Navistar says latest VW bid ‘undervalues the company,’ but calls it ‘a starting point’

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Updated Sep 17, 2020
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Navistar’s new International HV vocational truck replaces the WorkStar and is available in four models with 107- or 113-inch BBC and set-back and set-forward axle configurations. Features include a 12.4-liter International A26 engine option and redesigned cab interior.

Navistar on Thursday received a bid of $43 per share from Volkswagen’s commercial truck business, Traton, which already owns a 16.8% stake in the maker of International Trucks and has been seeking to purchase the rest for much of this year.

With the weekend to mull over the bid – a bid 23% higher than $35 per share Traton offered in January – Navistar management on Monday came away underwhelmed by the offer.

Navistar’s A26 12.4-liter engine, based on the D26 engine crankcase from MAN – a German truck and engine manufacturer owned by Volkswagen — was one of the first products born from the partnership between the VW and Navistar.Navistar’s A26 12.4-liter engine, based on the D26 engine crankcase from MAN – a German truck and engine manufacturer owned by Volkswagen — was one of the first products born from the partnership between the VW and Navistar.

“Navistar’s Board of Directors, after careful consideration with the assistance of its financial and legal advisors, has unanimously concluded that while Traton’s revised proposal of $43 per share significantly undervalues the company and substantial synergies from a combination, it does represent a starting point for further exploring the possibility of a transaction,” the company said via statement.

Navistar’s Board noted in its statement that the two companies have developed a strong relationship since entering into a partnership in 2016, and “the Board believes the best way for Traton to appreciate the true value of a potential combination is to allow it to conduct due diligence and engage in further synergy discussions with the company.”

Navistar’s A26 12.4-liter engine, based on the D26 engine crankcase from MAN – a German truck and engine manufacturer owned by Volkswagen — was one of the first products born from the partnership.

More recently, Navistar announced telematics partnerships with Samsara and Geotab that Navistar President and Chief Executive Officer Persio V. Lisboa said were enabled by “basically a module that came from the alliance with Traton.” 

Jason Cannon has written about trucking and transportation for more than a decade and serves as Chief Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. A Class A CDL holder, Jason is a graduate of the Porsche Sport Driving School, an honorary Duckmaster at The Peabody in Memphis, Tennessee, and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Reach him at [email protected]