Lilium was once a promising ‘air taxi’ startup worth billions. Now it’s on the brink of insolvency
German company Lilium produces flying electric passenger drones.
Lilium
German aerospace startup Lilium faces insolvency if it doesn’t raise emergency funding from the state government for the southeastern state of Bavaria.
Insolvency would mark a dramatic fall for a startup once touted as Europe’s best chance at building the 21st-century equivalent of “cars” that can fly.
Lilium is one of a series of firms trying to build “eVTOLs,” or electric vertical take-off and landing, vehicles.
Popularly known as flying cars or air taxis, these vehicles are being developed by startups in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Today, however, Lilium is in trouble. The company is desperately trying to raise taxpayer funds in Germany. And so far, it’s been unsuccessful.
What happened?
Lilium has been negotiating an emergency capital injection with both Germany’s federal government and the Bavarian state government.
The firm had requested 50 million euros ($54 million) of loans from the federal government. However, its request was rejected by German lawmakers.
In a regulatory filing released last week, Lilium said it had “received indication that the budget committee of the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany will not approve a €50 million guarantee of a contemplated €100 million convertible loan.”
The proposed state aid would have been issued by KfW, the German state-owned development bank.
Lilium is “continuing discussions with the Free State of Bavaria with respect to a guarantee of at least €50 million,” Lilium added in its filing.
A Lilium spokesperson told CNBC the company doesn’t plan to comment further beyond the statement outlined in its 6K filing.
In response to Germany’s decision to deny Lilium state aid, Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria’s economy minister, criticized the move, saying it was “regrettable” that the federal government opted not to support the firm.
Danijel Višević, co-founder of Berlin-based climate technology investors World Fund, said that though it was “understandable” lawmakers denied Lilium support over concerns around the government supporting one single company over another, there was a misguided notion among politicians that air taxis are a “toy for millionaires.” This idea, he said, was “too short-sighted.”
Višević suggested it was unfair that U.S. electric car manufacturer Tesla — which burned through billions of dollars before making a profit — was once able to receive a U.S. government loan, but Lilium was not.
What Lilium tried to build
“Flying cars” perhaps isn’t the right term. But what Lilium was ultimately trying to bring to the world was a vertical take-off and landing aircraft that could fly people from one city to another to ease congestion on the roads.
The company initially wanted to roll out its own digital “hailing” service that would have seen users order rides on its jets from designated areas where it would be possible for the vehicle to take off and land.
Lilium subsequently decided to change its business model.
Rather than develop the whole service on its own, the company opted to partner up with airlines and airport operators, which would build out the service product and infrastructure needed to power its ambitions.
Lilium’s jets can cost as much as $9 million. The company also had a six-seater version in development, which would have set a buyer back about $7 million.
Lilium struck major deals with the likes of Lufthansa in Germany and Saudia in Saudi Arabia. It also agreed a tie-up with Groupe ADP, an international airport operator based in Paris.
Rise and fall
Founded by four university students in 2015, Lilium rapidly gained a reputation as one of Europe’s best-funded air taxi firms.
The company managed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from investors including China’s Tencent, Atomico and Earlybird.
In September 2021, Lilium went public on the Nasdaq via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company called SPAC Qell.
At its height, Lilium was worth as much as $3.3 billion. Its shares have tanked to less than 50 cents — a more than 95% plunge from its stock market debut.
If you haven’t noticed, Genesis is quickly making a name for itself in the US. The luxury automaker now has 60 sales outlets as it expands into new US states. With new EVs launching, Genesis is eyeing a bigger share of the US luxury market.
Hyundai Motor Group’s Genesis brand is quietly emerging as a powerhouse in the US luxury market. Genesis marked its entry into the luxury segment in 2008 as a Hyundai-branded model.
In 2015, Hyundai announced Genesis would become an independent luxury brand. Since launching its first vehicle in the US, the luxury brand’s sales have surged from 7,000 in 2016 to over 69,000 last year. It even outsold Nissan’s Infiniti.
According to Genesis, this is just the start. The Korean luxury brand wants an even bigger slice of the market as it eyes rivals like Porsche.
A big reason behind the brand’s confidence is its new lineup of stylishly electric models. Genesis sells three EVs in the US: The GV60, Electrified G80, and Electrified GV70.
After introducing the Electrified GV70 just last year, the electric SUV is already Genesis’ top-selling EV in the US. According to Kelley Blue Book, Genesis sold 2,343 electric GV70 models in the US through September.
Genesis eyes a bigger share of the US luxury market
Altogether, the luxury brand’s EV sales reached over 4,600 through the first nine months of 2024, topping Porsche (4,291) and Volvo (3,644).
Genesis made a statement at the LA Auto Show, unveiling the updated 2026 Electrified GV70. The luxury electric SUV now includes more range and an NACS port so drivers can charge at Tesla Superchargers. It will go on sale in the first half of 2025.
Meanwhile, Genesis showcased its new GV60 Magma Concept at the event, its first dedicated high-performance EV. The brand sees its Magma performance brand rivaling that of Geman luxury brands like Mercedes AMG, BMW M, and Audi RS.
The Genesis GV60 Magma EV will launch next year, spearheading the brand’s “expansion into the realm of high-performance vehicles.”
Genesis enhanced the battery and motor while fine-tuning the chassis, thermodynamics, and profile for more power and efficiency.
It also features an aggressive new design, sitting much lower and wider than the current GV60 model. Genesis added a Magma-exclusive sound system to give it a sports car-like feel in the cockpit.
In April, we got our first look at the G80 EV Magma concept, which could be a potential challenger to Tesla’s Model S Plaid and the Porsche Taycan GT Turbo.
The luxury brand is expected to launch its flagship electric three-row SUV next year, the GV90. Genesis previewed the ultra-luxury EV in March after unveiling the Neolun concept.
Genesis now has 60 sales bases in the US, with new stores in Washington, Minnesota, New York, and Florida. It’s also building 30 in Canada as it expands its presence in the North American luxury market.
The luxury brand is opening a new dedicated design center in California. The “Genesis Design California” will open in the first half of 2025 as it builds out its US network.
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A rumor spreading like wildfire on social media claims BYD will be taking over NIO (NYSE: NIO) as the EV giant gobbles up market share in China. The rumor was posted by a suspected BYD employee, but NIO is denying the claim.
BYD acquiring NIO would be a massive move as China’s leading EV maker continues to dominate the market. But that’s not going to happen.
According to CnEVPost, NIO’s assistant vice president for branding and communications, Ma Lin, denied the rumors that BYD is taking over the company on Friday.
Ma posted a screenshot on social media asking BYD’s general manager of branding and PR, Li Yunfei if the person who posted the fake rumor was an employee.
Earlier today, the suspected employee claimed BYD and NIO were setting up a joint venture. In a Weibo post, the suspect said BYD would have majority control of the partnership with a 51% share while NIO would get the remaining 49% ownership.
Ma told Li that if it was, in fact, a BYD employee, he needed to issue an official clarification and apologize. If not, they can get the police involved together. Li also denied the rumors, saying the claim was seriously untrue.
NIO denies rumors that BYD is taking over the company
This is not the first time rumors surfaced that BYD will be taking over NIO, but because it is a suspected employee, the post has garnered more attention.
BYD is on a major hiring spree as it ramps up production to meet the higher demand. The EV giant now has over 900,000 employees, making it by far the largest A-share listed company in China.
After selling over 500,000 vehicles for the first time in a single month in October, BYD’s surge is heating up as the EV giant expands overseas for growth.
October was BYD’s fifth consecutive record sales month as it closes in on auto leaders like Ford in global deliveries.
NIO is also gaining momentum, with sales topping the 20,000 mark for the sixth straight month in October. With output of its new lower-priced Onvo L60 electric SUV ramping up, NIO expects to continue seeing higher demand.
Ma said on Friday that NIO’s “recent situation is quite good.” The company’s head of PR added, “Cash flow turned positive in the third quarter, gross profit improved in October, earning an extra RMB 100 million, and Onvo (deliveries) will exceed 10,000 in December.”
NIO is launching its third brand, Firefly, with deliveries kicking off in the first half of 2025. The company expects sales to double next year as it works to become profitable by 2026.
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Hyundai Motors is recalling 145,235 EVs and other “electrified” vehicles in the US, citing concerns about a loss of driving power, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Friday.
The NHTSA announced this morning that the recall affects selected IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 EVs, as well as certain luxury Genesis models, including the GV60, GV70, and G80 electrified variants, from the 2022-2025 model years, Reuters reported.
It looks like the issue stems from “the integrated charging control units in these vehicles, which may become damaged and fail to charge the 12-volt battery. This malfunction could lead to a complete loss of drive power, posing safety risks for drivers,” the NHTSA stated.
If you’re an owner of one of these Hyundai models dating 2022-2025, stay tuned. Hyundai has not yet provided a timeline as to when affected vehicles will be repaired.
To make that happen, the company’s dealers will inspect and replace the charging unit and its fuse if necessary, NHTSA said. Free of charge, of course.
Importantly, no crashes, injuries, fatalities, or fires due to this issue have been reported in the US, Hyundai reported.
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