$CAAS Announces Receipt of Preliminary Non-Binding “Going Private” Proposal

WUHAN, China, May 15, 2017  — China Automotive Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:  CAAS) (“CAAS” or the “Company”), a leading power steering components and systems supplier in China, today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has received a preliminary non-binding proposal letter, dated May 14, 2017, from its Chairman, Mr. Hanlin Chen, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not already beneficially owned by Mr. Chen for US$5.45 per share of common stock in cash. Mr. Chen and his affiliates currently beneficially own approximately 56.4% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of the Company on a fully diluted and as-converted basis. The proposal is expressly conditioned on approval by a special committee of the Board comprised of independent directors and is subject to a non-waivable condition requiring approval by a majority vote of the Company’s unaffiliated stockholders.

The Board has established a special committee of the Board (the “Special Committee”), consisting of Mr. Arthur Wong, Mr. Robert Tung and Mr. Guangxun Xu, to consider the proposal. The Special Committee is empowered to, and will be responsible for, among other things, investigating, evaluating, negotiating and making a recommendation to the Board with respect to the proposal. The Special Committee is also empowered to retain its own independent advisors to assist in the evaluation of the proposal and any alternative proposals.

The Company cautions that no decisions have been made by the Special Committee or the Board with respect to the Company’s response to the proposal. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made by Mr. Chen or any other person, that any definitive agreement will be executed relating to the proposal or any other transaction, or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.

About China Automotive Systems, Inc.

Based in Hubei Province, the People’s Republic of China, China Automotive Systems, Inc. is a leading supplier of power steering components and systems to the Chinese automotive industry, operating through eight Sino-foreign joint ventures. The Company offers a full range of steering system parts for passenger automobiles and commercial vehicles. The Company currently offers four separate series of power steering with an annual production capacity of over 5.5 million sets of steering gears, columns and steering hoses. Its customer base is comprised of leading auto manufacturers, such as China FAW Group, Corp., Dongfeng Auto Group Co., Ltd., BYD Auto Company Limited, Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd. and Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. in China, and Chrysler Group LLC in North America. For more information, please visit: http://www.caasauto.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are “forward-looking statements” as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the qualitative and quantitative effects of the accounting errors, the periods involved, the nature of the Company’s review and any anticipated conclusions of the Company or its management and other statements that are not historical facts. Our actual results may differ materially from the results described in or anticipated by our forward-looking statements due to certain risks and uncertainties. As a result, the Company’s actual results could differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Form 10-K annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2017, and in documents subsequently filed by the Company from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any duty to provide updates to any forward-looking statements made in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information, please contact:

Jie Li
Chief Financial Officer
China Automotive Systems, Inc.
Email: jieli@chl.com.cn

Kevin Theiss
Investor Relations
+1-646-726-6511
Email: Kevin.Theiss@awakenlab.com