On January 15, Shanghai Xiche Future Intelligent Technology and Meituan officially signed a strategic partnership agreement, announcing plans to integrate the automotive industry with local lifestyle services to build a "one-stop service platform for car buying and usage plus local life."
This collaboration marks the latest move by an internet giant to carve out a differentiated path into the auto circulation sector, following in the footsteps of JD.com, Xiaomi, and Huawei.
In the future, consumers may be able to browse models from various 4S dealerships on the Meituan platform much like they do restaurants, comparing services and prices. They could complete online consultations, book test drives, and even handle certain transaction steps, ultimately leaving real service reviews. Meanwhile, dealerships would achieve digital operations through this "online second showroom," breaking time and space constraints to reach potential customers.
Behind the Crossover: Meituan's Inevitable Choice and an Industry Inflection Point
"As the auto industry enters a phase of stock competition, service experience becomes the key differentiator," noted Jiang Shunyu, CEO of Xiche Tech.
Currently, the traditional 4S dealership model faces severe challenges: high operating costs, limited customer touchpoints, and a persistent lack of transparency in services are becoming increasingly prominent.
Against this backdrop, Meituan's entry into the auto sales chain via a platform model demonstrates precise strategic judgment. Unlike Xiaomi's heavy-asset approach to the auto track or Huawei's technology-empowered solutions, Meituan is choosing to leverage its core strengths: the massive user base of its local lifestyle platform, its mature review system, and its instant service network.
Meituan's third-quarter 2025 financial report shows revenue edged up 2% to 95.49 billion yuan, while net losses reached 18.63 billion yuan — swinging from a profit a year earlier.
The announcement attributes the loss primarily to fierce competition in the core food delivery business and widening losses in new ventures. In the third quarter, revenue from new businesses climbed 15.9% to 28.04 billion yuan, but losses increased 24.5% to 1.28 billion yuan. Meituan expects the loss trend to persist into the fourth quarter.
The Q3 2025 report reveals that revenue in the core local commerce segment slipped 2.8% to 67.45 billion yuan, and operating profit swung to a loss of 14.07 billion yuan from a positive figure a year ago. This decline was mainly driven by the white-hot competition in the food delivery sector. Data shows Meituan's overall net loss hit 18.63 billion yuan in the third quarter, compared to a profit of 12.87 billion yuan in the same period of 2024.
Traditional businesses like food delivery and in-store services are facing intense competition from platforms such as Douyin and Alibaba, where ongoing price wars and marketing investments are relentlessly squeezing profit margins.
Industry insiders view this move as an active offensive against the "involution" — or intense internal competition — in the local services sector, as well as a natural extension of Meituan's platform ecosystem. As the second-largest household consumption category, automobiles have a natural contextual connection with Meituan's existing businesses in dining, entertainment, and mobility.
Image source: Screenshot from Meituan's official website
The traditional auto sales and service sector has long suffered from pain points like opaque information and fragmented channels. During the car-buying process, consumers often need to visit multiple 4S stores to compare prices, while dealers grapple with high customer acquisition costs and crude data management. The partnership between Meituan and Xiche Tech targets precisely this gap in digital transformation.
The "Online Second Showroom": Reshaping the Auto Distribution Ecosystem
In fact, this is not Meituan's first foray into the automotive sector.
Meituan previously conducted a nearly year-long pilot program with SAIC Motor. Currently, hundreds of dealers have already joined the platform, using the "online second showroom" for digital operations and user accumulation.
This strategic partnership with Xiche Tech signals Meituan's shift from pilot testing to systematic layout.
It is reported that during the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026, Meituan and Xiche Tech will jointly host an automotive industry summit to further explore the integration of "Auto New Retail + Local Life."
Dr. Chen Yudong, Chairman of Xiche Tech, stated that Meituan hopes to systematically develop auto transaction operations by replicating its platform operational experience from the dining sector into the automotive track. As the strategic execution partner, Xiche Tech complements Meituan. "Meituan has cultivated deep roots in the local life sector, and connecting car manufacturers to the platform is expected to significantly drive auto sales growth," Chen said.
Meituan's innovation this time lies in not only viewing the car as a commodity but also positioning it as a "mobile terminal integrating mobility, data, and lifestyle services." As vehicles become more intelligent and connected, the link between the car and life scenarios tightens. Businesses on Meituan's platform — such as dining, hotels, travel, and charging — could potentially form organic linkages with car sales, maintenance, and insurance.
For example, after purchasing a car on the Meituan platform, consumers could directly book their first maintenance, buy insurance, and simultaneously receive value-added services like coupons for partner restaurants or recommendations for nearby self-driving tours. This experience design — where "buying a car unlocks a lifestyle" — offers a value integration that traditional 4S dealerships struggle to provide.
Meituan's platform model will have a dual impact on the traditional dealership system. On one hand, it breaks the geographical limitations of 4S stores, allowing consumers to easily compare dealer quotes and services across the city or even the province, thereby intensifying price transparency and competitive pressure. On the other hand, it provides dealers with a low-cost online customer acquisition channel, particularly benefiting small and medium-sized dealers with excellent service but suboptimal locations.
This crossover attempt by Meituan is more than just a business expansion for a platform; it reflects the deepening evolution of the fusion between the digital economy and traditional industries. When cars are no longer just tools for transport but part of a mobile living space; and when buying a car is no longer a one-off transaction but the start of a continuous service relationship, the boundaries between internet platforms and traditional industries are being redefined.
Whether this fusion can ultimately create a new model that truly improves efficiency and enhances the experience is something the entire industry will be watching closely.
