Visteon (VC) Risk Factors

The Company faces the inherent business risk of exposure to warranty and product liability claims in the event that its products fail to perform as expected or such failure results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury or property damage (or both). In addition, if any of the Company's supplied products are defective or are alleged to be defective, the Company may be required to participate in a recall campaign. The Company's products contain increasingly significant amounts of software and a successful cyberattack on such products could cause materially adverse effects on the Company's business, operating results, financial condition, cash flow, and reputation. In addition, as the Company expands its electrification product offering, including its battery management systems, such products will present a different warranty and product liability risk profile. As suppliers become more integrally involved in the vehicle design process and assume more of the vehicle assembly functions, automakers are increasingly expecting them to warrant their products and are increasingly looking to suppliers for contributions when faced with product liability claims or recalls. A successful warranty or product liability claim against the Company, or a requirement that the Company participate in a product recall campaign, could have materially adverse effects on the Company's business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flow.

In an effort to manage and reduce the costs of purchased goods and services, the Company, like many automotive suppliers and automakers, has been consolidating its supply base. As a result, the Company is dependent on single or limited sources of supply for certain components used in the manufacture of its products including semiconductor chips, which are integral components of new vehicles and are embedded in multiple vehicle systems, including cockpit electronics. As a result of the semiconductor shortages in recent years, the Company continues to work closely with its suppliers and customers to minimize any potential adverse impacts of the semiconductor supply shortage and monitor the availability of semiconductor microchips and other component parts and raw materials, customer vehicle production schedules, and any other supply chain inefficiencies that may arise, due to this or any other issue. If shortages of semiconductors or other critical components from other suppliers develop, continue longer than anticipated, or worsen, it could impact the Company's ability to meet its production schedules for some of its key products or to ship such products to its customers in a timely fashion. Furthermore, unfavorable economic or industry conditions could result in financial distress within the Company's supply base, thereby increasing the risk of supply disruption. Such disruptions could be caused by any one of a myriad of potential problems, such as closures of one of the Company's or its suppliers' plants or critical manufacturing lines due to strikes, manufacturing quality issues, mechanical breakdowns, electrical outages, fires, explosions, or political upheaval, as well as logistical complications due to weather, global climate change, volcanic eruptions, or other natural or nuclear disasters, mechanical failures, delayed customs processing, the spread of an infectious disease, virus or other widespread illness and more. Additionally, as the Company grows in best cost countries, the risk for such disruptions is heightened. Similarly, a potential quality issue could force the Company to halt deliveries while it validates the products. Even where products are ready to be shipped, or have been shipped, delays may arise before they reach the customer. The Company's customers may halt or delay production if one of their other suppliers fails to deliver necessary components. This may cause the Company's customers to suspend their orders or instruct us to suspend delivery of the Company's products, which may adversely affect the Company's financial performance. If the Company were to fail to make timely deliveries in accordance with contractual obligations, the Company generally must absorb its own costs for identifying and solving the "root cause" problem as well as expeditiously producing replacement components or products. Generally, the Company must also absorb the costs associated with "catching up," such as overtime and premium freight. Additionally, if the Company is the cause for a customer being forced to halt production the customer may seek to recoup all of its losses and expenses from the Company. Certain customers have communicated that they expect such reimbursement and are reserving their rights to claim damages arising from supply shortages. The Company believes it has a number of legal defenses to such claims and intends to defend any potential claims vigorously. Should the company be unsuccessful in their defense, these losses and expenses could be significant, and may include consequential losses such as lost profits. Any supply-chain disruption, however small, could cause the complete shutdown of an assembly line of one of the Company's customers, and any such shutdown could lead to material claims for compensation. The Company has experienced and may in the future experience supplier price increases that could negatively affect its operations and profitability. The price increases are often driven by raw material pricing and availability, component or part availability, manufacturing capacity, industry allocations, logistics capacity, natural disasters or pandemics, the effects of climate change, inflation, and significant changes in the financial or business condition of its suppliers

Although the Company has purchase orders from many of its customers, these purchase orders generally provide for the supply of a customer's annual requirements for a particular vehicle model and assembly plant, or in some cases, for the supply of a customer's requirements for the life of a particular vehicle model, rather than for the purchase of a specific quantity of products. In addition, certain customers have communicated an intent to manufacture components internally that are currently produced by outside suppliers, such as the Company. If the Company's OEM customers successfully insource products currently manufactured by the Company the discontinuation or loss of business for products which the Company is a significant supplier could reduce the Company's sales and harm the Company's profitability.

The Company is involved in legal proceedings and commercial or contractual disputes that, from time to time, are significant. These are typically claims that arise in the normal course of business including, without limitation, commercial or contractual disputes (including disputes with suppliers), intellectual property matters, personal injury claims, and employment matters. No assurances can be given that such proceedings and claims will not have a material adverse impact on the Company's profitability and financial position.

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and various international jurisdictions. Changes in tax rates or tax laws by U.S. and international jurisdictions and tax audits could adversely impact Visteon's financial results. The Company is in a position whereby losses incurred in certain tax jurisdictions generally provide no current financial statement benefit. In addition, certain jurisdictions have statutory rates greater than or less than the United States statutory rate. As such, changes in the mix and source of earnings between jurisdictions, including changes in tax rates in those jurisdictions, could have a significant impact on the Company's overall effective tax rate in future periods. Additionally, in the ordinary course of business, we are subject to examinations by various tax authorities. Tax authorities in various jurisdictions could also open new examinations and expand existing examinations for which the outcomes cannot be predicted with certainty. Furthermore, changes in U.S. or foreign tax laws and regulations, or their interpretation and application, could also have a significant impact on the Company's overall effective rate in future periods. For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (the "OECD"), the European Union and other countries (including countries in which the Company operates) have committed to enacting substantial changes to numerous long-standing tax principles impacting how large multinational enterprises are taxed. In particular, the OECD's Pillar Two initiative introduces a 15% global minimum tax applied on a country-by-country basis and for which many jurisdictions have now committed to an effective enactment date starting January 1, 2024. The impact of these potential new rules as well as any other changes in domestic and international tax rules and regulations could have a material effect on the Company's overall effective tax rate.

Increased attention to climate change and its association with greenhouse gas emissions, expectations for companies to establish short and long-term emissions reduction targets, and changes in consumer preferences may result in increased costs, reduced profits, risks associated with new regulatory requirements, and the potential for increased litigation and governmental investigations. The U.S. federal government, certain U.S. states, and certain other countries and regions have adopted or are considering legislation or regulation imposing overall caps or taxes on greenhouse gas emissions from certain sectors including automotive. Failure to comply with any legislation or regulation could result in substantial fines, criminal sanctions, or operational changes. Moreover, even without such legislation or regulation, increased awareness of, or any adverse publicity regarding, the effects of greenhouse gases could harm the Company's reputation or reduce customer demand for its products and services. Automakers have also started implementing climate-related initiatives and objectives each year with their suppliers, and such actions are expected to continue in the future. If the Company is unable to meet these new requirements in the future through improved operating efficiencies, new manufacturing processes, sourcing alternatives, and other sustainability initiatives, the Company's business could be adversely affected. Additionally, as severe weather events become increasingly common, operations of the Company, its customers, and/or suppliers may be disrupted, which could result in increased operational costs or reduced demand for products and services. Natural disasters could cause disruption to the Company's ability to serve its customers and communities in times of need and extended periods of disruption could have an adverse effect on its results of operations.

The Company has net operating losses ("NOLs") and other tax attributes which could be limited if there is a subsequent change of ownership. If the Company were to have a change of ownership within the meaning of IRC Sections 382 and 383, its NOLs and other tax attributes could be limited to an amount equal to its market capitalization at the time of the ownership change multiplied by the federal long-term tax exempt rate. The Company cannot provide any assurance that such an ownership change will not occur, in which case the availability of the Company's NOLs and other tax attributes could be significantly limited or possibly eliminated. Certain tax benefit preservation provisions of its corporate documents could delay or prevent a change of control, even if that change would be beneficial to stockholders.

The Company estimates awarded business using certain assumptions, including projected future sales volumes based on data from OEM customers and industry benchmarks. The OEM customers do not generally guarantee production volumes. In addition, awarded business may include business under arrangements that OEM customers have the right to terminate, at any time, without penalty. Therefore, the Company's actual sales volumes, and thus the ultimate amount of revenue that it derives from such sales, are not guaranteed. If actual production orders from its customers are not consistent with the projections used by the Company in calculating the amount of its awarded business, the Company could realize substantially less revenue over the life of these projects than the projected estimate.

The Company has manufacturing and distribution facilities in many foreign locations. International operations are subject to certain risks inherent in doing business abroad, including, but not limited to: - changes to international trade agreements;- local economic conditions, expropriation and nationalization, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, and currency controls;- withholding, border, and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries;- investment restrictions or requirements;- export and import restrictions, including increases in border tariffs;- the ability to effectively enforce intellectual property rights;- new or additional governmental sanctions on doing business with or in certain countries or with certain persons; and - increases in working capital requirements related to long supply chains. Additionally, the Company's global operations may also be adversely affected by political events, domestic or international terrorist events, and hostilities or complications due to natural or other disasters. These or any further political or governmental developments or health concerns in Mexico, China, or other countries in which the Company operates or where its suppliers are located could result in social, economic, and labor instability. These uncertainties could have a material adverse effect on the continuity of the Company's business, results of operations, and financial condition. Trade negotiations are ongoing, notably between the U.S. and Chinese governments. However, given the uncertainty regarding the negotiations, including the potential for additional tariffs or trade barriers by or between the U.S., China (including but not limited to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act), or other countries, the Company can provide no assurance that any strategies we implement to mitigate the impact of any trade actions will be successful. The Company has invested significantly and is expected to continue to invest in joint ventures with other parties to conduct business in China and elsewhere in Asia. These investments may include manufacturing operations, technical centers, and research and development activities, to support anticipated growth in the region. If the Company is not able to strengthen existing relationships, secure additional customers, and develop market-relevant electrification, advanced driver assistance, and semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicle technologies, it may fail to realize expected rates of return on these investments. In addition, failure of the Company's joint venture partners to comply with contractual commitments or to exert influence or pressure in China may impact the Company's operations, financial condition and cash flow. For example, as previously disclosed, during the second quarter of 2022, the Company recorded a settlement charge related to a contract dispute with a joint venture partner in China and during the fourth quarter of 2022 the Company incurred approximately $19 million of program management costs and other charges with that joint venture partner. Although those disputes were resolved, the Company cannot predict the outcome of future interactions and it is possible that any future disputes and/or changes to the contractual obligations with the joint venture partner could have a material impact on the Company's business, operating results, financial condition, and cash flow.

As a result of Visteon's global presence, a significant portion of the Company's revenues and expenses are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The Company is therefore subject to foreign currency risks and foreign exchange exposure. The Company's primary exposures are to the euro, Chinese renminbi, Brazilian real, Mexican peso, Thai bhat, Indian rupee, and Japanese yen. Volatility in certain exchange rates could adversely impact Visteon financial results and comparability of results from period to period.