Renault Sport Formula One Team and Alibaba’s Tmall will partner for the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship, with the logo of the Chinese B2C marketplace – the iconic Tmall Cat – being displayed prominently on the Renault R.S. 18 F1 challenger.

Further details of the partnership will be released in March.

China, a strategic market for Groupe Renault, is the top priority in the company’s new mid-term plan, “Drive the Future.” The Chinese joint venture, Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company, has set a target of 400,000 passenger cars sales by 2022 based on nine local models.

Cyril Abiteboul, managing director of Renault Sport Racing: “One of the key objectives of returning to Formula 1 was to leverage its global platform for Groupe Renault. China has been identified as a market of strategic importance and partnering with high-profile companies like Alibaba’s Tmall will provide opportunities to significantly improve Renault brand awareness and opinion in China, with a strong presence over the Chinese Grand Prix in April, but also throughout the year.”

Wei Yu, General Manager of Tmall Auto, commented: “We are excited to partner with the Renault Sport Formula One Team to make our activity around the Chinese Grand Prix a success and to be working closely together to bring one-of-a-kind experiences with the Renault Sport Formula One Team to our customers.”

About Groupe Renault

Groupe Renault has been making cars since 1898. Today it is an international multi-brand group, selling close to 3.76 million vehicles in 127 countries in 2017, with 36 manufacturing sites, 12,700 points of sales and employing more than 120,000 people. To meet the major technological challenges of the future and continue its strategy of profitable growth, the group is harnessing its international growth and the complementary fit of its five brands — Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine and LADA— together with electric vehicles and the unique Alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi. With a team in Formula 1, Groupe Renault sees motorsport as a driver of innovation and brand awareness.

About Alibaba Group and Tmall

Alibaba Group’s mission is to make it easy to do business anywhere. The company aims to build the future infrastructure of commerce. It envisions that its customers will meet, work and live at Alibaba, and that it will be a company that lasts at least 102 years.

Launched in 2008, Tmall (www.tmall.com) caters to consumers looking for branded products and a premium shopping experience. A large number of international and Chinese brands and retailers have established storefronts on Tmall. According to iResearch, Tmall was China’s largest third-party platform for brands and retailers in terms of gross merchandise value in 2016. Tmall is a business of Alibaba Group.