million (US$48.5 million),compared to RMB633.8 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. (Non-GAAP)[2] in the first quarter of 2022 was RMB437.5 million (US$69.0 million),compared to RMB735.1 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Share Repurchase: As of May 20,2022,the Company has repurchased 1,574,674 American depositary shares ("ADSs") for a total cost of approximately US$43.9 million.

New CFO Appointment: On May 6,the Board of Directors appointed Mr. Craig Yan Zeng as Chief Financial Officer of Autohome,effective on the same day.

[1]The reporting currency of the Company is Renminbi ("RMB"). For the convenience of readers,certain amounts throughout the release are presented in US dollars ("US$").

Unless otherwise noted,all conversions from RMB to US$ are translated at the noon buying rate of US$1.00 to RMB6.3393 on March 31,2022 in the City of New York for cable

transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. No representation is made that the RMB amounts could have been,or could be,

converted into US$ at such rate.

[2] For more information on this and other non-GAAP financial measures,please see the section captioned "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the tables captioned

"Reconciliations of Non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this release.

Mr. Quan Long,Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Autohome,stated,"Since the beginning of this year,theresurgence of COVID-19pandemic in multiple cities of China hasimpacted most industries including the automobile industry. Despite the challenging macro environment,Autohome reported a solid first quarter with revenues totaling RMB1.47 billion,which exceeded the market expectation,and maintained good profitability and high marginlevel. We believe oursteady financial performance andstrong cash flow could support Autohometo navigate through market uncertainties and focus on long-term development. Meanwhile,a healthy balance sheet and ample cash reserves allow us to continue to implement our share repurchase program and dividend policy. During this quarter,we significantly enhanced our content offerings with a greater variety of video and live streaming content and upgraded our new energy vehicle ("NEV") platform with a refreshed layout and user-friendly functionalities. These initiatives have successfully strengthened Autohome's content ecosystem while delivering a better user experience and have already gained substantial traction. In March 2022,our aggregated average daily active users grew by 7.5% year-over-year to 45.21 million,according to QuestMobile,further solidifyingour leadership position in the auto media sector. In addition,revenues from NEV brands soared by 156.1% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period last year. We are also encouraged by the sustained growth momentum in the number of our dealer customers whohave adopt an increasingly variety of our data products. Supported by our strong network effect,innovation capabilities and visionary management team,we believe these advancements will further strengthen our eco-platform and empower us to capture new opportunities in the years to come."

"Furthermore,we are thrilled to welcome Mr. Craig Yan Zeng to Autohome as our Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Zeng has over 20 years' experience in the capital markets and has held various senior management positions at both US-listed and HK-listed companies,including LexinFintech,Hop Hing Group Holdings,VanceInfo Technologies,as well as General Electric in the U.S. We believe his extensive experience,skills and leadership will be valuable asset to the Company and help Autohome achievethe next stage of growth." concluded Mr. Long.

Mr. Zeng,Chief Financial Officer of Autohome,added,"I am pleased to join Autohome's senior management team and look forward to contributing to the Company's long-term development. For the first quarter of 2022,we delivered better-than-expected results. The year-over-year revenue growth rate for our NEV brands and used car business both outperformed the market,demonstrating our value proposition and industry demand for our innovative products. Looking ahead,we will continue to focus on long-term business developmentand invest strategically to remain at the forefront of innovation while maintaining a high-quality growth standard. With the solid foundation we have built,our strong balance sheet and ample cash reserves,we believe we are well-positioned to achieve sustainable growth and deliver long-term value to our shareholders."

Unaudited First Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Net Revenue

Net revenues in the first quarter of 2022were RMB1,841.6 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Media services revenues were RMB266.8 million (US$42.1 million),compared to RMB604.8million in the corresponding period of 2021. The decline was attributableto the decrease in average revenue per automaker advertiser,which was primarilydue tothe ongoing chip shortageas well as the impactofthe COVID-19 pandemic oncertaincitiesinChina in 2022.

Leads generation services revenueswere RMB708.2 million (US$111.7million),compared to RMB697.6million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Online marketplace and others revenues wereRMB496.3 million (US$78.3 million),compared to RMB539.1million in the corresponding period of 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to the impactofthe COVID-19 pandemic oncertaincitiesinChina in 2022.

Cost of Revenues

Cost of revenues wasRMB255.0 million (US$40.2 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to RMB243.1million in the corresponding period of 2021.Share-based compensation expense includedin cost of revenues inthe first quarter of 2022 wasRMB3.5million (US$0.5million),compared to RMB6.8 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses wereRMB1,084.1 million (US$171.0 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared toRMB1,115.8 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Sales and marketingexpenses were RMB592.3 million (US$93.4 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to RMB682.6 million in the corresponding period of 2021,primarily due to the decrease in promotional spending. Share-based compensation expense includedinsales and marketing expenses inthe first quarter of 2022was RMB8.4 million (US$1.3million),compared to RMB11.1 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

General and administrative expenses were RMB136.6 million (US$21.5 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to RMB128.6 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Share-based compensation expenseincludedingeneral and administrative expenses inthe first quarter of 2022 wasRMB16.1million (US$2.5 million),compared to RMB7.6million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Product development expenses were RMB355.2 million (US$56.0million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to RMB304.6 million in the corresponding period of 2021. The increase was primarily attributable to higher investment in research and development activities fordigitalproducts.Share-based compensation expenseincludedinproduct development expenses in the first quarter of 2022 was RMB12.9 million (US$2.0million),compared to RMB28.3 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Operating Profit

Operating profit wasRMB241.2 million (US$38.1 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to RMB566.6million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Income Tax Expense

There was an income tax expense of RMB8.0 million (US$1.3 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to income tax expense of RMB65.0 million in the corresponding period of 2021. The decrease was primarily attributable to a preferential rate of 5% for withholding tax on cash dividendswhichwasobtainedin 2022.

Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc.

Net income attributable to Autohome Inc. was RMB318.2 million (US$50.2 million)in the firstquarter of 2022,compared to RMB704.3 million in the corresponding period of 2021.

Net Income attributable to OrdinaryShareholdersand Earnings per Share/ADS

Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders was RMB307.5 million (US$48.5 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to RMB633.8 million in the corresponding period of 2021. Basic and diluted earnings per share ("EPS") were RMB0.61 (US$0.10) and RMB0.61 (US$0.10),respectively,in the first quarter of 2022,as compared to basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.31 and RMB1.31,in the corresponding period of 2021. Basic and diluted earnings per ADS were RMB2.44 (US$0.38) and RMB2.44 (US$0.38),in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB5.24 and RMB5.22,in the corresponding period of 2021.

Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc.(Non-GAAP) and Non-GAAP Earnings per Share/ADS

Adjusted net income attributable to Autohome Inc. (Non-GAAP) was RMB437.5 million (US$69.0 million) in the first quarter of 2022,compared to RMB735.1million in the corresponding period of 2021.Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS were RMB0.87 (US$0.14) and RMB0.87 (US$0.14),in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS of RMB1.52 and RMB1.51,in the corresponding period of 2021. Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADSwere RMB3.47 (US$0.55) and RMB3.47 (US$0.55),compared to non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS of RMB6.08 and RMB6.06,in the corresponding period of 2021.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of March 31,the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of RMB20.27 billion (US$3,197.3 million). Net cash provided by operating activities in the first quarter of 2022 was RMB496.2 million (US$78.3 million).

Employees

The Company had 5,715 employees as of March 31,including 2,179 employees from TTP Car,Inc. ("TTP").

Conference Call Information

The Company will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Tuesday,May 24,2022 (8:00 PM Beijing Time on the same day).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows:

United States:

+1-855-824-5644

Hong Kong,China:

+852-3027-6500

Mainland China:

8009-880-563/ 400-821-0637

United Kingdom:

0800-026-1542

International:

+1-646-722-4977

Passcode:

49039262#

Please dial in ten minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and provide the passcode to join the call.

A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until May 31,2022:

United States:

+1-646-982-0473

International:

+61-2-8325-2405

Passcode:

520001867#

Additionally,a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at http://ir.autohome.com.cn.

About Autohome Inc.

Autohome Inc. (NYSE: ATHM; HKEX: 2518) is the leading online destination for automobile consumers in China. Its mission is to engage,educate and inform consumers about everything auto. Autohome provides original generated content,professionally generated content,user-generated content,and AI-generated content,a comprehensive automobile library,and extensive automobile listing information to automobile consumers,covering the entire car purchase and ownership cycle. The ability to reach a large and engaged user base of automobile consumers has made Autohome a preferred platform for automakers and dealers to conduct their advertising campaigns. Further,the Company's dealer subscription and advertising services allow dealers to market their inventory and services through Autohome's platform,extending the reach of their physical showrooms to potentially millions of internet users in China and generating sales leads for them. The Company offers sales leads,data analysis,and marketing services to assist automakers and dealers with improving their efficiency and facilitating transactions. Autohome operates its "Autohome Mall," a full-service online transaction platform,to facilitate transactions for automakers and dealers. Further,through its websites and mobile applications,it also provides other value-added services,including auto financing,auto insurance,used car transactions,and aftermarket services. For further information,please visit www.autohome.com.cn.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will","expects","anticipates","future","intends","plans","believes","estimates" and similar statements. Among other things,Autohome's business outlook,Autohome's strategic and operational plans and quotations from management in this announcement contain forward-looking statements. Autohome may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"),in announcements made on the website of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the "Hong Kong Stock Exchange"),in its annual report to shareholders,in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers,directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts,including statements about Autohome's beliefs and expectations,are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement,including but not limited to the following: Autohome's goals and strategies; Autohome's future business development,results of operations and financial condition; the expected growth of the online automobile advertising market in China; Autohome's ability to attract and retain users and advertisers and further enhance its brand recognition; Autohome's expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of its products and services; competition in the online automobile advertising industry; relevant government policies and regulatory environment of China; fluctuations in general economic and business conditions in China and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Autohome's filings with the SEC and announcements on the website of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release,and Autohome does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement,except as required under applicable law.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement net income presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP,we use Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc.,Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS and earnings per ADS,Adjusted net margin andAdjusted EBITDA as non-GAAP financial measures. We define Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. as net income attributable to Autohome Inc. excluding share-based compensation expenses,amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisition,certain noncontrolling interestsadjustments for TTP (starting in the first quarter of 2021 for the first time,which included interest income related to convertible bond investment to TTP and is eliminated in consolidation),investment loss relating to non-operating impact of a write-down of the initial investment in a financial product,and (gain)/loss pickup of equity method investments,with all the reconciliation items adjusted for related income tax effects. We define Non-GAAP basic and diluted EPS as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. divided by the basic and diluted weighted average number of ordinary shares. We define Non-GAAP basic and diluted earnings per ADS as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. divided by the basic and diluted weighted average number of ADSs. We define Adjusted net margin as Adjusted Net Income attributable to Autohome Inc. divided by total net revenues. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income attributable to Autohome Inc. before income tax expense,depreciation expenses of property and equipment,amortization expenses of intangible assets and share-based compensation expenses.We present these non-GAAP financial measures because they are used by our management to evaluate our operating performance,in addition to net income prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures are important to help investors understand our operating and financial performance,compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and assess our core operating results,as they exclude certain non-cash charges or items that are non-operating in nature. The use of the above non-GAAP financial measures has certain limitations as they excluded certain items that have been and will continue to be incurred in the future,but such items should be considered in the overall evaluation of our results. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP,but should not be considered a substitute for,or superior to,financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures,please see the table captioned "Reconciliation of non-GAAP and GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

For investor and media inquiries,please contact:

In China:

Autohome Inc.

Investor Relations

Tel: +86-10-5985-7483

E-mail: ir@autohome.com.cn

The Piacente Group,Inc.

Jenny Cai

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

E-mail: autohome@tpg-ir.com

In the United States:

The Piacente Group,Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: autohome@tpg-ir.com

AUTOHOME INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS DATA

(Amount in thousands,except per share / per ADS data)

For three months ended March 31,

2021

2022

RMB

RMB

US$

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

Net revenues:

Media services

604,824

266,802

42,087

Leads generation services

697,634

708,204

111,716

Online marketplace and others

539,123

496,286

78,287

Total net revenues

1,841,581

1,471,292

232,090

Cost of revenues

(243,123)

(255,017)

(40,228)

Gross profit

1,598,458

1,216,275

191,862

Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses

(682,633)

(592,254)

(93,426)

General and administrative expenses

(128,625)

(136,562)

(21,542)

Product development expenses

(304,551)

(355,247)

(56,039)

Total operating expenses

(1,115,809)

(1,084,063)

(171,007)

Other operating income,net

83,985

109,024

17,199

Operating profit

566,634

241,236

38,054

Interest and investment income,net

129,703

90,768

14,318

Loss from equity method investments,net

(197)

(26,229)

(4,138)

Income before income taxes

696,140

305,775

48,234

Income tax expense

(65,033)

(8,040)

(1,268)

Net income

631,107

297,735

46,966

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests

73,182

20,513

3,236

Net income attributable to Autohome Inc.

704,289

318,248

50,202

Accretion of mezzanine equity

(327,073)

(30,876)

(4,871)

Accretion attributable to noncontrolling interests

256,583

20,118

3,174

Net income attributable to ordinary

shareholders

633,799

307,490

48,505

Earnings per share for ordinary shares

Basic

1.31

0.61

0.10

Diluted

1.31

0.61

0.10

Earnings per ADS attributable to ordinary

shareholders(one ADS equals for four

ordinary shares)

Basic

5.24

2.44

0.38

Diluted

5.22

2.44

0.38

Weighted average shares used to compute

earnings per share attributable to ordinary

shareholders:

Basic

483,498,580

504,448,800

504,800

Diluted

485,207,380

504,709,220

504,220

AUTOHOME INC.

RECONCILIATIONS OF NON-GAAP AND GAAP RESULTS

(Amount in thousands,

2021

2022

RMB

RMB

US$

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

Net income attributable to

Autohome Inc.

704,202

Plus: income tax expense

65,033

9,381

1,480

Plus: depreciation of property and

equipment

50,694

57,228

9,027

Plus: amortization of intangible assets

2,969

10,837

1,709

EBITDA

822,985

395,694

62,418

Plus: share-based compensation

expenses

53,837

40,861

6,446

Adjusted EBITDA

876,822

436,555

68,864

Net income attributable to

Autohome Inc.

704,202

Plus: amortization of intangible assets

resulting from business acquisition

1,139

10,722

1,691

Plus: share-based compensation

expenses

53,446

Plus: investment loss arising from one

of financial products[3]

-

54,420

8,585

Plus: loss on equity method investments,net

197

26,229

4,138

Plus: certain noncontrolling interests

adjustments for TTP

(24,370)

-

-

Plus: tax effects of the adjustments

(36)

(12,947)

(2,042)

Adjusted net income attributable to

Autohome Inc.

735,056

437,533

69,020

Net income attributable to

Autohome Inc.

704,202

Net margin

38.2%

21.6%

21.6%

Adjusted net income attributable to

Autohome Inc.

735,020

Adjusted net margin

39.9%

29.7%

29.7%

Non-GAAP earnings per share

Basic

1.52

0.87

0.14

Diluted

1.51

0.87

0.14

Non-GAAP earnings per ADS (one

ADS equals for four ordinary

shares)

Basic

6.08

3.47

0.55

Diluted

6.06

3.47

0.55

Weighted average shares used to

compute non-GAAP earnings per

share:

Basic

483,220

[3] It represented the loss of an overdue financial product with fair value below its initial investment in the first quarter of 2022,which was

recognized at "interest and investment income,net". The impact was considered to be not directly related to the Company's operating

activities.

AUTOHOME INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

(Amount in thousands,except as noted)

As of

December 31,

As of March 31,

2021

2022

RMB

RMB

US$

(Audited)

(Unaudited)

(Unaudited)

ASSETS

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

4,236,501

2,786,456

439,553

Restricted Cash

89,855

87,740

13,841

Short-term investments

16,496,267

17,482,251

2,757,757

Accounts receivable,net

2,139,471

1,570,959

247,813

Amounts due from related parties,current

83,376

53,882

8,500

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

280,248

434,998

68,619

Total current assets

23,325,718

22,416,286

3,536,083

Non-current assets

Restricted cash,non-current

5,200

5,200

820

Property and equipment,net

381,496

342,241

53,987

Goodwill and intangible assets,net

4,428,822

4,409,042

695,509

Long-term investments

70,720

444,491

70,117

Deferred tax assets

176,138

176,083

27,776

Amounts due from related parties,non-current

7,529

11,319

1,786

Other non-current assets

133,383

147,434

23,257

Total non-current assets

5,203,288

5,535,810

873,252

Total assets

28,529,006

27,952,096

4,335

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Current liabilities

Accrued expenses and other payables

2,044,597

1,740,108

274,496

Advance from customers

123,370

108,913

17,181

Deferred revenue

1,553,013

1,692,177

266,934

Income tax payable

233,342

150,396

23,724

Amounts due to related parties

31,897

19,697

3,107

Total current liabilities

3,986,219

3,711,291

585,442

Non-current liabilities

Other liabilities

28,619

46,428

7,326

Deferred tax liabilities

576,798

517,389

81,616

Total non-current liabilities

605,417

563,817

88,942

Total liabilities

4,591,636

4,275,108

674,384

MEZZANINE EQUITY

Convertible redeemable noncontrolling interests

1,468,029

1,904

236,446

EQUITY

Total Autohome Inc. shareholders' equity

22,754,419

22,503,791

3,549,886

Noncontrolling interests

(285,078)

(325,707)

(51,381)

Total equity

22,469,341

22,178,084

3,505

Total liabilities,mezzanine equity and equity

28,335

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