Ford has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Volvo and related assets to Zhejiang Geely Holding Group in a $1.8 billion deal ((£1.2bn), it has been announced.
Following the agreement, the sale is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010. The deal will take so long to close because of the number of approvals required from governments and organisations around the world to clear the deal.
Geely will own Volvo outright, with Ford retaining no shareholding in the company. Ford paid £4.34bn for Volvo when it bought it in 1999, and Volvo has not made a profit for the company since 2005. Geely, founded in 1986, is China's tenth largest car maker.
Hilton Holloway blog - Volvo: China takes its first premium league western automotive scalp
However, Ford will continue to supply Volvo with powertrains, stampings and other vehicle components for unspecified periods. As part of the sale, Ford also has committed to provide engineering support, information technology, access to tooling for common components, and other selected services for an unspecified transition period.
Ford and Geely have also established protocol agreements to govern the use of intellectual property; these agreements will also allow Volvo to grant sublicenses to certain portions of Ford’s intellectual property used by Volvo to third parties, including Geely. The IP deals are expected to last the length of Volvo's current product cycle.
All but $200 million - which will be paid at a later date - of the purchase price will be paid in cash. . Ford also noted in its official statement that the final price Geely pays will be subject to a final investigation into Volvo's financial status at the time of the completion, with items such as pension obligations potentially altering the final payment price.
“Volvo is a great brand with an excellent product line-up. This agreement provides a solid foundation for Volvo to continue to build its business under Geely’s ownership,” said Alan Mulally, Ford’s president and CEO in a statement.
“At the same time, the sale of Volvo will allow us to further sharpen our focus on building the Ford brand around the world.”
Geely Chairman Li Shufu travelled to Sweden on Friday to finalise the deal, which reports suggest will be funded by financing from banks in China, the USA and Europe, including low-interest loans guaranteed by the governments of Sweden and Belgium.
Geely's Hong Kong-listed unit, Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., and some Chinese local governments will also invest in the deal, according to unconfirmed reports.
Shufu said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Ford, enabling us to safeguard and strengthen Volvo's renowned brand heritage. This transaction will ensure Volvo's continued leadership in the premium segment, where it enjoys a global reputation for safety and environmental-friendly technologies.
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Re: Volvo sold to Geely
Other than a spurious link to China, what has this got to do with Geely buying Volvo?
Lets hope the now largest car market with companies most will never have heard of (Geely, SAIC etc.) can get to grips with turning round what some of the biggest names in the autmotive industry have failed to do. Volvo like SAAB deserve to prosper.
Re: Volvo sold to Geely
WTF has this got to do with Geely buying Volvo other than a spurious link to China?
China now the biggest world market for cars recently overtaking the States. it grew more than 50% in the last 12 months.
Lets hope (as a previous post points out) that Geely adopt the same principles as Spyker have with SAAB.
Re: Volvo sold to Geely
WTF has this got to do with Geely buying Volvo? (other than a spurious link to China)
Reported this morning that China has overtaken the States as the biggest car market, it grew by more than 50% over last year!!!
Let's be honest who had heard of Geely and SAIC before they got involved with European car producers? Like a previous post I hope they adopt a similar principal to that adopted by Spyker with SAAB.