Kaixin Auto (KXIN) S-8Registration of securities for employees

As Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 10, 2023

Registration No.     333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Kaixin Auto Holdings

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

9/F, Tower A, Dongjin International Center

Huagong Road

Chaoyang District, Beijing 100015

People’s Republic of China

+86 (10) 6720 4948

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Kaixin Auto Holdings 2023 Equity Incentive Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Cogency Global Inc.

122 East 42nd Street, 18th Floor

New York, New York 10016

+1 (212) 947-7200

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ¨

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This Registration Statement is filed by Kaixin Auto Holdings (the “Registrant”) to register securities issuable pursuant to the Kaixin Auto Holdings 2023 Equity Incentive Plan (“the Plan”). The securities registered hereby consist of 39,500,000 ordinary shares, which represent the number of ordinary shares that were authorized under the Plan. Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this registration statement also covers an indeterminate number of additional shares which may be offered and issued to prevent dilution from share splits, share dividends or similar transactions as provided in the Plan. Any Class A ordinary shares covered by an award granted under the Plan (or portion of an award) that terminates, expires, lapses or repurchased for any reason will be deemed not to have been issued for purposes of determining the maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares that may be issued under the Plan.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3. Incorporation of Documents by Reference

The following documents filed by the Registrant with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) are incorporated by reference herein:

a.        The Registrant’s annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, which includes audited financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and 2021 and for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021, filed with the Commission on April 29, 2022, as amended by the Form 20-F/A filed with the Commission on May 27, 2022;

b.       The Registrant’s interim report on Form 6-K filed with the Commission on October 27, 2022; and

c.       The description of the Registrant’s Ordinary Shares contained in its Registration Statement on Form 8-A (Registration No. 001-38261) filed with the Commission on October 24, 2017 pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), which incorporates by reference the description of the Registrant’s Ordinary Shares set forth in the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (Registration No. 333-220510), as amended, originally filed with the Commission on September 18, 2017, together with any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description, including the Third Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company filed as Exhibit 99.2 of Form 6-K on May 10, 2021, which reflected the change of par value of the ordinary shares to US$0.00005 per share.

All documents filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

ITEM 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as providing indemnification against civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. The Registrant’s articles of association provide that each officer or director of the Registrant shall be indemnified against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such directors or officer, other than by reason of such person’s dishonesty, willful default or fraud, in or about the conduct of the Registrant’s business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such director or officer in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Registrant or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.

In addition, the Registrant has entered, and intends to continue to enter into, indemnification agreements, substantially in the form filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K (Registration No. 001-38261), as amended, originally filed with the Commission on May 6, 2019, with its directors and executive officers to indemnify such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being such a director or executive officer.

The registrant currently carries liability insurance for its directors and executive officers.

ITEM 8. Exhibits

The Exhibits listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index are filed as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Registration Statement. (See Exhibit Index below).

ITEM 9. Undertakings

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Beijing, People’s Republic of China, on March 10, 2023.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below does hereby constitute and appoint Yi Yang as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agents, with the full power of substitution and re-substitution, for and in such person’s name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent or his substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated and on March 10, 2023.

Signature of authorized representative in the United States

Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of Kaixin Auto Holdings, has signed this registration statement or amendment thereto in the city of New York, New York, on March 10, 2023.

EXHIBIT INDEX

*Filed herewith.