Volvo Cars today successfully placed its first green bond, raising EUR 500m from a diverse group of institutional investors and further increasing the company’s financial flexibility.
The proceeds of the bond will be used to fund the design, development and manufacturing of fully electric cars in line with the company’s recently established Green Finance Framework. A report will be issued annually to provide full transparency to investors.
The bond issue was oversubscribed 5 times, illustrating both the current market demand for green investment products and the financial community’s strong confidence in Volvo Cars’ strategy.
“I am very pleased that we successfully placed our first green bond,” said Carla de Geyseleer, Chief Financial Officer. “The financial community has a critical role to play in supporting sustainable development, including the transition to a low carbon economy. In this respect, it’s very encouraging to see so much investor interest in helping us electrify our fleet and deliver on our climate ambitions.”
Volvo Cars’ Green Finance Framework was reviewed by Cicero, a leading provider of independent, research-based evaluations of green bond investment frameworks, and received its highest possible rating, Dark Green.
Last year, Volvo Cars launched a comprehensive climate plan which addresses carbon emissions across all its operations and products, as it strives to become climate-neutral by 2040.
The plan goes beyond addressing tailpipe emissions through electrification; the company will also tackle carbon emissions in its manufacturing network and wider operations, its supply chain and through recycling and reuse of materials.
As a first tangible step towards its 2040 vision the company aims to reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint per car by 40 per cent between 2018 and 2025.
This includes a 50 per cent reduction in tailpipe emissions per car, a 25 per cent reduction per car in operational carbon emissions, including from manufacturing and logistics, and a 25 per cent reduction per car in supply chain carbon emissions.
The Notes will be offered pursuant to Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). There is no assurance that the offering will be completed or, if completed, as to the terms on which it is completed. The Notes to be offered have not been registered under the Securities Act or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or unless pursuant to an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable securities laws. This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes, nor shall it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which, or to any person to whom, such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
This announcement does not constitute and shall not, in any circumstances, constitute a public offering nor an invitation to the public in connection with any offer within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the “Prospectus Regulation”). The offer and sale of the Notes will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive, as implemented in Member States of the European Economic Area, from the requirement to produce a prospectus for offers of securities.
In the United Kingdom, this announcement is being distributed to, and is directed at, only (a) persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”); (b) high net worth
companies, and other persons to whom it may otherwise lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or (c) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in an investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). The investments to which this announcement relates are available only to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such investments will be available only to or will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. Persons distributing this announcement must satisfy themselves that it is lawful to do so.
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Volvo Car Group in 2019
For the 2019 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 14.3 BSEK (14.2 BSEK in 2018). Revenue over the period amounted to 274.1 BSEK (252.7 BSEK). For the full year 2019, global sales reached a record 705,452 (642,253) cars, an increase of 9.8 per cent versus 2018. The results underline the comprehensive transformation of Volvo Cars’ finances and operations in recent years, positioning the company for its next growth phase.
Image courtesy of Volvo Car Group