Should Volvo take Polestar (PSNY) private? Investment research firm weighs in
Should Volvo take EV maker Polestar (PSNY) private? Investment research firm Bernstein says it may make more sense.
Polestar built high-performance vehicles alongside Volvo for over two decades. After Geely bought out Volvo, Polestar was established as an independent electric vehicle brand in 2017.
The brand’s first passenger vehicle, the Polestar 1, was a hybrid that offered up to 78 miles of all-electric range. Polestar’s first all-electric vehicle, the Polestar 2, was revealed in February 2019.
Since launching the Polestar 2 over three years ago, Polestar has expanded into 27 markets globally. The Polestar 2 has become a top seller in key EV markets like Norway, Sweden, Germany, and others.
Polestar hit a milestone with its 150,000th Polestar 2 rolling off the line last August. However, the EV maker has struggled to gain ground with rising competition.
The EV maker delivered 54,600 vehicles last year, up 6% from 2022. Despite cutting its delivery target in November, Polestar still missed it by over 5,000 units. Initially, Polestar expected to deliver 80,000 vehicles last year.
Polestar believes its upcoming electric SUV and first CUV will help spark demand. After delaying Polestar 3 production, the company is expected to begin building the electric SUV in early 2024.
Meanwhile, Polestar 4 production began in China in November. The EV maker sold 880 Polestar 4 models in China last year.
Should Volvo take Polestar private?
Polestar’s deliveries fell in the last three months of the year due to a “challenging market,” according to CEO Thomas Ingenlath.
The EV maker now expects 2023 gross profit margins to be around break-even from the previously revised 2% target (down from 4%).
Although the delivery growth pushed revenue up to $367.7 million (+25%) in Q3, higher costs led to gross margins falling 63% to $36.3 million.
The rising costs led to an operating loss of $261 million (+33%). Polestar had $951.1 million in cash at the end of September, not including an additional $450 million loan from Volvo and Geely.
Polestar’s stock has fallen over 62% in the past 12 months and is down over 85% from its all-time highs.
Bernstein analyst Daniel Roeska said in a note that Polestar is “on a road to nowhere.” The note added, “We love the innovative asset-light strategy, we like the cars, but we don’t think the company should be a stand-alone equity.
The investment research firm is initiating coverage on Polestar’s stock with an underperform rating. It also gave it a $1.15 target share price, suggesting over 40% downside.
Roeska said that although “we would like to see the concept and brand survive,” it believes it “would make more sense for Polestar to eventually fold back into the Volvo Cars-Geely ecosystem.
Ingenlath defended the EV maker, saying, “Anybody interested in the value of the company only needs to go to the ticker to see that it is trading at $4 billion worth.”
He didn’t reveal whether Volvo or Geely was pushing Polestar to go private. Ingenlath did say, “It’s our own interest to not make this company always dependent on being funded by our shareholders.”
Electrek’s Take
Despite Q4 deliveries slowing, Polestar has a lot to look forward to. Its first electric SUV, the Polestar 3, is expected to launch soon.
In the US, the Polestar 3 will start at $83,900. It will come in two configurations – a long-range dual motor and a performance pack version. Both will be powered by a lithium-ion battery with 111 kWh capacity.
The standard version (starting at $83,900) will include up to 300 miles EPA range. The performance version will include 517 hp and 671 lb-ft of torque for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 4.6 seconds. It will feature a 270-mile range for an MSRP of $89,900.
The electric SUV will face stiff competition, including the Rivian R1T, Tesla Model Y (and Model X), and BMW iX.
Polestar will also scale production of the Polestar 4 in China. The brand is deploying a “targetted approach” with key EVs hitting major auto markets.
Other EV startups, including Lucid, have struggled to gain traction, with new EVs flooding the market. Price cuts from leaders like Tesla and BYD have made it hard for rivals to compete.
Source: Bloomberg
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Slate Auto, a new EV startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has poached a key Tesla manufacturing leader to build its electric pickup truck factory in Indiana.
Napoleon Reyes is a US Marine from Indiana who got a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue after leaving the force.
He then worked a few years at Subaru and Wabash before joining Tesla’s manufacturing team at the Fremont Factory in 2020.
There, he became part of the Model Y production ramp and was quickly promoted to lead the Model Y General Assembly in Fremont in 2022.
Reyes led Model Y GA, one of the most critical parts of vehicle manufacturing, for more than a year before being promoted again to lead new pilot processes at the factory.
Most recently, he led the launch of the general assembly line for the Model Y refresh.
The new engineering manager announced this week that he is leaving Tesla to join Slate:
A bit late on the post but after nearly 5 years working at Tesla in Fremont, I made the difficult decision to leave the Company and move closer to home with my family. It was an incredible experience being part of multiple line expansions and multiple Model Y program launches. Leading and managing the Model Y Refresh launch for GA in Fremont this year tested me professionally however we ultimately succeeded due to our amazing cross functional team collaboration. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with such great people, and I will forever be proud and thankful for everything we accomplished together.
I will be taking on a new role as Senior Manager, Plant Vehicle Engineering at Slate Auto in Warsaw, In.
Slate emerged from stealth mode earlier this year to unveil a new type of electric pickup truck featuring modular customization and an affordable price.
The company raised over $700 million through two rounds of investments from several different investors, including Jeff Bezos. It is currently raising more, which basically guarantees that it will be able to reach production.
The startup acquired a former printing plant in Warsaw, Indiana. It is currently converting to manufacture its electric pickup with a team from legacy automakers and also several former engineers and leaders from Tesla.
Rich Schmidt, an early Tesla manufacturing director, is the head of manufacturing.
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Genesis is preparing to shake things up with its most luxurious SUV yet, the GV90. Thanks to a new patent filing, we are getting a detailed look at how its Rolls-Royce-style coach doors will work.
New patent reveals Genesis GV90 coach door system
When Genesis first unveiled the full-size SUV at the NY Auto Show last March, it wasn’t the stunning design or advanced tech that caught everyone’s attention. It was the coach doors.
Although we were worried it wouldn’t make it to the production model, like many concepts, the Genesis GV90 will be offered with coach doors.
The ultra-luxe electric SUV was first caught with coach doors earlier this year on a car carrier in South Korea. Just last month, the GV90 was spotted in California with a hinge at the rear to open the coach doors.
After several new patents were filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for new door latching devices, we are getting a sneak peek at how they are expected to work.
The patents, titled “Cinching Device For Door Latches in Vehicle,” and “Door Latch Device for Vehicles,” give a pretty detailed explanation of how the Genesis GV90’s coach doors will operate. The “Door Latch Device” uses a door striker on the lower side of the door, which is opened or closed by a hinge unit.
Unlike traditional doors, which use the B-pillar for support, the device is attached directly to the door itself, allowing for hinge-like movement.
The cinching device works in a similar way. It’s also attached to the door and part of the vehicle. However, unlike most of its kind, Genesis found a way to use a single cinching device to control multiple units. Again, the device is used for B-pillarless doors that swing open.
Genesis already said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles. The patent reveals a glimpse into how the luxury automaker could make it a reality.
Although the Genesis GV90 is expected to be offered with coach doors, they will likely not be standard. Other variants, with traditional door handles, have also been spotted testing in the US and South Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. It will be built at Hyundai’s Ulsan plant in South Korea. The flagship Genesis SUV is scheduled to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform, which the company said will “provide 50% improvement in driving range.” It will also be loaded with the latest technology, software, connectivity, and Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities.
Source: USPTO
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Environment
Podcast: Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more
In the Electrek Podcast, we discuss the most popular news in the world of sustainable transport and energy. In this week’s episode, we discuss the launch of the Tesla Model YL, more Tesla probes and lawsuits, new Nissan Leaf pricing, and more.
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