© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Attendees look at the 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS during the 2021 LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 17, 2021. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu
BERLIN (Reuters) -Porsche’s potential stock market listing is central to funding Volkswagen (ETR:)’s electrification plans, the carmaker’s chief financial officer said on Monday ahead of a board meeting to discuss whether the listing will go ahead.
Volkswagen’s management and supervisory boards will meet later on Monday to discuss whether the long-anticipated listing of Porsche should take place in late September or early October.
Should Volkswagen state its intention to float, a roughly four-week period would follow for buyers to express interest in the stock, during which the carmaker could still pull the listing if interest is lacking.
“It would be the technical go-ahead, nothing more,” one source close to the negotiations said of the pending decision at Monday’s meeting. “It’s paving the way, but this would not guarantee that the stock market bell will ring in the end.”
Some investors have questioned the timing of the move, reasoning that market jitters could suggest far lower proceeds than hoped and pointing to outstanding questions about how Oliver Blume will govern both Porsche and Volkswagen.
Stocks across European industry have been in free-fall this year, with luxury carmakers no exception. Aston Martin stock was down 11%, having earlier dropped 14%, after launching a 575.8 million pound ($662.86 million) rights issue of four new shares for each existing share.
Still, Arno Antlitz, who was appointed VW chief operating officer alongside his role as CFO on Sept. 1 when Blume became CEO, reiterated Volkswagen’s defence of the listing as key to raising funds for the carmaker’s electrification goals.
“This is a key element for the Group, especially because the possible proceeds would give us more flexibility to further accelerate the transformation,” Antlitz said in the interview.
Porsche SE said in a statement on Saturday that the launch was still subject to further board discussions and market developments, though two sources familiar with the IPO said they did not expect a decision to take long.
($1 = 0.8687 pounds)
