Arrival (NASDAQ: ARVL; the “Company”) is today announcing a $300
million equity financing line established with Westwood Capital. At
the same time, the Company is also announcing the convening of an
Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders to vote on a number
of resolutions, including a reverse stock split and capital
reduction. Additional details of these announcements will be
provided on the Company’s Business Update Webcast scheduled today,
March 13, 2023 at 4:30 P.M. Eastern Time.
“I have come into the business as CEO at a
critical time. Arrival has developed innovative technologies and
know-how which position us strongly to address the considerable EV
market opportunity. We have now taken important steps to help us
take advantage of this opportunity, including raising additional
capital as well as placing a sharper focus on the key U.S. market
and driving significant efficiency improvements.
Looking forward, we will continue developing and
validating our vehicles this year. We are also progressing with
encouraging conversations with potential partners and investors to
effect the next stage of the business plan - bringing Vans into
production in Charlotte in late 2024,” commented Igor Torgov,
CEO.
Business Updates
Over the last few months the Company has taken
decisive steps to significantly reduce its headcount and cash burn.
At the same time, it has sharpened its focus on its U.S. product
strategy, which will prioritize commencing production of a
purpose-built Class 4 XL Delivery Van in the Charlotte factory in
late 2024, pending a capital injection this year to fund the
program. Recently, the Company was successful in driving
organizational efficiencies that will extend the run-rate of
existing cash resources into late 2023; it succeeded in arranging
up to $350 million of new capital commitments and an agreement to
reduce net debt by $121.9 million. Following these actions, the key
elements of the business plan are as follows:
- Lowering the Company’s current, targeted cash spend to no more
than $35 million/quarter which significantly reduces the size of
investment required to fund the business this year.
- Finalizing a 50% reduction of the Company’s global workforce in
Q1 that will result in less than 800 employees by the end of March
2023.
- Building 10 Vans in the Bicester microfactory to further
develop the highly automated factory processes and integrate them
with the company’s autonomous mobile robots. These vans will also
be used to accumulate 250,000 kms of public road mileage to
validate Arrival’s engineering designs and components by the end of
2023.
- Continued development of the XL Van designed specifically for
the U.S. market. This product attracts higher average selling
prices, margins and tax credits than the L Van, and will require a
dedicated capital raise to fund production in the Charlotte
factory. Start of production in Charlotte is targeted for late
2024.
Igor Torgov, previously an Arrival executive, has been appointed
as CEO to lead the execution of the newly approved plan, with his
intimate knowledge of Arrival’s business priorities, technologies
and talent.
Equity Financing Line
The Company has established a $300 million equity financing line
with Westwood Capital, providing the Company with access to
additional liquidity, subject to certain conditions. For further
information regarding the equity financing line, please see the
Company’s report on Form 6-K filed with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission via its EDGAR system today, March 13, 2023. The
report is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The
information contained in this website is not incorporated by
reference in, or in any way a part of, this press release.
Outlook
- The XL Delivery Van funding activities are specific to driving
the start of production in Charlotte next year. There is no planned
Capex spend related to this program until dedicated capital is
raised.
- Arrival will achieve its target quarterly $35 million burn rate
by the second half of 2023.
- With available capital resources and additional initiatives to
reduce working capital, the Company expects to have sufficient
liquidity to fund the business into late 2023 without the
investments required for XL production.
2023 Operational Milestones
Milestone |
Target Timeline |
Status |
Build 10 Additional Vans in Bicester |
August 2023 |
In Progress |
Accumulate 250,000 kms public road miles (L Van) |
December 2023 |
68,000 kms accumulated |
Reverse Stock Split and Capital Reduction
Arrival today announced the calling of an Extraordinary General
Meeting (“EGM”) of Shareholders to vote on a proposed reverse stock
split at a consolidation ratio within a range from 30:1 to 50:1 to
position the Company to regain compliance with the minimum bid
requirement under the Nasdaq listing rules by its ordinary shares
trading above $1 for 10 consecutive business days prior to May 1,
2023. At the EGM, Shareholders will also be asked to vote on a
proposed capital reduction to $156,532.22, without cancellation of
shares or payments to shareholders, thereby setting the par value
of the Company’s ordinary shares at around $0.0002 per ordinary
share prior to the implementation of the reverse stock split. The
EGM is planned for April 6, 2023 and Shareholders holding shares of
the Company as of March 28, 2023 will be invited to vote on the
resolutions.
Going ConcernAt the end of
December, the Company had $205 million of cash on hand. Subsequent
to the end of December, the company announced a transaction with
its largest bond holder Antara, that includes up to $50 million of
additional capital commitments and today announced a $300 million
equity financing line with Westwood Capital.
In January, the company announced additional plans to
restructure its business, which included a reduction in its
workforce to less than 800 people and other cost control measures
that the company expects to result in quarterly cash burn of no
more than $35 million.
Also in January, the Company’s board approved a new business
plan based on the quarterly cash burn targets and a product focused
on the US Market to start production in Charlotte in 2024.
Although as of December 31, 2022 the Company did not have
sufficient cash to fund the business plan or its operation for a
period of 12 months, with the actions taken to reduce costs and the
capital commitments subsequent to year end, the Company believes it
can operate the business into 2024 while it seeks to raise capital
to complete the vehicle program for the U.S. and make the necessary
capital investments to start production in late 2024, including
prototyping, tooling, factory capex and working capital. Despite
mitigating factors taken to date, there remain material
uncertainties about the Company’s ability to continue as a going
concern primarily due to the fact that further capital raises are
required to fund the company to a break even point.
The Company is exploring all funding and strategic opportunities
to obtain the capital necessary to fund the vehicle program and
bring the company to cash flow break-even.
Therefore, notwithstanding the material uncertainties noted, the
Board determined that the Company's unaudited financial information
is appropriately prepared on a going concern basis and does not
currently see any adjustments that would result in the basis of
preparation being inappropriate.
Important Information
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a
solicitation of an offer to buy any ordinary shares in any state or
jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. The
ordinary shares that may be issued in connection with the equity
financing line have not been and, except as pursuant to the terms
of the registration rights agreement entered into in connection
with the transaction, will not be registered under the Securities
Act of 1933 or any state securities laws. Therefore, the ordinary
shares that may be issued in connection with the equity financing
line may not be offered, sold, or otherwise transferred within the
United States or to or for the account of any U.S. person absent
registration or an applicable exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and any applicable state
securities laws.
Webcast Information
Arrival will host a Zoom webinar today, Monday,
March 13, 2023 at 4:30 P.M. Eastern Time to discuss its fourth
quarter and full year 2022 financial results and business update.
The live webcast will be accessible on the Company’s website at
investors.arrival.com. A webcast replay will be available
approximately two hours after the conclusion of the live event.
About Arrival
Arrival’s mission is to master a radically more
efficient New Method to design, produce, sell and service best-ever
electric vehicles, to support a world where cities are free from
fossil fuel vehicles. Arrival’s in-house technologies enable a
unique approach to producing vehicles using rapidly-scalable, local
Microfactories. Arrival (NASDAQ: ARVL) is a joint stock company
governed by Luxembourg law.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains certain
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal
securities laws, including statements regarding the production of a
purpose-built Class 4 XL Delivery Van and Vans in Bicester, the
company’s future liquidity and targeted cash spend, the company’s
ability to continue as a going concern, reductions in the company’s
workforce, the Antara transaction, the equity financing line,
future capital raisings, the EGM, the reverse stock split, the
capital reduction and Arrival’s projected future financial
condition. These forward-looking statements generally are
identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “expect,”
“anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “positioned,” “strategy,”
“outlook,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,”
“may,” “should,” “could,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will
continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Such
statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are based on
management’s belief or interpretation of information currently
available. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections
and other statements about future events that are based on current
expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks
and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future results
and events to differ materially from the results expressed in the
forward-looking statements in this document. Among the key factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
projected in the forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to: (i) the risk that Arrival will be unable to raise
additional capital on acceptable terms or at all; (ii) economic
disruptions from war and other geopolitical tensions (such as the
ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine); (iii) the
risk of downturns and the possibility of rapid change in the highly
competitive industry in which Arrival operates, (iv) the risk that
Arrival and its current and future collaborators are unable to
successfully develop and commercialize Arrival’s products or
services, or experience significant delays in doing so; (v) the
risk that Arrival may never achieve or sustain profitability; (vi)
the risk that Arrival experiences difficulties in managing its
growth and expanding operations, (vii) the risk that third-parties
suppliers and manufacturers are not able to fully and timely meet
their obligations; (viii) the risk that the utilization of
Microfactories will not provide the expected benefits due to, among
other things, the inability to locate appropriate buildings to use
as Microfactories, Microfactories needing a larger than anticipated
factory footprint, and the inability of Arrival to deploy
Microfactories in the anticipated time frame; (ix) the risk that
the order that has been placed for vehicles is cancelled or
modified or postponed; (x) the risk of product liability or
regulatory lawsuits or proceedings relating to Arrival’s products
and services; and (xi) the risk that Arrival is unable to secure or
protect its intellectual property.
The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.
You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other
risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of
Arrival’s annual report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on April 27, 2022, and other
documents filed by Arrival with the SEC from time to time. In
addition, forecasts about future costs and other financial metrics
and our expectations as to our ability to execute on our current
business plan in the near term and the longer term are based on a
number of assumptions we make, including the following assumptions
that Arrival’s management believed to be material:
- Operational
assumptions, including, the development and commercialization of
Arrival’s vehicles, the roll out of Arrival’s Microfactory
manufacturing locations, the production capacity of Arrival’s
Microfactories, the selection of Arrival’s products by customers in
the commercial Van industry, growth in the various markets Arrival
is targeting, average selling prices and resulting sales of
vehicles
- The mix of products produced and
sold in combination with corresponding costs, including material
and component costs, assembly costs, manufacturing costs, and costs
related to product warranties. Many of these costs are forecasted
to vary significantly as Arrival commences production in its
Microfactories
- Arrival’s ability to raise capital
necessary to execute on its current business plan and production
timeline, including the roll-out of its factories, as well as to
maintain its ongoing operations, continue research, development and
design efforts and improve infrastructure
- Capital
expenditure is based on a number of assumptions regarding the
expenditure required to build Arrival’s Microfactories, including
the cost of initial set up of factory facilities and the cost of
manufacturing and assembly equipment
In making the foregoing assumptions, Arrival’s
management relied on a number of factors, including: its experience
in the automotive industry, its experience in the period since the
inception of the company and current pricing estimates for
prototype vehicles and vehicle components as well as the projected
costs for first factory locations that are already in development;
its best estimates of the timing for the development and
commercialization of its vehicles and overall vehicle development
process; its best estimates of current and future customers
purchasing Arrival’s vehicles; and third-party forecasts for
industry growth. Forecasts of future financial metrics are
inherently uncertain, and actual results may differ significantly
from forecasts based on our assumptions underlying those forecasts
at this time.
Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance
on forward-looking statements as they are subject to numerous
uncertainties and factors relating to Arrival’s operations and
business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and
many of which are beyond Arrival’s control. Except as required by
applicable law, Arrival assumes no obligation to and does not
intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements after
the date of this press release, whether as a result of new
information, future events, or otherwise. In light of these risks
and uncertainties, you should keep in mind that any event described
in a forward-looking statement made in this press release or
elsewhere might not occur. Arrival does not give any assurance that
Arrival will achieve its expectations.
Media Contacts For Arrival
Media pr@arrival.com Investors
ir@arrival.com
Arrival (NASDAQ:ARVL)
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