Polestar (PSNY) stock slips after Hertz delays plans to buy EVs
Polestar (PSNY) shares are falling Monday after car rental giant Hertz (HTZ) announced plans to delay buying its EVs this year.
Scaling back electric vehicle plans
The news comes after the car rental giant said it would sell some of its Tesla models earlier this month.
In 2021, Hertz announced a massive 100,000 Tesla Model 3 order to bolster its EV rental offerings. Hertz followed it up by adding Tesla’s Model Y to its fleet the following year.
A month later, Hertz stuck its first deal with Polestar to add up to 65,000 Polestar EVs. It was a considerable order for the Swedish EV maker at the time after delivering just 29,000 vehicles in 2021. The agreement included purchasing up to 65K Polestar EVs through 2027.
It was also part of Hertz’s goal of EVs accounting for a quarter of its fleet by the end of 2024. However, those plans have since fallen through.
In early January, Hertz revealed it was selling about 20,000 Tesla vehicles. Hertz said it would use some of the proceeds to buy new gas-powered cars after Tesla’s prices fell from their peak. It also announced it would not hit its 25% EV fleet goal by the end of the year.
Hertz delays plans to buy Polestar EVs this year
Now, Hertz is delaying plans to buy Polestar EVs this year. Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath told the Financial Times that Hertz CEO Stephen Sherr inquired about pausing the purchase of EVs in 2024 last fall.
Polestar has already sold about 20,000 EVs to the car rental giant over the past two years. According to FT, the Swedish EV maker agreed to waive the required 2024 order.
In return, Hertz agreed not to sell Polestar’s vehicles too early or cheaply, Ingelath said. He explained that the two companies agreed to “keep the cars longer than a year.” If Hertz wants to take Polestar EVs out of its fleet, “we have the right to first refusal.”
Hertz and Polestar have “clear intentions” to reboot large-scale sales, but whether that will happen in 2025 remains unclear. Ingenlath said the companies would “have to review at the time.”
The news comes after Volvo announced plans to sell its nearly 50% stake in Polestar to parent company Geely. Volvo also said it would not be investing in the brand going forward.
Polestar stock was down another 6% in pre-market trading. PSNY shares are now down over 70% over the past 12 months.
Electrek’s Take
Hertz’s business model puts the company at high risk while car prices are volatile because it owns its vehicles outright.
The car rental company bought Tesla’s vehicles close to their peak prices. Tesla’s price cuts last year led to lower resale values, putting further strain on Hertz’s margins.
Hertz emerged from bankruptcy after the pandemic halted travel, hitting rental and vacation companies especially hard. The rental giant is set to report earnings on Tuesday. We’ll learn more about Hertz’s financial situation following the release.
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If you’re considering going electric, May will be a great time to score a deal on an EV lease. Automakers are slashing lease prices on some of the most popular EVs to move inventory – here are four standouts.
Nissan Ariya SUV
The Nissan Ariya SUV has an MSRP of $41,805. Its lease term is 36 months, with $4,409 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 10,000 a year. Monthly payment? A sweet $129!
Nissan cut the 2025 Ariya Engage’s price by $144 in April, so it now has an effective monthly cost of $251 – that’s seriously affordable for an electric SUV. If you’re already a Nissan driver, then you’re going to get an even better deal, because Nissan is offering a $1,000 loyalty discount on the Ariya, which brings its effective cost down to $224 per month.
CarsDirect, which sniffed out this deal, thinks this Ariya deal will be in place until Memorial Day, so take advantage of tariff-free pricing while you can.
Click here to find a local dealer that may have the Nissan Ariya in stock. –trusted affiliate copy
Honda Prologue SUV
The Honda Prologue SUV has an MSRP of $48,850. Its lease term is 36 months, with $1,399 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 10,000 a year. The monthly payment on the Prologue is $239.
The 2024 Honda Prologue has up to $18,800 in rebates, and the price includes a $1,000 lease loyalty discount or conquest offer. In California and other ZEV states, the EX has an effective cost of just $278 per month; in other parts of the US, pricing will be around $30 higher. This offer ends July 7.
Click here to find a local dealer that may have the Honda Prologue in stock. –trusted affiliate copy
Tesla Model 3
The Tesla Model 3 has an MSRP of $43,880. Its best lease term is 24 months, with $1,044 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 10,000 a year. The monthly payment on the Model 3 is $349.
The 2025 Tesla Model 3 still has the $7,500 federal government EV rebate. Several months ago, Tesla reduced the amount due at signing on all Model 3s. And for those who want to lease a Long Range Model 3, the effective cost can be as low as $393 per month.
You can lease the Model 3 for 36 months, but the folks at CarsDirect found that the better deal will be had on 24-month leases. They compared the Model 3’s MSRP to the 2025 Lexus IS 300 F Sport’s MSRP, which is nearly identical, and the Model 3 was around 30% cheaper to lease.
Acura ZDX
The 2024 Acura ZDX has an MSRP of $65,850. Its best lease term is 36 months, with $4,699 due at signing and a mileage allowance of 7,500 a year. The monthly payment on the ZDX is $299.
The 2024 ZDX is Acura’s cheapest vehicle to lease because it features up to $29,450 in lease cash. However, the best deal is limited to California and ZEV states. If you cash in on a loyalty discount or conquest cash, the effective cost is $430 per month. This offer runs til June 30.
Click here to find a local dealer that may have the Acura ZDX in stock. –trusted affiliate copy
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Ford (F) reported its first-quarter earnings, beating Wall Street’s revenue and EPS expectations. However, with Trump’s auto tariffs, Ford is suspending full-year guidance. Here’s a breakdown of Ford’s Q1 2025 earnings
Ford Q1 2025 earnings preview
After crosstown rival General Motors cut its full-year financial guidance last week, investors are waiting to see if Ford will follow suit.
Ford’s previous 2025 forecast called for EBIT of $7 billion to $8.5 billion and capital expenditures between $8 billion and $9 billion.
The biggest threat is Trump’s new auto tariffs, which include a 25% duty on imported vehicles and many parts. Since Ford builds a greater percentage of vehicles in the US than any other major automaker, outside of Tesla, it isn’t expected to see as big of an impact.
CEO Jim Farley called it “an opportunity for Ford,” during an interview with CNN last week, saying the company has a “different footprint, a different exposure for tariffs.”
Ford imports around 21% of the vehicles it sells in the US, while GM imports around 46%. According to Estimize, Wall St expects Ford to post Q1 EPS of $0.0 on revenue of $38.02 billion.
The company reports earnings for each of its three business units, Ford Blue (gas-powered vehicles), Model e (electric vehicles), and Ford Pro (commercial and software business).
In the fourth quarter, Ford’s EV unit (Model e) lost another $1.4 billion while Pro and Blue each reported an adjusted EBIT of $1.6 billion.
Financial breakdown
Ford beat Wall Street estimates, reporting first-quarter revenue of $40.7 billion with an adjusted EPS of 0.49.
- Q1 2025 Revenue: $40.7 billion vs $38.02 billion expected.
- Q1 2025 Adjusted EPS: $0.49 vs $0.0 expected.
The company posted adjusted EBIT of $1 billion, down 63% from Q1 2024. Ford said its first-quarter EBIT suffered a nearly $200 million hit from added tariff costs, primarily in Ford Blue and Ford Pro.
Ford Pro generated an EBIT of $1.3 billion, Ford Blue $96 million, and Ford Model e reported an EBIT loss of $849 million.
For Model e, the company is focused on improving gross margins and “exercising a disciplined approach to investments in battery facilities and next-generation products.” Although still a nearly $1 billion loss, it’s still a $500 million improvement from Q1 2024.
Ford said higher Model e revenue was driven by new EVs launching in Europe, like the electric Explorer and Capri.
The company said its “Power Promise” promotion, which includes a free home charger and several other benefits, has helped drive demand in the US.
Although it’s tracking within its previous full-year adjusted EBIT guidance of between $7 billion and $8.5 billion, Ford is suspending full-year guidance due to the uncertainty surrounding tariffs.
Ford estimates the full-year gross cost of tariffs to be around $2.5 billion. It expects a tariff-related net adverse adjusted EBIT impact of about $1.5 billion for the full year 2025.
Ford also extended its “From America, For America” campaign last week. The promo includes employee pricing on most 2024 and 2025 models and now runs through July 4.
Check back for more info from Ford’s first quarter conference call. Ford is also hosting its annual meeting on Thursday, May 8, where we should learn more about its EV plans and how it will navigate the new tariffs.
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