Autohome Starts Layoffs as President Wang Qiufeng Departs

Autohome has launched a new round of layoffs and its president, Wang Qiufeng, has left the company, with cuts mainly hitting the content division, according to Jiemian News. A person familiar with the matter said Wang has been removed from Autohome’s internal work chat groups. Wang joined Autohome in May 2025 as president, also serving as general manager of the new-car business unit and overseeing the information center. Her departure comes after Haier-controlled Catachi Holding took control of Autohome: Yunchen Capital, under Ping An, agreed in February 2025 to sell part of its Autohome stake to Catachi for $1.8 billion, while retaining about a 5.1% stake and one board seat; the transaction closed in August 2025. In January 2026, China’s Cyberspace Administration of China, together with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other agencies, named Autohome as a typical case in a campaign targeting online misconduct in the auto sector, citing irregular vehicle testing and reviews. Jiemian News reported that Autohome’s accounts on platforms including Douyin, Kuaishou and Bilibili were subsequently barred from gaining new followers. On June 8, 2026, China’s Cyberspace Administration of China and China’s State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued rules on online review activities, requiring that only legally licensed inspection and testing institutions may conduct and publish tests on vehicle functions and performance. After internal rectification, Autohome began layoffs around the same time as Wang’s exit; the content division was reduced to just over 300 employees from a peak of about 2,000, a cut of nearly 85%, and the company is shifting its focus toward used cars and lead-generation products.