Deals

Chinese Air-Con Maker Gree Bets $2 Billion on Electric Cars

  • Gree will fund purchase of Yinlong New Energy with share sale
  • Gree’s new shares priced about 19% below last traded price

A workman installs an airc onditioning unit outside an apartment in Beijing.

Photographer: Adrian Bradshaw/EPA
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Gree Electric Appliances Inc., China’s largest air-conditioner maker, is diving into the fast-growing electric vehicle market with its 13 billion yuan ($2 billion) acquisition of Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy Co.

The appliance maker, which announced its intention to buy closely-held Yinlong in March, will fund the purchase by selling 834.9 million new shares at 15.57 yuan apiece, about 19 percent lower than the stock’s last traded price, according to a filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange Thursday.