Sono Group N.V.
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed Apr 17, 2025.
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A company's yearly report to the SEC, with audited financial statements. It is the fullest account a company gives of its business, its finances and the risks it sees.
FY2024 · Filed Apr 17, 2025
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024
OR
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
|---|
For the transition period from to .
Commission File Number:001-41066
SONO GROUP N.V.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| The Netherlands | 98-1828632 |
|---|---|
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| Sono Group N.V. Waldmeisterstraße 93, 80935 Munich, Germany | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | |
+49 (0)89 4520 5818
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
|---|---|---|
| Not Applicable | Not Applicable | Not Applicable |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Ordinary Shares, nominal value of €0.02 per share
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ |
| Emerging growth company | ☒ | ||
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.☐
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the ordinary shares of the registrant held by non-affiliates, based on the closing price of the ordinary shares as quoted on the OTCQB on June 30, 2024 (the last business day of the registrant’s second fiscal quarter), was approximately $2.3 million.*
- As described in more detail in this Annual Report, the registrant implemented a Reverse Share Split (as defined herein) on January 6, 2025. The closing price used to calculate the aggregate market value of ordinary shares of the registrant held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2024 has been adjusted to reflect the 75-to-1 reverse split ratio. Share amounts on this cover page and throughout this Annual Report have been updated, as appropriate, to reflect the Company’s Reverse Share Split.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.** Yes ☐ No ☐
** As described in more detail in this Annual Report, the registrant was involved in preliminary self-administration proceedings under German insolvency law before the local court of Munich, Germany from mid-May 2023 through January 31, 2024. Since no insolvency plan providing for the distribution of securities was confirmed by the court, the registrant has not checked either of the boxes above.
As of March 24, 2025, there were 1,409,921 ordinary shares, nominal value €0.02 per share, of the registrant outstanding and 40,000 high voting shares, nominal value €0.50 per share of the registrant outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None true
SONO GROUP N.V.
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
For the Year Ended December 31, 2024
Table of Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| PART I | 5 |
| Item 1. Business. | 5 |
| Item lA. Risk Factors. | 24 |
| Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments. | 62 |
| Item 1C. Cybersecurity. | 62 |
| Item 2. Properties. | 63 |
| Item 3. Legal Proceedings. | 63 |
| Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures. | 63 |
| PART II | 64 |
| Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities. | 64 |
| Item 6. [Reserved] | 65 |
| Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. | 65 |
| Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk. | 74 |
| Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. | 74 |
| Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure. | 74 |
| Item 9A. Controls and Procedures. | 74 |
| Item 9B. Other Information. | 76 |
| Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections. | 76 |
| PART III | 77 |
| Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance. | 77 |
| Item 11. Executive Compensation. | 80 |
| Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters. | 83 |
| Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence. | 86 |
| Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services. | 89 |
| PART IV | 90 |
| Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules. | 90 |
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (this “Annual Report” or this “Form 10-K”) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. These statements relate to events that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Risk Factors,” which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
In some cases, these forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “expect,” “estimate,” “could,” “should,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “forecast,” “project,” “target,” “continue,” “is/are likely to,” “will” or other similar or comparable expressions (including the negative of any of the foregoing). These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts and are statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, or current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report include, but are not limited to, statements about:
| ● | our expectations regarding our ability to access the unfunded portion of the Yorkville Commitment (as defined herein) and implement the Debt Conversion (as defined herein), including our ability to meet the initial listing requirements for admission of our securities to trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market and to satisfy the other conditions precedent set forth in the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Exchange Agreement (each as defined herein); |
| ● | the timing of the closing the transactions contemplated by the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Exchange Agreement; |
| ● | the impact of the transactions contemplated by the Exchange Agreement and Securities Purchase Agreement on the Company’s operating results; |
| ● | our ability to maintain relationships with lenders, suppliers, customers, employees and other third parties, to pursue new customer arrangements and projects, and to attract, retain and motivate key employees in light of the performance and credit risks associated with our constrained liquidity position and capital structure; |
| ● | our ability to comply with the continuing standards of OTCQB; |
| ● | our strategies, plan, objectives and goals, including, for example: |
| ○ | the successful implementation and management of the pivot of our business to exclusively retrofitting and integrating our solar technology onto third party vehicles; and |
| ○ | the successful continued development, sale and delivery of our solar solutions for vehicles and similar products, as well as the continuous advancement of our current technologies and development of new technologies; |
| ● | our ability to secure a sufficient number of future customer contracts or otherwise raise the additional funding required beyond the Yorkville Commitment to further develop and commercialize our solar technology and business as well as to continue as a going concern; |
| ● | our future business and financial performance, including our ability to turn profitable, scale our operations and build a well-recognized and respected brand cost-effectively; |
| ● | our ability to achieve customer acceptance of and demand for our products, including by developing and maintaining relationships with key business partners who are crucial for our operations or who directly deal with end users in our target market; and |
| ● | our expectations regarding the development of our industry, market size and the regulatory and competitive environment in which we operate. |
We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industries in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industries in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. Actual outcomes may differ materially from the information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of factors, including, without limitation: the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions described under “Summary Risk Factors” below, “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of Part I, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 of Part II and elsewhere in this Annual Report.
Any forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this Annual Report, and you should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, performance, or achievements reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this Annual Report or to conform these statements to actual results or revised expectations.
GENERAL
We conduct our business through our subsidiary Sono Motors GmbH, a German limited liability company (Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) (the “Subsidiary”). Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, the terms “Sono Motors,” “Sono,” “the Companies,” “we,” “our,” “ours,” “ourselves,” “us” or similar terms refer to Sono Group N.V. together with the Subsidiary. The “Company” refers to Sono Group N.V. and the “Subsidiary” refers to Sono Motors GmbH. References to “Form 10-K” and “Annual Report” herein refer to this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024.
We were incorporated pursuant to the laws of the Netherlands as Sono Motors Finance B.V. on October 23, 2020 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sono Motors GmbH. As part of the corporate reorganization that was completed on November 27, 2020, our then-existing shareholders contributed all of their shares in Sono Motors GmbH to Sono Motors Finance B.V. in exchange for newly issued common shares of Sono Motors Finance B.V. In addition, the sole issued and outstanding common share in Sono Motors Finance B.V. at that time, which was held by Sono Motors GmbH, was cancelled (ingetrokken). As a result, Sono Motors GmbH became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sono Motors Finance B.V. and the then-existing shareholders of Sono Motors GmbH became the shareholders of Sono Motors Finance B.V. Also on November 27, 2020, Sono Motors Finance B.V. was converted into a public company with limited liability under Dutch law (naamloze vennootschap), and changed its legal name from Sono Motors Finance B.V. to Sono Group N.V.
We may announce material business and financial information to our investors using our investor relations website at https://ir.sonomotors.com. We therefore encourage investors and others interested in the Company to review the information that we make available on our website, in addition to following our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), webcasts, press releases and conference calls. Information contained on our website is not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
SUMMARY RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those summarized below. This summary does not address all of the risks that we face. Additional discussion of the risks summarized in this risk factor summary, and other risks that we face, can be found below under the headings“Risk Factors,”* “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the consolidated financial statements and the related notes. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In these circumstances, the market price of our ordinary shares (the*“Ordinary Shares”) could decline. The principal risks and uncertainties affecting our business include the following:
The principal risks associated with the Yorkville Commitment include, but are not limited to, the following:
| ● | our ability to successfully access the unfunded portion of the Yorkville Commitment and implement the Debt Conversion, including by satisfying the conditions precedent to the Securities Purchase Agreement and Exchange Agreement, which conditions precedent include our satisfaction of all the applicable requirements for an initial listing of our Ordinary Shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or otherwise to obtain sufficient financing or to secure a sufficient number of future customer contracts to allow us to execute our business plan, meet our liquidity requirements and continue as a going concern; |
| ● | the risk that Yorkville may choose to terminate each of the Securities Purchase Agreement and Exchange Agreement if the transactions contemplated by such agreements do not close by April 15, 2025; |
| ● | our ability to maintain our relationships with our suppliers, service providers, creditors, customers, officers, supervisory board members, employees, counterparties and other third parties, to pursue new customer arrangements and projects, and to attract, retain and motivate key employees as a result of our constrained liquidity position and capital structure; |
| ● | the visibility, share price and trading volume of our Ordinary Shares, as well as investor confidence in us and our Ordinary Shares, as a result of the delisting of our Ordinary Shares from the Nasdaq Global Market in February 2024, and |
| ● | our ability to achieve our stated goals within the intended budget and timeframe and continue as a going concern. |
If we are able to successfully access the unfunded portion of the Yorkville Commitment and implement the Debt Conversion or otherwise secure sufficient funding to support our business operations, our business continues to be subject to numerous other risks, and we may be unable, for many reasons, including those that are beyond our control, to implement our business strategy. Such risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
| ● | the dependence of our success and future growth upon the market’s willingness to adopt solar-powered mobility solutions; |
| ● | the competitiveness of the mobility market and the risk to fail to successfully commercialize our proprietary solar technology in time or at all; |
| ● | our ability to prevent liquidation and continue as a going concern, including our ability to raise the additional external financing upon which our ability to accomplish any of our business plans is dependent; |
| ● | our ability to comply with the continuing standards of OTCQB; |
| ● | the risk that we may not be able to meet the initial listing requirements for admission of our Ordinary Shares to trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and therefore may not be able to have our Ordinary Shares admitted to trading on a stock exchange in the future; |
| ● | our ability to remediate all material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and to report our financial results accurately, prevent fraud or file our periodic reports as a public company in a timely manner; |
| ● | our unproven ability to commercialize solar technology on a larger scale and to develop solar power electronics, such as our maximum power point tracker central unit (“MCU”), and the risk of failing to further develop and realize the commercialization of our solar products within the intended timeframe, budget or at all; |
| ● | that our products may not be fully functional or available on our anticipated schedule or at all, and may remain unproven and pose additional risks; |
| ● | our dependence on the adequate protection of our intellectual property, which can be difficult and costly; |
| ● | that our patent applications may be unsuccessful, which may adversely affect our ability to prevent others from commercially exploiting products similar to ours and/or that one or more of our products may conflict with the proprietary rights of third parties of which we are not aware, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to commercialize and market our products as planned; |
| ● | our ability to reliably source our component supply, as well as our dependence on a limited number of suppliers, and in some cases a single supplier, for the sourcing of certain components and other materials used in our solar solutions; |
| ● | increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of raw materials or certain products that could harm our business; |
| ● | ongoing negotiations of contractual agreements with many of our prospective suppliers and business partners and potential renegotiations of these agreements as we scale our business; |
| ● | our ability to obtain or agree on acceptable terms and conditions on all or a significant portion of the government grants, loans and other incentives for which we may apply, which may negatively affect our ability to reach funding goals; |
| ● | our dependence on the acceptance of our brand and any adverse impact on our business and results of operations that could result from any negative publicity relating to any of our business partners and their products or services; |
| ● | the risk that our solar solutions may fail to perform as expected; |
| ● | damage to our reputation in the event that any past or future advertisements lead to misperceptions or fail to comply with relevant legal requirements; |
| ● | our intention to market and sell our products via direct business-to-business channels and not to maintain a network of physical presences; |
| ● | our ability to establish a network for aftersales customer service or otherwise successfully address the service and maintenance requirements of our customers; |
| ● | product recalls that could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, operating results and financial condition; |
| ● | health and safety risks posed by our products; |
| ● | risks posed by interruptions or failures of information technology and communications systems; |
| ● | risks associated with international operations, including unfavorable regulatory, political, tax and labor conditions, which could harm our business; |
| ● | our inability to attract and retain key employees and hire additional qualified management, technical and engineering personnel, which could harm our ability to compete; |
| ● | our exposure to various liability risks resulting from past or existing employment relationships and labor laws; and |
| ● | the adverse effects that disasters or unpredictable events could have on our operations. |
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.