VISTEON CORP

Description of Business

Visteon Corporation (the "Company" or "Visteon") is a global automotive technology company serving the mobility industry, dedicated to creating more enjoyable, connected, and safe driving experiences. The Company's platforms leverage proven, scalable hardware and software solutions that enable the digital, electric, and autonomous evolution of the Company's global automotive customers, including BMW, Ford, Geely, General Motors, Honda, Jaguar/Land Rover, Mahindra, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Stellantis, Tata, Toyota, and Volkswagen. Visteon products align with key industry trends and include digital instrument clusters, cockpit domain controllers, advanced displays, Android-based infotainment systems, and battery management systems. Visteon is headquartered in Van Buren Township, Michigan, and has an international network of manufacturing operations, technical centers, and joint venture operations dedicated to the design, development, manufacture, and support of its product offerings and its global customers. The Company's manufacturing and engineering footprint is primarily located in Brazil, Bulgaria, China, India, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Slovakia, Thailand, and Tunisia.

The Company’s Industry

The Company operates in the automotive industry which is cyclical and highly sensitive to general economic conditions. The Company believes that future success in the automotive industry is, in part, dependent on alignment with customers to support their efforts to effectively meet the challenges associated with the following significant trends and developments in the global automotive industry:

•Electronic content and connectivity - Digital and portable technologies have dramatically influenced the lifestyle of today’s consumers, who expect products that enable such a lifestyle. The vehicle cockpit is transforming into a fully digital and connected environment with multi-display systems incorporating larger, curved, and more complex displays and the consolidation of discrete electronic control units into a multi-core domain controller. Consumer demand for improved vehicle performance and functionality is driving increased electronic content of vehicles.

•Electric and hybrid vehicles - The trend towards electrification continues, driven primarily by government incentives and regulatory requirements. Battery electric vehicles can have increased digital content with all-digital cockpit electronics and require a battery management system and high-voltage power electronics. Other powertrains, such as hybrid, plug-in hybrids, and range extenders, have also increased in popularity and can require some of the same products as full electric vehicles.

•Government Regulations - Governments continue to focus regulatory efforts on safer and cleaner transportation. These requirements have increased demand for electronic components that can reduce weight, expedite assembly, enhance fuel economy, improve emissions, increase safety, and enhance vehicle performance. Accordingly, Original Equipment Manufacturers ("OEMs") are working to improve occupant and pedestrian safety by incorporating more safety-oriented technology in their vehicles. Additionally, in-vehicle connectivity has increased the need for robust cybersecurity systems to protect data, applications, and associated infrastructure. Security features are evolving with advances in sensors and suppliers must enable the security/safety initiatives of their customers including the development of such new advances.

•Advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving - The industry continues to advance toward semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles. The Society of Automotive Engineers has defined five levels of autonomy ranging from levels one and two with driver-assist functions whereby the driver is responsible for monitoring the environment, to level five with full autonomy under all conditions. Levels one and two are already popular in the market. Levels three and above utilize a combination of sensors, radars, cameras and LiDARs, requiring sensor fusion and machine learning technologies, as the system assumes the role of monitoring the environment. Level three includes features such as highway pilot and parking assist technology, for which an increased market penetration rate is expected over the medium term.

•Vehicle standardization - OEMs continue to standardize vehicle platforms on a global basis, resulting in a lower number of individual vehicle platforms, design cost savings, and further scale of economies through the production of a greater number of models from each platform. Having operations in the geographic markets where OEMs produce global platforms enables suppliers to meet OEMs’ needs more economically and efficiently, thus making global coverage a source of significant competitive advantage for suppliers with a global footprint. Additionally, OEMs are looking to suppliers for increased collaboration to lower costs, reduce risks, and decrease overall time to market. Suppliers that can provide fully engineered systems and pre-assembled combinations of component parts are positioned to leverage the trend toward system sourcing. As vehicles become more connected and cockpits more digitized, suppliers that can deliver modular hardware architectures, “open” software architectures, and a software platform approach will be poised to help OEMs achieve greater reuse of validated hardware circuitry, design scalability, and faster development cycles.

The Company's Segment

The Company reports operating and financial results in a single segment based on the consolidated information used by management in evaluating the financial performance of our business and allocating resources. This single segment reflects the Company’s core business: Electronics. The Electronics segment provides vehicle cockpit electronics products to customers, including digital instrument clusters, cockpit domain controllers, advanced displays, Android-based infotainment systems, and battery management systems. As the Company has one reportable segment, net sales, total assets, depreciation, amortization and capital expenditures are equal to consolidated results.

The Company’s Products

The Company designs and manufactures innovative automotive electronics and connected car solutions further described below:

Instrument Clusters

The Company offers a full line of instrument clusters, from standard analog gauge clusters to high-resolution, all-digital, fully reconfigurable, 2-D and 3-D display-based devices. The Company uses a platform approach to accelerate development and manage multiple vehicle variants. These clusters can use a wide range of display technologies, graphic capabilities, decorative elements, and free-form and curved displays. Premium clusters support complex graphics and feature embedded functionality such as driver monitoring, camera inputs, and ambient lighting.

Information Displays

The Company offers a range of information displays for various applications within the cockpit, incorporating a sleek profile, high perception quality displays and touch sensors designed to deliver high performance for the automotive market. These displays can integrate a range of user interface technologies and graphics management capabilities, such as active privacy, TrueColor TM enhancement, local dimming, cameras, optics, haptic feedback, and light effects. The Company offers a new generation of large, curved, complex multi-display modules with optical performance designed to be competitive with mobile devices. The Company's microZone™ display technology offers high contrast and brightness and a wide color gamut that enables automotive displays to cost-effectively achieve life-like imaging capability on par with consumer mobile devices, without sacrificing reliability or life span. The Company also developed the first bendable glass multi-display cockpit in the automotive industry.

Infotainment

The Company offers a range of infotainment and connected car solutions, including scalable Android infotainment for seamless connectivity including integration with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay technology for wireless smartphone projection. The company offers a display audio and embedded infotainment platform that is based on Android automotive operating system, enabling third-party developers to create apps easily through a software development kit and software simulation of the target hardware system. Additionally, Visteon offers an onboard artificial intelligence (“AI”)-based voice assistant with natural language understanding.

SmartCore Cockpit Domain Controller

The Company offers SmartCore™, an automotive-grade, integrated domain controller approach, which can independently operate the infotainment system, instrument cluster, head-up display, rear-seat displays, and other features on a single, multi-core chip to improve efficiency, create a unified experience across products, and reduce power consumption and cost. The SmartCore domain controller includes: SmartCore Runtime, middleware enabling communication between domains and apps to be shown on any display; and SmartCore Studio, a PC-based configuration tool to generate hypervisor configurations. The SmartCore domain controller seamlessly connects the human machine interaction ("HMI") across an increasing number of display domains, such as surround view and in-cabin sensing of driver drowsiness, attentiveness, and facial recognition. The latest generation of SmartCore utilizes high performance computing technology and integrates processing of multiple camera inputs to deliver a set of advance driver assistance features. The latest generation of SmartCore is offered with a suite of connected services including an over the air ("OTA") update solution and an automotive App Store.

Battery Management Systems (“BMS”)

The Company offers configurable battery management systems that support both wired and wireless battery sensing and control. Visteon’s wireless BMS reliably and securely replaces wired communication between battery modules to improve the lifetime enterprise cost, battery weight, and packaging efficiency, and facilitates second-life battery repurposing. By providing a platform approach that can support multiple charging protocols and flexible battery pack architectures, Visteon provides a robust design-to-production strategy that enables advanced features that are fast-to-market.

High-Voltage Power Electronics

The Company offers integrated and scalable power electronics units that support conversion of grid-to-battery pack electric current. Visteon’s integrated power electronics solutions combine a bi-directional on-board charging module with a DC-to-DC converter to ensure a systems approach that maximizes power conversion efficiency. Visteon’s solution is scalable to support between 400-volt to 800-volt systems with higher rate battery charging speeds. Visteon’s design provides a solution that allows for fast-charging and high-efficiency in a packaging that reduces weight and space to improve overall system cost.

The Company’s Customers

The Company's ultimate customers are global vehicle manufacturers including BMW, Ford, Geely, General Motors, Honda, Jaguar/Land Rover, Mahindra, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, Stellantis, Tata, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

The following is a summary of customers representing greater than 10 percent of the Company's annual net sales:

The Company typically supplies products to OEM customers through purchase orders, which are usually governed by general terms and conditions established by each OEM. Although the terms and conditions vary from customer to customer, they typically contemplate a relationship under which customers place orders for their requirements of specific components supplied for particular vehicles but are not required to purchase any minimum quantities. Individual purchase orders can be cancelled for cause, non-performance, and, in most cases, insolvency or certain change in control events. Additionally, many of Visteon's OEM customers have the option to terminate contracts for convenience; this option permits the OEM customers to impose pressure on pricing during the life of the vehicle program or issue purchase orders for less than the duration of the vehicle program. This has the potential to reduce the Company’s profit margin and increases the risk of loss of future sales under those purchase contracts.

The Company manufactures and ships based on customer release schedules, normally provided on a weekly basis, which can vary based on OEM automotive production or dealer inventory levels. Although customer programs typically extend to future periods and although there is an expectation that the Company will supply certain levels of OEM production in those future periods, customer agreements (including the applicable terms and conditions) do not necessarily constitute firm orders.

The price related to these products is typically initially negotiated on an annual basis over the vehicle platform's life cycle. To the extent there are subsequent contractual price reductions, these reductions are intended to reflect the Company's ability to reduce cost through such factors as manufacturing productivity enhancements, material cost reductions, and design-related cost improvements. Certain products may be excluded from such reductions or experience price increases due to shortages of material or other increases in supply chain or other related costs. The Company has an aggressive cost control program that focuses on reducing its total costs intended to offset customer price reductions or negotiating recoveries for increases. However, there can be no assurance that the Company’s cost reduction or recovery efforts will be sufficient to fully offset such price changes.

The terms and conditions generally require a warranty on products sold. In most cases, the warranty period is the same as the warranty offered by the OEM to the ultimate customer. The Company may also be required to share in all or part of recall costs if the OEM recalls vehicles for defects attributable to Visteon products.

The Company’s Competition

The automotive sector remains highly competitive resulting from the ongoing industry consolidation. OEMs rigorously evaluate suppliers on the basis of financial viability, product quality, price competitiveness, technical expertise, development capability, new product innovation, reliability and timeliness of delivery, product design, manufacturing capability, flexibility, customer service, and overall management. The Company's primary independent competitors include, but are not limited to, Alpine Electronics, Aptiv PLC, Continental AG, Denso Corporation, Forvia, Harman International Industries, Incorporated (a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.), Hitachi Ltd., Hyundai Mobis, Innolux Corporation, LG Electronics, Marelli Holdings Co., Ltd., Nippon Seiki, Panasonic Corporation, Preh GmbH, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Vitesco Technologies.

The Company’s Business Seasonality and Cyclicality

The Company’s business is moderately seasonal because its largest North American customers typically cease production for approximately two weeks in July for model year changeovers and approximately one week in December during the winter holidays. Customers in Europe historically shut down vehicle production during a portion of August and one week in December. In China, customers typically shut down approximately one week in early October and one week in January or February. Additionally, third-quarter automotive production is traditionally lower as new vehicle models enter production.

Corporate Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Attract and Retain

The Company’s ability to sustain and grow its business requires the recruitment, retention, and development of a highly skilled and diverse workforce. The Company’s Chief People Officer, reporting directly to Chief Executive Officer ("CEO"), oversees its global talent processes to attract, develop, and retain its employees. To attract the best talent, the Company offers market competitive compensation and benefits around the globe, annual and long-term incentive programs, and health and wellness benefits. The Company also provides a variety of resources to help its employees grow in their current roles and build new skills. Hundreds of online courses are available in the Company’s learning management system and individual development plans are encouraged for all of our employees. The Company continues to build tools to be used by leaders to develop employees in their current role and create new opportunities within the organization to learn and grow. Because retention of the employee base is significant to its business strategy, executive management discusses it with the board of directors (the "Board of Directors" or "Board") on a regular basis.

Workforce

Visteon’s strength comes from a workforce of approximately 10,000 employees operating in approximately 18 countries globally. The Company's workforce is globally distributed with 27% of employees located in the Americas, 30% in Europe, 13% in China, and 30% in the remaining Asia Pacific region. Visteon believes that all employees are leaders and expects leaders to drive operational and financial results and build strong teams.

Many of the Company’s employees are members of industrial trade unions and confederations within their respective countries. Often these organizations operate under collectively bargained contracts that are not specific to any one employer. The Company constantly works to establish and maintain positive, cooperative relations with its unions and work representatives around the world.

Culture

A strong culture requires an environment where the contributions of all employees are encouraged and valued. As a global organization, the Company embraces human differences and harnesses the power of its employees’ varied backgrounds, cultures, and experiences because it is the right thing to do for its people and it creates a competitive business advantage. As of December 31, 2024, the percentage of Visteon's global workforce represented by females was approximately 38%.

The Company encourages many forms of communication such as global town hall employee meetings, informal small-group employee discussions, and an open-door policy so all employees have direct access to senior leadership and have the opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions, and provide input. As stated in one of the Company's four core beliefs and values, “We treat each other with respect and embrace our differences.”

Workplace Safety

The Company requires protective equipment, enforces comprehensive safety policies and procedures, and encourages its employees and leaders to continually look for ways to improve workplace safety. It has implemented and maintains a health and safety management system that is certified to the OHSAS 18001 or ISO 45001 standard.

Regulation

Visteon operates in a constantly evolving global regulatory environment and is subject to numerous and varying regulatory requirements for its product performance and material content. Visteon strives to identify potential regulatory and quality risks early in the design and development process and proactively manage them throughout the product lifecycle through the use of routine assessments, protocols, standards, performance measures, and audits. New regulations and changes to existing regulations are managed in collaboration with the OEM customers and implemented through Visteon’s global systems and procedures designed to ensure compliance with existing laws and regulations.

Visteon works collaboratively with a number of stakeholder groups including government agencies, customers, and suppliers to proactively engage in federal, state, and international public policy processes.

Environmental, Health, Safety, and Legal Matters

Visteon is involved in various lawsuits, claims and proceedings related to the operation of its businesses, including those pertaining to product liability, environmental, safety and health, intellectual property, employment, commercial and contractual matters, tax, and various other matters. Although the outcome of such lawsuits, claims and proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty and some may be disposed of unfavorably to Visteon, it is management's opinion that none of these will have a material adverse effect on Visteon's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. Costs related to such matters were not material to the periods presented. Further details are provided in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K in Note 19, "Commitments and Contingencies," of the notes to consolidated financial statements.

Board Oversight of Environmental, Social, and Governance Practices

The Company and its Board of Directors believe positive and responsible business practices strengthen the Company, increase its connection with the stockholders, and help it to better serve its customers and the communities in which it operates. The Company’s commitment to social responsibility extends to a variety of areas including the environment, anti-corruption and trade compliance, responsible sourcing, human rights, labor practices, and worker health and safety. In light of the continued importance of these matters, the Board of Directors and management have developed a multi-year roadmap to enhance the Company’s sustainability and social responsibility programs and disclosures, including assessment of the potential risks associated with climate change. This roadmap includes near-term environmental targets for 2025 aimed at reducing energy consumption, solid waste, water and the reduction of scope 1 and scope 2 CO 2 emissions through the use of renewable energy. The Company’s longer term greenhouse gas ("GHG") emission reduction target for 2030 which includes scope 3 CO 2 emissions, has been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative ("SBTi") and the Company is working to be carbon neutral by 2040. Management provides regular reports and presentations to the Corporate Sustainability and Governance Committee regarding progress toward achieving these targets. The full Board of Directors has oversight of the Company’s environmental and social initiatives as part of its regular strategic reviews of the Company’s operations, products and technologies.

The Company’s Product Research and Development

The Company’s research and development efforts are intended to maintain leadership positions in core products and provide the Company with a competitive edge as it seeks additional business with new and existing customers. The Company also works with technology development partners, including customers, to develop technological capabilities and new products and applications.

The Company’s Intellectual Property

The Company owns significant intellectual property, including a number of patents, copyrights, proprietary tools and technologies, trade secrets, and numerous licensing arrangements. Although the Company’s intellectual property plays an important role in maintaining its competitive position, no single patent, copyright, proprietary tool or technology, trade secret or license, or group of related patents, copyrights, proprietary tools or technologies, trade secrets or licenses is of such value to the

Company that its business would be materially affected by the expiration or termination thereof. The Company’s general policy is to apply for patents on an ongoing basis, in appropriate countries, on its patentable developments that are considered to have commercial significance. The Company also views its name and mark as significant to its business as a whole. In addition, the Company holds rights in a number of other trade names and marks applicable to certain of its businesses and products that it views as important to such businesses and products.

The Company’s International Operations

Financial information about sales and net property by major geographic region can be found in Note 20, "Segment Information and Revenue Recognition" to the Company's consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Company’s Raw Materials and Suppliers

Raw materials used by the Company in the manufacture of its products include electronics components, resins, and precious metals. While generally the supply of the materials used are available from numerous sources, semiconductor suppliers and silicon wafer production is concentrated. In general, the Company does not carry inventories of raw materials in excess of those reasonably required to meet production, shipping schedules, and customer safety stock requirements. The Company monitors its supply base and endeavors to work with suppliers and customers to mitigate the impact of potential material shortages and supply disruptions.

The automotive supply industry is subject to inflationary pressures with respect to raw materials, labor, and associated freight costs, which can place operational and financial burdens on the entire supply chain. Accordingly, the Company continues to take actions with its customers and suppliers to mitigate the impact of these inflationary pressures in the future. Actions to mitigate inflationary pressures with customers include collaboration on alternative product designs and material specifications, contractual price escalation clauses, and negotiated customer recoveries. Actions to mitigate inflationary pressures with suppliers include aggregation of purchase requirements to achieve optimal volume benefits, negotiation of cost reductions, and identification of more cost competitive suppliers. While these actions are designed to offset the impact of inflationary pressures, the Company cannot provide assurance that it will be successful in fully offsetting increased costs resulting from inflationary pressures.

The Company’s Website and Access to Available Information

The Company’s current and periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including amendments to those reports, may be obtained through its internet website at www.visteon.com free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company files these reports with the SEC. A copy of the Company’s code of business conduct and ethics for directors, officers and employees of Visteon and its subsidiaries, entitled “Ethics and Integrity Policy,” the Corporate Governance Guidelines adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors and the charters of each committee of the Board of Directors are also available on the Company’s website. A printed copy of the Company’s Ethics and Integrity Policy may be requested by contacting the Company’s Investor Relations department in writing at One Village Center Drive, Van Buren Township, MI 48111; by phone (734) 710-7893; or via email at investor@visteon.com. The Company’s website and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not intended to be incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.