According to its CEO Jesper Brodin, the company will integrate full digital solutions in all countries, and move away from the out-of-town stores to more in-city centers.

With Chinese customers demanding auto products that are agile and compact enough for a flexible urban lifestyle, while powerful enough for out-of-town excursions, products like the face-lifted GLA are set to gain further prominence.

By last month, more than 475,100 hospitals and pharmacies had participated in the program to allow out-of-town patients to pay bills using their social security cards, which means that some costs would be exempted on the spot, Huang said.

Under the current urban-rural, two-track hukou system, healthcare, schooling and many other local public services are inaccessible to out-of-town people.