Quarterlytics / Consumer Cyclical / Auto - Parts / Veoneer

Veoneer

vne · NYSE Consumer Cyclical
Claim this profile
Ticker vne
Exchange NYSE
Sector Consumer Cyclical
Industry Auto - Parts
Employees 5001-10,000
← All annual reports
FY2018 Annual Report · Veoneer
Sign in to download
Loading PDF…
Annual Report

2018

Veoneer is the world’s largest pure-play company  
focused  on  Safety  Electronics,  Advanced  Driving  
Assistance Systems (ADAS), Collaborative and Auto-
mated Driving (AD). 

We work together as one team. During 2018 we re-
cruited approximately 1,100 of the world’s most talent-
ed and skilled hardware and software engineers around 
the world. Our purpose is to create trust in mobility. 

We design, develop, manufacture and sell state- 

of-the-art software, hardware and systems for active 
safety, autonomous driving, occupant protection and 
brake control. 

In July 2018, we became an independent, publicly 
traded company, when we separated from the world-
wide leader in automotive safety Autoliv, Inc. Veoneer 
builds on a heritage of close to 70 years of automotive 
safety development. 

8,600 ASSOCIATES 

4,700 ASSOCIATES IN RD&E  

of which 70% software

13 COUNTRIES

10 MANUFACTURING SITES 26 TECHNICAL CENTERS  

2018 in Summary

  Brake 
Systems
   19%

$2.2 Bn 

Consolidated Net Sales

$5.9 Bn

Order intake, lifetime
order value 1)

1) 
Order Intake $ value is defined as estimated average annual sales attributable to documented new business awarded 
based on estimated average annual product volumes, average annual sales price for such products, and exchange rates. 
Lifetime order value is defined as estimated total lifetime sales attributable to documented new business awarded based 
on estimated product volumes and pricing, and exchange rates.

$ 2.2 Bn

Net Sales 2018

Restraint 
 Control
      Systems
      44%

Active
Safety
37%

2

 
Order Intake

Record Order Intake in 2018
Estimated lifetime  order value ~$5.9B  

Order Intake Evolution 
($M)

Active Safety
RCS and BCS

~ 300

~ 275

~ 250

>1,200

~ 40%

~ 900

~ 800

~ 95%

2013A

2014A

2015A

2016A

2017A

2018A

Order Intake Highlights

RCS
BCS

Active 
Safety

2018

Full year RCS order Intake well above current market share of ~25%

Q3 2018

Third brake system contract awarded with a major US car manufacturer

2018

Full year order intake close to $900M well above current market share and close to 2 times 2017

Q4 2018

Q3 2018

Q3 2018

Significant LiDAR contract with a major global car manufacturer and a standalone feature software order

Second Level 4 electronic control unit (ECU) order from a major global car manufacturer

Fourth customer with ADAS ECU order from a major global car manufacturer, new customer radar order

02/03 2018

Second mono-vision order with the same major global car manufacturer, added our sixth vision customer

Q2 2018

 Q1 2018

First driver monitoring system (DMS) order with a major global car manufacturer and now second DMS award

First level 3 system order in China with radar camera, ADAS ECU and software

2018 Sales % by Customer

Other 16%

FCA 5%

BMW 5%

RNM 7%

GM 8%

Sales by 
Customer

Honda 21%

Daimler 17%

2

Hyundai/Kia 10%

Ford 11%

3

        
Dear Shareholder

"Thank you for joining us on 
our journey."

Veoneer 2018

April

May

June

July

Veoneer a  
stand-alone company,  
a subsidiary of Autoliv

Major mono  
vision order with 
global OEM

Veoneer’s LIV  
research platform recognized by 
CLEPA, the European Association 
of Automotive Suppliers

Listed on  
New York Stock 
Exchange and on 
Nasdaq Stockholm

4

2018 was the first year of operations for Veoneer. We started as a subsidiary of Autoliv, having designed, man-ufactured and delivered electronic safety products to our customers for two decades. Then, on July 2, we became a fully independent company, the world’s largest pure-play company focused on Safety Electronics, Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Automated Driving (AD). The automotive industry is undergoing its biggest changes in decades, driven by innovation in electrifica-tion, driving assistance and autonomous driving, and en-tirely new ownership models. Almost on a weekly basis, old ideas are being challenged, and new ones are born.Since we started operations, the automotive indus-try has also begun to adapt to the fact that realizing the dream of a truly self-driving car will take longer and be more expensive than anticipated. While automatization and ultimately autonomous driving will save thousands if not millions of lives, nobody can reliably predict when that moment will happen. Veoneer sees automation as a  journey, not just a destination, so we are focused on  innovating active safety technologies that can reduce  fatalities and injuries every day.Building on our core active safety products of radar, vision and ADAS ECUs, Veoneer is already delivering  solutions that increase the support available to drivers, such as blind spot and rear cross traffic assist, AEB and forward collision warning, lane keep assist, lane depar-ture warning, traffic jam assist and, soon, highway asist. Such technologies provide unprecedented support to drivers and they promise to revolutionize the driving ex-perience for years to come. We call this phenomenon Collaborative Driving, and we see it as the most important development to create industry growth in the short and mid-term timeframes. Dear Shareholder

Through  our  joint  venture  Zenuity,  which  we  created  
together  with  Volvo  Cars  in  2017,  we  are  developing 
the  software  needed  to  support  these  increased  levels 
of  driver  support  and  ultimately  autonomous  driving.  
Further, we are also taking steps in brake control, as our 
joint  venture  Veoneer  Nissin  Brake  Systems  (VNBS),  is 
well positioned for next generation regenerative braking.
The active safety market is estimated to grow rapidly. 
In 2018, we believe it was worth around 6.9 billion dollars, 
and we expect it to grow to approximately 24 billion dol-
lars by 2025. We see the combined restraint control and 
brake system markets staying relatively stable at around 
16  billion  dollars  in  2018,  growing  to  around  19  billion  
dollars in 2025.

Shorter term we are seeing fluctuations in global light 
vehicle  production  (LVP).  According  to  third  party  data, 
the  LVP  in  2018  turned  negative,  despite  earlier  predic-
tions  for  slight  growth,  most  notably,  2018  marked  the 
first time in 28 years that the LVP did not grow in China, 
the  world’s  number  one  car  producer.  This  slowdown  is 
expected to continue at least in the first half of 2019 and 
together with the effects from stricter WLTP emissions 
tests  in  Europe,  general  macro-economic  concerns  and 
uncertainty  around  trade  tariffs,  it  will  impact  us  along 
with the rest of the industry.

The  best  indicator  of  Veoneer’s  ongoing  transfor-
mation  and  future  growth  potential  is  our  total  lifetime 
order  intake,  which  was  estimated  to  be  around  3.5  bil-
lion dollars in the three year period from 2013 to 2015. In 
the  following  three-year  period,  2016  to  2018,  the  corre-
sponding number is estimated to be more than 13 billion 
dollars, almost four times larger. Given that we start our 
deliveries  and  invoicing  around  three  years  from  taking 
orders,  we  expect  revenue  growth  from  our  strong  or-
der intake over the last three years to start in the fourth 
quarter  of  2019,  and  to  continue  in  the  years  to  come. 
We are winning business at good rates across our prod-
uct portfolio and I am particularly pleased to see strong 
acceptance for our latest active safety products, includ-
ing  vision-based  systems,  radars,  ADAS  ECUs,  feature 
software  and,  most  recently,  LiDAR  and  driver  monitor-
ing  systems.  In  fact,  in  2018  alone  we  practically  dou-
bled  our  active  safety  related  lifetime  order  intake  to 
around  3.8  billion  dollars,  which  we  believe  represents  
approximately 25% of the total market for orders. 

When we started independent operations in July 2018, 
Veoneer had around 7,500 associates. By the end of the 
year this figure had grown to around 8,600. We are very 
proud  to  be  an  attractive  employer  and  we  believe  that 

our strong purpose of “Creating Trust in Mobility”, togeth-
er with its growth prospects, is helping build a company 
culture  that  will  last.  In  December,  we  launched  a  new  
organizational  structure  that  is  focused  in  two  dimen-
sions – Customer & Product – with the objective to create 
a more effective organization that can capture business 
opportunities,  develop  new  products  that  meet  or  an-
ticipate market changes, and execute efficiently and ef-
fectively. We are also reviewing our investment priorities 
and the focus of our product portfolio to best exploit the 
opportunities we see for Collaborative Driving to make a 
difference for our customers’ customers. 

Since  our  introduction  to  the  stock  market  in  July 
2018 there has been a general revaluation of automotive 
related  stock.  The  slowdown  in  LVP,  combined  with  un-
certainties regarding the impact of potential tariffs, and 
the general macro-economic situation, has put pressure 
on  automotive  stock  prices.  At  the  time  of  this  writing,  
Veoneer’s  stock  has  decreased  31%  since  its  debut  on 
July 2, largely in-line with the decline in our peer automo-
tive index. 

Looking at 2019, we expect our organic sales to be flat 
to  slightly  down,  though  based  on  our  launch  schedules 
and further developments of the LVP, we expect the sec-
ond half of the year to be stronger than the first half. 

We  are  driven  by  creating  products  and  solutions 
that prevent injuries, save lives, deliver convenience and  
ultimately deliver on our purpose to create trust in mobil-
ity. It’s supported by our commitment to sustainability as 
a guiding principle for how we conduct our business. This 
past  year,  Veoneer  took  our  first  steps  toward  formaliz-
ing our own sustainability initiative by adapting Autoliv’s 
sustainability  framework  and  initiated  a  working  group 
to assess Veoneer’s sustainability-related impacts along 
with the targets and metrics we need to adopt in order to 
maximize our ability to promote healthier, safer, and more 
sustainable lives for our customers, employees, and the 
communities in which we operate.

Thank you for joining us on our journey, and I look for-
ward  to  keeping  you  updated  of  our  progress,  both  at 
changing our business and changing the world. 

Yours sincerely,

Jan Carlson
Chairman, President & CEO

Stockholm February 26, 2018

4

5

September

October

Research advisory  
board formed with world 
leading researchers

Autonomous  
Driving Supercomputer  
designed to meet level 4,  
High Automation, introduced

November

Included in the  
OMX Stockholm 
Benchmark index

December

Major LiDAR  
order win

Our Technology Showcase

Veoneer is a technology company committed  
to creating trust in mobility. We produce  
sensors, control units, software and systems 
for Advanced Driving Assistance Systems 
(ADAS), Autonomous Driving (AD), Brake Sys-
tems as well as Restraint Control Systems.

Over  the  last  decade,  we  have  delivered  more  than  4  million  
cameras and almost 33 million radar sensors along with approxi-
mately 750 million electric control units and crash sensors to car 
manufacturers globally (as Veoneer and as part of Autoliv).

Veoneer has developed an ecosystem of strategic partnerships 

to complement our internal capabilities. This enables us to be a sys-
tem integrator and to capitalize on cutting edge technologies by 
combining  resources  and  capabilities.  For  example,  Veoneer  is 
currently  commercializing  an  automotive  grade  surround  view 
LiDAR system using Velodyne’s scalable LiDAR reference design 
and core 3D firmware technology. Veoneer will serve as the pri-
mary  commercial  and  technical  interface  to  a  particular  global 
automaker for this awarded business. 

We are also launching our 4th generation vision technologies 
which will include state-of-the-art in-house developed software 
algorithms  and  for  the  first  time  incorporate  artificial  intelli-
gence  (AI)  technologies  to  improve  the  learning  capabilities  of 
the technology.

A Technology Company Committed to  
Creating Trust in Mobility

66

Our core strategy is to  
deliver innovative solutions  
that car manufacturers and  
drivers can trust.

A Technology Company Committed to  

Creating Trust in Mobility

6

6

7

Strategy

The  automotive  industry  is  more  fast-paced 
and  complex  than  ever.  Several  mega-trends 
are  impacting  the  automotive  industry:  driver  
support, automated driving & connectivity, the 
new mobility and electrification. 

Veoneer’s  core  strategy  is  to  deliver  innovative  solutions 
that  car  manufacturers  and  drivers  can  trust.  As  tech- 
nology  companies  step  into  the  automotive  industry,  Veoneer’s 
long  industry  experience  and  heritage  of  creating  proven 
solutions  that  save  lives  in  real-life  traffic  situations  is  be-
coming  increasingly  important.  People  trust  their  lives  with 
our  solutions  –  and  innovation,  reliability  and  quality  will  
create trust in mobility.

Our  strategic  pillars  are  flawless  delivery,  customer-centric 
collaboration  and  human-centric  innovation.  These  core  pillars 
have been part of Veoneer’s DNA from the start, and through re-
lentless execution, will make Veoneer’s strategy a reality. 

Flawless Delivery

Veoneer  continues  to  build  on  its  world-leading  track  record  of 
delivering high quality products to car manufacturers globally. In 
2018, Veoneer made strong improvements expanding zero defect 
performance  in  its  operations  and  made  excellent  progress  in 
preventing quality defects from impacting its customers.

“2018  has  been  a  year  of  great  progress  in  our  quality  re-
sults.  Flawless  delivery  is  a  core  pillar  of  the  Veoneer  culture 
and  our  teams  are  proud  to  build  on  our  great  quality  heritage,”  
says Steve Brohm, VP Quality.

8

Customer-Centric  
Collaboration

Close  cooperation  with  innovative  car  manufacturers  is  key  to 
staying on top of the market in terms of functionality and perfor-
mance. Veoneer works closely with certain car manufacturers to 
codevelop new generations of products that allow these custom-
ers to be first to market and also ensure that Veoneer has a better 
view of the application from the car manufacturer’s perspective.

“We find that customers really appreciate being able to have 
innovation  in  a  transparent  way  that  is  tailored  to  their  specif-
ic  needs.  We  are  constantly  collaborating  with  our  customers 
across our entire product range and working together in an open 
way. This is a major contributor to our very strong order intake,” 
says Art Blanchford, EVP North America, China & Korea.

Human-Centric Innovation

LIV 3.0 represents the vision of Veoneer. 

We believe that a human-centric approach to innovation is key to 
innovate systems and tools that will reduce the number of traffic 
incidents and accidents. Our research vehicle LIV is a platform in-
tended to enable the study and design of trust and collaboration 
between the driver, the vehicle and the surroundings. 

As advanced driving assistance technologies and automated 
driving  technologies  are  becoming  more  available,  it  is  becom-
ing increasingly vital that drivers and passengers trust that these 
automated systems make the right decision. Lack of trust is al-
ready a major roadblock for adoption of current available vehicle 
technology. Many drivers disable vehicle automation, such as lane 

keep assistance or adaptive cruise control, citing their belief that 
the functions are unreliable, provide feedback at the wrong times, 
or are simply annoying.

With the implementation of more advanced systems, cars and 
drivers are expected to collaborate when driving. For true collab-
oration, the systems must not only know what is going on outside 
the vehicle and in the cabin, they must also have the capacity to 
discern and respond to different driver skill levels and emotions - 
and the give-and-take must result in collaboration improving over 
time. 

A human-centric approach to innovation will help us innovate 

the trust needed for future mobility solutions.

8

9

these stakeholder groups is core when we conduct our business. 
As a company with stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange 
and  on  the  Nasdaq  Stockholm,  Veoneer  has  a  solid  governance 
structure. When spun-off from Autoliv less than one year ago, we 
also brought with us guidelines and policies, processes, measure-
ment tools and sustainability KPIs. During 2019, our ambition is to 
develop these further and integrate them in our daily business. 

Our work supports the  
UN Sustainable Development Goal #3

Sustainability

Creating Trust in Mobility

The introduction of more advanced technolo-
gies assisting the driver, like Advanced Driving 
Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous 
Driving (AD), will be a strong contributor to 
reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goal 
#3 Good health and well-being, reducing global 
deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents 
by 50%.

Veoneer’s  business  is  focused  on  supporting  the  SDG#3  by  de-
signing,  compiling  and  selling  state-of-the-art  software,  hard-
ware  and  systems  for  active  safety,  autonomous  driving,  occu-
pant protection and brake control.  

Today, 1.4 million lives are lost globally on the roads each year. 
According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-
tion 94% of serious crashes are the result of human error. For the 
next  10  years,  the  majority  of  cars  sold  are  expected  to  include 
more  and  more  advanced  active  safety  technologies,  where  the 
car  is  handling  parts  of  the  driving,  while  the  driver  is  still  en-
gaged.  This  is  expected  to  bring  new  levels  of  convenience  and 
safety, benefiting car occupants and society at large. 

At  Veoneer,  we  care  about  our  customers  and  end-users, 
the  environment,  our  employees  and  the  community.  Caring  for 

Our Associates are  
the Architects of Our  
Success

During  2018,  Veoneer  hired  approximately  1,100  associates  in 
RD&E to support our future sales growth and current develop-
ment programs.

Associates
Dec 31, 2018

Electronics 

Brake systems

Corporate

Total 

1010

7,105

1,452

43

8,600

2019 Outlook

A Dynamic Market

The  total  available  market  for  Automotive  Safety  electronics  is, 
according  to  IHS,  estimated  to  grow  from  around  $20  billion  in 
2017 to close to $50 billion by 2025, indicating more than 10% an-
nual growth rate (CAGR). In 2025, the average active safety con-
tent in every vehicle produced is expected to be around $225-275, 
almost five times more than today. 

The Active Safety market is developing rapidly. New partner-
ships and new products are being introduced and for every model 
year  an  increasing  number  of  new  cars  have  Active  Safety  fea-
tures available. In 2030, it is predicted that a vast majority of all 
cars sold will include advanced driving assistance systems, while 
a fraction of the market will be fully autonomous cars.

This  dynamic  and  fast-growing  market  provides  long-term 
opportunities  for  Veoneer.  However,  the  volatile  nature  of  the 
evolving active safety market and light vehicle production  fluc-
tuations make it difficult to predict the precise timing of its de-
velopment. 

For  2019,  we  are  planning  for  a  complex  business  environ-
ment. We are responding to light vehicle production fluctuations 
and  uncertainties  even  as  we  prepare  for  a  heavy  new  program 
launch schedule beginning in late 2019 and extending into 2020. 

Our  current  customer  call-offs  and  deliveries  reflect  a  weak  
demand  situation  in  China  and  Western  Europe,  which  leads  us 
to anticipate a decline in light vehicle production during the first 
six months of 2019. At this time, we expect demand to stabilize 
and return to growth during the second half of the year, resulting 
in  the  estimated  full  year  light  vehicle  production  being  slightly 
down in 2019 as compared to 2018. 

Our sales during the first half of 2019 are expected to remain 
relatively flat sequentially from the second half of 2018, albeit a 
decline year over year, and then improve sequentially in the sec-
ond half of 2019. Consequently, we estimate our organic sales will 
be flat to decline slightly for the full year 2019 while we estimate 
the currency translation impact to be approximately (2)% as com-
pared to 2018. As a result of our sales and RD&E development, in 
combination with the implementation of our market adjustment 
initiatives  during  2019,  we  expect  a  weak  operating  margin  and 
cash flow during the first half of the year. The first quarter in 2019 
is expected to be weaker than the fourth quarter in 2018, with an 
anticipated improvement during the second half of 2019. Based 
on the market opportunities ahead of us, we expect our 2019 or-
der intake to be at least as strong as our performance in 2018.

In 2030, it is predicted that a vast 
majority of all cars sold will include 
advanced driving assistance systems, 
while a fraction of the market will be 
fully autonomous cars.*

10

10

*Market estimations based on IHS

11

Market and Competitors

TOTAL ADDRESSABLE MARKET (TAM) – Veoneer’s TAM, as a technol-
ogy pure-play in Safety Electronics with a focus on the automotive 
secular  trends  of  Advanced  Driving  Assistance  System  (ADAS)  and 
Highly  Automated  Driving  (HAD)  on  the  road  towards  Autonomous 
Vehicles (AV), consists of three main product areas: Active Safety,  
Restraint Control Systems and Brake Systems. 

As outlined below, we estimate the overall TAM in 2018 to be approx-
imately $23 billion, a 13% increase as compared to ~$20 billion in 2017. 

Primarily  driven  by  Radar  and  Vision  Systems,  which  are  the  primary 
sensors required for Level 1 through Level 2+ (Driver Support) systems, 
we estimate the Active Safety Market will grow by a ~22% CAGR from 
2018 to ~$15 billion in 2022 and by a ~23% CAGR from 2018 to ~$30 bil-
lion in 2025.

Our  main  competitors  in  this  market  include  APTIV,  Bosch,  
Continental,  Denso,  Magna,  Mobileye/Intel  (Vision  software),  Valeo 
and ZF.

Addressable Market including potential opportunity is estimated  
to reach $49B in 2025E (underlying LVP CAGR 1 to 2 %)
$Bn 

49

  15

  4

  5

 1

 24

33

  14

  4

  14

29

 13

  4

 11

0.5

23

 12

  4

  7

20

 12

  4

  5

Brake Systems

Restraint Control Systems

Active Safety (additional upside)

Active Safety (base)

2017E

2018E

2020E

2022E

2025E

TAM (Total Addressable Market): Active Safety Market includes Radar (Front/Side/Rear), Forward looking 
Cameras (Mono/Stereo/Night Vision). ADAS ECU, LiDAR and Other (Driver Monitoring, Digital Mapping, 
Connectivity System - V2V). Source: IHS Automotive Database as of January 2019.

Primarily driven by the Active Safety Market, we estimate our TAM will 
grow by a ~10% CAGR from 2018 to ~$33 billion in 2022 and by a ~12% 
CAGR from 2018 to approximately $49 billion in 2025

ACTIVE SAFETY MARKET – Veoneer’s Active Safety market is com-
prised of the following products; Radar Systems, Vision Systems in-
cluding Mono and Stereo, Thermal Imaging (Night Driving Assist) and 
Driver  Monitoring  Systems,  ADAS  Electronic  Control  Units  (ECU’s),  
LiDAR systems, and Roadscape positioning, digital mapping including 
vehicle to vehicle and vehicle to infrastructure communications.  

As outlined below we estimate the overall Active Safety market in 
2018 to be approximately $7 billion, an increase of more than 40% com-
pared to ~$5 billion in 2017. We estimate our market share to be approx-
imately 12% in 2018 however, based on our strong order intake over the 
last 3 years we expect our market share to increase in the future.

Active Safety Market Growth Driven by Increasing ADAS & AD Penetration
Active Safety TAM 1)
$Bn

~30

~ C AG R :   2 3 %

~15

~12

~7

~5

ADAS ECU

Lidar

Radar Systems

Vision Systems

2017E

2018E

2020E

2022E

2025E

1) TAM (Total Addressable Market): Active Safety Market includes Radar (Front/Side/Rear), Forward loolking 
Cameras (Mono/Stereo/Night Vision). ADAS ECU, LiDAS and Other (Driver Monotoring, Digital Mapping, 
Connectivity System - V2V).

12

RESTRAINT  CONTROL  SYSTEMS  MARKET  –  The  Restraint  Controls 
Market consists of Passive Safety ECU’s and remote crash sensors lo-
cated around the vehicle which detect the crash and signal to the ECU 
to deploy the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners in a crash. We esti-
mate this market will remain relatively flat through 2025. However, we 
see a potential upside to this market as our customers are looking to 
increase the amount of interface, that is sharing of data and increasing 
redundancy between the Active and Passive Safety Systems. 

We estimate our current market share to be around 26% however, 
based on our strong order intake over the last 3 years we expect our 
market share to increase in the future.

Our main competitors include Bosch, Continental, Denso and ZF.

BRAKE SYSTEMS MARKET – The Brake Systems market consists of 
braking systems excluding the foundation brakes. This market is con-
trasted  by  current  braking  systems  for  internal  combustion  engine 
vehicles versus next generation braking systems for electric vehicles 
and Hybrid vehicles and vehicle platforms where OEM’s are looking to 
improve fuel efficiency. The latter is Veoneer’s primary product focus 
through VNBS, our joint venture with Nissin Kogyo.

We estimate this market will grow by a ~3% CAGR from around $12 
billion in 2018 to ~$15 billion 2025, where the next generation braking 
systems market is estimated to almost triple while the current brak-
ing systems are expected to decline.

Our main competitors include Advics, Bosch, Continental, Mando 

and ZF.

ORDER INTAKE – See chart on page 3 - In 2018 Veoneer achieved a 
new record order intake of more than $1.2 billion average annual sales, 
with an estimated lifetime order value of approximately $5.9 billion. 

Within  Active  Safety  the  Company  also  achieved  a  new  record 
order intake of close to $900 million average annual sales which we 
estimate a lifetime order value of approximately $3.8 billion.

Order  intake  has  been  very  strong  over  the  last  three  years  to  

support Veoneer’s sales target for 2022 and beyond.

Over the last three years combined, the order intake of approx-
imately $2.9 billion average annual sales has more than tripled from 
around  $825  million  average  annual  sales  over  the  previous  three 
years combined. 

The weaker order intake in 2013 through 2015 is currently reflect-

ed in the organic sales decline in 2017 and 2018.

ASSOCIATES – Our RD&E associates are the cornerstone of our com-
mitment to leading through technology and innovation. Over the last 3 
years we have added approximately 1,000 engineers per year to reach 
close to 4,700 in 2018 from nearly 1,800 in 2015. As a consequence, 
our RD&E net has increased to $466 million from $214 million in 2015. 
These increases are necessary to support our exceptional order
intake, measured in terms of average annual sales, which increased 
by a 190% CAGR from 2015 to 2018.

        
Share Information

VEONEER COMMON STOCK is traded on the New York Stock Exchange 
(“NYSE”) while Veoneer Swedish Depositary Receipts (SDRs) are trad-
ed on NASDAQ Stockholm’s list for large market cap companies. 

During 2018, the number of shares outstanding increased slightly 
by 0.04 million to 87.17 million (excluding dilution). The weighted av-
erage number of shares outstanding for the full year 2018, assuming 
dilution, increased to 87.16 from 87.13 million on June 30th, 2018, which 
was the first day of trading.

Stock  Options  (if  exercised)  and  granted  Restricted  Stock  Units 
(RSUs) could increase the number of shares outstanding by 0.9 million 
shares in total. Combined, this would add 1.0% to the Veoneer shares 
outstanding. 

On  December  31,  2018,  3.0  million  shares  remain  available  for 

Board of Directors authorization.

The  Company  estimates  that  there  were  approximately  54,000 
beneficial  Veoneer  owners  as  of  December  31,  2018.  Close  to  20% 
of  Veoneer’s  securities  were  held  by  U.S.-based  shareholders  and 
around  60%  by  Sweden-based  shareholders.  Most  of  the  remaining 
Veoneer securities were held in the U.K., other Nordic countries, Cen-
tral Europe, Japan and Canada.

As  of  December  31,  2018  Veoneer  had  87,170,332  shares  out-

standing, of which 70.7 million shares were held as SDRs.

The  following  summarizes  the  share  performance  of  the  NYSE 

and NASDAQ traded shares during 2018:

NYSE

2018 %-change

High (2018-08-20)

Low (2018-12-28)

Avg Volume (2018)

Avg Volume (2017)

∆ Volume 

NASDAQ

-44.74%

2018 %-change

56.37

High (2018-08-20)

23.57

Low (2018-12-28)

699,742

Avg Volume (2018)

0

Avg Volume (2017)

0.0%

∆ Volume 

2018 open (2018-07-02)

42.65

2018 open (2018-07-02)

2018 close (2018-12-28)

23.57

2018 close (2018-12-28)

All time high (2018-08-20)

All time low (2018-12-28)

56.37

23.57

All time high (2018-08-20)

All time low (2018-12-28)

Q3 2018

High

Low

Close

Q4 2018

High

Low

Close

Q3 2018

56.37

42.65

High

Low

55.07

Close

Q4 2018

55.53

23.57

High

Low

23.57

Close

-42.54%

511.00

224.65

370,563

0

0.0%

391.00

224.65

511.00

224.65

511.00

381.10

490.00

495.30

224.65

224.65

Price
SEK

520

488

456

424

392

360

328

296

264

232

VNE 
2018.12.31
224.65

OMX Automative

VNE 

Price
SEK

2,500

2,400

2,300

2,200

2,100

2,000

1,900

1,800

1,700

1,600

1,500

OMX 
Automotive 
2018.12.31

1,507.08

2018-07-02

2018-08-01

2018-09-04

2018-10-01

2018-11-01

2018-12-03

2018-12-31

The following compares VNE share performance versus the S&P 500  
and the NASDAQ OMX.

Price
USD
57

54

51

48

45

42

39

36

33

30

27

24

VNE 
2018.12.31
23.57

SP500

VNE

Price
USD

2,950

2,900

2,850

2,800

2,750

2,700

2,650

2,600

2,550

2,500

2,450

2,400

SP500 
2018.12.31

2,506.85

2018-07-02

2018-08-01

2018-09-04

2018-10-01

2018-11-01

2018-12-03

2018-12-31

Price
SEK

520

488

456

424

392

360

328

296

264

232

VNE 
2018.12.31
224.65

OMXSPI

VNE 

Price
SEK

620

610

600

590

580

570

560

550

540

530

520

OMX  
2018.12.31
525.16

2018-07-02

2018-08-01

2018-09-04

2018-10-01

2018-11-01

2018-12-03

2018-12-31

The following summarizes the top 10 shareholders of record as of  
December 31, 2018.

The following compares VNE share performance versus the  
Dow Jones Auto part index and the OMX Automotive peer groups.

Institution

Cevian Capital AB

Price
USD

57

54

51

48

45

42

39

36

33

30

27

24

VNE 
2018.12.31
23.57

Alecta Pensionsförsäkring AB (Asset Management)

DJUSAT

VNE

Price
USD

600

550

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

Swedbank Robur Fonder AB

Första AP-fonden (AP1)

Didner & Gerge Fonder AB

AMF Pensionsförsäkringar AB

DJUSAT 
2018.12.31

375.80

Nordea Investment Management AB (Sweden)

Fjärde AP-fonden (AP4)

AMF Fonder AB

Fidelity Management & Research Company 

Dec 31, 2018

% S/O

8,376,924

8,206,200

5,623,359

4,899,726

3,957,150

3,800,000

3,513,817

2,808,645

2,344,843

1,853,049

9.6%

9.4%

6.5%

5.6%

4.5%

4.4%

4.0%

3.2%

2.7%

2.1%

12

2018-07-02

2018-08-01

2018-09-04

2018-10-01

2018-11-01

2018-12-03

2018-12-31

45,383,713

52.1%

13

Board of Directors

Jan Carlson
Chairman
President and CEO
Born 1960

Fomer President and Chief Executive 
Officer of Autoliv, Inc. 

Chairman of the Board of Autoliv, Inc.,    
Member of the Board of Directors of 
BorgWarner Inc. and Telefonaktiebolaget 
LM Ericsson. 

M.Sc. in Physics and Electrical Engineering 
from University of Linköping in Sweden.

Dependent. Term expires 2021.

Robert W. Alspaugh
Director and Chairman of the Audit 
Committee
Born 1947

Former CEO of KPMG International. Former 
Deputy Chairman and COO of KPMG’s U.S. 
practice. 

Member of the Board of Directors of Ball 
Corporation,Triton International Ltd., and 
DSGI Technologies, Inc. a private company.

BBA in accounting from Baylor University, 
the U.S. 

Independent. Term expires 2021.

Mary Louise Cummings
Director and Member of the  
Compensation Committee
Born 1967

Mark Durcan
Director and Member of the  
Audit Committee
Born 1961

Former CEO of Micron Technology, Inc.,        
a memory and storage solutions company. 

Member of the Board of Directors of  
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.,  
AmerisourceBergen Corporation and  
director of St. Luke’s Health System of 
Idaho.

BSc and MSc in Chemical Engineering from 
Rice University.

Independent. Term expires 2019.

Professor at Duke University in the 
Department of Mechanical Engineering and 
Materials Science and the Duke Institute of 
Brain Sciences. Director of the Humans and 
Autonomy Laboratory at Duke and director 
of Duke Robotics.

Former associate professor at the            
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
(MIT), with appointments in the Department 
of Aeronautics and Astronautics and in the 
Engineering Systems Division.

BSc in Mathematics from the U.S. Naval 
Academy, MSc in Space Systems Engine-er-
ing from the Naval Postgraduate School, 
and PhD in Systems Engineering from the 
University of Virginia.

Independent. Term expires 2020.

James M. Ringler 
Director, Chair of Veoneer’s Compensation 
Committee and Member of the Nominating 
and Corporate Governance Committee 
Born 1945

Former Vice Chairman of Illinois Tool Works 
Inc. Former Chairman, President and CEO of 
Premark International, Inc. 

Lead Independent Director of Autoliv, Inc. 
Serves on the Board of Directors of Teradata 
Corporation. TechnipFMC plc and JBT 
Corporation.

Kazuhiko Sakamoto 
Director and Member of the Compensation 
Committee 
Born 1945

Jonas Synnergren 
Director and Member of the Nominating and 
Corporate Governance Committee 
Born 1977

Former President of Marubeni Construction 
Material Lease Co. Ltd, an affiliate of 
Marubeni Corporation.. Outside auditor of 
Zenitaka Corporation.

Partner at Cevian Capital AB, investment 
advisor to the international investment 
firm, Cevian Capital. Head of Cevian’s 
Swedish office. 

Graduate of Keio University and participant 
of the Harvard University Research Institute 
for International Affairs.

MSc in Economics and Business from the 
Stockholm School of Economics, including 
studying at HEC Paris.

Independent. Term expires 2021.

Independent. Term expires 2020.

Independent. Term expires 2019.

Wolfgang Ziebart 
Director, Member of the Audit Committee 
and Chair of the Nominating and Corporate 
Governance Committee 
Born 1950

Former Director Group Engineering, Jaguar 
Land Rover. Former President & CEO of 
Infineon Technologies AG. 

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of 
Nordex and member of the Supervisory 
Board of ASML, Inc.

Independent. Term expires 2020.

14

Executive Management Team 

Jan Carlson
Chairman, President and CEO 
Born 1960 
Nationality: Swedish

Education: MSc in Physics and 
Electrical Engineering from the 
University of Linköping, Sweden.

Background: 30 years of industry 
experience. Previous engagements 
include Chairman, President and 
CEO of Autoliv, President of Autoliv 
Electronics, VP of Engineering at 
Autoliv and President Autoliv Europe.

Board service: Chairman of the Bo-
ard of Autoliv Inc., Board member of 
BorgWarner Inc. and member of its 
compensation committee, Board 
member of Telefonaktiebolaget LM 
Ericsson and member in its Techno-
logy and Science Committee.

Mathias Hermansson
CFO and EVP of Financial Affairs 
Born 1972 
Nationality: Swedish

Mikko Taipale
EVP Human Resources 
Born 1970 
Nationality: Finnish

Education: Master of Laws,  
University of Lapland, Finland

Background: VP, Human Resources 
of Autoliv Electronics, various HR 
leadership positions at Telia AB,  in-
cluding Vice President HR, Mobility 
Services and Vice President, HR, 
Region Europe. 

Education: Business Administration 
at the University of Gothenburg, 
Sweden and at the University of 
Edinburgh, UK.

Background: Vice President Finan-
ce of Autoliv Electronics, CEO of NC 
Management AB, Executive Chair-
man of MTGx, the digital division of 
the Swedish public media company 
Modern Times Group AB. CFO of 
Modern Times Group AB.

Board service: Board member of 
Catena Media plc, chairs its com-
pensation committee and Board 
member of Tempest Security AB.

Mathias Hermansson will be 
replaced by Mats Backman as of 
March 1, 2019.

Thomas Jönsson
EVP Communications & IR 
Born 1966 
Nationality: Swedish

Education: Business  
Administration at the University of 
Stockholm, Sweden.

Background: Group Vice President 
Communications of Autoliv, and an 
international career in communica-
tions working for Intel Corporation, 
Nokia and TeliaSonera AB.

Lars Sjöbring
EVP Legal Affairs, General Counsel 
and Secretary General Counsel 
Born 1967 
Nationality: Swedish and U.S.

Education: Master of Law degrees 
from the University of Lund, 
Sweden, and Amsterdam School 
of International Relations (ASIR) 
in the Netherlands; and a Master 
of Corporate Law degree from 
Fordham University School of Law 
in New York.

Background: Group VP, Legal Af-
fairs, General Counsel and Secreta-
ry of Autoliv, Senior Vice President 
and General Counsel of Transocean 
Ltd, Telia AB (the predecessor to 
TeliaSonera AB), Skadden Arps, 
Slate, Meagher and Flom LLP; and 
Nokia Corporation.

Art Blanchford
EVP Business Units NACK  
(North America, China & Korea) 
Born 1971 
Nationality: American

Nishant Batra
CTO and EVP Technology,  
Product  & Strategy   
Born 1978 
Nationality: Indian

Education: Executive MBA from 
Ross School of Business, University 
of Michigan and BSc in Mechanical 
Engineering from Tennesee  
Technological University

Education: MBA from INSEAD, 
France, and M.Sc. degrees in 
telecommunications and computer 
science from Southern Methodist 
University in Dallas.

Background: A long career at 
Autoliv, including VP, Sales & 
Marketing for Autoliv Electronics,  
President of Autoliv Greater China, 
Vice President Global Business 
Development, Vice President of the 
global General Motors business unit 
of Autoliv and various engineering, 
program management, operations 
and sales positions.

Background: Batra has worked 
within telecom and software 
throughout his career, from smaller 
start-ups to heading the Product 
Area Networks at Ericsson. He has 
lived and worked in four countries, 
experiencing both emerging and 
developed markets, and has carried 
out multi-functional roles in pro-
duct management, sales, technolo-
gy, and general management.

Peter Rogbrant
EVP Technical Competence  
Centers (acting) 
Born 1975 
Nationality: Swedish

Education: Bachelor’s degree 
in Computer Sciences from the 
School of Economics in Gothenburg

Background: Before joining Autoliv 
Electronics in 2016, Peter Rogbrant 
served as the Chief Technology 
Officer at the video game developer 
Ghost Games EA, and head of Tech-
nology & Solution Delivery at Volvo 
Group Telematics. He has served in 
various positions at AB Volvo.

Steve Rodé
EVP Operations 
Born 1961 
Nationality: Canadian

Education: B.Sc. Mechanical  
Engineering, University of  
Waterloo.

Background: More than 30 years  
of experience in automotive, with  
a background in production,  
engineering and quality at Autoliv, 
including positions as Senior 
Vice President, Operations for 
Autoliv Electronics, President of 
Passive Safety Electronics, Acting 
President of Autoliv Electronics, 
and President of the Business Area 
Electronics.

14

15

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 FORM 10-K

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018
Commission File No.: 001-38471

Veoneer, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

82-3720890
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

Klarabergsviadukten 70, Section C6

Box 13089, SE-103 02
Stockholm, Sweden

+46 8 527 762 00
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class:

Name of each exchange on which registered:

Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share

New York Stock Exchange

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 Exchange 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 (Section 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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, 
to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to 
this Form 10-K. 

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 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

Non-accelerated filer

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 is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes:  

    No:  

Prior to the separation of the registrant from Autoliv, Inc., on June 29, 2018, the registrant was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autoliv, Inc. Consequently, there 
was no market value of the registrant's common stock by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 29, 2018, the last business of the most recently completed 
second fiscal quarter.

As of February 15, 2019, there were 87,178,772 shares of common stock of Veoneer, Inc., par value $1.00 per share, outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Document
Proxy Statement*

Where Incorporated
Part III (Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14)

*As stated under various Items of this Report, only certain specified portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the annual stockholders’ meeting 
to be held on May 8, 2019, to be dated on or around March 28, 2019 (the “2019 Proxy Statement”) are incorporated by reference in this Report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward Looking Statements

Item 1.

Business

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

Item 2.

Properties

Item 3.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Legal Proceedings

PART I

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of 

Equity Securities

Item 6.

Selected Financial Data

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Item 8.

Item 9.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Item 9B. Other Information

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Item 11. Executive Compensation

PART III

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder 

Matters

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

PART IV

3

3

14

32

32

34

34

35

35

37

56

57

101

102

102

103

103

103

103

103

105

107

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation 
Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K other than statements of historical fact, including 
without limitation, statements regarding management’s examination of historical operating trends and data, estimates of future 
sales (including estimates related to order intake), operating margin, cash flow, taxes or other future operating performance or 
financial results, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such 
as “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “may,” “likely,” “might,” “would,” “should,” 
“could,” or the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements contain 
such words. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions and/or data available 
from third parties about 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.

New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we 
assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual 
results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. Factors that could cause actual 
results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the following: the cyclical nature 
of automotive sales and production; changes in general industry and market conditions or regional growth or decline; our ability 
to achieve the intended benefits from our separation from our former parent; our ability to be awarded new business or loss of 
business from increased competition; higher than anticipated costs and use of resources related to developing new technologies; 
higher raw material, energy and commodity costs; component shortages; changes in customer and consumer preferences for end 
products; market acceptance of our new products; dependence on and relationships with customers and suppliers; unfavorable 
fluctuations in currencies or interest rates among the various jurisdictions in which we operate; costs or difficulties related to the 
integration of any new or acquired businesses and technologies; successful integration of acquisitions and operations of joint 
ventures; successful implementation of strategic partnerships and collaborations; product liability, warranty and recall claims and 
investigations  and  other  litigation  and  customer  reactions  thereto;  higher  expenses  for  our  pension  and  other  post-retirement 
benefits, including higher funding needs for our pension plans; work stoppages or other labor issues; possible adverse results of 
future litigation, regulatory actions or investigations or infringement claims; our ability to protect our intellectual property rights; 
tax assessments by governmental authorities and changes in our tax rate; dependence on key personnel; legislative or regulatory 
changes impacting or limiting our business; political conditions; and other risks and uncertainties identified in Item 1A -“Risk 
Factors” and Item 7 - “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Form 
10-K.

For any forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K or any other document, we claim the protection 
of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we assume 
no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by 
law. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Item 1. Business

General

Part I

Veoneer, Inc. (“Veoneer”, the “Company” or “we”) is a Delaware corporation with its principal executive officers in Stockholm, 
Sweden.  On June 29, 2018, we became an independent company as a result of the separation of the Electronics segment from 
Autoliv, Inc. (“Autoliv”). Veoneer was incorporated under the laws of Delaware in 2017 for the purpose of holding this business. 
The separation was completed in the form of a pro rata distribution of 100% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of Veoneer 
to  the  stockholders  of Autoliv  (the  “Spin-Off”).  The  Company  functions  as  a  holding  corporation  and  owns  two  principal 
subsidiaries, Veoneer AB and Veoneer US, Inc.

Shares of Veoneer common stock are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “VNE”. Swedish Depository 
Receipts representing shares of Veoneer common stock (“SDRs”) trade on NASDAQ Stockholm under the symbol “VNE SDB”. 
Our fiscal year ends on December 31.

3

Business

Veoneer is a global leader in the design, development, manufacture and sale of automotive safety electronics.  Our ambition is to 
be a leading system supplier for advanced driver assistance systems ("ADAS"), Collaborative Driving, highly automated driving 
("HAD") solutions, and autonomous drive ("AD") as well as a market leader in automotive safety electronics products.

Based on our purpose of "Creating Trust in Mobility", our safety systems are designed to make driving safer and easier, more 
comfortable and convenient, and to intervene before a collision. Our systems currently include restraint control electronics and 
crash sensors for deployment of airbags and seatbelt pretensioners, active safety sensors, controllers and software for both ADAS 
and AD solutions and brake control systems.

Including joint venture operations, Veoneer has 10 manufacturing sites and operates in 13 countries and its customers include the 
world’s largest car manufacturers. Veoneer’s sales in 2018 were $2.2 billion, approximately 37% of which consisted of active 
safety products, approximately 44% of which consisted of restraint control systems and approximately 19% of which consisted 
of brake systems products.  Our business is conducted primarily in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

Veoneer’s head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. As of December 31, 2018, Veoneer had approximately 7,300 employees 
worldwide and a total headcount of approximately 8,600, including temporary personnel.

Additional information required by this Item 1 regarding developments in the Company’s business during 2018 is contained under 
Item 7 in this Annual Report.

Financial Information on Segments

Veoneer reports its financial results in two segments: Electronics and Brake Systems. Our Electronics reporting segment consists 
of our active safety and restraint control systems product areas. Our Brake Systems reporting segment consists of our brake systems 
product area, which are those products developed by Veoneer-Nissin Brake Systems (VNBS), our joint venture with Nissin Kogyo 
the 49% owner in VNBS (a 51% owned subsidiary).

Business Strategy

We believe the Company is well-positioned for growth from increasing long-term global vehicle production volumes, increased 
demand for safety and collaborative and autonomous driving products, and new business wins with existing and new customers. 
We are focused on accelerating the commercialization of active safety and collaborative and autonomous driving by providing the 
software, sensors and computers required to do so. 

Products and Technology

Electronics Segment 

We provide advanced active safety sensors, used for ADAS, HAD and AD solutions, such as vision and radar systems, ADAS 
Electronic Control Units (“ECUs”), night vision and positioning systems. Through Zenuity, our 50% owned joint venture 
with Volvo Car Corporation ("Volvo Cars"), we develop an advanced software stack for sensor fusion and decision control 
for ADAS, HAD and AD solutions. In addition, we offer driver monitoring systems, LiDAR sensors and other technologies 
critical for AD solutions by leveraging our partnership network and internally developed intellectual property. 

We also provide restraint control systems such as ECUs and crash sensors for deployment of airbags and seatbelt pretensioners 
in the event of a collision. 

Active Safety Products

Active safety systems are designed to intervene before a collision to make accidents avoidable or reduce the severity of the 
crash in addition to making driving easier as well as more comfortable and convenient.

We develop radar and vision technologies (including Veoneer’s internally developed vision algorithms for both mono-and-
stereo vision) that monitor the environment around the vehicle with features that adjust engine output and steering or braking 
to avoid accidents. The goal of active safety technologies is to provide early warnings to alert drivers to take timely and 
appropriate action or trigger intelligent systems that affect the vehicle’s motion using braking and steering to avoid accidents, 
as well as to increase the comfort and convenience of driving. Active safety systems can also improve the effectiveness of 
the restraint control systems which combine hazard information with traditional crash-sensing methods.

4

Active safety functions include: Autonomous Emergency Braking, which brakes a vehicle autonomously; Adaptive Cruise 
Control, which keeps and adjusts the vehicle’s pre-set speed to keep a pre-set distance from vehicles ahead; Traffic Jam Assist 
and Highway Assist, which takes control of braking and acceleration in slow-moving traffic and highway speed, respectively; 
Forward Collision Warning; Blind Spot Detection; Rear Cross-Traffic Assist; Lane Departure Warning; Lane Centering Assist, 
Traffic Sign Detection; Light Source Recognition; Driver Monitoring for attention and drowsiness; Vehicle-to-Vehicle and 
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure communication; and Night Driving Assist.

Key systems used in the active safety functions and the Company’s capabilities, currently provided to the market or under 
active development, include:

Vision Systems: Vision systems are critical to driver assistance and safety functions.  They support the driver in collision 
avoidance and mitigating severity in the event of an accident. Using our software algorithms, the camera looks at the 
road ahead for other vehicles, road signs, lane markings and other key elements and provides information and warnings 
if the car is approaching a potentially hazardous traffic situation. Vision systems are used in applications such as road-
sign recognition, lane detection along with forward and pedestrian collision warnings. We offer forward looking mono- 
and stereo-vision systems:

•  The mono-vision system is a forward-looking camera that is mounted behind the windshield in front of the rear-
view mirror. Images are interpreted by algorithms that help identify objects and assist the driver with warnings or 
actuations such as lane keeping and automatic braking of the vehicle. Mono-vision systems provide a significant 
level of accident reductions targeting 5-star safety levels as well as driver comfort and convenience features like 
Adaptive Cruise Control.

• 
Stereo-vision system technology goes a step further and measures the entire driving environment in 3D. The 
system is capable of acting on any object without classification. Stereo-vision also provides free-space recognition, 
road surface measurement down to millimeter level accuracy, which is important to original equipment manufacturers 
("OEMs") to improve safety and comfort and provides depth perception for distance calculations due to the 3D 
capability.

Next  generation  vision  systems  and  algorithms  such  as  our  fourth-generation  mono-  and  stereo-cameras,  which  are 
currently under development and planned for production in 2019 will support AD and European New Car Assessment 
Program  (“NCAP”)  2020.  Fifth  generation  vision  systems,  which  are  in  the  early  planning  stages,  and  planned  for 
production in 2022 will offer more than five times higher image resolution than the current generations as well as offer 
multiple camera solutions. Selected customers for our vision systems include Geely, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo Cars and one 
additional Asian OEM.

Radar Systems: Radar systems capture and analyze driving conditions and alert the driver to potentially dangerous events, 
and can take control of the vehicle if the driver does not take timely appropriate action. Radar systems are used in functions 
such  as  adaptive  cruise  control  and  automatic  emergency  braking.  Radar  is  important  because  it  provides  superior 
performance in poor weather conditions such as rain and fog and other situations with poor visibility. Fused with vision 
systems, higher levels of functional safety are possible allowing a wider range of operating conditions. Our radar sensor 
portfolio includes: 25GHz ultra-wide band radar, 24 GHz narrow band radar, and 77GHz front and rear corner, and front 
center radars. Selected customers for our radar systems include Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Geely, General Motor 
(GM), Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Nissan Mitsubishi, and Volvo Cars.

ADAS ECUs: ADAS electronic control units ("ECU") are emerging products within the active safety market and are 
precursors to the autonomous vehicles of the future. Today, a limited number of OEMs are using separate ADAS ECUs, 
as  most  of  the ADAS  functionalities  can  be  done  in  an  integrated  sensor-ECU. With  future ADAS  and AD  systems 
increasing in complexity, the need for multi-sensor solutions and subsequently higher processing capabilities is expected 
to lead to more OEMs installing separate ADAS ECUs in their vehicles. 

In the ADAS ECU, large quantities of data from the vehicle’s different sensors is validated and analyzed. Advanced 
algorithms can then act in real time to warn the driver and control the vehicle throttle, braking and steering torque to 
follow a desired trajectory for fully automated driving. We believe one of the biggest challenges self-driving cars will 
have to overcome is being able to react to the randomness of traffic flow, other drivers, and the fact that no two driving 
situations are ever the same.

By using deep learning (artificial intelligence) and sensor fusion, algorithms in the ADAS ECU can likely be improved 
in such a way that the vehicle will be able to make better decisions than a human driver could. This processing must be 
done with multiple levels of redundancy to ensure the highest level of safety. The computing demands of driverless 

5

vehicles are 50 to 100 times more intensive than the most advanced vehicle today. Meeting these demands will be the 
major challenge in developing the next generation of ADAS ECUs including data processing.

In 2016, we launched the world’s first ADAS ECU for mass production in Mercedes-Benz’s new E-class. We provide a 
similar solution to the updated Mercedes-Benz S-class.

Night Vision Systems: Using passive infrared technology, our night vision system identifies if pedestrians, animals or 
certain other hazards are present in the danger zone of a vehicle, and alerts the driver, driver, particularly in nighttime, 
or other “dark” conditions. Our night vision system is the key component in “dynamic light spot” pedestrian illumination 
system which allows more time for drivers to identify potential hazards at distances beyond normal head-lights. Our 
fourth-generation  night  vision  system,  expected  in  2020,  will  have  improved  field  of  view  and  detection  distances, 
reduction in size, weight and cost featuring enhanced algorithms for pedestrian, animal and vehicle detection as well as 
supporting night time automatic emergency braking solutions. Selected customers of the night vision system include 
Audi, BMW, GM, Mercedes-Benz, PSA, Porsche and Volkswagen.

Safety Domain ECUs: As active and passive safety features become more advanced, having dedicated ECUs for the 
various features increases the complexity and cost of the vehicle architecture. The Safety Domain ECU replaces multiple 
dedicated ECUs across the vehicle by combining all active and passive safety ECUs into one powerful domain controller. 
This  requires  a  highly  powerful  processor  which  is  able  to  execute  simultaneous  computing.  Techniques  such  as 
virtualization enable the safe and secure separation of computing tasks, as the other controllers are not affected if one 
virtual controller fails.

LiDAR: In 2017, we agreed to collaborate with Velodyne to expand and commercialize our LiDAR development. LiDAR 
is expected to be an important sensor technology for the future development of AD systems. Under the current agreement 
with Velodyne, Veoneer will act as the Tier-1 supplier to the OEMs for the Velodyne LiDAR sensors. We will provide 
project management services, product validation and verification capabilities and system/interface packaging in supplying 
automotive-grade LiDAR systems to the OEMs. Our LiDAR product roadmap includes first providing it to test fleets of 
the OEMs and the robo-taxis market followed by developing a solid-state design for the consumer vehicle market.  Building 
on this relationship, on January 7, 2019 the Company announced entry into a license and supply agreement with Velodyne 
whereby Velodyne will provide Veoneer US, Inc. with materials and rights to certain Velodyne intellectual property which 
would  enable  Veoneer US, Inc to sell, distribute, promote, manufacture and modify, including related research and 
development ("R&D") certain LiDAR products based on a Velodyne-authorized reference design.

Driver Monitoring: We have been developing solutions to address driver distraction and fatigue as they relate to traditional 
driving situations and driver attention for hands-free driving. In 2017 we entered into an agreement with Seeing Machines 
to accelerate this effort. This technology is expected to be necessary to achieve a 5-star NCAP rating in Europe in 2022 
as well as Level 3 autonomy solutions worldwide. Our non-exclusive agreement with Seeing Machines to utilize their 
reference design and market under a license, allows the Company the ability to build hardware and feature level solutions 
on top of Seeing Machines’s world leading head pose, gaze and recognition data outputs.

RoadScape: Our RoadScapeTM product line offers highly accurate satellite positioning along with world leading dead 
reckoning  capabilities  for  increased  precision  in  urban  areas.  Building  on  this,  RoadScapeTM  provides  a  digital 
representation of the road ahead that can be further enhanced through probe data in the field and cloud connectivity. 
Finally,  adding  RoadScapeTM  communication  technology  allows  for  vehicle-to-vehicle,  infrastructure  and  cloud 
connectivity for premonition and situational awareness in ADAS and AD.

Human Machine Interaction (“HMI”): Genuine two-way communication between vehicle and driver is critical to building 
driver  trust  and  enhancing  the  driver  experience.  Veoneer’s  Learning  Intelligent  Vehicle  (“LIV”)  is  an  artificial 
intelligence-equipped research vehicle that can understand and respond to context. LIV uses external and internal sensing 
combined with complex algorithmic artificial intelligence to create a unified contextual picture of what is going on with 
the  occupants,  vehicle,  driving  situation  and  then  acts  and  serves  as  a  “co-pilot”  to  communicate  with  drivers  and 
passengers. Veoneer uses LIV to learn more about task delegation, shared control, driver-vehicle collaboration; innovate 
ways to increase driver understanding of an autonomous system; and to continually improve the system’s understanding 
of its human co-travelers.

Restraint Control Systems

The restraint control system is the brain triggering a vehicle’s passive safety system in a crash situation. Restraint control 
systems consist of a restraint ECU and related remote crash sensors, including acceleration and pressure sensors. The ECU’s 
algorithms decide when a seatbelt pretensioner should be triggered and an airbag system should be deployed.

6

The ECU is mounted centrally in the vehicle, well protected in the event of a crash, and is supported by crash sensors mounted 
in the door beam, the pillar between the doors, the rocker panel and/or in various locations at the front and rear of the vehicle. 
These “satellite” crash sensors provide acceleration data to enable early and appropriate deployment of the airbags and seatbelt 
pretensioners within milliseconds of a vehicle crash.

The ECU also contains certain sensors that are common with the brake system. We were the first to offer this type of solution, 
providing savings through the reduction in multiple sensors for measuring yaw rate, and consolidating this information on 
the vehicle data bus. Additionally, the restraint control system is capable of recording details of what happened before and 
during a crash event using an Event Data Recorder (“EDR”) with the restraint control ECU.

Selected customers include FCA, Ford, Geely, GM, Great Wall, Hyundai/Kia, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, PSA, Renault 
Nissan Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Volvo Cars.

Overview of Zenuity

In addition to our two segments, we are a 50% owner of Zenuity, our joint venture with Volvo Cars to develop decision making 
software for ADAS and AD.  

All ADAS and AD features are based on a recommended reference architecture for customers that require a system level 
solution. In March 2018 Zenuity was selected by Geely as supplier for Geely’s Level 3 project, which includes ADAS electronic 
control units and software, radar systems, as well as mono-vision and stereo-vision camera systems.

As of December 31, 2018, Zenuity had a team of over 600 employees and consultants, of which 88% are software engineers 
who we believe have the necessary skills to develop these technologies. We expect to supply customers with Zenuity software 
during 2020.

Through the Company's own product capabilities and extensive partnership network, Veoneer has one of the broadest ADAS 
and AD product portfolio offerings, which include all major sensing technologies, decision making software, positioning and 
mapping technologies and cloud solutions.

Our product portfolio has been significantly expanded over the recent years (as illustrated below) from individual hardware 
sensing components to a full range of key functions and capabilities as outlined below. This enables us to address our customer 
needs today, and likely in the future, by offering the entire spectrum of ADAS and AD solutions.

Brake Systems Segment

Our Brake Systems reporting segment consists of our brake systems product area, which are those products developed by 
VNBS which provides brake control and actuation systems. VNBS provides products for both traditional and new braking 
systems which we see as building blocks in the actuator area towards HAD.

VNBS supplies brake systems, including the brake booster, hydraulic proportioning valves and electronic control module 
with sensors. The control module can modulate the brake pressure applied on each wheel individually to maintain optimum 
braking and offers features like Electronic Stability Control (“ESC”), Anti-locking Brakes (“ABS”) and Traction Control 
System.

For traditional brakes, a vacuum produced by Internal Combustion Engines is necessary to amplify the force applied by the 
driver’s foot to convert it into hydraulic pressure to decelerate the vehicle. New drivetrains, such as Electric (“EV”) and Hybrid 
(“HEV”),  do  not  provide  the  same  source  of  energy  for  boosting  the  brake  input  from  the  driver. Therefore, VNBS  has 
developed new servo-assisted and integrated brake control systems that can work independent of the type of drivetrain used.

To improve the overall efficiency of vehicles, VNBS’ new braking systems also provide the opportunity to recover brake 
energy using electric motors as generators to charge batteries. This contrasts with conventional braking systems where the 
excess kinetic energy is converted to unwanted and wasted heat by friction in the brakes.

VNBS currently produces brake systems capable of coping with regenerative braking and has developed an upgraded Electronic 
Brake Boost system for market introduction expected towards the end of 2019. This system integrates the hydraulic brake 
modulator with the electronic brake control unit and the brake fluid reservoir into a single unit (so called “one box” design). 
Scalability and cost competitiveness of this technology qualifies VNBS to participate in the growth of brake-by-wire systems 
needed for regenerative braking while delivering superior braking performance to support the growing need for external brake 
requests such as Automated Emergency Braking and other functionalities.

7

In January 2017 the Company announced that VNBS is expanding its customer base beyond its primary customer Honda, 
winning lifetime contract order value of more than $1 billion for our new braking system with a Detroit based OEM on a 
major vehicle platform. Production for this awarded business is currently scheduled to begin in 2020. There is no minimum 
purchase value associated with this awarded business. The agreement will be governed by the OEM’s general terms and 
conditions and Veoneer and such OEM will enter into a commercial and program agreement that will set forth the specific 
commercial terms and functional requirements with respect to this order. The program life cycle is estimated to be six years. 
We received a second major order from the same OEM at the end of 2017. The main opportunities we see in brake systems 
stem from its capabilities in regenerative braking technology which works well with combustion engine vehicles but is even 
more suitable for HEV and EV. We see significant opportunities to expand outside the current customer base, especially in 
combination with our strong customer relationships and global footprint.

Acquisition, Partnership and Collaboration History

Our success and comprehensive product portfolio have partly been driven by acquisitions and partnerships, both critical elements 
to succeed within the multifaceted auto safety electronics industry and to remain competitive against existing and new entrants 
looking to enter the market. These partnerships and collaborations have a strategic importance in the near and long term to develop 
additional autonomous driving building blocks and bring potential products to market in future years.

Acquisitions and Joint Ventures

February 2018: Zenuity announced the acquisition of Beyonav intellectual property and trademarks, a technology services 
company delivering innovative location-based solutions that go beyond traditional applications of navigation technology.

November 2017: We acquired Fotonic, a Swedish company with expertise in LiDAR and Time of Flight cameras, building 
on  our  collaboration  with  Velodyne  that  was  established  in  June  2017.  This  acquisition  adds  to  our  portfolio  the 
collaboration capabilities within LiDAR sensors, leveraging on our expertise in manufacturing and validation.

April 2017: We launched Zenuity, a strategic 50/50 joint venture with Volvo Cars. This joint venture is an industry first, 
where an OEM and Tier-1 supplier, both recognized as pioneers in automotive safety, formed a company to develop 
ADAS software towards AD. See details above.

April 2016: We formed VNBS, a 51/49 joint venture with Nissin Kogyo, a Japanese supplier of both traditional and new 
brake systems. The joint venture is fully consolidated by Veoneer. See details above.

Partnerships, Collaborations and Supplier Agreements

January 2019: The Company announced entry into a license and supply agreement with Velodyne whereby Velodyne will 
provide Veoneer US, Inc. with materials and rights to certain Velodyne intellectual property which would enable  Veoneer 
US, Inc. to sell, distribute, promote, manufacture and modify (including related R&D) certain LiDAR products based on 
a Velodyne-authorized reference design.

January 2018: Zenuity announced a non-exclusive collaboration with TomTom, to provide reference map architecture 
for the “Zenuity Connected Roadview” system for autonomous vehicles. TomTom’s High Definition (“HD”) Maps will 
power the localization, perception and path planning in the Zenuity AD software stack in combination with on-vehicle 
sensors such as cameras, radar and LiDAR to create continuously updated maps.

October  2017:  We  announced  a  non-exclusive  collaboration  with  Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology AgeLab  to 
develop deep learning algorithms that enable effective communication and transfer of control between driver and vehicle. 
This includes sensing driver gaze, emotion, cognitive load, drowsiness, hand position, posture and fusing this information 
with the perception of the driving environment to create safe and reliable vehicles that drivers can learn to trust.

September 2017: Zenuity announced a non-exclusive collaboration with Ericsson. The aim is to develop the Zenuity 
connected cloud, where Ericsson will contribute its “Internet of Things” accelerator platform aiming to integrate in-
vehicle software and systems with connected safety data from other vehicles and infrastructure to potentially provide 
Over-the-Air real time updates across the vehicle fleet.

August 2017: We announced a non-exclusive collaboration with Seeing Machines, a pioneer in computer vision based 
human sensing technologies to develop next generation Driver Monitoring Systems for autonomous vehicles.

July 2017: We announced a non-exclusive collaboration with Velodyne to sell various LiDAR sensors as the Tier-1 supplier 
to the OEMs. See details above.

8

June 2017: We announced a non-exclusive early stage collaboration with NVIDIA, in combination with Zenuity, providing 
Veoneer and Zenuity with pre-commercial access to NVIDIA’s AI computing platform for autonomous driving. Actual 
production vehicles utilizing said platform are not planned for sale before 2021.

Market Overview and Competitive Landscape

Automotive Supplier Market Overview

The automotive production value chain is split among OEMs such as General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen and automotive 
suppliers, such as ourselves, Aptiv, Bosch, Continental, Denso, Magna, Valeo and ZF. Veoneer acts mainly as a Tier-1 supplier 
to OEMs, meaning that we sell products directly to OEMs.

Our underlying market is primarily driven by two critical factors: Global Light Vehicle Production (“LVP”) and Content Per 
Vehicle (“CPV”), whereby CPV is the clear market driver for the growth of our total addressable market.

Light Vehicle Production: Over the last two decades, LVP has increased at an average annual growth rate of around 3% 
despite the cyclical nature of the automotive industry. LVP is expected to grow to around 92 million in 2019, and 106 million 
in 2025, from approximately 91 million in 2018, according to IHS, The market is undergoing a shift from traditional internal 
combustion engine vehicles, to HEVs and EVs, as emission regulation becomes more stringent, and battery technology 
continues to evolve.

Content Per Vehicle: Unlike LVP, we can directly influence the CPV by introducing new technologies to the market. Looking 
ahead, we expect that safety CPV growth will primarily be driven by active safety content (including software), with total 
active safety market growing from approximately $75 per vehicle in 2018 to approximately $250 per vehicle in 2025, 
representing a compound annual growth rate ("CAGR") of roughly 19% from 2018 to 2025, as the demand for advanced 
active safety features grows.

See Item 7 Management’s Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Trends, 
Uncertainties and Opportunities” for additional information related to recent trends in LVP and CPV.

Active Safety Competitive Landscape

The active safety market is highly fragmented and highly competitive. Competition is based primarily on technology, innovation, 
quality, delivery and price. Our future success will depend on our ability to develop advanced hardware and software technologies 
and  to  maintain  or  improve  on  our  already  strong  competitive position  over  our  existing  and  any  new  competitors.  Main 
competitors in active safety include Aptiv, Bosch, Continental, Denso, Magna, Valeo, ZF, and Intel/Mobileye.

On  a  broader  scale,  we  have  seen  significant  shifts  in  our  competitive  landscape  over  the  last  several  years. Technology 
companies have increased their presence and influence in ADAS and AD either through acquisitions or forming “ecosystems” 
around certain technologies with OEMs and other suppliers. This has led to new industry entrants like Apple, Google, Intel, 
NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Uber, which also provide partnership or customer opportunities for Veoneer hardware and software 
solutions.

Through acquisitions, technology partnerships with  customers and licensing agreements we have continuously added key 
building blocks and we estimate to have obtained a market share of 12% in active safety in 2018. Zenuity has since inception 
formed several partnerships to establish a full-suite ecosystem and competes with peer ecosystems such as the BMW/Intel/
Mobileye collaboration.

Restraint Control Systems Competitive Landscape

The market for restraint control systems remains relatively fragmented with both traditional electronics suppliers and some 
passive safety suppliers. Over the past few years, we have seen our market share increase mainly due to cost efficient integration 
solutions and strong customer relationships built on quality and technology advancements. Currently we are the leading supplier 
of restraint control systems with a market share of around 26% in 2018.  Our largest competitors include Bosch, Continental, 
Denso and ZF.

The total restraint control systems market amounted to approximately $4 billion in 2018 and is expected to remain at the same 
level  until  2025. We  believe  that  restraint  control  systems  will  play  an  integral  role  in  a  larger  integration  trend  towards 
centralized Safety Domain Controllers in the future. In addition, our strong market position in restraint control systems will 
provide opportunities to become a leading supplier in the ADAS ECU and eventually the Safety Domain Controller market.

9

Brake Systems Competitive Landscape

Brake systems consists of brake control ECUs, including ABS and ESC as well as brake apply units. We estimate the total 
brake systems market to be approximately $12 billion in 2018, with a projected CAGR of 3% through 2025. The main growth 
driver is higher installation rates of ESC systems in China and other emerging countries in Asia. Another major growth driver 
is more advanced and complex servo assisted systems and regenerative braking systems for HEVs and EVs. The ability to 
regenerate kinetic energy through braking is of growing importance as vehicle powertrains are becoming increasingly electrified. 
We estimate that VNBS had a market share of just above 4% in 2018. Main competitors of VNBS include ADVICS, Bosch, 
Continental, Mando and ZF.

Research & Development and Intellectual Property

Our ability to maintain our position at the forefront of technological innovations and to serve customers on a local basis will be 
differentiating factors to our success. Therefore, we maintain one of the broadest global networks of technical engineering centers 
across all major automotive regions to develop and provide advanced products, processes and manufacturing support for our 
manufacturing sites and to provide our customers with local engineering capabilities and design development on a global basis.

We currently own or co-own approximately 738 active patents and have approximately 710 pending patent applications in the US 
and other jurisdictions. The active patents will expire between 2019 and 2038. We have registered the name Veoneer as a trademark 
in Sweden and are pursuing registration in other markets of interest. Depending on the jurisdiction, trademarks are generally valid 
as long as they are in use or their registrations are properly maintained, and they have not been found to have become generic.

We are actively pursuing opportunities to commercialize and license our technology to the automotive industries, and we selectively 
utilize other companies’ licenses through sublicenses in order to support our business interests. These activities foster optimization 
of intellectual property rights.

We believe that our patents, trademarks and licenses, provide meaningful protection for our products and technical innovations 
and as a whole, to be material to our business. However, we do not consider our business or any of our business segments to be 
materially dependent upon any individual patent, trademark or license.

We seek to effectively manage fixed costs and efficiently rationalize capital spending by evaluating the market and profit potential 
of existing and new customer programs, including investments in innovation and technology. We maintain our engineering activities 
around our focused product portfolio and allocate our capital and resources to those products and distinctive technologies.

Our  total  research  and  development  expenses,  including  engineering,  net  of  customer  reimbursements,  were  $466 million, 
$375 million and $300 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Zenuity’s total expenses were 
$125 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. These expenses were mainly related to research and development. 

We believe that our engineering and technical expertise, together with our emphasis on continuing research and development, 
allows us to use the latest technologies, materials and processes to solve problems for our customers and to bring new innovative 
products to market. We believe that continued engineering activities are critical to maintaining our pipeline of technologically 
advanced products.

Dependence on Customers

Veoneer serves most of the world’s major automotive OEMs and is not dependent on one single customer. Our customer base has 
consistently increased and diversified over the last five years, mainly driven by our active safety product offerings and VNBS.

In 2018 we served a total of 16 customers and our largest customers were Honda (21% of sales), Daimler (17% of sales), Ford 
(11% of sales), Hyundai/Kia (10% of sales), General Motors (8% of sales), Renault Nissan Mitsubishi (7% of sales) FCA (5% of 
sales) and  BMW (5% of sales). Some of the concentration is driven by the concentration in the automotive industry, with the five 
largest OEMs in 2018 accounting for 49% of global LVP and the ten largest for 74%, according to IHS.

We typically supply products to our OEM customers through written contracts or purchase orders which are generally governed 
by general terms and conditions established by each OEM. These arrangements include terms regarding price, quality, technology 
and delivery. Although it may vary from customer to customer, our customer contracts generally require us to supply a customer’s 
annual requirements for a particular vehicle model and assembly facilities, rather than for manufacturing a specific quantity of 
products. Such contracts range from one year to the life of the model, which is generally four to seven years. Because we produce 
products for a broad cross section of vehicle models, we are not overly reliant on any one vehicle model or one particular product.

10

These contracts are often subject to renegotiation, sometimes as frequent as on an annual basis which may affect product pricing. 
In general, these arrangements with our customers provide that the customer can terminate them if we do not meet specified quality, 
delivery and cost requirements. Although these arrangements may be terminated at any time by our customers (but not typically 
by us), such terminations have historically been minimal and have not had a material impact on our results of operations. However, 
if terminations do occur in the future or if production under a contract winds down earlier than expected, then such event could 
have a material impact on our results of operations. The arrangements typically provide that we are subject to a warranty on the 
products supplied; in most cases, the duration of such warranty is coterminous with the warranty offered by the OEM to the end-
user of the vehicle.  We may also be obligated to share in all or a part of recall costs if the OEM recalls its vehicles for defects 
attributable to our products. 

Veoneer Personnel

As of December 31, 2018, we had a total of approximately 8,600 employees and consultants, with 4,676 in engineering, 2,083 in 
production and 1,346 in production overhead, and the remainder employed in management, general and administrative functions. 
Within engineering, more than two thirds of the employees worked as software engineers.

In addition, Zenuity had approximately 600 employees and consultants at the end of 2018, of which approximately 88% worked 
as software developers. In 2018, approximately 1,100 engineers were hired by Veoneer and more than 100 were hired by Zenuity.

We consider our relationship with our personnel to be strong. We have not had any disputes which are significant or had a lasting 
impact on our relationship with our employees, customer perception of our employee practices or our business results.

Major unions to which some of our employees belong in Europe include: IG Metall in Germany; Unite in the United Kingdom; 
Confédération Générale des Travailleurs, Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail, and Force Ouvrière in France; and 
If Metall, Unionen, Sveriges Ingenjörer and Akademikerföreningen in Sweden.

In addition, our employees in other regions are represented by the following unions: Unifor and the International Association of 
Machinists and Aerospace Workers (“IAM”) in Canada and VNBS Roudou Kumiai in Japan.

In many European countries and in Canada, wages, salaries and general working conditions are negotiated with local unions and/
or are subject to centrally negotiated collective bargaining agreements. The terms of our various agreements with unions typically 
range between one and three years. Some of our subsidiaries in Europe and Canada must negotiate with the applicable local unions 
with respect to important changes in operations, working and employment conditions. Twice a year, members of the Company’s 
management conduct a meeting with the European Works Council (“EWC”) to provide employee representatives with important 
information about the Company and a forum for the exchange of ideas and opinions.

In many Asia Pacific countries, the central or regional governments provide guidance each year for salary adjustments or statutory 
minimum wage for workers. Our employees may join associations in accordance with local legislation and rules, although the 
level of unionization varies significantly throughout our operations.

Inventory and Working Capital

We, as with other component manufactures in the automotive industry, ship our products to customer vehicle assembly facilities 
throughout the world on a “just-in-time” basis for our customers to maintain low inventory levels. Our suppliers (external suppliers 
as well as our own production sites) use a similar method in providing raw materials to us.

Sources and Availability of Raw Materials

We procure our raw materials and components from a variety of suppliers around the world. Generally, we seek to obtain materials 
in the region in which our products are manufactured to minimize transportation, currency risks and other costs. The most significant 
raw materials we use to manufacture our products are various electrical components and ferrous metals for brake systems. As of 
December 31, 2018, we have not experienced any significant shortages of raw materials and normally do not carry inventories of 
such raw materials more than those reasonably required to meet our production and shipping schedules.

Commodity  cost  volatility  is  a  challenge  for  us  and  our  industry. We  are  continually  seeking  to  manage  these  costs  using  a 
combination of strategies, including working with our suppliers to mitigate costs, seeking alternative product designs and material 
specifications, combining our purchase requirements with our customers and/or suppliers, changing suppliers, hedging certain 
commodities and other means. Our overall success in passing commodity cost increases on to our customers has been limited. We 
will continue our efforts to pass market-driven commodity cost increases to our customers in an effort to mitigate all or some of 
the adverse earnings impacts, including by seeking to renegotiate terms as contracts with our customers expire.

11

Seasonality

Our business is moderately seasonal. Our European customers generally reduce production during the months of July and August 
and for one week in December. Our North American customers historically reduce production during the month of July and halt 
operations for approximately one week in December. Our Chinese customers generally reduce production during the Chinese New 
Year period in February. Shut-down periods in the rest of the world generally vary by country. In addition, automotive production 
is traditionally reduced in the months of July, August and September due to the launch of parts production for new vehicle models. 
Accordingly, our results reflect this seasonality. In addition, engineering income tends to be skewed towards the fourth quarter.

Environmental Compliance

We are subject to various environmental regulations governing, among other things: (i) the generation, storage, handling, use, 
transportation, presence of, or exposure to hazardous materials; (ii) the emission and discharge of hazardous materials into the 
ground, air or water; (iii) the incorporation of certain chemical substances into our products, including electronic equipment; and 
(iv) the health and safety of our employees.

Most of the Company’s manufacturing processes consist of the assembly of components. As a result, the environmental impact 
from the Company’s plants is generally modest. While our businesses from time to time are subject to environmental investigations, 
there are no material environmental-related cases pending against the Company. Therefore, we do not incur (or expect to incur) 
any material costs or capital expenditures associated with maintaining facilities compliant with U.S. or non-U.S. environmental 
requirements. To reduce environmental risk, the Company has implemented an environmental management system in all plants 
globally and has adopted an environmental policy.

We are subject to various U.S. federal, state and local, and non-U.S., laws and regulations, including those related to environmental, 
health  and  safety,  financial  and  other  matters. We  cannot  predict  the  substance  or  impact  of  pending  or  future  legislation  or 
regulations, or the application thereof. The introduction of new laws or regulations or changes in existing laws or regulations that 
impact our business, or the interpretations thereof, could increase the costs of doing business for us or our customers or suppliers 
or restrict our actions and adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

We are also required to obtain permits from governmental authorities for certain of our operations.

Dependency on Government Contracts

We are not dependent on government contracts. Some R&D projects are partly financed by certain government agencies.

Joint Venture Agreements

Zenuity Joint Venture Agreement

Zenuity operates pursuant to the Joint Venture Agreement, dated April 18, 2017 (the “Zenuity JV Agreement”), between Volvo 
Cars and a subsidiary of Veoneer. The Zenuity JV Agreement describes the scope of the business activities of Zenuity, which 
is to develop automotive driver assistance and highly autonomous driving software solutions that can be supplied to Volvo 
Cars  and  other  potential  customers.  In  addition,  Zenuity  conducts  research  within  the  areas  of  human  factors,  vehicle 
environments and computer techniques to develop algorithms for driving assistance or automated driving. Zenuity owns and 
licenses  certain  intellectual  property  rights  pursuant  to  commercialization  agreements  between  the  parties. Veoneer  is  the 
exclusive supplier and distribution channel for all Zenuity’s products sold to third parties; however, there is no exclusivity 
toward any customer or the owners. Volvo Cars can source such products directly from Zenuity.  The parties also entered into 
a  number  of  related  agreements  in  connection  with  forming  the  joint  venture,  including  an  investment  agreement, 
commercialization agreements and intellectual property license and assignment agreements pursuant to which Volvo Cars and 
Veoneer transferred certain intellectual property rights to Zenuity. A copy of the Zenuity JV Agreement has been filed with the 
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

VNBS Joint Venture Agreement

Brake Systems was formed by and operates pursuant to a number of agreements entered into between certain affiliates of each 
of Veoneer and Nissin Kogyo Ltd., Co. (“Nissin”), including a Share Purchase Agreement, dated September 9, 2015, and a 
Joint Venture Agreement, dated March 7, 2016 (the “VNBS JV Agreement”). The VNBS JV Agreement sets forth the agreements 
between Veoneer and Nissin with respect to the ownership, capitalization, governance and operations of Brake Systems. It 
provides that Veoneer owns 51% of each of the entities that comprise Brake Systems and Nissin owns the remaining 49% of 
each entity.  A copy of the VNBS JV Agreement has been filed with the SEC.

12

Since the Company acquired a 51% interest in VNBS, Veoneer has unilaterally provided the funds necessary to meet VNBS’s 
operational needs as Nissin Kogyo has, notwithstanding repeated requests, refused to provide funding in proportion to its 
ownership. In 2019, the Company initiated a formal negotiation process under the VNBS JV Agreement to find a resolution 
to the current funding situation. 

Spin-Off Related Agreements

As part of the Spin-Off, Autoliv underwent an internal reorganization, pursuant to which, among other things and subject to limited 
exceptions, all of the assets and liabilities (including whether accrued, contingent or otherwise, and subject to certain exceptions) 
associated with the electronics business of Autoliv were retained by or transferred to Veoneer or our subsidiaries and all other 
assets and liabilities (including whether accrued, contingent or otherwise, and subject to certain exceptions) of Autoliv were retained 
by or transferred to Autoliv or its subsidiaries (other than Veoneer).

Following the Spin-Off, the Company and Autoliv began operating independently and neither has any ownership interest in the 
other. To govern certain ongoing relationships between Veoneer and Autoliv after the Spin-Off and to provide mechanisms for an 
orderly transition, the Company and Autoliv entered into agreements pursuant to which certain services and rights are provided 
for following the Spin-Off, and the Company and Autoliv will indemnify each other against certain liabilities arising from our 
respective businesses. 

Distribution Agreement

In connection with the internal reorganization, we entered into a Master Transfer Agreement with Autoliv which was amended 
and restated effective as of the Spin-Off (the “Distribution Agreement”). The Distribution Agreement governs certain transfers 
of assets and assumptions of liabilities by each of Veoneer and Autoliv and the settlement or extinguishment of certain liabilities 
and other obligations among the companies and their subsidiaries. In particular, substantially all of the assets and liabilities 
associated with the separated Electronics business were retained by or transferred to Veoneer or its subsidiaries and all other 
assets and liabilities were retained by or transferred to Autoliv or its subsidiaries. The Distribution Agreement also provided 
the principal corporate transactions required to affect the Spin-Off, certain conditions to the Spin-Off and provisions governing 
the relationship between Veoneer and Autoliv with respect to and resulting from the completion of the Spin-Off. The Distribution 
Agreement also provides for indemnification obligations designed to make the Company financially responsible for substantially 
all liabilities that may exist relating to its business activities, whether incurred prior to or after the completion of the internal 
reorganization, as well as those obligations of Autoliv assumed by us pursuant to the Master Transfer Agreement; provided, 
however, certain warranty, recall and product liabilities for Electronics products manufactured prior to the completion of the 
internal reorganization were retained by Autoliv and Autoliv will indemnify us for any losses associated with such warranty, 
recall or product liabilities. 

Employee Matters Agreement

The  Employee  Matters Agreement  governs Autoliv’s  and Veoneer’s  compensation  and  employee  benefit  obligations  with 
respect to the current and former employees and non-employee directors of each company.  Under the agreement, Autoliv is 
responsible for liabilities associated with Autoliv allocated employees and liabilities associated with former employees and 
Veoneer is responsible for liabilities associated with Veoneer allocated employees, but Autoliv retains and continues to be 
responsible for certain post-retirement liabilities relating to plans sponsored by Autoliv. The Employee Matters Agreement 
provided for the conversion of the outstanding awards granted under the Autoliv equity compensation programs into adjusted 
awards relating to both shares of Autoliv and Veoneer common stock.

Tax Matters Agreement

The Tax Matters Agreement governs the respective rights, responsibilities and obligations of Autoliv and Veoneer with respect 
to tax liabilities and benefits, tax attributes, tax contests and other tax sharing regarding U.S. federal, state, local and foreign 
income taxes, other tax matters and related tax returns. The agreement also specifies the portion, if any, of this tax liability for 
which Veoneer will bear responsibility and provides for certain indemnification provisions with respect to amounts for which 
they are not responsible. In addition, under the agreement, each party is expected to be responsible for any taxes imposed on 
Autoliv that arise from the failure of the Spin-Off and certain related transactions to qualify as a tax-free transaction for U.S. 
federal income tax purposes.

13

Amended and Restated Transition Services Agreement

Under the Amended and Restated Transition Services Agreement (“TSA”), Autoliv and Veoneer agreed to provide to each 
other certain services for a limited time to help ensure an orderly transition following the Spin-Off. The services that Autoliv 
provides include certain finance, information technology, human resources and compensation, facilities, legal and compliance 
and other services. We pay Autoliv for any such services utilized at agreed amounts as set forth in the TSA. In addition, for a 
term set forth in the TSA, we and Autoliv may mutually agree on additional services to be provided by Autoliv to us that were 
provided to us by Autoliv prior to the distribution but were omitted from the TSA at pricing based on market rates that are 
reasonably agreed by the parties.

Available Information

We file or furnish with the SEC periodic reports and amendments thereto, which include annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly 
reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and other information. Such reports, amendments, proxy 
statements and other information are made available free of charge on our corporate website at www.veoneer.com and are available 
as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with the SEC. The SEC maintains an internet site that contains 
reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at http://
www.sec.gov. Paper copies ocf the above-mentioned documents can be obtained free of charge from the Company by contacting 
us at: Veoneer, Inc., Box 13089, SE-103 02, Stockholm, Sweden or Veoneer, Inc., 26545 American Drive, Southfield, MI 48034.

Item 1A. Risk Factors 

Owning our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risk factors and all other 
information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. If any of the following risks, as well as additional risks and uncertainties 
not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial but are in fact material, occur, our business, liquidity, results of 
operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the market price of our 
common stock could decline significantly, and you could lose all or a part of the value of your ownership in our common stock. 
Some  statements  in  this  information  statement,  including  statements  in  the  following  risk  factors,  constitute  forward-looking 
statements. Please refer to the section in this Annual Report entitled “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Related to Our Industry

The cyclical nature of automotive sales and production can adversely affect our business.

Our business is related to LVP in the global market and by our customers, and automotive sales and LVP are critical drivers for 
our sales. Automotive sales and production are highly cyclical and can be affected by general or regional economic or industry 
conditions or uncertainty, the level of consumer demand, recalls and other safety issues, labor relations issues, technological 
changes, fuel prices and availability, vehicle safety regulations and other regulatory requirements, governmental initiatives, trade 
agreements, political volatility, especially in energy producing countries and growth markets, changes in interest rate levels and 
credit availability and other factors. At various times some regions around the world may be more particularly impacted by these 
factors than other regions. Economic declines that result in a significant reduction in automotive sales and production by our 
customers have in the past had, and may in the future have, a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and 
financial condition.

Our sales are also affected by inventory levels of our customers. We cannot predict when our customers will decide to either 
increase  or  reduce  inventory  levels  or  whether  new  inventory  levels  will  approximate  historical  inventory  levels.  This  may 
exacerbate variability in our order intake and, as a result, our revenues and financial condition. Uncertainty regarding inventory 
levels may be exacerbated by consumer financing programs initiated or terminated by our customers or governments as such 
changes may affect the timing of their sales. 

Most of our products are technologically complex and innovative and there can be a significant amount of time between design 
and production.  Development delays resulting from the challenges of integrating new functionality into vehicles and the evolution 
of our customers’ performance requirements during the development cycle subject us to the risk that our customers cancel or 
postpone a contract in the time period that it takes us to begin production of a particular product.

Changes in automotive sales and LVP and/or customers’ inventory levels will have an impact on our long-term targets, earnings 
guidance and estimates. In addition, we base our growth projections in part on business awards, or order intake, made by our 
customers. However, actual production orders from our customers may not approximate the awarded business or our estimated 
order  intake. Any  significant  reduction  in  automotive  sales  and/or  LVP  by  our  customers,  whether  due  to  general  economic 

14

conditions or any other factors relevant to sales or LVP, will likely have a material adverse effect on our business, results of 
operations and financial condition.

Growth rates in safety content per vehicle, which may be impacted by changes in consumer trends and political decisions, could 
affect our results in the future.

Vehicles produced in different markets may have various safety content values. For now, our products are typically found in 
vehicles with higher safety content. Because growth in global LVP is highly concentrated in markets such as China and India, our 
operating results may suffer if the safety content per vehicle remains low in our growth markets. As safety content per vehicle is 
also an indicator of our sales development, should this trends continue, the average safety systems per vehicle could decline.

We operate in highly competitive markets.

The markets in which we operate are highly competitive. We compete with a number of companies that design, produce and sell 
similar products. Among other factors, our products compete on the basis of price, quality, manufacturing and distribution capability, 
design and performance, technological innovation, delivery and service. Some of our competitors are subsidiaries (or divisions, 
units or similar) of companies that are larger than we are and have greater financial and other resources than us. Some of our 
competitors as well as some of our customers have strategic relationships with outside partners, enabling them to pool resources. 
Additionally, some of our competitors may also have “preferred status” as a result of special relationships or ownership interests 
with certain customers. Our ability to compete successfully depends, in large part, on our ability to innovate and manufacture 
products that have commercial success with consumers, differentiating our products from those of our competitors, delivering 
quality products in the time frames required by our customers, and achieving best-cost production.

Our ability to maintain and improve existing products, while successfully developing and introducing distinctive new and enhanced 
products  that  anticipate  changing  customer  and  consumer  preferences  and  capitalize  upon  emerging  technologies  will  be  a 
significant factor in our ability to be competitive. If we are unsuccessful or are less successful than our competitors in predicting 
the  course  of  market  development,  developing  innovative  products,  processes,  and/or  use  of  materials  or  adapting  to  new 
technologies or evolving regulatory, industry or customer requirements, we will suffer from a competitive disadvantage. There is 
a risk that our investments in research and development initiatives will not lead to successful new products and a corresponding 
increase in revenue. We may also encounter increased competition in the future from existing or new competitors. The inability 
to compete successfully could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We operate in a developing market that may be subject to greater uncertainty and fluctuations in levels of competition than a 
more mature market.

The field of active safety is a developing segment in the automotive industry and is expected to act as a basis for and enable the 
development and introduction of commercially viable autonomous vehicles.   The number of competitors may increase as suppliers 
from outside the traditional automotive industry, such as Google, Argo, Uber, Lyft, Cruise, Samsung, Panasonic, Here, Tesla, Intel, 
NVIDIA and other technology companies, consider the significant business opportunities presented by autonomous driving. Some 
of our customers are also partnering together to develop autonomous driving solutions. The evolving nature of the competitive 
landscape creates greater uncertainty than the traditional automotive market.  

Products and services provided by companies outside the automotive industry may also reduce demand for our products, which 
require substantial investment in research and development. For example, there has been an increase in consumer preferences for 
mobility on demand services, such as car- and ride-sharing, as opposed to automobile ownership, which may result in a long-term 
reduction in the number of vehicles per capita. Today, in most markets, active safety products are considered to be premium 
equipment rather than standard automotive safety items, which can create significant volatility in demand for certain of our products.

The high development costs of active safety and autonomous driving products increases the risk that we will be unable to 
effectively compete in the market.  

Our products may require significant resources to develop both hardware and software solutions, which are of increasing importance 
in our market. There is an increasing trend towards partnerships between companies with complementary hardware and software 
solutions that are able to pool resources to support development. The high development cost in active safety limits the number of 
technical solutions that can be pursued by most “Tier 1” automotive suppliers (meaning companies that supply directly to the 
automobile manufacturers), leading to risk of exposure to a disruptive technology different than those being developed by us. 

In addition, a significant part of our business is focused on developing autonomous driving technology, which requires significant 
amounts of resources devoted to researching and developing innovative products and processes. For example, we have invested 
significant resources in developing Zenuity, our joint venture with Volvo Cars, which is aimed at developing software solutions 

15

for autonomous driving. There is a risk that Zenuity or our other autonomous driving projects will not be able to deliver a competitive 
product. 

If we are unable to develop and deliver innovative and competitive products, or unable to do so before our competitors, our 
business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

Autonomous driving involves complex technology and requires a number of different hardware and software competencies 
and technologies and there is a risk that these competencies or technologies will not develop at a sufficient pace to address 
marketplace needs.

Autonomous driving requires various types of sensor technology, including cameras, radar and LiDAR technology as well as 
software  technology  to  control  such  sensors.  These  technologies  are  under  various  stages  of  development  and  marketplace 
acceptance. There is a risk that these technological solutions will not develop at a sufficient pace to gain acceptance with our 
customers. If we are unable to develop our autonomous driving solutions fast enough to keep pace with the market, our future 
business prospects, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

There are also challenges to develop autonomous driving solutions that are outside of our control, including regulatory requirements 
from state and federal agencies, cybersecurity and privacy concerns, product liability concerns and perceptions of drivers regarding 
autonomous driving capabilities and solutions. We may need to adjust our strategy and projected timelines based on how these 
challenges, and others, evolve over time. There is a risk that these challenges will not be overcome, which could have a material 
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The inability to effectively manage the timing, quality and costs of new program launches could adversely affect our financial 
performance.

To compete effectively in the automotive supply industry, we must be able to launch new products to meet our customers’ timing, 
performance and quality standards. Our inability to do so may result in the loss of awarded business as well as significant liabilities 
and/penalties.  Certain state of the art products we launch may need to be developed on an especially accelerated time frame for 
speed-to-market. There is a risk that we will not be able to install and certify the equipment needed to produce products for new 
programs in time for the start of production, or that the transitioning of our manufacturing facilities and resources to full production 
for such new programs will not impact production rates or other operational efficiency measures at our facilities. In addition, there 
is a risk that our customers will not execute on schedule the launch of their new product programs, for which we might supply 
products. Additionally, as a Tier 1 automotive supplier, we must effectively coordinate the activities of numerous suppliers in order 
to  launch  programs  successfully.  Given  the  complexity  of  new  program  launches,  especially  involving  new  and  innovative 
technologies, we may experience difficulties managing product quality, timeliness and associated costs. These risks with new 
technologies are increased when the customer relationship is new and the customer is subject to the same pressures on product 
quality and timeliness. In addition, new program launches require a significant ramp up of costs; however, the sales related to 
these new programs generally are dependent upon the timing and success of the introduction of new vehicles by our customers. 
Our inability to effectively manage the timing, quality and costs of these new program launches could have a material adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to Our Business

A prolonged recession and/or a downturn in our industry could adversely affect our business and require us to seek additional 
sources of financing to continue our operations, which may not be available to us or be available only on materially different 
terms than what has historically been available.

Our ability to generate cash from our operations is highly dependent on regional and global economic conditions, automotive sales 
and LVP. A prolonged downturn in or uncertainty relating to global or regional economic conditions, a downturn in the automotive 
industry or LVP are conditions that could adversely impact our business. Such adverse impacts could require us to shut down 
plants or result in impairment charges, restructuring actions or changes in our valuation allowances against deferred tax assets, 
which could be material to our financial condition and results of operations. If global economic conditions deteriorate or economic 
uncertainty increases, our customers and potential customers may experience deterioration of their businesses, which may result 
in the delay or cancellation of plans to purchase our products.

A prolonged downturn in global economic conditions or LVP would likely result in us experiencing a significantly negative cash 
flow. Similarly, if cash losses from customer defaults rise sharply, we would experience a negative cash flow. Such negative cash 
flow could result in our having insufficient funds to continue our operations unless we can procure external financing, which may 
not be possible. These risks could be exacerbated by instability in the global credit markets and global economic pressure. If 
external financing is unavailable to us when necessary, we may have insufficient funds to continue our operations.

16

We may not have sufficient resources to fund all future research and development and capital expenditures or possible 
acquisitions or joint ventures. 

In order to remain competitive, we must make substantial investments in research and development of new or enhanced products. 
Our products may require significant resources to develop both hardware and software solutions. Challenges of integrating new 
functionality into vehicles and the evolution of our customers’ performance requirements during development may also increase 
research and development costs.  Customer demands for changes to our products to meet such performance requirements are 
difficult to predict both in terms of timing and cost.  Since our revenue is largely based on sales over time, new customer demands 
can delay payment for our products which can make it difficult for us to fund these critical up-front investments. We may be unable 
to fund all of our research and development and capital investment needs or possible acquisitions or joint ventures, and we may 
have to pass on valuable long-term opportunities that arise.  Our ability to raise additional capital will depend on a variety of 
factors, some of which will not be within our control, including the existence of a public offering market, investor perceptions of 
us, our businesses and the industries in which we operate, and general economic conditions. Failure to successfully raise needed 
capital on a timely or cost-effective basis could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition.

We may not be able to protect our proprietary technology and intellectual property rights, which could result in the loss of our 
rights or increased costs.

We have developed a considerable amount of proprietary technology related to our products and rely on a number of patents to 
protect our intellectual property rights in such technology. Our intellectual property plays an important role in maintaining our 
competitive position in a number of the markets we serve. In addition to our in-house research and development efforts, we have 
acquired and may continue to seek to acquire rights to new intellectual property through corporate acquisitions, asset acquisitions, 
licensing and joint venture arrangements. Developments or assertions by or against us relating to our intellectual property rights 
could negatively impact our business. If claims alleging patent, copyright or trademark infringement are brought against us and 
are successfully prosecuted against us, they could result in substantial costs. 

If we are not able to protect our patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights, either owned or licensed by us, against 
infringement and unauthorized use, we could lose those rights and/or incur substantial costs policing and defending those rights. 
We also generate license revenue from our intellectual property, which we may lose if we do not adequately protect our intellectual 
property and proprietary rights. Our means of protecting our intellectual property may not be adequate, and our competitors may 
independently develop technologies that are similar or superior to our proprietary technologies, or design around the patents we 
own or license. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to as great an extent as the 
laws of the U.S. If we cannot protect our proprietary technology, we could experience a material adverse effect on our business, 
results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, certain of our products utilize components that are developed by third parties and licensed to us or our joint ventures. 
If claims alleging patent, copyright or trademark infringement are brought against such licensors and successfully prosecuted, 
they could result in substantial costs, and we may not be able to replace the functions provided by these licensors. Alternate sources 
for the technology currently licensed to us or our joint ventures may not be available in a timely manner, may not provide the 
same functions as currently provided or may be more expensive than products currently used.  Additionally, there is a risk that 
any patents owned or licensed by us may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, limiting competitive advantage of affected 
products or technologies.

Because we develop proprietary information through our in-house research and development efforts, consulting arrangements and 
research collaborations with other entities or organizations, there is also a risk that our attempts to protect this proprietary information 
by entering into confidentiality agreements, or consulting, services or employment agreements that contain non-disclosure and 
non-use provisions, with our employees, consultants, contractors, scientific advisors and third parties are unsuccessful. Even if 
agreements are entered into, these agreements may be breached or may otherwise fail to prevent disclosure, third-party infringement 
or misappropriation of our proprietary information, may be limited as to their term and may not provide an adequate remedy in 
the event of unauthorized disclosure or use of proprietary information. If we develop an increasing amount of our intellectual 
property through collaborations and development agreements, more of the technology we depend on could be subject to risks 
related to protecting these rights. Any of the risks related to the protection of our proprietary technology described above could 
have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Some of our products and technologies may use “open source” software, which may restrict how we use or distribute our 
products or require that we release the source code of certain products subject to those licenses.

Some of our products and technologies may incorporate software licensed under so-called “open source” licenses. In addition to 
risks related to license requirements, usage of open source software can lead to greater risks than use of third-party commercial 

17

software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on origin of the software. Additionally, open 
source licenses typically require that source code subject to the license be made available to the public and that any modifications 
or derivative works to open source software continue to be licensed under open source licenses. These open source licenses typically 
mandate that proprietary software, when combined in specific ways with open source software, become subject to the open source 
license. If we combine our proprietary software in such a way with open source software, we could be required to release the 
source code of our proprietary software. Few courts have interpreted open source licenses, and the manner in which these licenses 
may be interpreted and enforced is therefore subject to some uncertainty.

If these risks materialize, they could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The discontinuation, lack of commercial success, or loss of business with respect to a customer or particular vehicle model for 
which we are a significant supplier could reduce our sales and harm our profitability.

A number of our customer contracts require us to supply a customer’s annual requirements for a particular vehicle model and 
assembly facilities, rather than for manufacturing a specific quantity of products. Such contracts range from one year to the life 
of the model, which is generally four to seven years. These contracts are often subject to renegotiation, sometimes as frequent as 
on  an  annual  basis,  which  may  affect  product  pricing,  and  generally  may  be  terminated  by  our  customers  at  any  time.  The 
unpredictable  nature  of  such  customer  contracts  has  made,  and  may  continue  to  make,  our  sales  variable.  Furthermore,  the 
discontinuation of, the loss of business with respect to, or a lack of commercial success of a customer or particular vehicle model 
or brand for which we are a significant supplier could reduce our sales and harm our profitability.

Scaling our business has become increasingly critical to our success as OEMs have adopted global vehicle platforms and sought 
to increase standardization, reduce per unit cost and increase capital efficiency.  We are investing in technologies that are intended 
to become the architecture for other products.  If we are not able to scale according to our current expected timelines and needs 
of our current and prospective customers, we will lose the trust of our customers and our customer relationships may suffer. 

We may incur material losses and costs as a result of product liability, warranty and recall claims that may be brought against 
us or our customers.

We face risks related to product liability claims, warranty claims and recalls in the event that any of our products actually or 
allegedly are defective, fail to perform as expected or the use of our products results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury and/
or property damage. We may not be able to anticipate all of the possible performance or reliability problems that could arise with 
our  products  after  they  are  released  to  the  market. Additionally,  increasing  regulation  and  reporting  requirements  regarding 
potentially defective products, particularly in the U.S., may increase the possibility that we become involved in additional product 
liability or recall investigations or claims. There is a risk that our product liability and product recall insurance will not provide 
adequate coverage against potential claims, such insurance will not be available in the appropriate markets or that we will not be 
able to obtain such insurance on acceptable terms in the future. There is also a risk that Autoliv or one of our customers may be 
unable or unwilling to indemnify us for product liability, warranty or recall claims although they are contractually obligated to do 
so or we may be required to indemnify Autoliv or such customer for such claims, which may significantly increase our exposure 
and potential loss with respect to any such claims. There is a risk that our current and future investments in our engineering, design, 
and quality infrastructure will be insufficient and that our products could suffer from defects or other deficiencies or that we will 
experience material warranty claims or additional product recalls. In the future, we could experience additional material warranty 
or product liability losses and incur significant costs to process and defend these claims.

Escalating pricing pressures from our customers may adversely affect our business.

The automotive industry continues to experience increasingly aggressive pricing pressure from customers. This trend is partly 
attributable to the major automobile manufacturers’ strong purchasing power. As an automotive component manufacturer, we may 
be expected to quote fixed prices or be forced to accept prices with annual price reduction commitments for long-term sales 
arrangements or discounted reimbursements for engineering work. Price reductions may impact our sales and profit margins. Our 
future profitability will depend upon, among other things, our ability to continuously reduce our cost per unit and maintain our 
cost  structure.  Our  profitability  is  also  influenced  by  our  success  in  designing  and  marketing  technological  improvements  in 
automotive safety systems. If we are unable to offset continued price reductions, these price reductions could have a material 
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We could experience disruption in our supply or delivery chain, which could cause one or more of our customers to halt or 
delay production.

We, as with other component manufactures in the automotive industry, ship our products to customer vehicle assembly facilities 
throughout the world on a “just-in-time” basis in order for our customers to maintain low inventory levels. Our suppliers (external 

18

suppliers as well as our own production sites) use a similar method in providing raw materials to us. This “just-in-time” method 
makes the logistics supply chain in our industry very complex and vulnerable to disruptions. Disruptions in our supply chain, such 
as large recalls or field actions impacting our suppliers, facility closures, strikes, electrical outages, natural disasters or other 
logistical or mechanical failures, could inhibit our ability to timely deliver on orders. We may experience disruptions if there are 
delays in customs processing, including if we are unable to obtain government authorization to export or import certain materials. 
When we fail to timely deliver, we may have to absorb our own costs for identifying and resolving the ultimate problem as well 
as expeditiously producing and shipping replacement components or products. Generally, we must also carry the costs associated 
with “catching up,” such as overtime and premium freight.

Additionally, if we are the cause of a customer being forced to halt production, the customer may seek to recoup all of its losses 
and expenses from us. These losses and expenses could be very significant and may include consequential losses such as lost 
profits. Where a customer halts production because of another supplier failing to deliver on time, we may not be fully compensated, 
if at all. Thus, any such supply chain disruptions could severely impact our operations and/or those of our customers and force us 
to halt production for prolonged periods of time which could expose us to material claims for compensation and have a material 
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to risks associated with the development and implementation of new manufacturing process technology.

We may not be successful or efficient in developing or implementing new production processes. We are continually engaged in 
the transition from our existing process to the next-generation process technology. This consistent innovation involves significant 
expense  and  carries  inherent  risks,  including  difficulties  in  designing  and  developing  next-generation  process  technologies, 
development and production timing delays, lower than anticipated manufacturing yields, and product defects and errors. Production 
issues can lead to increased costs and may affect our ability to meet product demand, which could have a material adverse effect 
on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Work stoppages or other labor issues at our customers’ facilities or at our facilities could adversely affect our operations.

Because the automotive industry relies heavily on “just-in-time” delivery of components during the assembly and manufacture 
of vehicles, a work stoppage at one or more of our facilities could have material adverse effects on our business. Similarly, if any 
of our customers were to experience a work stoppage, that customer may halt or limit the purchase of our products, or a work 
stoppage at another supplier could interrupt production at one of our customers’ facilities which would have the same effect. A 
work stoppage at one or more of our facilities or our customers’ facilities could cause us to shut down production facilities supplying 
these products, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Changes in the source, cost, availability of and regulations pertaining to raw materials and components may adversely affect 
our profit margins.

Our business uses a broad range of raw materials and components in the manufacture of our products, many of which are generally 
available from a number of qualified suppliers. Our industry may be affected from time to time by limited supplies or price 
fluctuations of certain key components and materials. Price fluctuations may intensify or occur with greater frequency as demand 
for our principal raw materials and components is significantly impacted by demand in emerging markets. Commercial negotiations 
with our customers and suppliers may not offset the adverse impact of higher raw material, energy and commodity costs. Even 
where we are able to pass price increases along to our customer, there may be a lapse of time before we are able to do so such that 
we must absorb the cost increase. Some of our suppliers may not be able to handle the volatility in commodity costs, which could 
cause them to experience supply disruptions resulting in delivery or production delays by our suppliers. Risks associated with the 
cost and availability of raw materials and components could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations 
and financial condition.

The  SEC  requires  companies  that  manufacture  products  containing  certain  minerals  and  their  derivatives  that  are,  known  as 
“conflict minerals,” originating from the Democratic Republic of Congo or adjoining countries to diligence and report the source 
of such materials. There are significant consequences associated with complying with these requirements, including diligence 
efforts to determine the sources of conflict minerals used in our products, changes to our processes or supplies as a result of such 
diligence and our ability to source “conflict free” materials. Accordingly, these rules could have a material adverse effect on our 
business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected if we lost our largest customers or if they were unable to pay their 
invoices.

We are dependent on a few large customers with strong purchasing power. Business with any given customer is typically split into 
several contracts (either on the basis of one contract per vehicle model or on a broader platform basis). The loss of business from 

19

any of our largest customers (whether by lower overall demand for vehicles, cancellation of existing contracts or the failure to 
award us new business) could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Customers may put us on a “new business hold,” which limits our ability to quote or be awarded all or part of their future vehicle 
contracts if quality or other issues arise in the vehicles for which we were a supplier. Such new business holds range in length and 
scope and are generally accompanied by a certain set of remedial conditions that must be met before we are eligible to bid for new 
business. Meeting any such conditions within the prescribed timeframe may require additional Company resources. A failure to 
satisfy any such conditions may have a materially adverse impact on our financial results in the long term. Additionally, we have 
no fixed volume commitments from our customers. Thus, even if we have won a bid for business from a customer there are no 
guaranteed purchase volumes.

There is a risk that one or more of our largest customers could be unable to pay our invoices as they become due or that a customer 
will simply refuse to make such payments, for reasons such as financial difficulties. If one of our largest customers would enter 
into bankruptcy proceedings or similar proceedings whereby contractual commitments are subject to stay of execution and the 
possibility of legal or other modification, or if one of our largest customers otherwise successfully procures protection against us 
legally enforcing its obligations, it is likely that we will be forced to record a substantial loss.

Changes in our product mix may impact our financial performance.

We sell products that have varying profit margins. Our financial performance can be impacted depending on the mix of products 
we sell during a given period. Our earnings guidance and estimates assume a certain geographic sales mix as well as a product 
sales mix. There is a risk that the mix of offerings by our customers and demand for such offerings could change. If actual results 
vary from this projected geographic and product mix of sales, it could have an unfavorable impact on our revenue and our results 
of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

We may be involved from time to time in legal proceedings and our business may suffer as a result of adverse outcomes of 
future legal proceedings.

We may be from time to time involved in litigation, regulatory proceedings and commercial or contractual disputes that may be 
significant. These matters may include, without limitation, disputes with our suppliers and customers, intellectual property claims, 
stockholder litigation, government investigations, class action lawsuits, personal injury claims, environmental issues, customs and 
value added tax (VAT) disputes and employment and tax issues. In such matters, government agencies or private parties may seek 
to recover from us very large, indeterminate amounts in penalties or monetary damages (including, in some cases, treble or punitive 
damages) or seek to limit our operations in some way. There is a risk that claims may be asserted against us and their magnitude 
may remain unknown for long periods of time. These types of lawsuits could require significant management time and attention, 
and a substantial legal liability or adverse regulatory outcome and the substantial expenses to defend the litigation or regulatory 
proceedings may have a material adverse effect on our customer relationships, business prospects, reputation, operating results, 
cash flows and financial condition. There is a risk that such proceedings and claims will have a material adverse impact on our 
profitability and consolidated financial position or that our established reserves or our available insurance will not be adequate to 
mitigate such impact.

We may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities.

The determination of our worldwide provision for income taxes and other tax liabilities requires estimation and significant judgment, 
and there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. As a multinational corporation, 
we are subject to tax in multiple U.S. and foreign tax jurisdictions. Our determination of our tax liability is always subject to audit 
and review by applicable domestic and foreign tax authorities. Although we are currently under audit in a jurisdiction, we are 
indemnified by Autoliv, Inc. for any tax settlements for tax periods prior to April 1, 2018. Any adverse outcome of any such audit 
or review for tax periods after April 1, 2018 could have a negative effect on our business and the ultimate tax outcome may differ 
from the amounts recorded in our financial statements and may materially affect our financial results in the period or periods for 
which such determination is made. There is a risk that our established reserves, which are based on assumptions and estimates 
that we believe are reasonable to cover such eventualities, may prove to be insufficient. In addition, our future income taxes could 
be adversely affected by earnings being lower than anticipated (or by the incurrence of losses) in jurisdictions that have lower 
statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated in jurisdictions that have higher statutory tax rates, by changes in the valuation of 
our deferred tax assets and liabilities, or changes in tax laws, regulations, or accounting principles, as well as certain discrete items.

20

Our ability to operate our company effectively could be impaired if we fail to attract and retain executive officers and other 
key personnel.

We compete in a market that involves rapidly changing technological and other developments, which requires us to attract and 
employ a workforce with broad expertise and intellectual capital. Our ability to operate our business and implement our strategies 
effectively depends, in part, on the efforts of our executive officers and other key employees. In addition, our future success will 
depend on, among other factors, our ability to attract, develop and retain other qualified personnel, particularly engineers and other 
employees with software and technical expertise. The loss of the services of any of our senior executives or other key employees 
or the failure to attract or retain other qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Impairment charges relating to our assets, goodwill and other intangible assets could adversely affect our financial performance.

If one or more of our customers’ facilities cease production or decrease their production volumes, the assets we carry related to 
our facilities serving such customers may decrease in value because we may no longer be able to utilize or realize them as intended. 
Where such decreases are significant, such impairments may have a materially adverse impact on our financial results. Impairment 
of goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets may result from, among other things, deterioration in our performance and 
especially the cash flow performance of these goodwill assets, adverse market conditions and adverse changes in applicable laws 
or regulations. If there are changes in these circumstances or the other variables associated with the estimates, judgments and 
assumptions relating to the valuation of goodwill, when assessing the valuation of our goodwill items, we may determine that it 
is appropriate to write down a portion of our goodwill or intangible assets and record related non-cash impairment charges. In the 
event that we determine that we are required to write down a portion of our goodwill items and other intangible assets and thereby 
record related non-cash impairment charges, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely 
affected.

For  example,  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  2017,  the  Company  recognized  an  impairment  charge  of  $234 million,  pre-tax,  which 
represented the full goodwill amount related to VNBS. The impairment loss was due to a lower than originally anticipated sales 
development in VNBS. For additional information, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results 
of Operations.”

We face risks related to our defined benefit pension plans and employee benefit plans, including the need for additional funding 
as well as higher costs and liabilities.

Our defined benefit pension plans or employee benefit plans may require additional funding or give rise to higher related costs 
and liabilities which, in some circumstances, could reach material amounts and negatively affect our results of operations. We are 
required to make certain year-end assumptions regarding our pension plans. Our pension obligations are dependent on several 
factors, including factors outside our control such as changes in interest rates, the market performance of the diversified investments 
underlying  the  pension  plans,  actuarial  data  and  adjustments  and  an  increase  in  the  minimum  funding  requirements  or  other 
regulatory  changes  governing  the  plans. Adverse  equity  market  conditions  and  volatility  in  the  credit  market  may  have  an 
unfavorable impact on the value of our pension assets and our future estimated pension liabilities. Internal factors such as an 
adjustment to the level of benefits provided under the plans may also lead to an increase in our pension liability. There are also 
uncertainties as the Company settles certain benefit plan relationships with Autoliv. If these or other internal and external risks 
were to occur, alone or in combination, our required contributions to the plans and the costs and net liabilities associated with the 
plans could increase substantially and have a material effect on our business.

Cybersecurity  incidents  could  disrupt  business  operations,  result  in  the  loss  of  critical  and  confidential  information,  and 
adversely impact our reputation and results of operations.

We rely extensively on information technology (“IT”) networks and systems, our global data centers and services provided over 
the internet to process, transmit and store electronic information, and to manage or support a variety of business processes or 
activities across our facilities worldwide. The secure operation of our IT networks and systems and the proper processing and 
maintenance of this information are critical to our business operations. We have been, and likely will continue to be, subject to 
cyber-attacks. To date we have seen no material impact on our business from these attacks or events. Although we seek to deploy 
comprehensive security measures to prevent, detect, address and mitigate these threats, there has been an increased level of activity, 
and an associated level of sophistication, in cyber-attacks against large multinational companies. The ever-evolving threats mean 
we and our third-party service providers and vendors must continually evaluate and adapt our respective systems and processes 
and overall security environment, as well as those of any companies we acquire. There is no guarantee that these measures will 
be adequate to safeguard against all data security breaches, system compromises or misuses of data.  

21

Our security measures may be breached due to human error, system malfunctions or attacks from uncoordinated individuals or 
sophisticated and targeted measures known as advanced persistent threats, directed at the Company, its products, its customers 
and/or its third-party service providers. 

Disruptions and attacks on our IT systems or the systems of third parties storing our data could result in the misappropriation, loss 
or corruption of our critical data and confidential or proprietary information, personal information of our employees, and the 
leakage of our or our customers’ confidential information, improper use of our systems and networks, production downtimes and 
both internal and external supply shortages, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and 
financial condition. The potential consequences of a material cybersecurity incident include reputational damage, litigation with 
third parties, diminution in the value of our investment in research, development and engineering, diversion of the attention of 
management away from the operation of our business and increased cybersecurity protection and remediation costs, which in turn 
could adversely affect our competitiveness and results of operations. 

We rely on third parties to provide or maintain some of our IT systems, data centers and related services and do not exercise direct 
control over these systems. There is a risk that security measures implemented at our own and at third party locations may not be 
sufficient and that our IT systems, data centers and cloud services are vulnerable to disruptions, including those resulting from 
natural disasters, cyberattacks or failures in third party-provided services. While we obtain assurances that any third parties we 
provide data to will protect this information and, where we believe appropriate, monitor the protections employed by these third 
parties, there is a risk the confidentiality of data held by us or by third parties may be compromised and expose us to liability for 
such breach. 

Cyberattacks have become increasingly frequent, sophisticated and globally widespread and could target software embedded in 
our products. Embedded software code could be compromised during software development or manufacturing processes or within 
the car itself. Cyberattacks on our products within the car can lead to malfunction or complete damage of the products, which 
could result into loss of control of the car and its safety features. To the extent that any disruption or security breach results in a 
misappropriation, loss or damage to our data, or an inappropriate disclosure of our confidential information or our customer’s 
information, it could cause significant damage to our reputation, affect our relationships with our customers, lead to claims against 
us and ultimately harm our business. In addition, we may be required to incur significant costs to protect against damage caused 
by these disruptions or security breaches in the future. In addition, as the regulatory environment related to information security, 
data collection and use, and privacy becomes increasingly rigorous, with new and constantly changing requirements applicable 
to our business, compliance with those requirements could result in additional costs.  Any future significant compromise or breach 
of our data security, whether external or internal, or misuse of customer, associate, supplier or Company data, could result in 
significant costs, lost sales, fines, lawsuits, and damage to our reputation.

Our business is exposed to risks inherent in international operations.

We  currently  conduct  operations  in  various  countries  and  jurisdictions,  including  locating  certain  of  our  manufacturing  and 
distribution facilities internationally, which subjects us to the legal, political, regulatory and social requirements and economic 
conditions in these jurisdictions. International sales and operations subject us to certain risks inherent in doing business abroad, 
including exposure to local economic and political conditions, foreign tax consequences, issues with enforcing legal agreements, 
currency controls, imposition of tariffs, and preferences of foreign nations for domestically manufactured products. These risks 
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operation and financial condition.

The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) significantly changed the taxation of U.S. based multinational corporations, 
including, inter alia, reducing the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, creating new taxes on certain foreign 
sourced earnings and a new minimum tax calculated on certain U.S. outbound payments. We have completed our accounting for 
the impact of the Tax Act as of December 22, 2018 based on published guidance.  We expect that the U.S. Treasury Department, 
the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), and state tax authorities will be issuing additional guidance on how the provisions of the 
Tax Act  will  be  applied  or  otherwise  administered,  and  such  guidance  may  be  different  from  our  current  interpretation. The 
legislation could be subject to potential amendments and technical corrections, any of which could materially lessen or increase 
certain adverse  impacts  of  the  legislation. As  regulations  and  guidance  evolve with  respect  to  the Tax Act,  and  as  we  gather 
information and perform more analysis, our results may differ from previous estimates and may materially affect our financial 
position. Changes in tax laws or policies by foreign jurisdictions could result in a higher effective tax rate on our worldwide 
earnings and such change could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, the current U.S. administration has created uncertainty about the future relationship between the U.S. and certain of 
its trading partners, including with respect to the trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs that could apply to 
trade between the U.S. and other nations, including changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, including the United 
States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (the “USMCA”) or otherwise and other international trade agreements. During 2018, the U.S. 
administration announced tariffs on certain products imported into the U.S., which has resulted in reciprocal tariffs from other 

22

countries, including countries where we operate. The tariffs implemented on our products (or on materials, parts or components 
we use to manufacture our products) by the U.S. will increase the cost of our products manufactured and imported into the U.S. 
Tariffs and other trade restrictions announced by other countries on products manufactured in the U.S. could likewise increase the 
costs of those products when imported into other countries. If additional tariffs are implemented on our products (or on materials, 
parts or components we use to manufacture our products) by the U.S. or other countries, the cost of our products could increase 
further. Additional tariffs, changes in international trade relations or continued uncertainty could depress economic activity and 
restrict our access to suppliers or customers and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and 
financial condition.

Our business in China is subject to aggressive competition and is sensitive to economic and market conditions as well as 
restrictions placed on foreign automakers.

We operate in the highly competitive automotive supply market in China and face competition from both international and smaller 
domestic manufacturers. Maintaining a strong position in the Chinese market is a key component of our global growth strategy. 
Our business is sensitive to economic and market conditions that impact automotive sales volumes and growth in China and may 
be affected if the pace of growth slows as the Chinese market matures or if there are reductions in vehicle demand in China. We 
anticipate that additional competitors, both international and domestic, may seek to enter the Chinese market resulting in increased 
competition. Increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced margins and our inability to gain or hold market share. 
There have been periods of increased market volatility and moderation in the levels of economic growth in China, which resulted 
in periods of lower automotive production growth rates in China than those previously experienced. Furthermore, the Chinese 
government has inflated demand for domestic production of electric cars by offering purchase incentives for electric cars and has 
restricted foreign automakers from digital mapping within its borders impacting many of our customers’ ability to manufacture 
self-driving vehicles within China.  Many of our customers are not domestic Chinese companies. If our non-Chinese customers 
are prevented or deterred from doing business in China, it could impair our position in the Chinese market. If we are unable to 
maintain our position in the Chinese market, the pace of growth slows or vehicle sales in China decrease, our business, results of 
operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

We are exposed to exchange rate risks.

We have currency exposures related to buying, selling and financing in currencies other than the local currencies of the countries 
in which we operate. We are particularly vulnerable to a strong U.S. dollar as certain raw materials and components are sourced 
in U.S. dollars while sales are also currently in other currencies, like the Euro. Our risks include:

•  transaction exposure, which arises because the cost of a product originates in one currency and the product is sold in 

another currency;

•  revaluation effects, which arise from valuation of assets denominated in other currencies than the reporting currency of 

each unit;

•  translation exposure in the income statement, which arises when the income statements of non-U.S. subsidiaries are 

translated into U.S. dollars;

•  translation exposure in the balance sheet, which arises when the balance sheets of non-U.S. subsidiaries are translated 

into U.S. dollars; and

•  changes in the reported U.S. dollar amounts of cash flows.

For example, in 2018 the Company’s gross transaction exposure was approximately $0.7 billion, with a net exposure of $0.6 billion 
due to counter-flows. The five largest net transaction exposures were the sale of Euro against Swedish Krona, the purchase of U.S. 
Dollars against Swedish Krona, the purchase of U.S. Dollar against Korean Won, the sale of U.S. Dollars against Chinese Renminbi 
and the purchase of U.S. Dollar against Euro. Together these currency pairs accounted for approximately 76% of the Company’s 
net currency transaction exposure. These exchange rate risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of 
operations and financial condition.

We face risks in connection with identifying, completing and integrating acquisitions.

Our  business’s  growth  has  been  enhanced  through  strategic  opportunities,  including  acquisitions  of  businesses,  products  and 
technologies, and joint development agreements. We may continue to identify and engage in strategic opportunities in the future. 
However, we may not be able to successfully identify suitable acquisition candidates or complete transactions on acceptable terms, 
integrate acquired operations into our existing operations or expand into new markets. Our failure to identify suitable strategic 
opportunities may restrict our ability to grow our business. These strategic opportunities also involve numerous additional risks 
to us and our investors, including risks related to retaining acquired management and employees, difficulties in integrating the 
acquired  technology,  products,  operations  and  personnel  with  our  existing  business,  assumption  of  contingent  liabilities,  and 
potentially adverse financial impact of acquisitions. Consequently, there is a risk that the acquisitions and other transactions may 

23

not result in revenue growth, operational synergies or service or technology enhancements, which could have a material adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Risks associated with joint venture partnerships and other collaborations may adversely affect our business and financial 
results.

Certain of our operations are currently conducted through joint ventures and joint development agreements, and we may enter 
into additional joint ventures and collaborations in the future. Our joint ventures and collaborations are generally focused on 
opening or expanding opportunities for our technologies and supporting the design and introduction of new products and services 
(or  enhancing  existing  products  or  services).  Such  activities  entail  a  high  degree  of  risk  and  often  require  significant  capital 
investments. We may underestimate the costs and/or overestimate the benefits, including technology, product, revenue, cost and 
other synergies and growth opportunities, that we expect to realize, and we may not achieve those benefits, or may do so later 
than expected. The market and customer demand for products and technologies provided by our joint ventures may also shift. For 
example, we have begun to see a shift in our customer’s focus to products and systems supporting “Level 2 plus driver assistance” 
technologies over systems supporting fully autonomous driving as it appears that fully autonomous vehicles will come to market 
in significant numbers later than previously expected. This means that some of the expected sales from technologies provided by 
our Zenuity joint venture may come later than previously expected. As a result, we may have to evaluate our strategic and business 
plans for, as well as the ongoing funding needs of, Zenuity to account for such delays. 

Furthermore, our joint venture partners may be unable or unwilling to meet their economic or other contractual obligations, and 
we may in some cases and/or for some time choose to fulfill those obligations alone to ensure the ongoing success of a joint 
venture, or we may choose to dissolve and liquidate it.  For example, since we acquired a 51% interest in VNBS, we have unilaterally 
provided the funds necessary to meet VNBS’s operational needs as Nissin Kogyo has, notwithstanding repeated requests, refused 
to provide funding in proportion to its ownership. In 2019, the Company initiated a formal negotiation process under the VNBS 
JV Agreement to find a resolution to this situation. 

In addition, our joint venture and collaboration partners may at any time have economic, business or legal interests or goals that 
are inconsistent with our goals or with the goals of the joint venture. Our products and technologies may from time to time overlap 
with certain aspects of the technologies developed with one of our joint venture or collaboration partners which may cause the 
parties to consider the impact on the contractual relationship. Depending on our level of control over the governance and/or 
operations of a joint venture or collaboration, we may be unable to implement actions with respect to the joint venture’s activities 
that we believe are favorable if the joint venture partner does not agree.  Disagreements with our business partners may impede 
our ability to maximize the benefits of our partnerships. We may have difficulty resolving disputes with or claims against our joint 
venture partners, which could lead to us bearing liability for claims that we are not responsible for and may have a material adverse 
impact on the joint venture. 

The above risks, if realized, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may not be able to respond quickly enough to changes in technology and technological risks and to develop our intellectual 
property into commercially viable products.

Changes in legislative, regulatory or industry requirements or in competitive technologies may render certain of our products 
obsolete  or  less  attractive  to  our  customers. We  currently  license  certain  proprietary  technology  to  third  parties  and,  if  such 
technology becomes obsolete or less attractive, those licensees could terminate our license agreements, which could adversely 
affect our results of operations. Our ability to anticipate changes in technology and regulatory standards and to successfully develop 
and introduce new and enhanced products on a timely basis will be a significant factor in our ability to be competitive. There is 
a risk that we will not be able to achieve the technological advances that may be necessary for us to be competitive or that certain 
of our products will become obsolete. We are also subject to the risks generally associated with new product introductions and 
applications, including lack of market acceptance, delays in product development and failure of products to operate properly. As 
part  of  our  business  strategy,  we  may  from  time  to  time  seek  to  acquire  businesses  or  assets  that  provide  us  with  additional 
intellectual property. We may experience problems integrating acquired technologies into our existing technologies and products, 
and such acquired intellectual property may be subject to known or contingent liabilities such as infringement claims. These risks 
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business may be adversely affected by laws or regulations, including international, environmental, occupational health 
and safety or other governmental regulations.

We are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations, including those related to the requirements of 
environmental, occupational health and safety, financial and other matters. We cannot predict the substance or impact of pending 
or future legislation or regulations, or the application thereof. The introduction of new laws or regulations or changes in existing 

24

laws or regulations, or the interpretations thereof, could increase the costs of doing business for us or our customers or suppliers 
or restrict our actions and adversely affect our operating results, cash flows and financial condition. Our operations are subject to 
environmental and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, emissions to air, discharges to waters and the 
generation, handling, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste and other materials. The operation of automotive 
parts manufacturing facilities entails risks in these areas, and there is a risk that we will incur material costs or liabilities as a result. 
Additionally, environmental laws, regulations, and permits and the enforcement thereof change frequently and have tended to 
become increasingly stringent over time, which may necessitate substantial capital expenditures or operating costs or may require 
changes of production processes.

Due to our global operations, we are also subject to many laws governing our activities in other countries (including, but not 
limited to, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other anti-bribery regulations in foreign jurisdictions where we do business, and 
the U.S. Export Administration Act), which prohibit improper payments to government officials and restrict where and how we 
can do business, what information or products we can supply to certain countries and what information we can provide to authorities 
in governmental authorities.

There is a risk that our policies and procedures will not protect us from the reckless acts of our employees or representatives, 
particularly in the case of recently acquired operations that may not have significant training in applicable compliance policies 
and procedures. Any costs, liabilities, and obligations that we incur relating to such regulations could have a material adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The United Kingdom’s (“U.K.”) referendum to exit from the European Union (“E.U.”) will continue to have uncertain effects 
and could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.

On June 23, 2016, the UK held a referendum in which voters approved an exit from the EU (commonly referred to as “Brexit”). 
Current uncertainty over whether the UK will ultimately leave the EU, as well as the final outcome of the negotiations between 
the UK and the EU, could have an adverse effect on our business and financial results. The long-term effects of Brexit may include, 
among  other  things,  greater restrictions  on  imports  and  exports  between  the  UK  and  EU  countries,  a  fluctuation in  currency 
exchange rates and additional regulatory complexity. Such changes could be costly and potentially disruptive to our operations 
and business relationships in these markets. If we are unable to manage any of these risks effectively, our business could be 
adversely affected. Our operations in the UK represented an immaterial part of our business as of December 31, 2018.

Our business may be adversely affected by changes in automotive safety regulations or concerns that drive further regulation 
of the automobile safety and autonomous driving markets.

Government vehicle safety regulations are a key driver in our business. Historically, these regulations have imposed ever more 
stringent safety regulations for vehicles. Safety regulations have a positive impact on driver awareness and acceptance of active 
safety products and technology. These more stringent safety regulations often require vehicles to have more safety content per 
vehicle and more advanced safety products, including active safety technology, which has thus been a driver of growth in our 
business.

These regulations are subject to change based on a number of factors that are not within our control, including new scientific or 
medical data, adverse publicity regarding autonomous vehicles or technology, domestic and foreign political developments or 
considerations, and litigation relating to our products and our competitors’ products. Changes in government regulations in response 
to these and other considerations could have a severe impact on our business. If government priorities shift and we are unable to 
adapt to changing regulations, our business may suffer material adverse effects. 

The regulatory obligation of complying with safety regulations could increase as federal and local regulators impose more stringent 
compliance and reporting requirements in response to product recalls, safety issues and product innovations in our industry. In 
the U.S., we are subject to the existing Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act, 
which requires manufacturers to comply with “Early Warning” requirements by reporting to the National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration (“NHTSA”) information related to defects or reports of injury related to their products. TREAD imposes criminal 
liability for violating such requirements if a defect subsequently causes death or bodily injury. In addition, the National Traffic 
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act authorizes NHTSA to require a manufacturer to recall and repair vehicles that contain safety defects 
or fail to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued regulations in 2016 
that require manufacturers of certain autonomous vehicles to provide documentation covering specific topics to regulators, such 
as how automated systems detect objects on the road, how information is displayed to drivers, what cybersecurity measures are 
in place and the methods used to test the design and validation of autonomous driving systems.

As our technologies advance and develop beyond traditional automotive products, we may be subject to regulatory regimes beyond 
traditional vehicle safety rules and requirements. As a result, we may not identify all regulatory licenses or permits required for 

25

our products, or our products may operate beyond the scope of the licenses and permits we have obtained. Failing to obtain the 
required licenses, permits or other regulatory authorizations could result in investigations, fines or other penalties or proceedings. 
If  any of  the regulatory  risks described  above materialize, it  could have  a material adverse effect on  our  business,  results of 
operations and financial condition.

Risks Related to the Spin-Off and Our Operation as a Stand-Alone Company

We have a limited history of operating as an independent, stand-alone company, and our historical financial information does 
not predict our future results.

Our historical financial information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K up to Spin-Off refers to our business as operated by and 
integrated with Autoliv. Our historical financial information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-Kprior to the completion 
of the Spin-Off is derived from the consolidated financial statements and accounting records of Autoliv. Accordingly, the historical 
financial information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K prior to the completion of the Spin-Off does not necessarily 
reflect the financial condition, results of operations or cash flows that we would have achieved as a separate, publicly traded 
company during the periods presented or those that we will achieve in the future primarily as a result of the factors described 
below.

Prior to the Spin-Off, our business was operated by Autoliv as part of its broader corporate organization, rather than as an independent 
company. Autoliv or one of its affiliates performed various corporate functions for us, such as legal, accounting, treasury, internal 
auditing, and human resources and also provided our IT and other corporate infrastructure. Our historical financial results reflect 
allocations of corporate expenses from Autoliv for such functions and are likely to be less than the expenses we would have 
incurred had we operated as a separate publicly traded company. As a result of the Spin-Off, we are responsible for the costs related 
to such functions previously performed by Autoliv, and such costs have increased. Autoliv is providing some of these functions 
to us pursuant to a transition services agreement. See “Spin-Off Related Agreements-Amended and Restated Transition Services 
Agreement.”  We  will  need  to  make  investments  to  replicate  or  outsource  from  other  providers  certain  facilities,  systems, 
infrastructure, and personnel to which we no longer have access as a result of the Spin-Off. These initiatives to develop our 
independent ability to operate without access to Autoliv’s existing operational and administrative infrastructure will have a cost 
to implement. We may not be able to operate our business efficiently or at comparable costs, and our profitability may decline. 
Additionally,  prior  to  the  Spin-Off,  we  shared  economies  of  scale  in  costs,  employees,  vendor  relationships  and  customer 
relationships with Autoliv. Although we have entered into a transition services agreement with Autoliv for certain services, these 
arrangements may not fully capture the benefits that we have enjoyed as a result of being integrated with Autoliv and may result 
in us paying higher amounts than in the past for certain products and services. This could have an adverse effect on our results of 
operations and financial condition as separate, publicly traded company.

Other significant changes may occur in our cost structure, management, financing and business operations, as compared to the 
past  financial  performance  of  our  business,  as  a  result  of  operating  as  a  company  separate  from Autoliv. These  risks  could, 
individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our ability to meet our capital needs have materially changed by the loss of financial support from Autoliv and it may be more 
difficult for us to obtain capital to fund our business.

The loss of financial support from Autoliv has changed our previous source of capital Autoliv previously provided certain capital 
that was needed in excess of the amounts generated by our operating activities.   We currently expect to obtain any funds needed 
in excess of the amounts contributed by Autoliv in the Spin-Off and generated by our operating activities through the capital 
markets, bank financing, strategic relationships or other arrangements, and not from Autoliv. However, given the smaller relative 
size of our company, as compared to Autoliv after the Spin-Off, we may incur higher debt servicing and other costs relating to 
new indebtedness than we would have otherwise incurred as a part of Autoliv. As a stand-alone company, the cost of our financing 
also will depend on other factors such as our performance and financial market conditions generally. Further, we cannot guarantee 
you that we will be able to obtain capital market financing or credit on favorable terms, or at all, in the future.  We cannot assure 
you that our ability to meet our capital needs will not be harmed by the loss of financial support from Autoliv.

We may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve from the Spin-Off.

We and Autoliv believe that the tax-free Spin-Off will enhance our long-term value. However, by separating from Autoliv, we 
may be more susceptible to market fluctuations and other adverse events than we would have been were we still a part of Autoliv. 
In addition, we may not be able to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve as an independent company in the 
time we expect, if at all.

26

We may be responsible for U.S. federal income tax liabilities that relate to the distribution.

Autoliv received an opinion from its outside tax counsel to the effect that the distribution of our common stock, together with 
certain related transactions, should qualify as a transaction that is tax-free under Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355 of the Code. The 
opinion was based on and relied on, among other things, certain facts and assumptions, as well as certain representations, statements 
and undertakings of Autoliv and the Company, including those relating to the past and future conduct of Autoliv and the Company. 
If any of these representations, statements or undertakings are, or become, inaccurate or incomplete, or if Autoliv or the Company 
breach any of their respective covenants in the Spin-Off documents, the opinion of counsel may be invalid and the conclusions 
reached therein could be jeopardized. Notwithstanding the opinion of counsel, the IRS could determine that the distribution, 
together  with  certain  related  transactions,  should  be  treated  as  a  taxable  transaction  if  the  IRS  determines  that  any  of  these 
representations, assumptions, or undertakings upon which such opinion was based are incorrect or have been violated or if the 
IRS disagrees with the conclusions in the opinion of counsel. An opinion of counsel is not binding on the IRS or any court and 
there is a risk that the IRS not challenge the conclusions reached in the opinion. The IRS did not provide any opinion in advance 
of the Spin-Off that the Spin-Off will be tax-free.

If the distribution, together with certain related transactions, failed to qualify as a transaction that is generally tax-free under 
Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355 of the Code, Autoliv would recognize taxable gain as if it had sold our common stock in a taxable 
sale for its fair market value, Autoliv stockholders who received our common stock in the distribution would be subject to tax as 
if they had received a taxable distribution equal to the fair market value of such shares, and we could incur significant liabilities. 
In addition, if the Spin-Off is not tax-free, Veoneer would be responsible for tax liabilities as allocated by the Tax Matters Agreement.

Even if the Spin-Off otherwise qualifies as a tax-free transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the distribution will be 
taxable to Autoliv if there are (or have been) one or more acquisitions (including issuances) of our stock or the stock of Autoliv, 
representing 50% or more, measured by vote or value, of the stock of any such corporation and the acquisition or acquisitions are 
deemed to be part of a plan or series of related transactions that include the distribution. Any acquisition of our common stock 
within two years before or after the distribution (with exceptions, including public trading by less-than-5% stockholders and certain 
compensatory stock issuances) generally will be presumed to be part of such a plan unless that presumption is rebutted. The 
resulting tax liability would be substantial, and under U.S. Treasury regulations, each member of the Autoliv group at the time of 
the Spin-Off (including us and our subsidiaries) would be severally liable for the resulting U.S. federal income tax liability.

Pursuant to the Tax Matters Agreement, we agreed not to enter into certain transactions that could cause any portion of the Spin-
Off to be taxable to Autoliv, including under Section 355(e) of the Code. We also agreed to indemnify Autoliv for any tax liabilities 
resulting from such transactions or other actions we take, and Autoliv agreed to indemnify us for any tax liabilities resulting from 
transactions entered into by Autoliv. These obligations may discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company, 
which could have a materially adverse effect on our business. For additional details, see “Spin-Off Related Agreements, Tax 
Matters Agreement.”

Our internal controls around accounting and financial reporting may not be adequate to ensure complete and accurate reporting 
of our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

The Exchange Act requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to its business and financial condition. 
Under the Sarbanes Oxley Act, we are required to maintain effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over 
financial reporting. Any failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls could have a material adverse effect on our 
business, results of operations and financial condition.

We could incur substantial additional costs and experience temporary business interruptions as we install and implement our 
information technology infrastructure and transition our data to our own systems.

We have begun to install and implement information technology infrastructure to support certain of our business functions, including 
accounting  and  reporting,  manufacturing  process  control  and  distribution. We  may  incur  temporary  interruptions  in  business 
operations if we cannot fully transition effectively from Autoliv’s existing transactional and operational systems, data centers and 
the transition services that support these functions. We may not be successful in implementing our new systems and transitioning 
our data, and we may incur substantially higher costs for implementation than currently anticipated. Our failure to avoid operational 
interruptions as we implement the new systems and replaces Autoliv’s information technology services, or our failure to implement 
the new systems and replace Autoliv’s services successfully, and any substantially higher costs could disrupt our business and 
have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and. In addition, if we are unable to 
replicate or transition certain systems, our ability to comply with regulatory requirements could be impaired.

27

Autoliv may fail to perform under various agreements that were executed in connection with the Spin-Off and we may have 
greater costs or potential liability pursuant to such agreements.

In connection with the internal reorganization and Spin-Off, we and Autoliv entered into a Master Transfer Agreement, Distribution 
Agreement and various other agreements, including the Transition Services Agreement, Tax Matters Agreement and an Employee 
Matters Agreement. Certain of these agreements provide for the performance of services by each company for the benefit of the 
other following the Spin-Off. We are relying on Autoliv to satisfy its performance and payment obligations under these agreements. 
If Autoliv is unable to satisfy its obligations under these agreements, including its indemnification obligations, we could incur 
operational difficulties or losses.

Furthermore, these agreements may not reflect terms that would have resulted from arm’s-length negotiations among unaffiliated 
third parties. To the extent that certain terms of those agreements provide for rights and obligations that could have been procured 
from third parties, we may have received better terms from third parties. There is a risk that we may incur greater costs or be 
subject to greater potential liability pursuant to our agreements with Autoliv for certain rights and obligations that could have been 
procured from unaffiliated third parties. See “Spin-Off Related Agreements.”

Currently, we rely on Autoliv to provide certain corporate and administrative services such as certain information technology, 
financial and human resource services. We are in the process of creating our own, or engaging third parties to provide, systems 
and services to replace many of the systems and services Autoliv currently provides to us pursuant to the Transition Services 
Agreement. If Autoliv is unable or unwilling to provide such services pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement, or if the 
agreement is terminated prior to the end of its term, we may be unable to provide such services ourselves or we may have to incur 
additional expenditures to obtain such services from another provider.

Potential indemnification liabilities to Autoliv or a refusal of Autoliv to indemnify us pursuant to the Distribution Agreement 
could materially adversely affect us.

The transaction documents we entered into with Autoliv in connection with the internal reorganization and the Spin-Off provide 
for cross-indemnities that require Autoliv and Veoneer to bear financial responsibility for each company’s business prior to the 
internal reorganization or Spin-Off, as applicable, and to indemnify the other party in connection with a breach of such party of 
the transaction agreements; provided, however, certain warranty, recall and product liabilities for electronics products manufactured 
prior to the completion of the internal reorganization have been retained by Autoliv and Autoliv will indemnify us for any losses 
associated with such warranty, recall or product liabilities pursuant to the distribution agreement entered into as part of the Spin-
Off. If we are required to indemnify Autoliv under the circumstances set forth in the transaction documents, we may be subject 
to substantial liabilities. In addition, there can be no assurance that the indemnities from Autoliv will be sufficient to protect us 
against the full amount of any potential liabilities. Even if we do succeed in recovering from Autoliv any amounts for which we 
are held liable, we may be temporarily required to bear these losses ourselves. In addition, each of these risks could have a material 
adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be unable to take certain actions because such actions could jeopardize the tax-free status of the Spin-Off, and such 
restrictions could be significant.

To preserve the tax-free treatment of the Spin-Off, for the initial two-year period following the Spin-Off, we are prohibited, except 
in limited circumstances, from taking or failing to take certain actions that would prevent the Spin-Off and related transactions 
from being tax-free, including: (1) entering into any transaction pursuant to which our stock would be acquired, whether by merger 
or otherwise; (2) issuing any equity securities or securities that could possibly be converted into our equity securities; (3) selling 
or otherwise disposing of substantially all of our assets; or (4) repurchasing our equity securities. These restrictions may limit our 
ability to issue equity and to pursue strategic transactions or engage in new business or other transactions that may maximize the 
value of our business. In addition, if we take, or fail to take, actions that prevent the Spin-Off and related transactions from being 
tax-free, we could be liable for the adverse tax consequences resulting from such actions. See “Spin-Off Related Agreements, Tax 
Matters Agreement.”

The Spin-Off and related transactions may expose us to potential liabilities arising out of state and federal fraudulent conveyance 
laws and legal distribution requirements.

The Spin-Off could be challenged under various state and federal fraudulent conveyance laws. An unpaid creditor or an entity 
vested with the power of such creditor (such as a trustee or debtor-in-possession in a bankruptcy) could claim that Autoliv did not 
receive fair consideration or reasonably equivalent value in the Spin-Off, and that the Spin-Off left Autoliv insolvent or with 
unreasonably small capital or that Autoliv intended or believed it would incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they 
mature. If a court were to agree with such a plaintiff, then such court could void the Spin-Off as a fraudulent transfer and could 
impose a number of different remedies, including without limitation, returning our assets or your shares in our company to Autoliv 

28

or providing Autoliv with a claim for money damages against us in an amount equal to the difference between the consideration 
received by Autoliv and the fair market value of our company at the time of the Spin-Off. No assurance can be given as to what 
standard a court would apply to determine insolvency or that a court would determine that Autoliv was solvent at the time of or 
after giving effect to the Spin-Off, including the distribution of our common stock.

Certain of our officers and directors may have actual or potential conflicts of interest because of their service as executive 
officers or directors of Autoliv.

Certain of our directors and officers own Autoliv common stock and equity awards. Even though our board of directors consists 
of a majority of directors who are independent, several of our directors continue to have a financial interest in Autoliv common 
stock and equity awards. Continuing ownership of Autoliv common stock and equity awards, or service as a director at both 
companies could create, or appear to create, potential conflicts of interest for our directors and officers with prior or continuing 
positions with Autoliv if we have disagreements with Autoliv about the agreements between us that continue or face decisions 
that could have different implications for us and Autoliv.

Risks Related to Investing in Our Securities

Our board of directors may change significant corporate policies without stockholder approval.

Our  financing,  borrowing  and  dividend  policies  and  our  policies  with  respect  to  all  other  activities,  including  growth,  debt, 
capitalization and operations, are determined by our board of directors. These policies may be amended or revised at any time and 
from time to time at the discretion of our board of directors without a vote of our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors 
may  change  our  policies  with  respect  to  conflicts  of  interest  provided  that  such  changes  are  consistent  with  applicable  legal 
requirements. A change in these policies could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial 
condition, the per share trading price of our common stock and our ability to satisfy our debt service obligations and to pay 
dividends to our stockholders.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts 
for us that you might consider favorable.

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may make the merger or acquisition of the Company more 
difficult without the approval of our board of directors. Among other things:

• 

although we do not have a stockholder rights plan, our certificate of incorporation allows us to authorize the issuance of 
undesignated  preferred  stock  in  connection  with  a  stockholder  rights  plan  or  otherwise,  the  terms  of  which  may  be 
established and the shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval, and which may include super voting, 
special approval, dividend, or other rights or preferences superior to the rights of the holders of common stock;

•  we have a classified board of directors, and any director may be removed only for cause and only by the affirmative vote 

• 

• 
• 
• 

of at least 75% of the voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of voting stock;
our board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our bylaws and our stockholders may only amend 
our bylaws by the affirmative vote of at least 80% of the voting power of all the then-outstanding shares of voting stock;
our certificate of incorporation and bylaws permits only our board of directors to call special meetings of stockholders;
our certificate of incorporation and bylaws do not permit stockholder action by written consent; and
our bylaws establish advance notice requirements for nominations for elections to our board of directors or for proposing 
matters that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings.

Further, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to provisions of Delaware law, which may impair a takeover attempt that our 
stockholders may find beneficial. These anti-takeover provisions and other provisions under Delaware law could discourage, delay 
or  prevent  a  transaction  involving  a  change  in  control  of  the  Company,  including  actions  that  our  stockholders  may  deem 
advantageous, or negatively affect the trading price of our common stock. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests 
and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and to cause us to take other corporate 
actions you desire.

Our certificate of incorporation  designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum 
for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable 
judicial forum for disputes with us or our current or former directors, officers or stockholders.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery 
of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, 
(ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our stockholders, directors, officers or other employees 

29

to us or to our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising out of or pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, 
(iv) the certificate of incorporation or amended and bylaws, or (v) any action asserting a claim government by the internal affairs 
doctrine. At our 2019 annual meeting of stockholders, we intend to ask our stockholders to vote on whether to keep this provision 
in our certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may only be amended by the affirmative vote of at least 80% 
of the voting power of all the outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote, which may have the effect of making this 
provision difficult to repeal by our stockholders. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise holding any interest in shares of 
our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of, and consented to, the provision in our restated certificate of incorporation 
related to choice of forum. This provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers or employees 
by limiting our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that they find favorable for disputes.

The market price and trading volume of our common stock may fluctuate widely.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, depending upon many factors, some of which may be beyond 
our control, including, but not limited to:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

a shift in our investor base;
our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of comparable companies;
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results;
our ability to obtain financing as needed;
changes in laws and regulations affecting our business;
changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;
announcements by us or our competitors of significant investments, acquisitions or dispositions;
the failure of securities analysts to cover our common stock;
changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates;
the operating performance and stock price of comparable companies;
overall market fluctuations;
a decline in the automotive market; and
general economic conditions and other external factors.

Future issuances of common stock by us may cause the market price of our common stock to decline.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, 
could substantially decrease the market price of our common stock. 

In connection with the Spin-Off, we adopted an equity incentive plan in which our employees, non-employee directors and other 
service providers may participate, under which an aggregate of 3,000,000 shares of our common stock are available for future 
issuance, plus a number of shares to satisfy equity-based awards that were issued to holders of certain  equity awards outstanding 
under Autoliv’s Amended and Restated Stock Incentive Plan at the time of the Spin-Off . We filed a registration statement on Form 
S-8 under the Securities Act to register shares of our common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of 
our common stock issued pursuant to our equity incentive plan. Accordingly, shares registered under such registration statement 
are available for sale in the open market.

Your ownership in our stock may be diluted by additional equity issuances.

Your percentage ownership in our common stock could be diluted in the future as a result of equity issuances for acquisitions, 
capital market transactions or otherwise, including any equity awards that we grant to our directors, officers and employees. Such 
awards could have a dilutive effect on our earnings per share, which could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. 
In addition, our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes 
or series of preferred shares having such designation, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special 
rights as our board of directors generally may determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred shares could 
dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock.

We have no current plans to pay cash dividends on our common stock, and certain factors could limit our ability to pay dividends 
in the future.

The declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends on shares of common stock will be at the absolute and sole discretion 
of our board of directors. Our board of directors may take into account general and economic conditions, our financial condition 
and results of operations, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax 
and regulatory restrictions and implications on the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries to us 

30

and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends may be limited by 
covenants of indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur in the future. We have no current plans to pay any cash dividends.

Risks Related to an Investment in our SDRs

Veoneer SDR holders do not have the same rights as our stockholders.

A Veoneer SDR holder does not have equivalent rights as our holders of common stock, whose rights are governed by U.S. federal 
law and the Delaware General Corporation Law. The rights of Veoneer SDR holders are set forth and described in to the General 
Terms and Conditions for Swedish Depository Receipts in Veoneer (the “General Terms and Conditions”). Although the General 
Terms  and  Conditions  generally  allow Veoneer  SDR  holders  to  vote  in  general  meetings  of  stockholders  or  to  be  entitled  to 
dividends as if they held our shares of common stock directly, the rights of Veoneer SDR holders differ in some instances from 
the rights of Veoneer stockholders. In particular, Veoneer SDR holders do not have the ability to nominate directors for election 
or bring proposals before our annual meeting to the extent provided for in our governing documents or by applicable U.S state or 
federal law. Additionally, Veoneer SDR holders may not be able to enforce their rights under the General Terms and Conditions 
in relation to their SDRs in the same manner as one of our stockholders could with respect to our shares of common stock under 
applicable U.S. law.

The trading market for Veoneer SDRs may be limited in the future.

There is a risk that a trading market for Veoneer SDRs will not develop or be sustained in the future. Veoneer SDRs traded in 
Stockholm are not equivalent to a Swedish security being traded on Nasdaq Stockholm. Specifically, Veoneer SDRs represent 
shares of a U.S. company and are not themselves shares of stock. The lack of an active trading market may make it more difficult 
for you to sell your Veoneer SDRs and could lead to the price of Veoneer SDRs being depressed or more volatile.

31

Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

Item 2. Properties

Veoneer’s principal executive offices are located at Klarabergsviadukten 70, Section C6, SE-111 64, Stockholm, Sweden. Veoneer’s 
various businesses operate in a number of production facilities and offices. Veoneer believes that its properties are adequately 
maintained  and  suitable  for  their  intended  use  and  that  the  Company’s  production  facilities  have  adequate  capacity  for  the 
Company’s current and foreseeable needs. All of Veoneer’s production facilities and offices are owned or leased by operating 
(either subsidiary or joint venture) companies.

As of December 31, 2018, including joint venture operations, we owned or leased 10 manufacturing facilities and 22 technical 
centers and several sales and administrative offices. We have a presence in 13 countries. Our global scale enables us to engineer 
globally and manufacture locally to serve our global and local customers.

The following tables shows the regional distribution of our manufacturing facilities and technical sites:

VEONEER MANUFACTURING FACILITIES

Location of
Facility

Reporting
Segment(s)

Items Produced at
Facility

Owned/
Leased

Markham

Electronics

Airbag electronics, radar sensors

Leased

Shanghai

Zhongshan

Saint-Etienne du
Rouvray

Electronics

Airbag electronics, radar sensors

Brake Systems

Brake control systems

Owned

Owned

Electronics

Airbag electronics, ADAS ECUs

Owned

Ueda

Brake Systems

Brake control systems

Shimo-Muroga
Saku City

Brake Systems
Brake Systems

Brake control systems
Brake control systems

Vårgårda

Electronics

Airbag electronics, vision cameras
and radar

Goleta, CA
Findlay, OH

Electronics
Brake Systems

Night vision
Brake control systems

Leased

Leased
Leased

Owned

Leased
Leased

Country/ Company
Canada
Veoneer Canada Inc.

China
Veoneer (China) Co., Ltd.

Veoneer Nissin Brake Systems
(Zhongshan) Co., Ltd

France
Veoneer France SAS

Japan
Veoneer Nissin Brake Systems
Japan Co., Ltd.

Sweden
Veoneer Sweden AB

USA
Veoneer US, Inc.
Veoneer Nissin Brake Systems
America, LLC

32

Country / Company
Australia
Veoneer Australia Pty. Ltd.

China
Veoneer China Co., Ltd.

France
Veoneer France SAS

Germany
Veoneer Germany GmbH

India
Veoneer India Private Limited
Japan
Veoneer Japan Ltd.

Veoneer Nissin Brake
Systems Japan Co., Ltd.

Romania
Veoneer Romania S.R.L.

South Korea
Veoneer Korea Ltd.

Sweden
Veoneer Sweden AB

USA
Veoneer US, Inc.

Veoneer Nissin Brake
Systems America, LLC

TECHNICAL CENTERS

Location

Reporting
Segment(s)

Product(s) Supported

Brooklyn

Shanghai

Brake Systems

Brake control systems

Electronics

Customer applications and platform development
with full-scale test laboratory

Cergy-Pontoise

Electronics

Customer applications and platform development
with full-scale test laboratory

Dachau

Niederwern
Holzgerlingen
Bergkirchen
Kitzingen

Electronics

Electronics
Electronics
Electronics
Electronics

Customer applications and platform development
with full-scale test laboratory

Customer applications and platform development
Customer applications and platform development
Customer applications and platform development
Customer application test facility

Bangalore

Electronics

Customer applications and platform development

Hiroshima
Yokohama (Facility 1)
Yokohama (Facility 2)
Tochigi

Electronics
Electronics
Electronics
Brake Systems

Customer applications and platform development
Customer applications and platform development
Customer applications and platform development
Brake control systems

Timisoara
Iasi

Electronics
Electronics

Customer applications and platform development
Customer applications and platform development

Hwaseong-shi

Electronics

Customer applications

Vårgårda
Linköping

Gothenburg
Stockholm
Skellefteå

Electronics
Electronics

Electronics
Electronics
Electronics

Research center
Electronics platform development

Customer applications and platform development
Customer applications and platform development
Customer applications and platform development

Southfield, MI

Electronics

Lowell, MA
Goleta, CA
Southfield, MI

Electronics
Electronics
Electronics

East Liberty, OH

Brake Systems

Brake control systems, electronics customer
application and platform development

Electronics platform development
Night vision development
Brake control systems customer application and
platform development

Brake control systems customer application and
platform development.

Our joint venture, Zenuity, leases technical centers in Munich, Germany, Göteborg, Sweden and Farmington Hills, Michigan, 
USA.

33

Item 3.   Legal Proceedings

Various claims, litigation and proceedings are pending or threatened against the Company or its subsidiaries, covering a range 
of matters that arise in the ordinary course of its business activities with respect to commercial, product liability and other 
matters.

Certain legal proceedings in which the Company is involved are discussed in Note 16 - "Commitments and Contingencies" of 
Part II, Item 8 "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" and should be considered an integral part of Part I, Item 3 "Legal 
Proceedings." 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

34

Part II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity 
Securities

Our common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "VNE" and our Swedish Depository 
Receipt ("SDRs") representing shares of our common stock are traded on Nasdaq Stockholm under the trading symbol "VNE 
SDB". As of February 15, 2019, the Company had  87,178,772 shares of its common stock, $1.00 par value per share, outstanding, 
which were owned by approximately 54,000 beneficial shareholders of record.

Performance Graph

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return from July 2, 2018, through December 31, 2018, for Veoneer's 
existing common stock, the S&P 500 Index and the Dow Jones U.S. Auto Parts Index. The graph below assumes that $100 was 
invested on July 2, 2018, in each of the Company's common stock, the stocks comprising the S&P 500 Index and the stocks 
comprising the Dow Jones U.S. Auto Parts Index, and that all that dividends have been reinvested. 

Veoneer, Inc.

S&P 500
Dow Jones U.S. Auto & Parts Index

2 July 2018
$100.00

$100.00
$100.00

28 September 2018
$129.12

31 December 2018
$55.26

$106.87
$92.24

$91.94
$71.67

The above comparisons are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission and are not intended to forecast or be indicative 
of possible future performance of the Company's common stock or the referenced indices.

35

Item 6.  Selected Financial Data

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The  following  statement  of  operations,  statement  of  cash  flows  and  balance  sheet  data  were  derived  from  the  Company's 
consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. This information should 
be read in conjunction with Item 7, “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” 
and Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in this Report.

2018

As of and for the Year Ended December 31,
2016

2015

2017

2014

Operating Results:
Net Sales

Operating Income / (loss)1
Net Income / (loss)
Net Income / (loss) attributable to controlling
interest

Capital Expenditures
Depreciation and Amortization

$

$
$

$
$

$

2,228

$

2,322

$

2,218

$

1,589

$

1,489

(197) $
(294) $

(283) $
(344) $

(25) $
(60) $

(276) $
(188) $

(217) $
(110) $

(53) $
(103) $

(8) $
(30) $

(30) $
(53) $

(111) $

(119) $

(106) $

(53) $

30
21

21
(64)

(45)

Financial Position:
Total Assets
Total Debt 2
1  Includes costs for goodwill impairment of $234 million in 2017.
2  Includes related party short-term debt and related party long-term debt as of December 31, 2018, related party long-term debt as of December 31, 2017.

$
(62) $

$
(14) $

$
(15) $

$
— $

2,632

1,663

1,739

1,059

$
$

758
—

36

Item 7.  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Introduction

The following MD&A is intended to help you understand the business operations and financial condition of the Company. This 
MD&A is presented in the following sections:

•  Executive Overview
•  Trends, Uncertainties and Opportunities
•  Market Overview
•  Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Measures  
•  Results of Operations
•  Liquidity and Capital Resources
•  Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
•  Contractual Obligations and Commitments
• 

Significant Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates

Veoneer is a Delaware corporation with its principal executive offices in Stockholm, Sweden. The Company functions as a holding 
corporation and owns two principal operating subsidiaries, Veoneer AB and Veoneer US, Inc. On June 29, 2018 the Spin-Off of 
Veoneer from Autoliv, Inc. ("Autoliv") was completed through the distribution by Autoliv of all the outstanding shares of common 
stock of Veoneer to Autoliv’s stockholders as of the close of business on June 12, 2018, the common stock record date for the 
distribution, in a tax-free, pro rata distribution (the "Spin-Off"). On July 2, 2018, the shares of Veoneer common stock commenced 
trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “VNE” and the Veoneer Swedish Depository Receipts representing 
shares of Veoneer common stock commenced trading on Nasdaq Stockholm under the symbol “VNE SDB.”

Veoneer is a global leader in the design, development, manufacture, and sale of automotive safety electronics with a focus on 
innovation, quality and manufacturing excellence. Prior to the Spin-Off, Veoneer operated for almost four years as an operating 
segment within Autoliv.  Veoneer's Safety Systems are designed to make driving safer and easier, more comfortable and convenient 
for the end consumer and to intervene before a collision. Veoneer endeavors to prevent vehicle accidents or reduce the severity 
of impact in the event a crash is unavoidable. Through our customer focus, being an expert partner with our customers, we intend 
to develop human centric systems that benefit vehicle occupants.

Veoneer’s current product offering includes automotive radars, mono-and stereo-vision cameras, night driving assist systems, 
positioning systems, ADAS (advanced driver assist systems) electronic control units, passive safety electronics (airbag control 
units and crash sensors), brake control systems and a complete ADAS software offering towards highly automated driving (HAD) 
and eventually autonomous driving (AD). In addition, we offer driver monitoring systems, LiDAR sensors, RoadScape positioning 
and  other  technologies  critical  for  HAD  and AD  solutions  by  leveraging  our  partnership  network  and  internally  developed 
intellectual property.

37

Executive Overview 

The environment around us is rapidly changing and we currently see a shift across the automotive and autotech industries. New 
technologies, creating new levels of interaction and driver support are starting to revolutionize driving, but we also see the driver 
being actively involved for years to come. We call this Collaborative Driving; the industry also calls it “Level 2+” driver support. 
At the same time there is also a growing realization that the introduction of truly self-driving cars will likely take longer and be 
more  expensive  than  previously  anticipated.  This  fundamental  insight  opens  up  new  opportunities  for  companies,  including 
Veoneer, but it also requires a reprioritization of resources. 

In the near term there is also an increased uncertainty regarding the development of global light vehicle production (LVP). During 
the fourth quarter of 2018 we saw a sharp decline in the LVP in China and Western Europe and we anticipate that these markets 
will continue to show weakness in the first half of this year. We expect the situation to improve in the second half, but we currently 
expect a slight decline in the global LVP for the full year 2019. 

In response to the larger role in the market for Collaborative Driving, the expected delay of self-driving, and the weaker LVP trend, 
we are actively reviewing our investment priorities and the focus of our product portfolio. Our purpose is to identify the most 
effective way to allocate talent and capital to meet these new market realities. In December we refined our organization to create 
a more agile and focused company, and during 2019 we expect our renewed organization, combined with other initiatives to 
gradually start delivering efficiency gains and stronger customer engagement. 

We expect the combined effects of a stronger LVP and new program launches in the second half of the year combined with our 
own efficiency and prioritization initiatives to start to lead to improved cash-flow in the latter part of the year. Assuming successful 
execution of these initiatives, we expect our net cash to cover our funding requirements until the Company reaches positive cash 
flow. However, additional funding may be required if order intake increases beyond our expectations, if the underlying near-term 
business conditions deteriorate further, or if we make acquisitions. 

We build our 2019 plan on a strong base. In 2018, our order intake grew strongly to a record lifetime order value of close to $6 
billion. Active Safety orders almost doubled, and we expanded our Active Safety customer base from 9 to 12 car manufacturers. 
From a product perspective, I am particularly pleased with the strong market and customer reception of our vision products based 
on Veoneer’s internally developed software algorithms and the fact that we won our first major commercial LiDAR order with a 
global OEM. 

We move forward in 2019 with a strong focus on capturing the opportunities in a new industry situation. By balancing growth, 
cost, and effective capital allocation we are building a focused, industry leading product portfolio, all with the objective to make 
Veoneer the leading company in our chosen business segments. 

2019 Outlook

Looking ahead into 2019 we are planning for a complex business environment. We are responding to light vehicle production 
fluctuations and uncertainties even as we prepare for a heavy new program launch schedule beginning in late 2019 and extending 
into 2020. 

Our current customer call-offs and deliveries reflect a weak demand situation in China and Western Europe, which leads us to 
anticipate a decline in LVP during the first six months of 2019. At this time, we expect this demand to stabilize and return to growth 
during the second half of the year, resulting in the estimated full year LVP being slightly down in 2019 as compared to 2018. 

Our sales during the first half of 2019 are expected to remain relatively flat sequentially from the second half of 2018, albeit a 
decline year over year, and then improve sequentially in the second half of 2019. Consequently, we estimate our organic sales will 
be flat to decline slightly for the full year 2019 while we estimate the currency translation impact to be approximately (2)% as 
compared to 2018. 

As a result of our sales and RD&E development, in combination with the implementation of our market adjustment initiatives 
during 2019, we expect a weak operating margin and cash flow during the first half of the year. The first quarter in 2019 is expected 
to be weaker than the fourth quarter in 2018, with an anticipated improvement during the second half of 2019. 

Based on the market opportunities ahead of us, we expect our 2019 order intake to be at least as strong as our performance in 
2018. 

38

Financial Results 

Significant aspects of the Company's financial results for the year ended December 31, 2018, include the following.

Sales - Net sales for the full year of 2018 decreased by $95 million to $2,228 million as compared to 2017.

Gross Profit - The gross profit of $430 million for the full year of 2018 was $36 million lower as compared to 2017. The 
volume and product mix effect causing the lower organic sales was partially offset by a net favorable currency benefit of 
around $10 million.

Operating Loss - The operating loss of $197 million for the full year of 2018 decreased by $86 million as compared to 2017, 
including a net favorable currency benefit of $4 million. In 2017 the operating loss included a goodwill impairment charge 
related to VNBS of $234 million.

Net Loss - The net loss for the full year of 2018 of $294 million decreased by $50 million as compared to 2017. In addition to the 
operating loss impact, the Veoneer net loss from Zenuity increased by $32 million. The Zenuity net loss increase is mainly due to 
the higher net cost run-rate related to the hiring of software engineers and an additional quarter of cost in 2018, since the JV was 
formed in April 2017. 

Interest income net increased by $6 million as compared to 2017. Income tax expense for 2018 was $42 million as compared to 
$30 million in 2017. The change in tax expense was primarily impacted by the change in mix of pre-tax earnings in our profitable 
subsidiaries and a non-cash, one-time  discrete tax item of $23 million in 2018. 

The non-controlling interest loss in the VNBS JV was $19 million for 2018 as compared to $127 million loss in 2017 which 
included the goodwill impairment charge of $113 million.

The pie charts below highlight the sales breakdown for Veoneer for the year ended December 31, 2018.

39

Trends, Uncertainties and Opportunities 

Europe continues to take a pro-active role in promoting or requiring active safety technologies. The European New Car Assessment 
Program (“NCAP”) continuously updates its test rating program to include more active safety technologies to help the European 
Union reach its target of cutting road fatalities by 50% by 2030, as compared to 2020. On May 17, 2018, the European Commission 
proposed a new mandate, as party of the EU general Safety Regulation road-map till 2028 to make certain active safety features 
compulsory in light vehicles by 2022. Such a mandate should significantly expand demand for our active safety products. If passed 
as proposed, certain safety features could be mandated in 2022 as new vehicle models are introduced to the European market. In 
any case, General Safety Regulation (GSR) would have a positive influence on other market regulators as they evaluate their 
respective vehicle test rating programs and safety legislations.

In China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the Key Working Points of Intelligent Connected Vehicle 
Standardization for 2018 to promote and facilitate the development of the intelligent connected vehicles industry, and advance 
the development of fundamental standards and those that are in urgent demand. The guideline has pointed out that more than 30 
key standards will be defined by 2020 to fund the systems for ADAS and low-level autonomous driving, and a system of over 100 
standards will be set up by 2025 for higher level autonomous driving. 

During the third quarter of 2018 the Chinese government commenced testing of new vehicles according to the new China New 
Car Assessment Program (CNAP) where active safety features like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) are required to achieve 
the maximum safety rating. 

In 2017 a consortium of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's) in the United States voluntarily agreed to make AEB standard 
equipment on all new vehicles produced no later than 2023.

On October 4, 2018 the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) issued new voluntary guidelines on automated driving systems 
(ADS) under its “Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0” initiative, building on its “Vision for Safety 
2.0” from September 2017 which prioritized aligning federal guidance around twelve safety design elements of interest to the auto 
industry. This initiative should have a positive impact on the adoption of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Highly 
Automated Driving (HAD) on the road towards Autonomous Vehicles.

The UN ECE created the new Working Party to deal with regulations for Automated Vehicles (GRVA). In addition to the EU and 
Japan who started to work closely for ADAS regulations in the last 3 years, the U.S. and China indicated a willingness to be active 
in several working groups towards harmonization of future regulations for ADAS and AV. This would create a common umbrella 
for countries which follow type-approval rules (EU, Japan, Australia) and countries which are outside of type-approval system 
e.g., under self-certification regimes (U.S., Korea) or specific national rules (China).  

Key future working fields for regulations are expected for (i) safety critical ADAS-features (e.g. AEB); (ii) Highway AV-features 
(Physical Tests + Real World Test Drive + Audit); (iii) Cybersecurity & SW-Updates; and (iv) Connected Vehicles. On one hand, 
the agreement on minimal common base requirements will take longer time and therefore may postpone introduction of regulations. 
On the other hand, the harmonization would help the industry while a more active position from China may help to pull forward 
some safety critical ADAS technologies which are not yet considered as relevant for regulation in EU and Japan (e.g. Blind Spot 
or Night Vision). 

Market Overview

Millions (except where specified,  
as of January 17, 2019) 

Full Year 2018

China

25.7

Change vs. 2017

(3.5)%

Light Vehicle Production by Region - 2018

Japan

Rest of Asia

Americas

Europe

9.1

0.3%

13.1

3.4%

19.1

—%

21.9

(1.3)%

Other

2.5

(2.2)%

Total

91.3

(0.9)%

During 2018 the global light vehicle production decreased by around 1% as compared to 2017 mainly due to the  production 
declines in Western Europe (4%), partially attributable to the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Procedure 
("WLTP"), China (4%), likely attributable to weaker consumer demand and record volumes in 2017 when tax incentive on 1.6 
liter vehicles were in place, along with South Korea (2%) likely attributable to fewer NAFTA exports due to production localization. 
Light vehicle demand in Japan and the Americas remained relatively flat, where South America increased 3% and North America 
declined slightly (1)% while India, included in Rest of Asia, increased 7% during the year as compared with 2017.

40

Millions (except where specified,  
as of January 17, 2019) 

Full Year 2017

Change vs. 2016

Light Vehicle Production by Region - 2017

China

26.6

2.3%

Japan

Rest of Asia

Americas

Europe

9.0

5.6%

12.6

1.1%

19.1

(1.4)%

22.2

3.3%

Other

2.6

13.7%

Total

92.2

2.2%

During 2017 the global light vehicle production increased by around 2% as compared to 2016 mainly due to the  production 
declines in Western Europe (1%), North America (5%) and South Korea (3%) which was more than offset by increases in China 
of 2%, partially attributable to the tax incentive on 1.6 liter vehicles which were still in place in 2017, along with South America, 
Japan, Eastern Europe and India all with increases of 20%, 6%, 9% and 7%, respectively.

Non-U.S. GAAP Financial Measures 

Non-U.S. GAAP financial measures are reconciled throughout this report. 

In this report we refer to organic sales or changes in organic sales growth, a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure that we, investors 
and  analysts  use  to  analyze  the  Company's  sales  trends  and  performance. We  believe  that  this  measure  assists  investors  and 
management  in  analyzing  trends  in  the  Company's  business  because  the  Company  generates  approximately  65%  of  sales,  a 
significant amount of sales, in currencies other than in U.S. dollars (its reporting currency) and currency rates have been and can 
be rather volatile. Additionally, the Company has historically made several acquisitions and divestitures.  Organic sales and organic 
sales growth presents the increase or decrease in the overall U.S. dollar net sales on a comparable basis, allowing separate discussions 
of the impact of acquisitions/divestitures and exchange rates on the Company’s performance. The tables in this report present 
reconciliation of changes in the total U.S. GAAP net sales changes in organic sales growth. 

For any forward-looking statements contained in this report or any other document, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for 
forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we assume no obligation to 
revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Given these 
risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. 

The Company also uses in this report EBITDA, a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, which represents the Company’s net income 
excluding interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. The Company also uses Segment EBITDA, a non-U.S. 
GAAP financial measure, which represents the Company’s EBITDA which has been further adjusted on a segment basis to exclude 
certain corporate and other items. We believe that EBITDA and Segment EBITDA are useful measures for management, analysts 
and investors to evaluate operating performance on a consolidated and reportable segment basis, because it assists in comparing 
our performance on a consistent basis. The tables below provide reconciliations of net income (loss) to EBITDA and Segment 
EBITDA. 

The Company also uses in this report net working capital, a non-U.S. GAAP financial measure, which is defined as current assets 
(excluding cash and cash equivalents) less current liabilities. Management uses this measure to improve its ability to assess liquidity 
at a point in time.  The table below provides a reconciliation of current assets and liabilities to net working capital. 

Investors should not consider these non-U.S. GAAP measures as substitutes, but rather as additions, to financial reporting measures 
prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. It should be noted that these measures, as defined, may not be comparable to similarly 
titled measures used by other companies. 

The forward looking non-U.S. GAAP financial measure used in this report is provided on a non-U.S. GAAP basis. Veoneer has 
not provided a U.S. GAAP reconciliation of this measure because items that impact this measure, such as foreign currency exchange 
rates, cannot be reasonably predicted or determined. As a result, such reconciliation is not available without unreasonable efforts 
and Veoneer is unable to determine the probable significance of the unavailable information. 

41

Results of Operations

Fiscal Year 2018 compared to 2017

The  following  tables  show Veoneer’s  performance  by  segment  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2018  and  2017  along  with 
components of change compared to the prior year.

Electronics Segment

Dollars in millions,
(except where specified)

Year Ended December 31

Components of Change vs. Prior Year

2018

2017

U.S. GAAP Reported

Currency

Organic1

$

%

$

%

Chg. $

Chg. %

$

%

$

%

Net Sales

$ 1,799

$ 1,850

$

$ (116)

Operating Loss / Margin
EBITDA1 / %
Associates
 1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for Organic Sales and EBITDA

(6.4)% $

(2.4)% $

7,105

5,898

(43)

(14)

67

$

(0.7)% $

3.6 % $

(3)% $

17

1%

(68)

(4)%

(51)

(102)

(110)

1,207

Sales - Net sales in the Electronics segment for the full year of 2018 decreased by $51 million to $1,799 million as compared to 
2017. The difference was attributable to organic sales decline in Restraint Control Systems of approximately $120 million which 
was partially offset by Active Safety organic sales growth of around $52 million. 

The quantities delivered for the full year 2018 were 18.7 million and 10 million units for Restraint Controls Systems and Active 
Safety, respectively. 

Operating Loss - The operating loss in the Electronics segment increased by $102 million to $116 million for the full year of 2018 
as compared to 2017. The increase is mainly due to the volume and product mix effect causing the lower organic sales and a 
planned increase in RD&E costs to support future sales growth. 

EBITDA - For the full year of 2018 the Electronics segment EBITDA  of negative $43 million declined by $110 million as compared 
to 2017, which was partially offset by lower amortization of intangibles, mainly related to the effects of the MACOM acquisition. 

Associates - The number of associates in the Electronics segment increased by approximately 1,207 since December 31, 2017 to 
7,105 mainly due to increases in RD&E to support future organic sales growth and current development programs. 

Brake Systems Segment

Year Ended December 31, 2018

Components of Change vs. Prior Year

Dollars in millions,
(except where specified)

2018

2017

U.S. GAAP Reported

Currency

Organic1

$

%

$

%

Chg. $

Chg. %

$

%

$

%

Net Sales

$

428

$

476

$

(48)

(10)% $

7

1% $

(55)

(11)%

$

Operating Loss / Margin
EBITDA1/ %
Associates
 1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for Organic Sales and EBITDA

(7.1)% $

1.7 % $

1,452

1,586

(247)

(210)

(30)

$

7

(51.9)% $

(44.2)% $

217

217

(134)

Sales - The net sales of $428 million in the Brake Systems segment for the full year of 2018 decreased by $48 million as compared 
to 2017. The decline was mainly attributable to lower volumes on certain Honda models, primarily in North America and lower 
LVP in China which was partially offset by higher volumes in Japan. 

The quantity delivered for the full year 2018 was 1.9 million units for the Brake Systems segment. 

Operating Loss - The operating loss in the Brake Systems segment decreased by $217 million to $30 million for the full year of 
2018 as compared to 2017 which included the goodwill impairment charge of $234 million. In addition, the volume and product 
mix effect causing the lower organic sales was partially offset by reduced overhead costs.

EBITDA - For the full year of 2018, the Brake Systems segment EBITDA of $7 million increased by $217 million as compared 
to 2017. This was mainly due to the goodwill impairment charge in 2017 of $234 million, which was partially offset by an increase 
in underlying operating loss. 

Associates - The number of associates in the Brake Systems segment declined by 134 since December 31, 2017 to 1,452 mainly 
due to the reductions in direct manufacturing as well as production overhead and SG&A due to the decline in organic sales. 

42

Corporate and Other

Dollars in millions,
(except where specified)

Net Sales

Operating Loss / Margin
Segment EBITDA1 / Margin
Associates
 1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for EBITDA

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

U.S. GAAP Reported

$

%

$

%

Chg. $

Chg.%

$

$

$

$

—

(51)

(51)

43

$

—% $

—% $

$

—

(22)

(21)

—

$

—% $

—% $

$

—

(29)

(29)

43

—%

Operating Loss and EBITDA - The operating loss and EBITDA for Corporate and other for the full year of 2018 increased to  $51 
million from $22 million and $21 million, respectively, as compared to 2017 mainly due to the additional costs associated with 
being a standalone listed company. 

Associates - The number of associates in Corporate and other increased to 43 as compared to December 31, 2017 mainly related 
to the hiring of additional personnel for being a standalone listed company.

The associate and financial figures are not comparable since the 2017 financial reports are based on carve-out basis accounting 
rules.

Net Sales by Product

The following tables show Veoneer’s consolidated net sales by product for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 along 
with components of change compared to the prior year.

Consolidated Net Sales

Year Ended December 31

Components of Change vs. Prior Year

Dollars in millions,
(except where specified)

Restraint Control Systems

Active Safety

Brake Systems

2018

$

$

$

$

974

825

428

$

$

$

Total
 1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for Organic Sales

2,228

$

$

2017

U.S. GAAP Reported

Currency

Organic1

$

Chg. $

Chg. %

$

%

$

%

1,073

777

473

2,322

$

$

$

$

(99)

48

(45)

(95)

(9)% $

6 % $

(9)% $

(4)% $

21

(4)

7

24

2 % $

(120)

(1)% $

1 % $

1 % $

52

(51)

(119)

(11)%

7 %

(11)%

(5)%

Sales - Net sales for the full year of 2018 decreased by $95 million to $2,228 million as compared to 2017.

The organic sales decline of 5% was partially offset by positive currency translation effects of 1%. The sales decline in Restraint 
Control Systems and Brake Systems, was mitigated by the Active Safety organic sales growth. We expect the sales trend in all 
three product areas to rebound starting in the latter part of 2019 and increasing in 2020. 

Restraint Control Systems - Net sales of $974 million for the full year of 2018 declined by 9% as compared to 2017. The 11% 
organic sales decline was mainly driven by the phase-out of certain models in North America and lower LVP in China and Western 
Europe in the second half of 2018. 

Active Safety - Net sales of $825 million for the full year of 2018 increased by 6% as compared to 2017 due to an increase in 
organic sales of 7%. 

Strong demand for vision systems and ADAS ECUs on multiple models accounted for most of the organic sales growth together 
with night vision systems to PSA and Audi. This strong growth was partially offset by the continued ramp-down of current GPS 
business with Ford and an underlying weaker LVP environment, particularly in Western Europe. 

Brake Systems - Net sales of $428 million for the full year of 2018 decreased by 9% as compared to 2017, mainly due to an organic 
sales decline of 11%, mostly due to lower volumes on certain Honda vehicle models, primarily in North America, and lower LVP 
in China. 

43

Veoneer Performance

The following table shows Veoneer’s performance for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 along with components of 
change compared to the prior year.

Income Statement

Dollars in millions,
(except per share data)

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Selling, general & administrative expenses

Research, development & engineering expenses, net

Goodwill impairment charges

Amortization of intangibles

Other income

Operating loss

Loss from equity method investments

Interest income

Interest (expense)

Other non-operating items, net

Loss before income taxes

Income tax expense
Net loss1
Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest

Year Ended December 31

2018 3

2017 3

$

%

$

%

Change

$

$

$

$

$

2,228

(1,798)

430

(156)

(466)

—

(23)

18

(197)
(63)

7

(1)

—

(253)

(42)

(294)

(19)

$

(80.7 )%

19.3 % $

(7.0 )%

(20.9 )%

—

(1.0 )%

0.8 %

(8.8)% $

(2.8 )%

0.3 %

— %

— %

(11.4)% $

(1.9 )%

(13.2)% $

(0.9 )%

2,322

(1,857)

466

(110)

(375)

(234)

(37)

8

(283)

(31)

1

—

(1)

(314)

(30)

(344)

(127)

$

(79.9 )%

20.1 % $

(4.7 )%

(16.2 )%

(10.1 )%

(1.6 )%

0.3 %

(12.2)% $

(1.3 )%

— %

— %

— %

(13.5)% $

(1.3 )%

(14.8)% $

(5.5 )%

(95)

59

(36)

(46)

(91)

234

14

10

86

(32)

6

(1)

1

61

(12)

50

108

Net loss attributable to controlling interest
Net loss per share – basic2
Weighted average number of shares outstanding in millions2
1    Including Corporate and other sales. 
2  Basic number of shares used to compute net loss per share. Participating share awards with right to receive dividend equivalents are (under the two class method) 

(12.4)% $

(9.3)% $

(3.17)

(2.49)

(0.68)

87.13

87.16

(276)

(217)

0.03

(59)

$

$

$

$

excluded from EPS calculation. 

3   2017 and first half of 2018 are according to Carve-out reporting from Autoliv Spin-Off of Veoneer.

Gross Profit - The gross profit of $430 million for the full year of 2018 was $36 million lower as compared to 2017. The volume 
and product mix effect causing the lower organic sales was partially offset by a net favorable currency benefit of around $10 
million. 

Operating Loss - The operating loss of $197 million for the full year of 2018 decreased by $86 million as compared to 2017, 
including a net favorable currency benefit of $4 million. In 2017 the operating loss included a goodwill impairment charge related 
to VNBS of $234 million. 

The planned increase in RD&E investments of $91 million, mainly related to the increase in engineers for future sales growth and 
current development programs, as well as $46 million higher SG&A, mainly resulting from the additional costs associated with 
being a standalone listed company, accounted for most of the change as compared to 2017. 

These effects were partially offset by a decrease of $14 million in the amortization of intangibles related to historical acquisitions, 
and a $10 million increase in other income, both as compared to 2017. 

Net Loss - The net loss for the full year of 2018 of $294 million decreased by $50 million as compared to 2017. In addition to the 
operating loss impact, the Veoneer net loss from Zenuity increased by $32 million. The Zenuity net loss increase is mainly due to 
the higher net cost run-rate related to the hiring of software engineers and an additional quarter of cost in 2018, since the JV was 
formed in April 2017. Interest income net increased by $6 million as compared to 2017. Income tax expense for 2018 was $42 
million as compared to $30 million in 2017. The change in tax expense was primarily impacted by the change in mix of pre-tax 
earnings in our profitable subsidiaries and a non-cash, one-time discrete tax item of $23 million in 2018. The non-controlling 
interest loss in the VNBS JV was $19 million for 2018 as compared to $127 million loss in 2017 which included the goodwill 
impairment charge of $113 million.

44

 
Loss per Share - The loss per share for the full year of 2018 increased to $3.17 as compared to a loss of $2.49 per share in 2017 
due to the increased net loss. The share count was virtually unchanged. 

Reconciliations of U.S. GAAP to non U.S. GAAP

Dollars in millions

Net Loss to EBITDA

Net Loss

Depreciation and amortization

Loss from equity method investment

Interest and other non-operating items, net

Income tax

EBITDA

Dollars in millions

Segment EBITDA to EBITDA

Electronics

Brake Systems

Segment EBITDA

Corporate and other

EBITDA

Dollars in millions

Working Capital to Net Working Capital

Total current assets

Total current liabilities

Working capital

Cash and cash equivalents

Net working capital

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

(294) $

111

63

(7)

42

(344)

119

31

1

30

(87) $

(164)

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

(43) $

7

(36)

(51)

(87) $

67

(210)

(143)

(21)

(164)

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

1,543

636

907

(864)

42

$

$

$

649

590

59

—

59

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

45

Results of Operations 

Full Year 2017 compared with 2016

The following tables show Veoneer’s performance by segment for the year ended 2017 and 2016 along with components of change.

Electronics Segment

Year Ended December 31

Components of Change vs. Prior Year

2016

U.S. GAAP
Reported

Currency

Acquisitions /
Divestitures

%

$

%

Chg. $ Chg.%

$

%

$

%

Organic1
%
$

Dollars in millions,                           
(except where specified)
Net Sales

$ 1,850

$

2017

  $1,837

  $

$

(14)

Operating Loss / Margin
EBITDA1/%
Associates
5,898
1 Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for Organic Sales and EBITDA

(0.7)% $

3.6 % $

5,045

81

67

11

$

0.6% $

4.4% $

1% $

4

—% $ — —% $

11

1%

14

(25)

(14)

853

Net Sales - The net sales in the Electronics segment for the full year 2017 increased by $14 million to $1,850 million as compared 
to 2016. The difference was attributable to organic sales1 increase in Active Safety of approximately $38 million and favorable 
currency translation effects of around $4 million was partially offset by a decline in Restraint Controls Systems organic sales 
growth of around $27 million. 

The quantities delivered for the full year 2017 were approximately 20 million and 10 million for Restraint Controls Systems and 
Active Safety, respectively.

Operating Loss - The operating loss in the Electronics segment increased by $25 million to $14 million for 2017 as compared to 
2016. The increase is mainly due to the planned increase in RD&E costs to support future sales growth.

EBITDA1 - The Electronics segment EBITDA of $67 million in 2017 declined by $14 million as compared to 2016. In addition 
to the increased operating loss, amortization of intangibles declined mainly related to the effects of the MACOM acquisition.

Associates - The number of associates in the Electronics segment increased by approximately 853 since December 31, 2016 to 
5,898 mainly due to increases in RD&E to support future organic sales growth and current development programs.

Brake Systems Segment

Year Ended December 31

Components of Change vs. Prior Year

Dollars in millions,                           
(except where specified)
Net Sales

$ 476

$

2017

2016

U.S. GAAP
Reported

Currency

Acquisitions
/ Divestitures

%

$

%

Chg. $

Chg.%

$

%

$

%

Organic1
%
$

  $ 391

  $

85

22% $

(7)

(2)% $ 121

31% $ (29)

(7)%

$ (247)

Operating Loss / Margin
EBITDA1/%
Associates
1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for Organic Sales and EBITDA

(51.9)% $ (12)

(44.2)% $

$ (210)

1,586

1,733

24

(3.1)% $

6.0 % $

(235)

(234)

(147)

Net Sales -  The net sales of $476 million in the Brake Systems segment for the full year 2017 increased by $85 million as compared 
to 2016. The increase was mainly attributable to the additional quarter of sales in 2017 since the joint venture was formed in April 
2016 which was partially offset by lower volumes on certain Honda models, primarily in North America which was partially offset 
by higher volumes in Japan. 

The quantities delivered for the full year 2017 were 2 million for Brake Systems.

Operating Loss - The operating loss in the Brake Systems segment decreased by $235 million to $247 million in 2017 as compared 
to 2016. This is mainly due to the volume and product mix impact due to lower organic sales and slight increase in RD&E costs 
to support sales growth which was more than offset by reduced overhead costs and the goodwill impairment charge of $234 million 
in 2017.

EBITDA1 - For 2017, the Brake Systems segment EBITDA of $(210) million decreased by $234 million compared to 2016.

Associates - The number of associates in the Brake Systems segment declined by 147 since December 31, 2016 to 1,586 mainly 
due to the reductions in direct manufacturing as well as production overhead and SG&A due to the sales decline.

46

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate and Other

Dollars in millions,
(except where specified)

Net Sales

Operating Loss / Margin
Segment EBITDA 1/ Margin
Associates
1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for EBITDA

Year Ended December 31

2017

2016

U.S. GAAP Reported

$

%

$

%

Chg. $

Chg.%

$

$

$

—

(22)

(21)

—

$

—% $

—% $

—

(24)

(24)

—

$

—% $

—% $

—

2

2

—

—%

Operating Loss - The operating loss and EBITDA1 for Corporate and other for 2017 decreased to negative $22 million and $21 
million, respectively, from negative $24 million as compared to 2016 mainly resulting from lower SG&A which is tied to the 
carve-out basis rules of reporting Veoneer related to the Spin-Off from Autoliv.

Associates - There were no associates in Corporate and other during 2017 and 2016. The associate and financial figures are not 
comparable since the financial results are based on carve-out basis accounting rules.

Net Sales by Product

The following tables show Veoneer’s consolidated net sales by product for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 along 
with components of change compared to the prior year.

Consolidated Net Sales

Year Ended December 31

Components of Change vs. Prior Year

Dollars in millions, 
(except where specified)

Restraint Control Systems
Active Safety

Brake Systems

2017

2016

U.S. GAAP
Reported

Currency

Acquisitions/
Divestitures

Organic1

$

$

Chg. $ Chg. %

$

%

$

%

$

%

$ 1,073

$ 1,097

$

$

777

473

$

$

739

383

$

$

$

$

(24)

(2)% $

3

— % $ —

—% $

(27)

38

90

104

5 % $ —

— % $ —

23 % $

5 % $

(7)

(3)

(2)% $

— % $

121

121

—% $

31% $

5% $

38

(24)

(13)

(3)%

5 %

(6)%

(1)%

Total
$ 2,218
 1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure reconciliation for Organic Sales 

$ 2,322

Sales - Net sales for 2017 increased by 5% to $2,322 million as compared to 2016. The organic sales1 decline of 1% was more 
than offset by acquisition effects of the VNBS joint venture of 5% or $121 million as the currency translation effects were negligible.

Restraint Control Systems - Restraint Control Systems sales declined by 2% in 2017 as compared to 2016. The decrease in organic 
sales of 3% or $27 million was mainly driven by declines in North America, Japan and South Korea which were partially mitigated 
by increase in China and India.

Active Safety - Active Safety sales increased by 5% or $38 million as compared to 2016, driven essentially by an increase in 
organic sales. The Active Safety growth was positively impacted by double digit organic sales in core active safety products 
(including radars, cameras including night driving assist and ADAS ECU's). However, this growth was negatively impacted by 
sales declines for positioning systems in North America as well as the ramp-down in our internally developed brake systems in 
China.

Brake Systems - Brake Systems sales increased by 23% in 2017 as compared to 2016. This positive change was mainly driven by 
the full year operations impact of $121 million in the VNBS joint venture which was formed on April 1, 2016. The organic sales 
decline of 6% or $24 million was mainly attributable to product changes on certain vehicle models where Honda did not retain 
VNBS as the incumbent.

47

Veoneer Performance

The following table shows Veoneer’s performance for the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 along with components of 
change compared to the prior year.

Income Statement 

Dollars in thousands,
(except per share data)

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit

Selling, general & administrative expenses

Research, development & engineering expenses, net

Goodwill impairment charges

Amortization of intangibles

Other income

Operating loss

Loss from equity method investments

Interest income

Interest (expense)

Other non-operating items, net

Loss before income taxes

Income tax expense
Net loss1
Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest

Year Ended December 31

2017 3

2016 3

$

%

$

%

Change

$

$

$

$

$

2,322

(1,857)

466

(110)

(375)

(234)

(37)

8

(283)

(31)

1

—

(1)

(314)

(30)

(344)

(127)

$

(80.0 )%

20.0 % $

(4.7 )%

(16.1 )%

(10.1 )%

(1.6 )%

0.3 %

(12.2)% $

(1.3 )%

— %

— %

— %

(13.5)% $

(1.4 )%

(14.8)% $

(5.5 )%

2,218

(1,795)

423

(110)

(300)

—

(35)

(4)

(25)

—

—

—

3

(22)

(38)

(60)

(7)

$

(80.9 )%

19.1 % $

(5.0 )%

(13.5 )%

— %

(1.6 )%

(0.2 )%

(1.1)% $

— %

— %

— %

— %

(1.0)% $

(1.7 )%

(2.7)% $

(0.3 )%

104

(62)

43

—

(75)

(234)

(2)

12

(258)

(31)

1

—

(4)

(292)

8

(284)

(120)

Net loss attributable to controlling interest
Net loss per share – basic2
Weighted average number of shares outstanding in millions2
1   Including Corporate and other sales. 
2   Basic number of shares used to compute net loss per share. Participating share awards with right to receive dividend equivalents are (under the two-class method) 

(164)
(1.88)
0.00

(2.4)% $
$

(9.0)% $

(0.61)

(2.49)

87.13

87.13

(217)

(53)

$

$

$

excluded from EPS calculation. 

3  2016 and 2017 are according to Carve-out reporting from Autoliv Spin-Off of Veoneer.

Gross Profit - The gross profit for the full year 2017 increased by $43 million to $466 million as compared to 2016. This increase 
was primarily driven by the sales increase in Active Safety and the VNBS joint venture. In addition, lower material costs were 
partly offset by higher costs related to investments for capacity and growth. 

Operating Loss - The operating loss of $283 million for 2017 increased by $258 million as compared to 2016, mainly due to the 
goodwill impairment charge of $234 million in 2017 due to lower than originally anticipated sales development in the VNBS joint 
venture. 

In addition, planned higher RD&E investments of $75 million, in engineering resources to support future growth as illustrated by 
our strong order intake, more than offset the improvement in gross profit while SG&A remained relatively unchanged as compared 
to 2016.

The  $12  million  decrease  in  other  income  (expense),  net  was  primarily  impacted  by  a  reduction  of  the  contingent  liability 
consideration related to the MACOM acquisition.

Net Loss - In addition to the operating loss effect, the Zenuity joint venture cost increased $31 million in 2017 as compared to 
2016 since the joint venture was created in April 2017. 

The income tax expense decrease of $8 million in 2017 as compared to 2016 was primarily due to a reduction in the earnings of 
our profitable non-US subsidiaries and an increase in tax credits. The increase in the non-controlling interest loss in the VNBS 
JV of $120 million was mainly due the goodwill impairment charge in 2017.

Loss per Share - The loss per share for 2017 increased to $2.49 as compared to a loss of $0.61 per share in 2016 due to the increased 
net loss, mainly related to the goodwill impairment charge in the VNBS joint venture, as the share count was virtually unchanged.

48

 
Reconciliations of U.S. GAAP to non U.S. GAAP

Dollars in millions

Net Loss to EBITDA

Net Loss

Depreciation and amortization

Loss from equity method investment

Interest and other non-operating items, net

Income tax

EBITDA

Dollars in millions

Segment EBITDA

Electronics

Brake Systems

Segment EBITDA

Corporate and other

EBITDA

Dollars in millions

Working Capital to Net Working Capital

Total current assets

Total current liabilities

Working capital

Cash and cash equivalents

Net working capital

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity

Year Ended December 31

2017

2016

(344) $
119

31

1

30

(164) $

(60)

105

—

(3)

38

80

Year Ended December 31

2017

2016

67

$

(210)

(143) $
(21)

(164) $

81

24

104

(24)

80

Year Ended December 31

2017

2016

649

590

59

—

59

$

$

$

649

576

73

—

73

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

As of December 31, 2018, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $864 million and short-term investments of $5 million 
which will be primarily use for ongoing working capital requirements, capital expenditures and investments in joint ventures 
particularly Zenuity. 

We expect the combined effects of a stronger LVP and new program launches in the second half of the year combined with our 
own efficiency and prioritization initiatives to start to lead to improved cash-flow in the latter part of the year. Assuming successful 
execution of these initiatives, we expect our net cash to cover our funding requirements until the Company reaches positive cash 
flow. However, additional funding may be required if order intake increases beyond our expectations, if the underlying near-term 
business conditions deteriorate further, or if we make acquisitions. 

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company entered an unconditional purchase obligation whereof the outstanding 
balance as of December 31, 2018 is $10 million which will be paid in 2019. The amount will be reimbursed by Zenuity. In addition, 
the Company has a holdback of $2 million related to the Fotonic acquisition to be paid in 2019. See Note 4, Business Combinations, 
to the consolidated financial statements included herein. The Company has no other material obligations other than short-term 
obligations related to operations, inventory, services, tooling and property, plant and equipment purchased in the ordinary course 
of business.

On June 30, 2017, Veoneer committed to make a $15 million investment in Autotech Fund I, L.P. pursuant to a limited partnership 
agreement, and as a limited partner, will periodically make capital contributions toward this total commitment amount. As of 
December  31, 2018, Veoneer contributed a total of approximately $8 million to the fund. The initial term of the fund is set to 
expire on December 31, 2025. This fund focuses broadly on the automotive industry and complements the Company’s innovation 
strategy, particularly in the areas of active safety and autonomous driving. Under the limited partnership agreement, the general 
partner has the sole and exclusive right to manage, control and conduct the affairs of the fund.

49

Cash Flow 

Dollars in millions
Selected cash flow items
Net working capital1
Net cash provided by operating activities
Capital expenditures
Equity method investment
Net Cash Used in investing activities
Net Cash Provided by financing activities
 1   Non-U.S. GAAP measure see reconciliation for Net Working Capital

Year Ended December 31
2017
$

2016
$

2018
$

$
$
$
$
$
$

42
$
(179) $
(188) $
(71) $
(185) $
$
1,226

59
$
(1) $
(110) $
— $
(230) $
$
232

73
(7)
(103)
—
(335)
343

Net Working Capital1 - The net working capital of $42 million as of December 31, 2018 was a decrease of $17 million and $31 
million as compared with 2017 and 2016, respectively. These decreases were mainly due to favorable timing effects in working 
capital.

Net Cash Used in Operating Activities - Net cash used in operating activities of $179 million for the year ended December 31,  
2018 increased by $178 million and $172 million as compared with 2017 and 2016, respectively, due to change in net loss and 
timing effects in working capital.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities - Net cash used in investing activities of $185 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 
was  $45  million  lower  and  $150  million  lower  as  compared  with  2017  and  2016,  respectively,  mainly  due  to  higher  capital 
expenditures, which was more than offset by lower affiliate investments and acquisitions.

Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities - Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2018 
includes the net capital contribution from Autoliv at the Distribution Date.

Capital Expenditures - Capital expenditures during the year ended December 31, 2018 of $188 million, around 8% of sales, was  
$78 million and $85 million higher as compared with 2017 and 2016, respectively. This level as a percentage of sales in 2018 was  
in line with the full year expectation.

Associates
Total Associates
Whereof:

Direct Manufacturing
R,D&E
Temporary

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

8,600
2,083
4,676
1,329

7,484
2,232
3,576
1,151

6,778
2,279
2,775
1,046

Associates  -  The  number  of  associates  increased  to  8,600  in  2018  by  1,116  compared  to  2017,  mainly  due  to  the  hiring  of 
approximately 1,100 engineers to support our future sales growth and current development programs. 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements. 

50

 
Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The table below reflects our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2018. The Company’s future contractual obligations have 
not changed materially.

Aggregate Contractual Obligations 1

Payments due by Period

(DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)
Related party long-term debt

Operating lease obligations

Build-to-suit lease obligations

Pension contribution requirements

Capital lease obligations

Other non-current liabilities reflected on the
balance sheet
Unconditional purchase obligations

Less
than 1
year

Total

1-3
years

3-5
years

More
than 5
years

13

88

51

36

15

9

1

17

3

3

1

2

10
222

10
37

12

24

6

5

12

2

—
61

$

—

12

6

6

1

—
—

25

$

—

34

35

22

1

4
—

96

$

Total
1   Excludes contingent liabilities arising from litigation, arbitration, regulatory actions or income taxes

$

$

Contractual obligations include related party long-term debt, lease and purchase obligations that are enforceable and legally binding 
on the Company. Non-controlling interest is not included in this table.

Related party long-term debt: The related party debt obligation relates to capital lease obligations. The capital lease obligations 
mainly relate to property and plants in Japan and is between Veoneer Nissin Brake Systems (a 51% owned subsidiary) and Nissin 
Kogyo. See Note 19, Relationship with Former Parent and Related Entities, to the consolidated financial statements included 
herein.

Operating lease obligations: The Company leases certain offices, manufacturing and research buildings, machinery, automobiles 
and data processing and other equipment. Such operating leases, some of which are non-cancelable and include renewals, expire 
on various dates. See Note 16, Commitments and Contingencies, to the consolidated financial statements included herein.

Build-to-suit lease obligations: The Company has entered into build-to-suit lease arrangements for certain buildings during 2017. 
See Note 16, Commitments and Contingencies, to the consolidated financial statements included herein.

Pension contribution requirements: The Company sponsors defined benefit plans that cover eligible employees in Japan, Canada, 
and France. In 2019, the expected contribution to all plans, including direct payments to retirees, is $3 million, of which the major 
contribution is $1 million for our Canada pension plans. Due to volatility associated with future changes in interest rates and plan 
asset returns, the Company cannot predict with reasonable reliability the timing and amounts of future funding requirements, and 
therefore the above table shows expected contributions (to funded plans, or direct payments to retirees in the case of unfunded 
plans) for 2019, but only shows benefit payments (from funded plans, or direct to retirees in the case of unfunded plans) for 2020 
and subsequent years. We may elect to make contributions in excess of the minimum funding requirements for the Japan, Canada, 
and France plans in response to investment performance and changes in interest rates, or when we believe that it is financially 
advantageous to do so and based on other capital requirements. This contribution amount does not include plans considered to be 
multiemployer with Autoliv. See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, and Note 14, Retirement Plans, to the 
consolidated financial statements included herein.

Other non-current liabilities reflected on the balance sheet: The Company has $2 million of deferred purchase consideration, 
payable at the 18-month anniversary of the closing date.related to the Fotonic acquisition to be paid in 2019. See Note 4, Business 
Combinations, to the consolidated financial statements included herein.

Unconditional  purchase  obligations:  During  the  year  ended  December 31,  2017,  the  Company  entered  into  an  unconditional 
purchase obligation of $30 million of which $10 million was paid in each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 
31, 2018. The remaining $10 million will be paid in 2019. This amount will be reimbursed by Zenuity. There are no obligations 
other than short-term obligations related to inventory, services, tooling, and property, plant and equipment purchased in the ordinary 
course of business.

51

Autotech Venture Fund: On June 30, 2017, Veoneer committed to make a $15 million investment in Autotech Fund I, L.P. pursuant 
to  a  limited  partnership  agreement,  and,  as  a  limited  partner,  will  periodically  make  capital  contributions  toward  this  total 
commitment amount. As of December 31, 2018, Veoneer has in total contributed $8 million to the fund. The initial term of the 
fund is set to expire on December 31, 2025. This fund focuses broadly on the automotive industry and complements the Company’s 
innovation strategy, particularly in the areas of active safety and autonomous driving. Under the limited partnership agreement, 
the general partner has the sole and exclusive right to manage, control, and conduct the affairs of the fund.

Significant Accounting Policies and Critical Accounting Estimates

New Accounting Pronouncements

The  Company  has  considered  all  applicable  recently  issued  accounting  guidance. The  Company  has  summarized  in  Note  2, 
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements included herein each of the recently issued 
accounting pronouncements and stated the impact or whether management is continuing to assess the impact. 

Critical Accounting Estimates

The application of accounting policies necessarily requires judgments and the use of estimates by a Company’s management. 
Actual results could differ from these estimates. By their nature, these judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. 
These judgments are based on our historical experience, terms of existing contracts, and management’s evaluation of trends in the 
industry, information provided by our customers and information available from other outside sources, as appropriate. Certain 
policies relate to estimates that involve matters that are highly uncertain at the time the accounting estimate is made and different 
estimates or changes to an estimate could have a material impact on the reported financial position, changes in financial condition 
or results of operations. Such critical estimates are discussed below. For these, materially different amounts could be reported 
under  varied  conditions  and  assumption.  Other  items  in  the  Company's  consolidated  financial  statements  require  estimation, 
however, in our judgment, they are not as critical as those discussed below.

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, revenue is measured based on consideration specified in 
a contract with a customer, adjusted for any variable consideration (i.e. price concessions or annual price adjustments) and estimated 
at contract inception. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a 
product to a customer.

In addition, from time to time, Veoneer may make payments to customers in connection with ongoing and future business. These 
payments to customers are generally recognized as a reduction to revenue at the time of the commitment to make these payments, 
unless certain criteria are met, warranting capitalization. If the payments are capitalized, the amounts are amortized as the related 
goods are transferred. As of December 31, 2018, and 2017, the Company capitalized $54 million and $23 million, respectively, 
in Other non-current assets related payments to customers. The Company assesses these amounts for impairment. There was no 
impairment.

Taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, 
that are collected by the Company from a customer, are excluded from revenue.

Shipping and handling costs associated with outbound freight after control of a product has transferred to a customer are accounted 
for as a fulfillment cost and are included in cost of sales.

Nature of goods and services

The  following  is  a  description  of  principal activities from  which  the Company  generates  its  revenue. The  Company  has  two 
operating segments, Electronics and Brake Systems. Electronics includes all of electronics resources and expertise, restraint control 
systems and active safety products. Brake Systems provides brake control and actuation systems. The principal activities are 
essentially the same for each of the segments. Both of the segments generate revenue from the sale of production parts to original 
equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). 

The Company accounts for individual products separately if they are distinct (i.e., if a product is separately identifiable from other 
items and if a customer can benefit from it on its own or with other resources that are readily available to the customer). The 
consideration, including any price concession or annual price adjustments, is based on their stand-alone selling prices for each of 
the products. The stand-alone selling prices are determined based on the cost-plus margin approach.

The Company recognizes revenue for production parts primarily at a point in time.

52

For production parts with revenue recognized at a point in time, the Company recognizes revenue upon shipment to the customers 
and transfer of title and risk of loss under standard commercial terms (typically F.O.B. shipping point). There are certain contracts 
where the criteria to recognize revenue over time have been met (e.g., there is no alternative use to the Company and the Company 
has  an  enforceable  right  to  payment).  In  such  cases,  at  period  end,  the  Company  recognizes revenue  and  a  related asset  and 
associated cost of goods sold and inventory. However, the financial impact of these contracts is immaterial considering the very 
short production cycles and limited inventory days on hand, which is typical for the automotive industry.

The amount of revenue recognized is based on the purchase order price and adjusted for variable consideration (i.e. price concessions 
or annual price adjustments). Customers typically pay for the production parts based on customary business practices with payment 
terms averaging 30 days.

Contract balances

The contract assets related to the Company’s rights to consideration for work completed but not billed (generally in conjunction 
with  contracts  for  which  revenue  is  recognized  over  time)  at  the  reporting  date  on  production  parts. The  contract  assets  are 
reclassified into the receivables balance when the rights to receive payments become unconditional. There have been no impairment 
losses recognized related to contract assets arising from the Company’s contracts with customers.

Business Combinations

In accordance with accounting guidance for the provisions in FASB ASC 805, Business Combinations, the Company allocates the 
purchase price of an acquired business to its identifiable assets and liabilities based on estimated fair values. The excess of the 
purchase price over the amount allocated to the assets and liabilities, if any, is recorded as goodwill. In addition, an acquisition 
may include a contingent consideration component. The fair value of the contingent consideration is estimated as of the date of 
the acquisition and is recorded as part of the purchase price. Each quarter this contingent consideration is re-measured using the 
discounted cash flow method.

The Company uses actual revenue levels as well as changes in the estimated probability of different revenue scenarios to estimate 
fair values. The Company has engaged outside appraisal firms to assist in the fair value determination of identifiable intangible 
assets and any other significant assets or liabilities. The Company adjusts the preliminary purchase price allocation, as necessary, 
up to one year after the acquisition closing date as the Company obtains more information regarding asset valuations and liabilities 
assumed.

The Company’s purchase price allocation methodology contains uncertainties because it requires management to make assumptions 
and to apply judgment to estimate the fair value of acquired assets and liabilities. Management estimates the fair value of assets 
and liabilities based upon quoted market prices, the carrying value of the acquired assets and widely accepted valuation techniques, 
including discounted cash flows and market multiple analyses. Unanticipated events or circumstances may occur which could 
affect the accuracy of our fair value estimates, including assumptions regarding industry economic factors and business strategies.

Other estimates used in determining fair value include, but are not limited to, future cash flows or income related to intangibles, 
market rate assumptions, actuarial assumptions for benefit plans and appropriate discount rates. The Company estimates the fair 
value based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable, but these are inherently uncertain, and therefore, may not be realized. 
Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the estimates, assumptions, and values reflected in the valuations will be realized, and 
actual results could vary materially.

Equity Method Investments

The Company initially accounts for an equity method investment at its fair value on the date of acquisition. See Note 2, Summary 
of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 9, Investments related to the Company’s investment in Zenuity, to the consolidated 
financial statements included.

53

Inventory Reserves

Inventories are evaluated based on individual or, in some cases, groups of inventory items. Reserves are established to reduce the 
value of inventories to the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary 
course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal and transportation. Excess inventories are quantities 
of items that exceed anticipated sales or usage for a reasonable period. The Company has guidelines for calculating provisions for 
excess inventories based on the number of months of inventories on hand compared to anticipated sales or usage. Management 
uses its judgment to forecast sales or usage and to determine what constitutes a reasonable period.

There can be no assurance that the amount ultimately realized for inventories will not be materially different than that assumed 
in the calculation of the reserves.

Goodwill and Intangibles

The Company performs an annual impairment review of goodwill in the fourth quarter of each year following the Company’s 
annual forecasting process. Management uses its judgment to determine the Company’s reporting units for goodwill impairment 
testing. The estimated fair market value of goodwill is determined by the discounted cash flow method. The Company discounts 
projected operating cash flows using its weighted average cost of capital. Estimating the fair value requires the Company to make 
judgments about appropriate discount rates, growth rates, relevant comparable company earnings multiples and the amount and 
timing of expected future cash flows. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, an impairment loss is 
recognized for the excess of carrying amount over the fair value of the respective reporting unit.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, in connection with the annual impairment test, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge 
of $234 million in its Electronics Segment, relating to the VNBS acquisition. For more information, see Note 2, Summary of 
Significant Accounting Policies, to the consolidated financial statements included herein) due to lower than originally anticipated 
sales development. There is no remaining goodwill related to VNBS after the impairment. There were no goodwill impairments 
recognized during 2018 and 2016.

The  Company  reviews  indefinite-lived  intangible  assets  for  impairment  annually  or  more  frequently  if  events  or  changes  in 
circumstances  indicate  the  assets  might  be  impaired.  Similar  to  the  goodwill  impairment  test  described  above,  the  Company 
performs a quantitative impairment test by comparing the estimated fair value of the asset, based upon its forecasted cash flows, 
to its carrying value. Other intangible assets with definite lives are amortized over their useful lives. The Company evaluates the 
carrying value and useful lives of long-lived assets other than goodwill when indications of impairment are evident, or it is likely 
that the useful lives have decreased, in which case the Company depreciates the assets over the remaining useful lives. Impairment 
testing is primarily done by using the cash flow method based on undiscounted future cash flows. Estimated undiscounted cash 
flows for a long-lived asset being evaluated for recoverability are compared with the respective carrying amount of that asset. If 
the estimated undiscounted cash flows exceed the carrying amount of the assets, the carrying amounts of the long-lived asset are 
considered recoverable and an impairment cannot be recorded. However, if the carrying amount of a group of assets exceeds the 
undiscounted cash flows, an entity must then measure the long-lived assets’ fair value to determine whether an impairment loss 
should be recognized, generally using a discounted cash flow model.

Recall Provisions and Warranty Obligations

The Company records liabilities for product recalls when probable claims are identified and when it is possible to reasonably 
estimate costs. Recall costs are costs incurred when the customer decides to formally recall a product due to a known or suspected 
safety concern. Product recall costs typically include the cost of the product being replaced as well as the customer’s cost of the 
recall, including labor to remove and replace the defective part. In some cases, portions of the product recall costs are reimbursed 
by an insurance company. Actual costs incurred could differ from the amounts estimated, requiring adjustments to these reserves 
in future periods. It is possible that changes in our assumptions or future product recall issues could materially affect our financial 
position, results of operations or cash flows.

Estimating warranty obligations requires the Company to forecast the resolution of existing claims and expected future claims on 
products sold. The Company bases the estimate on historical trends of units sold and payment amounts, combined with our current 
understanding of the status of existing claims and discussions with our customers. These estimates are re-evaluated on an ongoing 
basis. Actual warranty obligations could differ from the amounts estimated requiring adjustments to existing reserves in future 
periods. Due to the uncertainty and potential volatility of the factors contributing to developing these estimates, changes in our 
assumptions could materially affect our results of operations.

54

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

Veoneer’s employees participate in defined benefit plans sponsored by Autoliv and certain defined benefit plans sponsored by 
Veoneer in Japan (the Japan plans), France (the France plans), and Canada (the Canada plans).

For the Japan, French, and Canada plans, the amount recognized as a defined benefit liability is the net total of projected benefit 
obligation (PBO) minus the fair value of plan assets (if any). The plan assets are measured at fair value. Net periodic benefit cost 
was reported within Costs of sales, Selling, general and administrative expenses and RD&E expenses in the Consolidated Statement 
of Operations.

Veoneer has considered the remaining plans to be part of a multiemployer plan with Autoliv. Pension expense was allocated for 
these plans and reported within Costs of sales, Selling, general and administrative expenses and RD&E expenses in the Consolidated 
Statement of Operations. 

Of the plans sponsored by Veoneer, the most significant plans are the Japan plans. These plans represent approximately 44% of 
the Company’s total pension benefit obligation. See Note 14, Retirement Plans, to the consolidated financial statements included 
herein.

The Company, in consultation with its actuarial advisors, determines certain key assumptions to be used in calculating the projected 
benefit obligation and annual pension expense. For the Japan plans, the assumptions used for calculating the 2018 pension expense 
were a discount rate of 0.5%, expected rate of increase in compensation levels of 5.0%, and an expected long-term rate of return 
on plan assets of 0.75%.

The discount rate for the Japanese plans has been set based on the rates of return of high-quality fixed-income investments currently 
available at the measurement date and are expected to be available during the period the benefits will be paid. The expected rate 
of increase in compensation levels and long-term return on plan assets are determined based on a number of factors and must take 
into account long-term expectations and reflect the financial environment in the respective local markets. As of December 31, 
2018 and 2017, 100% and 97% of the Japanese plan assets were invested in insurance contracts.

Income Taxes

Significant judgment is required in determining the worldwide provision for income taxes. In the ordinary course of a global 
business, there are many transactions for which the ultimate tax outcome is uncertain. Many of these uncertainties arise as a 
consequence of intercompany transactions. See Note 1, Basis of Presentation, Note 6, Income Taxes and Note 19, Relationship 
with Parent and Related Entities, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

Although the Company believes that its tax return positions are supportable, no assurance can be given that the final outcome of 
these matters will not be materially different than that which is reflected in the historical income tax provisions and accruals. Such 
differences could have a material effect on the income tax provisions or benefits in the periods in which such determinations are 
made. See also the discussion of the determinations of valuation allowances on our deferred tax assets in Note 6, Income Taxes, 
to the consolidated financial statements included herein.

Contingent Liabilities

Various claims, lawsuits and proceedings are pending or threatened against the Company or its subsidiaries, covering a range of 
matters that arise in the ordinary course of its business activities with respect to commercial, product liability or other matters. 
For a discussion of legal matters we are involved in, see Note 16, Contingent Liabilities, to the condensed consolidated financial 
statements included herein.

The Company diligently defends itself in such matters and, in addition, carries insurance coverage to the extent reasonably available 
against insurable risks.

The Company records liabilities for claims, lawsuits and proceedings when they are probable, and it is possible to reasonably 
estimate the cost of such liabilities. Legal costs expected to be incurred in connection with a loss contingency are expensed as 
such costs are incurred.

A loss contingency is accrued by a charge to income if it is probable that an asset has been impaired, or a liability has been incurred 
and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. In determining whether a loss should be accrued management evaluates, 
among other factors, the degree of probability of an unfavorable outcome and the ability to make a reasonable estimate of the 
amount of loss. Changes in these factors could materially impact our consolidated financial statements.

55

Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Currency Risks

Transaction Exposure and Revaluation Effects

Transaction exposure arises because the cost of a product originates in one currency and the product is sold in another currency. 
Revaluation effects come from valuation of assets denominated in other currencies than the reporting currency of each unit.

The Company’s gross transaction exposure for 2018 was approximately $0.7 billion. A part of the currency flows had counter-
flows in the same currency pair, which reduced the net exposure to approximately $0.6 billion. The five largest net transaction 
exposures were the sale of Euro against Swedish Krona, the purchase of U.S. Dollars against Swedish Krona, the purchase of U.S. 
Dollar against Korean Won, the sale of U.S. Dollars against Chinese Renminbi and the purchase of U.S. Dollar against Euro. 
Together these currencies accounted for approximately 76% of the Company’s net currency transaction exposure.

Since the Company can only effectively hedge these currency flows in the short term, periodic hedging would only reduce the 
impact of fluctuations temporarily. Over time, periodic hedging would postpone but not reduce the impact of fluctuations. In 
addition, the net exposure is limited to approximately one quarter of net sales and is made up of close to 20 different currency 
pairs with exposures of more than $1 million each. Veoneer generally does not hedge these flows. However, for some purchased 
components from external suppliers, the Company may enter into hedging from time to time. There were no foreign exchange 
forward contracts outstanding as of December 31, 2018. 

Translation Exposure in the Statement of Operations and Balance Sheet

The Company estimates that a 1% increase in the value of the U.S. dollar versus European currencies would decrease reported 
U.S. dollar annual net sales in 2018 by $7 million or by 0.3% while it would have a positive impact on the operating loss for 2018 
by approximately 0.6% or by about $1 million, assuming reported corporate average margin. 

Interest Rate Risk

As of December 31, 2018 we also had approximately $864 million of cash and cash equivalents and $5 million of short-term 
investments. As of December 31, 2018, the company estimates that a 1% change of the interest rates would not significantly impact 
our interest expense or income.

Component Costs

Veoneer  procures  raw  material  and  components  from  a  variety  of  suppliers  around  the  world.  Generally,  we  seek  to  obtain 
mechanical components and material in the region in which our products are manufactured to limit transportation, currency risks 
and other costs. The most significant raw materials we use to manufacture our products are various electrical components, non-
ferrous metals and ferrous metals for brake systems. We have not experienced any significant shortages of raw materials and 
normally do not carry inventories of such raw materials more than those reasonably required to meet our production and shipping 
schedules. Despite this, material price changes in Veoneer’s supply chain could have a significant impact on its profitability.

Changes in most raw material prices affect the Company with a time lag. For non-ferrous metals like aluminum and zinc, we have 
quarterly and sometimes monthly price adjustments.

The Company’s strategies to offset price increases on cost of materials include working with suppliers to mitigate costs, seeking 
alternative product designs and material specifications, combining purchase requirements with our customers and/or suppliers, 
changing suppliers, and other means. However, should these actions not be sufficient to offset component price increases, our 
earnings could be materially impacted.

56

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Veoneer, Inc.
Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

Audited Consolidated Financial Statements of Veoneer, Inc.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December  31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow for the years ended December  31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Audited Consolidated Financial Statements of Zenuity AB

Report of the Independent Auditors

Consolidated Financial Statements

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

109

110

115

57

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Veoneer, Inc.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Veoneer, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2018 and 
2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, cash flows and changes in equity for each of the three 
years  in  the  period  ended  December  31,  2018  and  the  related  notes  (collectively  referred  to  as  the  “consolidated  financial 
statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of 
the Company at December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the 
period ended December 31, 2018, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on 
the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company 
Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United  States)  (PCAOB)  and  are  required  to  be  independent  with  respect  to  the  Company  in 
accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission 
and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the 
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error 
or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial 
reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for 
the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, 
we express no such opinion. 

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due 
to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, 
evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting 
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial 
statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Ernst & Young AB
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2017.
Stockholm, Sweden
February 22, 2019

58

Veoneer, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Net sales

Cost of sales

Gross profit
Selling, general and administrative expenses

Research, development and engineering expenses, net

Note 3

$

Goodwill, impairment charge

Amortization of intangibles

Other income (expense), net

Operating loss
Loss from equity method investment

Interest income

Interest expense

Other non-operating items, net
Loss before income taxes
Income tax expense

Net loss

Less: Net loss attributable to non-controlling interest
Net loss attributable to controlling interest

Net loss per share - basic

Net loss per share - diluted

Weighted average number of shares outstanding,
(in millions)
Weighted average number of shares outstanding,
assuming dilution (in millions)

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Note 11

Note 11

Note 9

Note 6

Note 17

Note 17

$

$
$

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

$

2,228
(1,798)
430
(156)
(466)
—
(23)
18
(197)
(63)
7
(1)
—
(253)
(42)

(294)
(19)

$

2,322
(1,857)
466
(110)
(375)
(234)
(37)
8
(283)
(31)
—

—
(1)
(314)
(30)

(344)
(127)

(276) $

(217) $

2,218
(1,795)
423
(110)
(300)
—
(35)
(4)
(25)
—

—

—

3
(22)
(38)

(60)
(7)

(53)

(3.17) $
(3.17) $

(2.49) $
(2.49) $

(0.61)
(0.61)

87.16

87.16

87.13

87.13

87.13

87.13

59

Veoneer, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Year Ended December31

2018

2017

2016

$

(294) $

(344) $

(9)
1
(4)
(12)
1

(10)
(304)
(19)
(285) $

30
(9)
—
21
—

21
(323)
(127)
(196) $

(60)

(17)
8
(4)
(13)
(1)

(14)
(74)
(7)
(67)

Net loss
Other comprehensive (loss) income, before tax:

Change in cumulative translation adjustment

Net change in cash flow hedges

Pension liability

Other comprehensive (loss) income, before tax
Income /(expense) for taxes

Other comprehensive (loss) income, net of tax

Comprehensive loss
Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to non-controlling interest
Comprehensive loss attributable to controlling interest

$

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

60

Veoneer, Inc.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

As of December 31
2017
2018

Assets
Cash and cash equivalents

Short-term investments

Receivables, net

Inventories, net

Related party receivable

Prepaid expenses and other contract assets

Other current assets

Total current assets
Property, plant and equipment, net
Equity method investment
Goodwill
Intangible assets, net

Deferred tax assets

Related party notes receivable

Investments

Other non-current assets

Total assets
Liabilities and equity
Accounts payable

Related party payables

Accrued expenses

Income tax payable

Other current liabilities

Related party short-term debt

Total current liabilities
Related party long-term debt

Pension liability

Deferred tax liabilities

Other non-current liabilities
Total non-current liabilities
Commitments and contingencies

Equity
Common stock (par value $1.00, 325 million shares authorized, 87 million
shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017)

Additional paid-in capital

Accumulated deficit

Net Former Parent investment

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

Total Equity
Non-controlling interest
Total Equity and non-controlling interests
Total liabilities, Equity and non-controlling interests

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

61

$

864

$

Note 7

Note 8

Note 19

Note 10
Note 9

Note 11

Note 11

Note 6

Note 19

Note 19

Note 12

Note 6

Note 19

Note 19

Note 14

Note 6

Note 16

$

$

$

5

376

172

64

39

22
1,543
499
101

291

102

11

1

8

77
2,632

369

16

193

9

47

1
636
13

20

13

25
70

$

$

87

1,938
(181)
—
(19)
1,826
101
1,927
2,632

$

—

—

448

154

13

34

—
649
362
98

292

122

30

76

—

34
1,663

320

8

195

41

26

0
590
62

14

17

22
115

—

—

—

844
(8)
836
122
957
1,663

Veoneer, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Operating activities
Net loss
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash (used in) / provided by operating activities:
      Depreciation and amortization
       Undistributed loss from equity method investments
       Stock-based compensation
      Contingent consideration write-down

       Deferred income taxes
      Goodwill, impairment charge

       Other, net

Change in operating assets and liabilities
       Receivables, gross

Accounts payable

       Related party receivable and payables, net

       Income taxes

       Inventories, gross

       Accrued expenses

Prepaid expenses and contract assets

Other current assets and liabilities, net

Net cash used in operating activities
Investing activities
Net decrease / (increase) in related party notes receivable

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment
Capital expenditures

Equity method investment

Short-term investments

Acquisition of  intangible assets

Acquisition of businesses and interest in affiliates, net of cash acquired

Net cash used in investing activities
Financing activities
Cash provided at separation by Former Parent

Net transfers from Former Parent

Net increase / (decrease) in related party short-term debt

(Decrease)/ increase in related party long-term debt

Net cash provided by financing activities
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

Increase in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
Supplemental Disclosures:
Cash paid for income taxes

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

62

Years Ended December 31
2016
2017
2018

$

(294) $

(344) $

(60)

111
63
5
(14)
15
—
(29)

58

10
(46)
(40)
(22)
4
(6)
6
(179)

76
4
(188)
(71)
(5)
(1)
—
(185)

980

294

1
(49)
1,226
2
864
—
864

39

$

$

$

$

119
31
2
(13)
(11)
234
(29)

12
(11)
—

10

19
(9)
(1)
(9)
(1)

(2)
7
(110)
—

—

—
(125)
(230)

—

184
(4)
51
232
—
—
—
— $

106
—
3
—
(11)
—
(12)

(153)
68

5

20
(8)
64
(19)
(11)
(7)

(8)
2
(103)
—

—

—
(226)
(335)

—

327

4

12
343
—
—
—
—

30

$

19

Veoneer, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Common
Stock

Additional 
Paid In 
Capital

Net 
Former 
Parent
Investment

Accumulated
Deficit

Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive 
Loss

Non-
controlling
Interests

Total

$

— $

— $

606

$

— $

(15) $

— $

591

—

—

—

—
—

—

—

8
(17)
(5)
(14)

—

$

— $

(29) $

(53)

—

—

—
(53)

—

324
877

(217)

—

—

(217)
184
844

—

—

—

$

$

(95)

(181)

—

—

—

—
—
— $

—

—

—

—

—

(7)

—
(7)
—
(14)

252

4
242

(60)

8
(25)
(5)
(81)

252

327
1,089

$

(127)

(344)

—

(9)
30

—

7

21
—
(8) $

(120)
—
122

$

(9)
37

(316)
184
957

—

1
(9)
(3)

—

—

(19)

—
(1)
1

—

—

(294)

1
(10)
(2)

19

3

—

—

—

—
—

—

—

—

—

—
—

—

$

— $

— $

—

—

—

—

—

—

—
—
— $

—
—
— $

—

—

—

—

1,935

(2,003)

3

—

—

—

—

—

87

—

87
—
87

1,938
—
1,938

$

(2,098)
1,253

$

— $

(181)
—
(181) $

(10)
—
(19) $

(19)
(1)
101

$

(283)
1,252
1,927

— $

— $

1

— $

— $

— $

1

2016
Balance at January 1, 2016
Comprehensive Loss:

Net loss

Net change in cash flow
hedges

Foreign currency translation

Pension liability

Total Comprehensive Loss
Investment in subsidiary by non-
controlling interest

Net transfers from Former Parent

Balance at December 31, 2016
2017
Comprehensive Income (Loss):

Net loss

Net change in cash flow
hedges

Foreign currency translation

Total Comprehensive income
(Loss)
Net transfers from Former Parent

Balance at December 31, 2017
2018
Adoption of ASC 606

$

$

Comprehensive Income (Loss):

Net loss

Net change in cash flow
hedges
Foreign currency translation

Pension liability

Reclassification of Former
Parent's net investment and
issuance of ordinary shares
in connection with
separation
Stock based compensation
expense

Total Comprehensive Income
(Loss)
Net transfers from Former Parent

Balance at December 31, 2018

$

See Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

63

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

NOTE 1. Basis of Presentation

On June 29, 2018 (the “Distribution Date”), Veoneer, Inc. (“Veoneer” or “the Company”) became an independent, publicly-traded 
company as a result of the distribution by Autoliv, Inc. (“Autoliv” or “Former Parent”) of 100 percent of the outstanding common 
stock  of Veoneer  to  the  stockholders  of Autoliv  (the  “Spin-Off”).  Each Autoliv  stockholder  and  holder  of Autoliv’s  Swedish 
Depository Receipts (SDRs) of record as of certain specified dates received one share of Veoneer common stock or one Veoneer 
SDR, respectively, for every one share of Autoliv common stock or Autoliv SDR held as of a certain date. The Spin-Off was 
completed on June 29, 2018 in a tax free transaction pursuant to Section 355 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

On July 2, 2018, Veoneer common stock began regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the ticker 
symbol “VNE” and Veoneer SDRs began trading on National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASDAQ”) Stockholm under 
the  symbol  “VNE-SDB”. Agreements  entered  into  between Veoneer  and Autoliv  in  connection  with  the  Spin-Off  govern  the 
relationship between the parties following the Spin-Off and provide for the allocation of various assets, liabilities, rights and 
obligations. These agreements also include arrangements for transition services to be provided on a temporary basis between the 
parties.

In advance of the Spin-Off, Autoliv completed a series of internal transactions, in which Autoliv transferred its Electronics business 
to Veoneer. These transactions are referred to herein as the “internal reorganization”. The internal reorganization was completed 
on April 1, 2018.

The Company has two operating segments, Electronics and Brake Systems. Electronics includes all electronics resources and 
expertise, Restraint Control Systems and Active Safety products, and Brake Systems provides brake control and actuation systems. 

The accompanying consolidated financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 and from January 
1, 2018 through the Distribution Date were prepared from Autoliv’s historical accounting records and are presented on a stand-
alone basis as if the operations had been conducted independently from Autoliv. For the period from the Distribution Date through 
December 31, 2018, the consolidated financial statements reflect Veoneer’s stand-alone operations. Prior to the Spin-Off, Autoliv’s 
net investment in these operations (Former Parent equity) is shown in lieu of a controlling interest’s equity in the Consolidated 
Financial Statements. Subsequent to the Spin-Off, Veoneer common stock, Additional paid-in capital and future income (losses) 
are reflected in Accumulated deficit. Accordingly, for periods prior to June 29, 2018, the Company’s financial statements are 
presented on a combined basis and for the periods subsequent to June 29, 2018, they are presented on a consolidated basis (all 
periods hereinafter are referred to as "Consolidated Financial Statements"). 

Prior to the Spin-Off, the Consolidated Statements of Operations include all sales and costs directly attributable to Veoneer, including 
costs for facilities, functions and services used by Veoneer. Certain shared costs have been directly charged to Veoneer based on 
usage or other allocation methods. The results of operations also include allocations of (i) costs for administrative functions and 
services performed on behalf of Veoneer by centralized staff groups within Autoliv, (ii) Autoliv’s general corporate expenses and 
(iii) certain  pension  and  other  retirement  benefit  costs  (See  Note  14,  Retirement  Plans  for  a  description  of  the  allocation 
methodologies employed). As more fully described in Note 6, Income Taxes, current and deferred income taxes and related tax 
expense have been determined based on the stand-alone results of Veoneer by applying Financial Accounting Standards Board 
(FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) No. 740, Income Taxes, to the Veoneer operations in each country as if it were 
a separate taxpayer (i.e., following the separate return methodology).  Subsequent to the Spin-Off, sales, costs and taxes are reflected 
for Veoneer’s operations on a stand-alone company basis.

Prior to the Spin-Off, Veoneer participated in Autoliv's centralized cash management and financing programs. Accordingly, no 
cash and cash equivalents of Autoliv was allocated to Veoneer in the consolidated financial statements. Transactions between 
Autoliv and Veoneer are accounted for through Net Former Parent Investment. Autoliv’s short-term and long-term debt, 
including any related interest expense as well as its derivative activity, was pushed down to Veoneer’s consolidated financial 
statements where it is specifically identifiable to Veoneer. See Note 19, Relationship with Former Parent and Related Entities, 
for a further description of related party transactions between Autoliv and Veoneer. Subsequent to the Spin-Off, Veoneer has its 
own treasury functions.

For periods prior to the Spin-Off, all charges and allocations of cost for facilities, functions and services performed by Autoliv 
organizations have been deemed paid by Veoneer to Autoliv, in cash, in the period in which the cost was recorded in the Consolidated 
Statements of Operations.

64

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The consolidated financial statements include the historical operations, assets, and liabilities that are considered to comprise the 
Veoneer business. All of the allocations and estimates in the consolidated financial statements are based on assumptions that 
Veoneer management believe are reasonable. However, the historical statements of operations, comprehensive loss, balance sheets, 
and cash flows of Veoneer included herein may not be indicative of what they would have been had Veoneer actually been a stand-
alone entity during such periods, nor are they necessarily indicative of Veoneer's future results.

Certain amounts in the prior year’s consolidated financial statements and related footnotes thereto have been reclassified to 
conform to the current year presentation.

Certain amounts in the consolidated financial statements and associated notes may not reconcile due to rounding. All 
percentages have been calculated using unrounded amounts.

NOTE 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation 

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States (U.S.) Generally Accepted Accounting 
Principles (GAAP) and include the consolidated assets, liabilities, sales, and expenses of the Veoneer business as of December 
31, 2018 and 2017 and for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017, and 2016. All intercompany accounts and transactions within 
the Company have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements. See Note 19, Relationship with Parent and Related 
Entities, for a further description of related party transactions between Autoliv and Veoneer.

Consolidation is also required when the Company has both the power to direct the activities of a variable interest entity (VIE) and 
the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits from the VIE that could be significant to the VIE.

Investments in affiliated companies in which the Company exercises significant influence over the operations and financial policies, 
but does not control, are reported using the equity method of accounting.

Business Combinations

Transactions in which the Company obtains control of a business are accounted for according to the acquisition method as described 
in Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 805, Business Combinations. The 
assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recognized and measured at their fair values as of the date control is obtained. Acquisition 
related costs in connection with a business combination are expensed as incurred. Contingent consideration is recognized and 
measured at fair value at the acquisition date and until paid is re-measured on a recurring basis. It is classified as a liability based 
on appropriate GAAP.

Equity Method Investments

Investments accounted for under the equity method, means that a proportional share of the equity method investment’s net income 
increases the investment, and a proportional share of losses and payment of dividends decreases it. In the Consolidated Statements 
of Operations, the proportional share of the net loss is reported as Loss from equity method investments.

Use of Estimates

The  preparation  of  consolidated  financial  statements  in  conformity  with  GAAP  requires  management  to  make  estimates  and 
assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of 
the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of net sales and expenses during the reporting period. The accounting 
estimates that require management’s most significant judgments include the estimation of retroactive price adjustments, estimations 
associated with purchase price allocations regarding business combinations, valuation of stock based payments, assessment of 
recoverability of goodwill and intangible assets, assessment of the useful lives of intangible assets, estimation of pension benefit 
expense based on actuarial assumptions, estimation of accruals for warranty and product liabilities, uncertain tax positions, valuation 
allowances and contingent liabilities. However, actual results could differ from those estimates.

65

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Revenue Recognition

In accordance with ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, revenue is measured based on consideration specified in 
a contract with a customer, adjusted for any variable consideration (i.e. price concessions or annual price adjustments) and estimated 
at contract inception. The Company recognizes revenue when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a 
product to a customer.

In addition, from time to time, Veoneer may make payments to customers in connection with ongoing and future business. These 
payments to customers are generally recognized as a reduction to revenue at the time of the commitment to make these payments, 
unless certain criteria are met, warranting capitalization. If the payments are capitalized, the amounts are amortized as the related 
goods are transferred. As of December 31, 2018, and 2017, the Company capitalized $54 million and $23 million, respectively, 
in Other non-current assets related to payments to customers. The Company assesses these amounts for impairment. There was 
no impairment in 2018 or 2017.

Taxes assessed by a governmental authority that are both imposed on and concurrent with a specific revenue-producing transaction, 
that are collected by the Company from a customer, are excluded from revenue.

Shipping and handling costs associated with outbound freight after control of a product has transferred to a customer are accounted 
for as a fulfillment cost and are included in cost of sales.

Nature of goods and services

The  following  is  a  description  of  principal  activities  from  which  the  Company  generates  its  revenue. The  Company  has  two
operating segments, Electronics and Brake Systems. Electronics includes all of electronics resources and expertise, restraint control 
systems and active safety products. Brake Systems provides brake control and actuation systems. The principal activities are 
essentially the same for each of the segments. Both of the segments generate revenue from the sale of production parts to original 
equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). 

The Company accounts for individual products separately if they are distinct (i.e., if a product is separately identifiable from other 
items and if a customer can benefit from it on its own or with other resources that are readily available to the customer). The 
consideration, including any price concession or annual price adjustments, is based on their stand-alone selling prices for each of 
the products. The stand-alone selling prices are determined based on the cost-plus margin approach.

The Company recognizes revenue for production parts primarily at a point in time.

For production parts with revenue recognized at a point in time, the Company recognizes revenue upon shipment to the customers 
and transfer of title and risk of loss under standard commercial terms (typically F.O.B. shipping point). There are certain contracts 
where the criteria to recognize revenue over time have been met (e.g., there is no alternative use to the Company and the Company 
has  an  enforceable  right  to  payment).  In  such  cases,  at  period  end,  the  Company  recognizes  revenue  and  a  related  asset  and 
associated cost of goods sold and inventory. However, the financial impact of these contracts is immaterial considering the very 
short production cycles and limited inventory days on hand, which is typical for the automotive industry.

The amount of revenue recognized is based on the purchase order price and adjusted for variable consideration (i.e. price concessions 
or annual price adjustments). Customers typically pay for the production parts based on customary business practices with payment 
terms averaging 30 days.

Contract balances

The contract assets related to the Company’s rights to consideration for work completed but not billed (generally in conjunction 
with  contracts  for  which  revenue  is  recognized  over  time)  at  the  reporting  date  on  production  parts. The  contract  assets  are 
reclassified into the receivables balance when the rights to receive payments become unconditional. There have been no impairment 
losses recognized related to contract assets arising from the Company’s contracts with customers.

Research, Development and Engineering (R,D&E)

The Company performs research activities to identify new products, product development activities for further product evolution, 
and engineering activities to customize existing products for specific customers. Research and development and most engineering 

66

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

expenses are expensed as incurred. These expenses are reported net of expense reimbursements from contracts to further customize 
existing products for specific customers.

Certain engineering expenses related to long-term supply arrangements are capitalized when defined criteria, such as the existence 
of a contractual guarantee for reimbursement, are met.

Tooling is generally agreed upon as a separate contract or a separate component of an engineering contract, as a pre-production 
project. Capitalization of tooling costs is made only when the specific criteria for capitalization of customer funded tooling are 
met or the criteria for capitalization as Property, Plant & Equipment for tools owned by the Company are fulfilled. Depreciation 
on the Company’s own tooling is recognized in the Consolidated Statements of Operations as Cost of Sales.

Stock Based Compensation

The compensation costs for all of the Company’s stock-based compensation awards are determined based on the fair value method 
as defined in ASC 718, Compensation-Stock Compensation. The Company records the compensation expense for its direct and 
allocated portion of awards under the Veoneer Stock Incentive Plan, including restricted stock units (RSUs), performance shares 
(PSs) and stock options (SOs), over the respective vesting period. For further details, see Note 15, Stock Incentive Plans.

Income Taxes

Prior to the spin-off, Veoneer’s operations were included in the tax returns filed by Autoliv of which the Veoneer business was a 
part. Income tax expense and other income tax related information contained in these consolidated financial statements were 
presented on a separate return basis as if the Company filed its own tax returns. Income taxes as presented in the consolidated 
financial statements for periods prior to the spin-off attribute current and deferred income taxes in a manner that is systematic, 
rational and consistent with the asset and liability method prescribed by the accounting guidance for income taxes. The separate 
return method applies the accounting guidance for income taxes to the standalone financial statements as if the Company was a 
separate taxpayer and a standalone company for the periods presented prior to the spin-off. Any income tax liabilities or related 
net deferred tax assets or liabilities resulting from operations prior to the spin-off have been settled with the Former Parent as of 
the Distribution Date and are reflected in the Net Former Parent investment. 

Subsequent to the Spin-Off, current tax liabilities and assets are recognized for the estimated taxes payable or refundable on the 
tax returns for the current year. In certain circumstances, payments or refunds may extend beyond twelve months, in such cases 
amounts would be classified as non-current taxes payable or refundable. Deferred tax liabilities or assets are recognized for the 
estimated future tax effects attributable to temporary differences and carryforwards that result from events that have been recognized 
in either the financial statements or the tax returns, but not both. The measurement of current and deferred tax liabilities and assets 
is based on provisions of enacted tax laws in effect for the year the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred tax assets are 
reduced by the amount of any tax benefits that are not expected to be realized. A valuation allowance is recognized if, based on 
the weight of all available evidence, it is more likely than not that some portion, or all, of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. 
Evaluation of the realizability of deferred tax assets is subject to significant judgment requiring careful consideration of all facts 
and circumstances. 

Tax benefits associated with tax positions taken in the Company’s income tax returns are initially recognized and measured in the 
financial statements when it is more likely than not that those tax positions will be sustained upon examination by the relevant 
taxing authorities. The Company’s evaluation of its tax benefits is based on the probability of the tax position being upheld if 
challenged by the taxing authorities (including through negotiation, appeals, settlement and litigation). Whenever a tax position 
does not meet the initial recognition criteria, the tax benefit is subsequently recognized and measured if there is a substantive 
change in the facts and circumstances that cause a change in judgment concerning the sustainability of the tax position upon 
examination by the relevant taxing authorities. In cases where tax benefits meet the initial recognition criterion, the Company 
continues, in subsequent periods, to assess its ability to sustain those positions. A previously recognized tax benefit is derecognized 
when it is no longer more likely than not that the tax position would be sustained upon examination. Liabilities for unrecognized 
tax benefits are classified as non-current unless the payment of the liability is expected to be made within the next 12 months.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash 
equivalents. Veoneer held approximately $864 million of cash and cash equivalents and $5 million of short-term investments as 
of December 31, 2018.

67

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The carrying amounts reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheets for cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments 
approximate their fair values based on Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. 

Receivables

Accounts receivables are recorded at the invoiced amount and do not bear interest.

The Company has guidelines for calculating the allowance for bad debts. In determining the amount of a bad debt allowance, 
management uses its judgment to consider factors such as the age of the receivables, the Company’s prior experience with the 
customer, the experience of other enterprises in the same industry, the customer’s ability to pay, and/or an appraisal of current 
economic  conditions.  Collateral  is  typically  not  required. There  can  be  no  assurance  that  the  amount  ultimately  realized  for 
receivables will not be materially different than that assumed in the calculation of the allowance.

A substantial majority of the Company’s trade receivables are derived from sales to OEMs. The Company’s four largest customers 
accounted for 58% of sales for 2018, 62% for 2017 and 59% for 2016. Additionally, as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, these 
four largest customers accounted for 52% and 55%, respectively, of the Company’s accounts receivable. The Company believes 
that the receivable balances from these largest customers do not represent a significant credit risk based on past collection experience. 
The Company has adopted credit policies and standards intended to accommodate industry growth and inherent risk. The Company 
believes that credit risks are moderated by the financial stability of the Company’s major customers.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The Company uses derivative financial instruments, primarily forwards, options and swaps to reduce the effects of fluctuations in 
foreign exchange rates and the resulting variability of the Company’s operating results. On the date that a derivative contract is 
entered into, the Company designates the derivative as either (1) a hedge of the exposure to changes in the fair value of a recognized 
asset  or  liability  or  of  an  unrecognized  firm  commitment  (a  fair  value  hedge)  or  (2) a  hedge  of  the  exposure  of  a  forecasted 
transaction or of the variability in the cash flows of a recognized asset or liability (a cash flow hedge).

When a hedge is classified as a fair value hedge, the change in the fair value of the hedge is recognized in the Consolidated 
Statements of Operations along with the offsetting change in the fair value of the hedged item. When a hedge is classified as a 
cash flow hedge, any change in the fair value of the hedge is initially recorded in equity as a component of Other Comprehensive 
Income (OCI) and reclassified into the Consolidated Statements of Operations when the hedge transaction affects net earnings. 
The Company uses the forward rate with respect to the measurement of changes in fair value of cash flow hedges when revaluing 
foreign exchange forward contracts. All derivatives are recognized in the consolidated financial statements at fair value. For further 
details. see Note 5, Fair Value Measurements. 

Inventories

The cost of inventories is computed according to the first-in, first-out method (FIFO). Cost includes the cost of materials, direct 
labor and the applicable share of manufacturing overhead. Inventories are evaluated based on individual or, in some cases, groups 
of inventory items. Reserves are established to reduce the value of inventories to the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net 
realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, 
disposal and transportation. Excess inventories are quantities of items that exceed anticipated sales or usage for a reasonable period. 
The Company has guidelines for calculating provisions for excess inventories based on the number of months of inventories on 
hand compared to anticipated sales or usage. Management uses its judgment to forecast sales or usage and to determine what 
constitutes a reasonable period. There can be no assurance that the amount ultimately realized for inventories will not be materially 
different than that assumed in the calculation of the reserves.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment are recorded at historical cost. Construction in progress generally involves short-term projects for 
which capitalized interest is not significant. The Company provides for depreciation of property, plant and equipment computed 
under the straight-line method over the assets’ estimated useful lives, or in the case of leasehold improvements over the shorter of 
the  useful  life  or  the  lease  term. Amortization  on  capital  leases  is  recognized  with  depreciation  expense  in  the  Consolidated 
Statements of Operations over the shorter of the assets’ expected life or the lease contract term. Repairs and maintenance are 
expensed as incurred.

68

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The Company also entered into certain “build-to-suit” lease arrangements in 2017 with continuing impact into 2018 for certain 
manufacturing and research buildings. During 2018, one of the “build-to-suit” lease arrangement was completed and accounted 
as a lease as of December 31, 2018. For the build-to-suit still under construction, the Company will be deemed the owner of the 
buildings for accounting purposes during the construction period due to the terms of the arrangements. As such, those amounts 
will be capitalized as an asset and a liability in Consolidated Balance Sheet during the construction period. As of December 31, 
2018, capitalized amounts are approximately $48 million, and as of December 31, 2017, capitalized amounts were immaterial. 

Long-Lived Assets Impairment 

The Company evaluates the carrying value and useful lives of long-lived assets when indications of impairment are evident or it 
is likely that the useful lives have decreased, in which case the Company depreciates the assets over the remaining useful lives. 
Impairment testing is primarily performed by using the cash flow method based on undiscounted future cash flows. Estimated 
undiscounted cash flows for a long-lived asset being evaluated for recoverability are compared with the respective carrying amount 
of that asset. If the estimated undiscounted cash flows exceed the carrying amount of the assets, the carrying amounts of the long-
lived asset are considered recoverable and an impairment  is not be recorded. However, if the carrying amount of a group of assets 
exceeds  the  undiscounted  cash  flows,  an  entity  must  then  measure  the  long-lived  assets’  fair  value  to  determine  whether  an 
impairment loss should be recognized, generally using a discounted cash flow model.

Intangible Assets and Goodwill

Intangible assets, principally related to acquired technology and contractual relationships, are amortized over their useful lives 
which range from 5 to 10 years.

Goodwill represents the excess of the fair value of consideration transferred over the fair value of net assets of businesses acquired. 
Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to at least an annual review for impairment. 

The  Company  reviews  goodwill  for  impairment  annually  in  the  fourth  quarter  or  more  frequently  if  events  or  changes  in 
circumstances indicate the assets might be impaired. 

In conducting its impairment testing, the Company compares the estimated fair value of each of its reporting units to the related 
carrying value of the reporting unit. If the estimated fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, goodwill is considered 
not to be impaired. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment loss is recognized for 
the excess of carrying amount over the fair value of the respective reporting unit.

The estimated fair value of the reporting unit is determined by the discounted cash flow method taking into account expected long-
term operating cash-flow performance. The Company discounts projected operating cash flows using the reporting unit’s weighted 
average cost of capital, including a risk premium to adjust for market risk. The estimated fair value is based on automotive industry 
volume projections which are based on third-party and internally developed forecasts and discount rate assumptions. Significant 
assumptions  include  terminal  growth  rates,  terminal  operating  margin  rates,  future  capital  expenditures  and  working  capital 
requirements. To supplement this analysis, the Company compares the market value of its equity, calculated by reference to the 
quoted market prices of its shares, to the book value of its equity.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, in connection with the annual impairment test, the Company recorded a goodwill impairment charge 
of $234 million relating to its Brake Systems Segment (see Note 4, Business Combinations). There is no remaining goodwill 
related to the Brake Systems Segment after the impairment. There were no impairments of goodwill for 2018 and 2016.

Warranties and Recalls

The Company records liabilities for product recalls when probable claims are identified and when it is possible to reasonably 
estimate costs. Recall costs are costs incurred when the customer decides to formally recall a product due to a known or suspected 
safety concern. Product recall costs typically include the cost of the product being replaced as well as the customer’s cost of the 
recall, including labor to remove and replace the defective part. Insurance receivables, related to recall issues covered by the 
insurance, are included within other current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Provisions for warranty claims are estimated based on prior experience, likely changes in performance of newer products and the 
mix and volume of products sold. The provisions are recorded on an accrual basis.

69

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Pension and Other Post-Employment Benefits 

Veoneer’s employees participate in both defined contribution plans and defined benefit plans sponsored by Veoneer in Japan (the 
Japan plans), Canada (the Canada plans), and France (the France plans) and certain defined benefit plans sponsored by Autoliv in 
Sweden (the Sweden plans) and US (the US plans). A defined contribution plan generally specifies the periodic amount that the 
employer must contribute to the plan and how that amount will be allocated to the eligible employees who perform services during 
the same period. A defined benefit pension plan is one that contains pension benefit formulas, which generally determine the 
amount of pension benefits that each employee will receive for services performed during a specified period of employment.

For the Japan, Canada, and France plans, the amount recognized as a defined benefit liability is the net total of projected benefit 
obligation (PBO) minus the fair value of plan assets (if any). The plan assets are measured at fair value. The inputs to the fair value 
measurement of the plan assets are mainly level 2 inputs (see Note 5, Fair Value Measurements). Veoneer has considered the 
remaining plans to be part of a multiemployer plan with Autoliv and does not record a corresponding asset or liability. Pension 
expense was allocated and reported within Costs of sales, Selling, general and administrative expenses and Research, development 
and engineering expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. The expense related to Veoneer employees and allocated 
expenses are included in these Consolidated Financial Statements.

Contingent Liabilities 

Various claims, lawsuits and proceedings are pending or threatened against the Company or its subsidiaries, covering a range of 
matters that arise in the ordinary course of its business activities with respect to commercial, product liability or other matters.

The Company diligently defends itself in such matters and, in addition, carries insurance coverage to the extent reasonably available 
against insurable risks.

The Company records liabilities for claims, lawsuits and proceedings when they are probable, and it is possible to reasonably 
estimate the cost of such liabilities. Legal costs expected to be incurred in connection with a loss contingency are expensed as 
such costs are incurred.

The Company believes, based on currently available information, that the resolution of outstanding matters, described in Note 16,  
Commitments and Contingencies, after taking into account recorded liabilities and available insurance coverage, should not have 
a material effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

However, due to the inherent uncertainty associated with such matters, there can be no assurance that the final outcomes of these 
matters will not be materially different than currently estimated.

Translation of Non-US Subsidiaries 

The balance sheets of subsidiaries with functional currency other than U.S. dollars are translated into U.S. dollars using year-end 
exchange rates.

The statement of operations of these subsidiaries is translated into U.S. dollars using the average exchange rates for the year. 
Translation differences are reflected in equity as a component of OCI.

Receivable and Liabilities in Non-Functional Currencies

Receivables and liabilities not denominated in functional currencies are converted at year-end exchange rates. Net transaction 
gains/(losses) that are reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Operations amounted to $(2) million in 2018, $3 million in 2017 
and $1 million in 2016. These are recorded in operating income if they relate to operational receivables and liabilities or are 
recorded in other non-operating items, net if they relate to financial receivables and liabilities.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

In  February  2018,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  (“FASB”)  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  (“ASU”) 
2018-02, Income  Statement  –  Reporting  Comprehensive  Income  (Topic  220)  –  Reclassification  of  Certain  Tax  Effects  from 
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI), which allows a reclassification from AOCI to retained earnings for stranded 
tax effects resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Act”). Consequently, the amendments in ASU 2018-02 eliminate 

70

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

the stranded tax effects resulting from the Act. The amendments in ASU 2018-02 are effective for all entities for annual periods 
beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted as of the 
beginning of an annual period for which financial statements (interim or annual) have not been issued or made available for 
issuance. The amendments in ASU 2018-02 should be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period 
(or periods) in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the Act is recognized. The Company 
adopted early ASU 2018-02 as of January 1, 2018 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial 
statements for any periods presented.

In January 2018, the FASB released guidance on the accounting for tax on the global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) 
provisions of the Act. The GILTI provisions impose a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of 
foreign corporations. In the first quarter of 2018, the Company elected to treat any potential GILTI inclusions as a period cost.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350)—Simplifying the Test for Goodwill 
Impairment, which simplifies how an entity is required to test goodwill for impairment by eliminating step two from the goodwill 
impairment test, which measures a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill 
with the carrying amount. Instead, entities should perform annual or interim goodwill impairment tests by comparing the fair value 
of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognize an impairment charge for the excess of carrying amount over the fair 
value of the respective reporting unit. The amendments in ASU 2017-04 are effective for public business entities for annual or 
interim goodwill impairment tests in annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for interim 
or annual goodwill impairment tests performed on testing dates after January 1, 2017. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-04 
effective January 1, 2017. As this standard is prospective in nature, the impact to the Company’s financial statements by not 
performing step two to measure the amount of any potential goodwill impairment will depend on various factors. However, the 
elimination of step two reduces the complexity and cost of the subsequent measurement of goodwill. This new standard was applied 
in conjunction with assessing Goodwill impairment as discussed in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805)—Clarifying the Definition of a Business, 
which provides a screen to determine when an integrated set of assets and activities is not a business. The screen requires that 
when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or 
a group of similar identifiable assets, the set is not a business. The amendments in ASU 2017-01 are effective for public business 
entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those periods. ASU 2017-01 should be 
applied prospectively. Early adoption is permitted. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-01 effective January 1, 2017 for new 
transactions that have not been reported in financial statements that have been issued or made available for issuance. As this 
standard is prospective in nature, the impact to the Company’s financial statements will depend on the nature of the Company’s 
future acquisitions. This new standard was applied in conjunction with the Zenuity joint venture and the Fotonic i Norden dp AB 
acquisition as discussed in Note 9, Equity Method Investment and Note 4, Business Combinations, respectively, to the consolidated 
financial statements for any periods presented.

In March 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-07, Compensation-Retirement Benefits (Topic 715) - Improving the Presentation of 
Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Post-Retirement Benefit Cost, which requires the service cost component to be reported 
in the same line item or items as other compensation costs arising from services rendered by the pertinent employees during the 
period. The other components of net benefit cost are required to be presented in the Consolidated Statements of Operations separately 
from the service cost component and outside operating income. The amendments in ASU 2017-07 are effective for public business 
entities  for  annual  periods  beginning  after  December 15,  2017,  including  interim  periods  within  those  annual  periods.  The 
amendments in ASU 2017-07 should be applied retrospectively for the presentation of the service cost component and the other 
components of net periodic pension cost and net periodic post-retirement benefit cost in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. 
The Company adopted ASU 2017-07 in the first quarter of 2018 and the adoption did not have a material impact on the consolidated 
financial statements for any periods presented (see Note 14, Retirement Plans).

In  May  2017,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  (FASB)  issued  Accounting  Standards  Update  (ASU)  2017-09, 
Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718) – Scope of Modification Accounting, which provides guidance about which changes 
to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in Topic 718. An 
entity should account for the effects of a modification unless (a) the fair value of the modified award is the same as the fair value 
of the original award, (b) the vesting conditions of the modified award are the same as the vesting conditions of the original award 
and (c) the classification of the modified award as an equity instrument or a liability instrument is the same as the classification 
of the original award immediately before the original award is modified. The amendments in ASU 2017-09 are effective for public 
business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those annual periods. 
Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period, for public business entities for reporting periods for which 

71

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

financial statements have not been issued. The amendments in ASU 2017-09 should be applied prospectively to an award modified 
on or after the adoption date. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-09 in the second quarter beginning April 1, 2017. As this 
standard is prospective in nature, the impact to the Company’s financial statements will depend on the nature of the Company’s 
future award modifications. There have been no modifications to awards to date in 2017.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation— Stock Compensation (Topic 718), which simplifies the accounting 
for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, 
and classification on the statement of cash flows. For public business entities, the amendments in ASU 2016-09 are effective for 
annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Amendments related to the 
timing of when excess tax benefits are recognized, minimum statutory withholding requirements, forfeitures, and intrinsic value 
should be applied using a modified retrospective transition method by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to equity as of the 
beginning of the period in which the guidance is adopted. Amendments related to the presentation of employee taxes paid on the 
statement of cash flows when an employer withholds shares to meet the minimum statutory withholding requirement should be 
applied retrospectively. Amendments requiring recognition of excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies in the income statement and 
the practical expedient for estimating expected term should be applied prospectively. An entity may elect to apply the amendments 
related to the presentation of excess tax benefits on the statement of cash flows using either a prospective transition method or a 
retrospective  transition  method. The  Company  adopted ASU  2016-09  effective  January 1,  2017  and  has  elected  to  recognize 
forfeitures as they occur. The adoption of ASU 2016-09 did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements 
for any periods presented.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230)—Classification of Certain Cash Receipts 
and Cash Payments, which provides guidance on reducing the diversity in practice on eight cash flow classification issues and 
how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in ASU 
2016-15 are effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within 
those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. If an entity early adopts the amendments 
in an interim period, any adjustments should be reflected as of the beginning of the annual period that includes that interim period. 
The amendments in ASU 2016-15 should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. The Company 
early  adopted ASU  2016-15  effective  January 1,  2017. The  adoption  of ASU  2016-15  did  not  have  a  material  impact  on  the 
consolidated financial statements for any periods presented.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740) – Intra-Entity Transfers of Assets Other Than Inventory, 
which requires an entity to recognize the income tax consequences of an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory when 
the transfer occurs. Historical GAAP prohibits the recognition of current and deferred income taxes for an intra-entity asset transfer 
until the asset has been sold to an outside party. Consequently, the amendments in this ASU 2016-16 eliminate the exception for 
an intra-entity transfer of an asset other than inventory. Two common examples of assets included in the scope of ASU 2016-16 
are intellectual property and property, plant, and equipment. The amendments in ASU 2016-16 are effective for public business 
entities  for  annual  periods  beginning  after  December 15,  2017,  including  interim  periods  within  those  annual  periods.  The 
amendments in ASU 2016-16 should be applied on a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment directly 
to equity as of the beginning of the period of adoption. The Company's adoption of ASU 2016-16 effective January 1, 2018 did 
not have a material impact on consolidated financial statements for any periods presented.

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which outlines a single, 
comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most 
current  revenue  recognition  guidance  issued  by  the  FASB,  including  industry  specific  guidance.  In  2016,  the  FASB  issued 
accounting standard updates to address implementation issues and to clarify guidance in certain areas. The core principle of the 
guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that 
reflects the consideration which the Company expects to receive in exchange for those goods or services. In addition, ASU 2014-09 
requires certain additional disclosure around the nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from 
contracts with customers. The Company adopted ASU 2014-09 effective January 1, 2018 and utilized the modified retrospective 
(cumulative effect) transition method. The Company applied the modified retrospective transition method through a cumulative 
adjustment to equity. The adoption of the new revenue standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial 
statements for any periods presented. The table below shows the adjustments made due to ASU 2014-09.

72

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Balance Sheet
(Dollars in millions)

Assets
Inventories, net

Prepaid expenses and contract assets

Equity
Net Former Parent investment

Income Statement
(Dollars in millions)

Net sales

Cost of sales
Operating loss

Balance Sheet
(Dollars in millions)

Assets
Inventories, net

Prepaid expenses and contract assets

Equity
Additional paid-in capital

Accounting Standards Issued But Not Yet Adopted

Balance at
December 31,
2017

Adjustments due
to ASU 2014-09

Balance at
January 1,
2018

154

$

34

(5) $
7

149

41

844

$

1

$

845

Year Ended December 31, 2018

Balances 
without
adoption of
ASC 606

Effect of
Changes

As Reported

$

$

2,228
(1,798)
(197)

$

2,227
(1,797)
(197)

As of December 31, 2018

As Reported

Balances without
adoption of
ASC 606

Effect of
Changes

172

$

39

178

$

31

1,938

$

1,937

$

1
(1)
—

(6)
8

1

$

$

$

$

In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses,
which provides improvements to ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses 
on Financial Instruments. Specifically, ASU 2018-19 clarifies that receivables arising from operating leases are not within the 
scope of Subtopic 326-20, Measured at Amortized Cost, and states that impairment of receivables arising from operating leases 
should be accounted for in accordance with ASC Topic 842, Leases. The Company is required to adopt ASU 2018-19 concurrently 
with ASU 2016-13 in the first quarter of 2020 and is currently evaluating the impact of the ASU 2018-19 of its consolidated 
financial statements.

In November 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-18 Collaborative Arrangements (Topic 808), Clarifying the Interaction between 
Topic 808 and Topic 606, which (1) clarifies that certain transactions between collaborative arrangement participants should be 
accounted for under ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), when the collaborative arrangement 
participant is a customer in the context of a unit of account, (2) adds unit-of-account guidance in Topic 808 to align with Topic 
606 when an entity is assessing whether the collaborative arrangement, or a part of the arrangement, is within the scope of Topic 
606,  (3)  precludes  presenting  transactions  together  with  revenue  when  those  transactions  involve  collaborative  arrangement 
participants that are not directly related to third parties and are not customers. The Company is required to adopt ASU 2018-18 in 
the first quarter of 2020 and is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2018-18 on its consolidated financial statements.

In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-17 Consolidation (Topic 810), Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance 
for Variable Interest Entities, which allows a private company (reporting entity) to elect not to apply variable interest entity (VIE) 
guidance to legal entities under common control (including common control leasing arrangements) if both the parent and the legal 
entity being evaluated for consolidation are not public business entities. The accounting alternative provides an accounting policy 
election that a private company will apply to all current and future legal entities under common control that meet the criteria for 
applying this alternative. If the alternative is elected, a private company should continue to apply other consolidation guidance, 

73

 
 
Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

particularly the VIE guidance, unless another scope exception applies. The Company is required to adopt ASU 2018-17 in the first 
quarter of 2020 and is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2018-17 on its consolidated financial statements.

In October 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-16 Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815), Inclusion of the Secured Overnight Financing 
Rate (SOFR) Overnight Index Swap (OIS) Rate as a Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedge Accounting Purposes, which provides 
amendments to ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815), Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. 
The amendments in ASU 2018-16 permit use of the Overnight Index Swap (OIS) Rate based on the Secured Overnight Financing 
Rate (SOFR) as a U.S. benchmark interest rate for hedge accounting purposes under Topic 815 in addition to the U.S. Government 
(UST) Rate, the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) Swap Rate, the OIS Rate based on the Fed Funds Effective rate, and 
the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Municipal Swap Rate. The Company is required to adopt ASU 
2018-16 concurrently with ASU 2017-12 in the first quarter of 2019. The Company does not expect ASU 2017-12 to have material 
impact to the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-14, Compensation - Retirement Benefits - Defined Benefit Plans - General (Topic 
715-20): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans. ASU 2018-14 modifies the 
disclosure requirements for employers that sponsor defined benefit pension or other post-retirement plans. ASU 2018-14 removes 
the requirements to disclose: amounts in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) expected to be recognized as components 
of net periodic benefit cost over the next fiscal year; the amount and timing of plan assets expected to be returned to the employer; 
and the effects of a one-percentage point change in assumed health care cost trend rates. ASU 2018-14 requires disclosure of an 
explanation of the reasons for significant gains and losses related to changes in the benefit obligation for the period. This guidance 
is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is 
permitted for all entities and the amendments in this update are required to be applied on a retrospective basis to all periods 
presented. The Company is currently evaluating this guidance to determine the impact on its disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the 
Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. ASU 2018-13 removes the requirement to disclose: the amount of and 
reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy; the policy for timing of transfers between levels; 
and the valuation processes for Level 3 fair value measurements. ASU  2018-13 requires disclosure of changes in unrealized gains 
and losses for the period included in other comprehensive income (loss) for recurring Level 3 fair value measurements held at the 
end of the reporting period and the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair 
value measurements. The amendments on changes in unrealized gains and losses, the range and weighted average of significant 
unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements, and the narrative description of measurement uncertainty 
should be applied prospectively for only the most recent interim or annual period presented in the initial fiscal year of adoption. 
All other amendments should be applied retrospectively to all periods presented upon their effective date. This guidance is effective 
for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted. 
The Company is currently evaluating this guidance to determine the impact on its disclosures.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326), Measurement of Credit Losses 
on Financial Instruments, which requires measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for financial assets held and 
requires enhanced disclosures regarding significant estimates and judgments used in estimating credit losses. ASU 2016-13 is 
effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and earlier adoption is permitted for 
annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the Company’s pending 
adoption of ASU 2016-13 on the consolidated financial statements for any periods presented.

In  February  2016,  the  FASB  issued ASU  2016-02,  Leases  (Topic  842),  to  increase  transparency  and  comparability  among 
organizations by recognizing lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. 
ASU 2016-02 affects any entity that enters into a lease, with some specified scope exceptions. For public business entities, the 
amendments in ASU 2016-02 are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those 
annual periods. Early adoption is permitted. The Company intends to adopt ASU 2016-02 in the annual period beginning January 
1, 2019. The Company intends to apply the modified retrospective transition method and elect the transition option to use the 
effective date January 1, 2019, as the date of initial application. The Company will not adjust its comparative period financial 
statements for effects of the ASU 2016-02, or make the new required lease disclosures for periods before the effective date. The 
Company will recognize its cumulative effect transition adjustment as of the effective date. In addition, we intend to elect the 
package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, will 
allow us to carry forward the historical lease classification. The Company has made an accounting policy election to not recognize 
lease assets or liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less. In addition, the Company has also made an accounting policy 
election to combine all lease and the related non-lease components as a single component. 

74

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

During the fourth quarter, the Company continued its process to identify leasing arrangements and to compare its accounting 
policies and practices to the requirements of the new standard. Specifically, the Company is continuing to assess whether there 
are any “embedded leases” in arrangements with its suppliers and customers. In addition, the Company has identified and is 
implementing necessary changes to processes and controls to support recognition and disclosure under the new standard. In the 
first quarter of 2019, the Company will continue its testing of the updated process controls including controls specific to the new 
third-party software. The Company has substantially completed aggregating and evaluating lease contracts and is in the final stages 
of implementing a new lease accounting system to support the accounting and disclosure requirements of this standards update. 

Upon adoption, the Company anticipates recording a right-of-use asset and lease liability on its Consolidated Balance Sheet similar 
in magnitude to the total present value of outstanding future minimum payments for operating leases and Build-To-Suit lease 
obligation s as shown in Note 16, Commitments and Contingencies; therefore, the Company expects this standards update will 
have a material impact on our Consolidated Balance Sheets and related disclosures. The adoption of this standards update is not 
expected to have a material impact on our Consolidated Statements of Operations or Statements of Cash Flows.

NOTE 3. Revenue

Disaggregation of revenue

The Company has attributed net sales to the geographic area based on the location of the entity selling the final product. Of the 
net sales, exports from the U.S. to other regions amounted to approximately $356 million, $159 million and $222 million in 2018, 
2017 and 2016, respectively.

In the following tables, revenue is disaggregated by primary region and products of revenue recognition.

Net Sales by Region

Asia

Americas

Europe

Total region sales

Less: intercompany sales

Total

Year Ended December 31

2018

Brake
Systems

Electronics

Total

Electronics

2017

Brake
Systems

Total

Electronics

2016

Brake
Systems

Total

$

424

696

680

1,799
—

$

370

$ 794

$

58

—

428
—

754

680

2,228
—

$

489

698

663

362

114

—

$ 851

$

812

663

521

717

598

$ 276

$ 797

115

—

832

598

1,850
(1)

476
(3)

2,326
(4)

1,837
(1)

391
(8)

2,228
(9)

$

1,800

$

428

$ 2,228

$

1,849

$

473

$ 2,322

$

1,835

$ 383

$2,218

75

 
Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Net Sales by Products

Year Ended December 31

2018

Brake
System
s

Electronics

2017

Brake
Systems

Total

Electronics

2016

Brake
System
s

Total

Total

Electronics

Restraint Control Systems

Active Safety products

Brake Systems

Total product sales
Less: intercompany sales

Total net sales

$

$

974

825

$ — $ 974

$

1,073

$ — $ 1,073

$

1,097

$ — $1,097

—

825

— 428
428
—
$ 428

1,799
—
1,800

428
2,228
—
$ 2,228

$

778

—
1,850
(1)
1,849

—

778

476
476
(3)
$ 473

476
2,326
(4)
$ 2,322

$

740

—
1,837
(1)
1,835

—

740

391
391
(8)
$ 383

391
2,228
(9)
$2,218

The following tables provide information about receivables and contract assets from contracts with customers. 

Contract Balances with Customers

Receivables, net
Contract assets1
1 Included in prepaid expenses and other contract assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets

Changes in the contract asset balances during the period are as follows:

Change in Contract Balances with Customers1

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

376

$

8

448

—

Beginning balance
Increases due to cumulative catch up adjustment

Increases due to revenue recognized

Decreases due to transfer to receivables
Ending balance
1  The contract asset is determined at each period end, this table reflects the rollforward of the period end balance.

Contract Costs

December 31, 2018

Contract assets

$

$

—
8

31
(31)
8

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has capitalized $12 million of direct and incremental contract costs incurred in connection 
with obtaining a contract with a customer. These costs will be amortized as the related goods are transferred.

NOTE 4. Business Combinations

Business combinations generally take place to either gain key technology or strengthen Veoneer’s position in a certain geographical 
area or with a certain customer. The results of operations and cash flows from the Company’s acquisitions have been included in 
the Company’s consolidated financial statements prospectively from their date of acquisition.

Fotonic i Norden dp AB

On November 1, 2017, Veoneer completed the acquisition of all the shares in Fotonic i Norden dp AB (Fotonic), headquartered 
in Stockholm and Skellefteå in Sweden. The acquisition date fair value of the total consideration transferred was $17 million, 
consisting of a $15 million cash payment and $2 million of deferred purchase consideration, payable at the 18-month anniversary 
of the closing date. The deferred purchase consideration reflects the holdback amount as stipulated in the share purchase agreement. 
The transaction has been accounted for as a business combination, with the purchase price allocation reflecting the final valuation 
results.

76

 
 
 
Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Fotonic provides Lidar and Time of Flight camera expertise and the acquisition included 35 Lidar and Time of Flight engineering 
experts, in addition to defined tangible and intangible assets. The strength of the acquired competence is on the Lidar and Time 
of Flight camera hardware side which form a complement to Veoneer’s skillset in the Lidar software and algorithms area. Lidar 
technology is an enabling technology for Highly Automated Driving and considered the primary sensor by all system developers. 
Fotonic is being reported in the Electronics segment.

The net assets acquired as of the acquisition date amounted to $17 million. The fair values of identifiable assets acquired consisted 
of Intangible assets of $4 million and Goodwill of $13 million, and the fair value of liabilities assumed consisted of Other current 
liabilities was less than a $1 million.  Acquired Intangibles consisted of the fair value of background IP (patent & technical know-
how). The useful life of the IP is five years and will be amortized on a straight-line basis. The recognized goodwill which is tax 
deductible primary reflects the valuation of the acquired workforce of specialist engineers.

Veoneer-Nissin Brake Systems

On  March 31,  2016,  the  Company  acquired  a  51%  interest  in  the  entities  that  formed Veoneer-Nissin  Brake  Systems  (Brake 
Systems) for approximately $263 million in cash. This entity comprises the Company’s Brake Systems Segment. Brake Systems 
designs, manufactures and sells products in the brake control and actuation systems business. Nissin Kogyo retained a 49% interest 
in the entities that formed Brake Systems. The Company has management and operational control of Brake Systems and has 
consolidated the results of operations and balance sheet from Brake Systems from the date of the acquisition forward. The transaction 
was accounted for as a business combination.

The acquisition combined Nissin Kogyo’s expertise and technology in brake control and actuation systems with the Company’s 
global reach and customer base to create a global competitive offering in the growing global Brake Systems market. Brake Systems 
is expected to further strengthen the Company’s role as a system supplier of products and systems for autonomous driving vehicles. 
From the date of the acquisition through December 31, 2016, the Brake Systems business reported net sales of $391 million and 
a net loss attributable to controlling interest of $5 million. The net loss attributable to the non-controlling interest was $7 million. 
The operating loss from the date of the acquisition through December 31, 2016 included $1 million of purchase accounting inventory 
fair value step-up adjustments in cost of sales upon the sale of acquired inventory.

Total Brake Systems acquisition related costs were approximately $2 million for consolidated the year ended December 31, 2016. 
These costs were reflected in Selling, general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The acquisition date fair value of the consideration transferred for the Company’s 51% interest in the entities that formed Brake 
Systems was $263 million in a cash transaction.

77

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The following table summarizes the finalized fair values of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed: 

Assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

Receivables

Inventories

Other current assets

Property, plant and equipment

Other non-current assets
Intangibles

Goodwill

Total assets
Liabilities:

Accounts payable

Other current liabilities

Pension liabilities

Other non-current liabilities
Total liabilities
Net assets acquired
Less: Non-controlling interest
Controlling interest

As of March 31, 2016
38
$

2

33

8

139

—

112

235
566

6

23

9

13
51
515
(252)
263

$

$

$
$
$
$

Acquired Intangibles primarily consisted of the fair value of customer contracts of $51 million and certain technology of $61 
million. The customer contracts will be amortized straight-line over 7 years and the technology will be amortized straight-line 
over 10 years.

The recognized goodwill of $235 million reflects expected synergies from combining the Company's global reach and customer 
base with Nissin Kogyo’s expertise (including workforce) and technology in brake control and actuation systems. A portion of the 
goodwill is deductible for tax purposes.

Veoneer recognized related party short term debt of $4 million as of December 31, 2016, due to financing at Veoneer Nissin Brake 
Systems China Zhongshan (a 51% owned subsidiary). This $4 million debt facility was wholly repaid as of December 31, 2017. 

NOTE 5. Fair Value Measurements

The Company uses a three-level fair value hierarchy that categorizes assets and liabilities measured at fair value based on the 
observability of the inputs utilized in the valuation. The fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to the quoted prices in active 
markets for identical assets and liabilities and lowest priority to unobservable inputs.

Level 1 - Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on unadjusted quoted market prices for identical assets and liabilities 
in an active market that the Company has the ability to access.

Level 2 - Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on quoted prices in markets that are not active or model inputs 
that are observable for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3 - Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both 
unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.

Assets which are valued at net asset value per share ("NAV"), or its equivalent, as a practical expedient are reported outside the 
fair value hierarchy, but are included in the total assets for reporting and reconciliation purposes. 

78

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Items Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

Derivative instruments - The Company uses derivative financial instruments, “derivatives”, to mitigate the market risk that occurs 
from its exposure to changes in interest and foreign exchange rates. The Company does not enter into derivatives for trading or 
other speculative purposes. The Company’s use of derivatives is in accordance with the strategies contained in the Company’s 
overall financial risk policy. The derivatives outstanding as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 were foreign exchange swaps and 
forward contracts. All swaps principally match the terms and maturity of the underlying debt and no swaps have a maturity beyond 
six months. All derivatives are recognized in the consolidated financial statements at fair value. Certain derivatives are from time 
to time designated either as fair value hedges or cash flow hedges in line with the hedge accounting criteria. For certain other 
derivatives hedge accounting is not applied either because non-hedge accounting treatment creates the same accounting result or 
the hedge does not meet the hedge accounting requirements, although entered into applying the same rationale concerning mitigating 
market risk that occurs from changes in interest and foreign exchange rates. The Company’s derivatives are classified as Level 2 
of the fair value hierarchy and there were no transfers between the levels during this or comparable periods.

During the first quarter of 2018, foreign exchange forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges of certain external purchasing 
were terminated. The loss associated with such termination was not material.

Financial Statement Presentation

The Company enters into master netting agreements, International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) agreements with 
all  derivative  counterparties.  The  netting  agreements  allow  for  netting  of  exposures  in  the  event  of  default  or  breach  of  the 
counterparty agreement. The fair values in the Consolidated Balance Sheets have been presented on a gross basis. Derivative 
financial instruments designated and non-designated as hedging instruments are included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets .  
The  nominal value of  the derivatives not designated as hedging instruments was $103 million and $67 million as of December 
31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.  As of December 31, 2018 and 2017 the liability of the derivatives not designated as hedging 
instruments was less than $1 million and $1 million, respectively.

Gains and losses on derivative financial instruments for the periods presented are as follows:

Foreign currency risk -Cost of sales:
Recorded into gain (loss)

Recorded gains (loss) into AOCI net of tax

Less: reclassified from AOCI into gain (loss)

Year ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

Foreign exchange
forward contracts

Foreign exchange
forward contracts

Foreign exchange
forward contracts

$

$

— $

—
(1)
1

$

— $
(4)
5
(9) $

—

9

1
8

Contingent consideration - The fair value of the contingent consideration relating to the MACOM acquisition on August 17, 2015 
is re-measured on a recurring basis. The fair value measurements are generally determined using unobservable inputs and are 
classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. The Company adjusted the fair value of the earn-out liability to $14 million
during 2017 based on actual revenue levels to date as well as changes in the estimated probability of different revenue scenarios 
for the remaining contractual earn-out period. Income of approximately $13 million was recognized within other income in the 
Consolidated Statements of Operations during the year ended December 31, 2017 due to the decrease in the contingent consideration 
liability. The remaining fair value of the earn-out liability of $14 million as of December 31, 2017 was fully released to and 
recognized within Other income during the year ended December 31, 2018, driven by changes in the estimated probability of 
different revenue scenarios for the remaining contractual earn-out period such that management no longer believes that there are 
any scenarios under which the earn-out criteria could be met. Management has updated its analysis as of December 31, 2018 and 
continues to believe that the fair value of the contingent consideration is $0 million.

79

 
 
 
 
Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Items Measured at Fair Value on a Non-Recurring Basis

Certain assets and liabilities are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. The fair value measurements are generally determined 
using unobservable inputs and are classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. These assets include long-lived assets, 
intangible assets and investments in affiliates, which may be written down to fair value as a result of impairment. The Company 
has determined that the fair value measurements included in each of these assets and liabilities rely primarily on Company-specific 
inputs  and  the  Company’s  assumptions  about  the  use  of  the  assets  and  settlements of  liabilities, as  observable inputs  are  not 
available. The Company has determined that each of these fair value measurements reside within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. 
To determine the fair value of long-lived assets, the Company utilizes the projected cash flows expected to be generated by the 
long-lived assets, then discounts the future cash flows over the expected life of the long-lived assets.

In the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company recognized an impairment charge of the full goodwill related to VNBS, resulting in 
an impairment loss of $234 million, which was included in earnings for the period. The primary driver of the goodwill impairment 
was due to the lower expected long-term operating cash flow performance of the business unit as of the measurement date. The 
remaining goodwill balance as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 was not measured at fair value as impairment indicators did not 
exist.

In the first quarter of 2017, the Company recognized an impairment charge to amortization of intangibles of $12 million related 
to a contract with an OEM customer of MACOM products, which was included in earnings for the period. As of December 31, 
2017,  the  intangible  value  related  to  this  customer  contract  was  fully  amortized.  The  remaining  intangibles  balance  as  of 
December 31, 2018 and 2017 was not measured at fair value as impairment indicators did not exist.

Investments

The Company may, as a practical expedient, estimate the fair value of certain investments using NAV of the investment as of the 
reporting date. This practical expedient generally deals with investments that permit an investor to redeem its investment directly 
with, or receive distributions from, the investee at  times specified in the  investee’s governing documents. Examples of these 
investments (often referred to as alternative investments) may include ownership interests in real assets, certain credit strategies, 
and hedging and diversifying strategies. They are commonly in the form of limited partnership interests. The Company uses NAV 
as a practical expedient when valuing investments in alternative asset classes and funds which are a limited partnership or similar 
investment vehicle.

On June 30, 2017, Veoneer committed to make a $15 million investment in Autotech Fund I, L.P. pursuant to a limited partnership 
agreement, and as a limited partner, will periodically make capital contributions toward this total commitment amount. As of 
December  31, 2018, Veoneer contributed a total of $8 million to the fund.

The carrying amounts reflected in the Consolidated Balance Sheet in Investments for the AutoTech Fund I, L.P  approximates its 
fair values. 

80

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

NOTE 6. Income Taxes

Loss before taxes
U.S.

Non-U.S.

Total

Provision for income taxes
Current

Non-U.S.

Deferred

U.S. federal

Non-U.S.

Total income tax expense

Effective income tax rate
U.S. federal income tax rate

Foreign tax rate variances

State taxes, net of federal benefit

Tax credits

Change in Valuation Allowances

Non-Controlling Interest
Earnings of equity investments

Withholding taxes

Goodwill impairment

Change in U.S. tax rate

Other, net

Provision for income taxes

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

(54) $
(199)
(253) $

(200) $
(114)
(314) $

(78)
56
(22)

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

22

$

40

$

(4)
24
42

$

(1)
(9)
30

$

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

(53) $
1

—
(9)
79

3

13

5

—

—

3
42

$

(110) $
9
(2)
(10)
62

21

7

4

13

35

2
30

$

41

2
(4)
38

(8)
(2)
(1)
(9)
51

1

—

4

—

—

1
38

$

$

$

$

$

$

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) was enacted on December 22, 2017. The Act makes broad and complex changes to the 
U.S. tax code, including reducing the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, requiring companies to pay a one-
time transition tax on earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries that were previously deferred and creates new taxes on certain foreign 
sourced earnings. The SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”) on December 22, 2017. SAB 118 allows for a 
measurement period in which companies can either use provisional estimates for changes resulting from the Tax Act or apply the 
tax laws that were in effect immediately prior to the Tax Act being enacted if estimates cannot be determined at the time of the 
preparation of the financial statements until the actual impacts can be determined. The Company has completed the Company’s 
accounting for the effects on the Company’s existing deferred tax balances. Due to the full valuation allowance related to the 
Company’s U.S. operations, the impact to deferred taxes had a net zero impact to the Company except as it relates to a deferred 
tax liability related to tax deductible goodwill which resulted in a benefit of $4 million recorded for the year ended December 31, 
2018  which 
in  valuation  allowances.  Pursuant to the Tax Matters Agreement entered 
into with Autoliv in connection with the Spin-Off, Autoliv is the primarily obligor  on all taxes which relate to any period prior to 
April 1, 2018. Consequently the Company is not liable for any transition taxes under the Tax Act.

reflected  as  a  change 

is 

81

 
Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The Tax Act created a new requirement that certain Global Intangible Low Taxed Income (“GILTI”) earned by foreign subsidiaries 
must be included currently in the gross income of the U.S. shareholder. Under U.S. GAAP, the Company is permitted to make an 
accounting policy election to either treat taxes due on future inclusions in U.S. taxable income related to GILTI as a current-period 
expense when incurred or to factor such amounts into the Company’s measurement of deferred taxes. The Company has determined 
that it will treat the impact of GILTI as a period cost. The Tax Act also included other provisions effective in 2018, designated as 
(1) foreign derived intangible income (“FDII”), (2) interest disallowance and (3) base erosion anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”), that were 
considered in the income tax provision for the year ended December 31, 2018.

The tax effect of temporary differences and carryforwards that comprise significant portions of deferred tax assets and liabilities 
were as follows:

Deferred taxes
Assets
Provisions

Costs capitalized for tax

Acquired intangibles

Tax receivables, principally net operating loss carryforward

Credits

Other

Deferred tax assets before allowances
Valuation allowances

Total
Liabilities
Property, plant and equipment

Distribution taxes

Other

Total
Net deferred tax asset (liability)

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

$

$

$
$

39

1

20

74

2

3
139
(125)
14

$

$

$

(9)
(7)
—
(16) $
(2) $

44

2

12

112

9

—
179
(150)
29

(6)
(8)
(2)
(16)
13

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities 
for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. On December 31, 2018, the Company had net 
operating loss carryforwards (NOL’s) of approximately $289 million, of which approximately $153 million have no expiration 
date.  The  remaining  losses  expire  on  various  dates  through  2027.  The  Company  also  has  $2  million  of  U.S.  Research  and 
Development Credit carry forwards, which expire in 2038. 

The Company assesses all available evidence, both positive and negative, to determine the amount of any required valuation 
allowance. In the fourth quarter of 2018, one of the Company’s Asian subsidiaries entered into a long-term development contract 
which  will  result  in  projected  losses  in  that  jurisdiction.  While  this  entity  has  historically  been  profitable,  the  Company  has 
determined that, given the projected losses along with indications that there may be a slowdown in this jurisdiction, it is no longer 
more likely than not that its deferred tax assets in the jurisdiction will be realizable and therefore has recorded a full valuation 
allowance against this entity’s deferred tax assets. Valuation allowances have been established for the Company’s US, Sweden, 
China and Japan operations and the Company’s joint venture in Japan. Such allowances are provided against each entity’s net 
deferred tax assets, primarily NOL’s, due to a history of cumulative losses or changes to projected future earnings which would 
support the recognition of the net deferred tax assets.

The Company has recorded a deferred tax asset of $11 million and $30 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, 
and $13 million and $17 million of deferred tax liabilities as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, in the Consolidated 
Balance Sheets. 

82

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The following table summarizes the activity related to the Company’s valuation allowances:

Valuation Allowances Against Deferred Tax Assets
Allowances at beginning of year
Benefits reserved current year

Benefits recognized current year

Settlement of tax matters with Former Parent1

Change in Tax rate /impact of U.S. tax reform

Translation difference

Allowances at end of year
1Impact is reflected in equity in conjunction with the Spin-Off

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

$

150
83

—
(101)
(4)
(3)
125

$

$

90
98
(4)
—
(35)
1
150

The Company has reserves for income taxes that represent the Company’s best estimate of the potential liability for tax exposures. 
Inherent uncertainties exist in estimates of tax exposures due to changes in tax law, both legislated and concluded through the 
various jurisdictions’ court systems. Any income tax liabilities resulting from operations prior to the legal date of separation, were 
settled with Former Parent on the last day Veoneer was part of the Autoliv group and were relieved through the Former Parent 
company investment. The Company files income tax returns in the United States federal jurisdiction, and various states and non-
U.S. jurisdictions. 

Since the Company’s operations were generally part of an existing Autoliv legal entity through April 1, 2018 or June 30, 2018 
(depending on the jurisdiction), the existing Autoliv legal entity was the primary obligor and is responsible for handling any income 
tax audit and settling any audits with the taxing authority. To the extent that the Company has accrued a liability for an uncertain 
tax position related to a period prior to the separation, such liabilities were settled with Former Parent on the last day the Company 
was part of the Former Parent’s group and were relieved through the Parent company investment.

The Company recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in tax expense. As of December 31, 
2018, the Company had recorded $2 million for unrecognized tax benefits. Of the total unrecognized tax benefits as of December 
31, 2018, $1 million is classified as a current income tax payable and $1 million is classified as non-current tax payable included 
in Other Non-Current Liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Approximately $2 million of these reserves would impact 
income tax expense if released into income. The Company expects a change to its unrecognized tax benefits of approximately $1 
million in the next twelve months.

The following table summarizes the activity related to the Company’s unrecognized tax benefits:

Unrecognized Tax Benefits
Unrecognized tax benefits at beginning of year

Increases as a result of tax positions taken during the current period

Settlement with net former parent
Total unrecognized tax benefits at end of year

As of December 31
2017
2018

$

$

2
2
(2)
2

$

$

1
1
—
2

The Company deferred tax liability for unremitted foreign earnings was $7 million as of December 31, 2018. The $7 million
deferred tax liability represented our estimate of the foreign tax cost associated with our preliminary estimate of $146 million of 
foreign earnings that are not considered to be permanently reinvested. The Company have not provided for foreign withholding 
or  income  taxes  on  the  remaining  foreign  subsidiaries’  undistributed  earnings  because  such  earnings  have  been  retained  and 
reinvested by the subsidiaries as of December 31, 2018.  Accordingly, no provision has been made for foreign withholding or 
income  taxes,  which  may  become  payable  if  the  remaining  undistributed  earnings  of  foreign  subsidiaries  were  paid  to  us  as 
dividends.

83

NOTE 7. Receivables

Receivables
Allowance at beginning of year
Reversal of allowance

Allowance at end of year
Total receivables, net of allowance

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

As of December 31

2018

2017

$
$

$
$

378

$
(2) $
—
(2) $
$

376

450
(4)
2
(2)
448

The Company receives bank acceptance notes which are registered and endorsed to the Company, and generally matures within 
six months from certain of its customers in China to settle trade accounts receivable. These guaranteed notes are available for 
discounting with banking institutions in China or transferring to suppliers to settle liabilities. The Company may hold such bank 
acceptance notes until maturity, exchange them with suppliers to settle liabilities, or sell them to third party financial institutions 
in exchange for cash.

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has $19 million of of bank acceptance notes in China, and $10 million of trade receivables 
in France which remain outstanding and will mature within the first half of 2019. The collections of such bank acceptance notes 
and trade receivables are included in operating cash flows based on the substance of the underlying transactions, which are operating 
in nature. The fair value of the guaranteed notes receivables in China is determined based on Level 2 inputs including credit ratings 
and other criteria observable in the market. The fair value of these notes equal their carrying amounts of $9 million as of December 
31, 2018.

During the year ended December 31, 2018, the Company entered into arrangements with financial institutions and factored trade 
receivables of $10 million in France and bank notes of $9 million in China. They were accounted for as secured borrowings with 
pledged collateral and recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets within “Receivable, net” and “Other current liabilities.”

NOTE 8. Inventories

Raw material

Work in progress

Finished products

Inventories
Inventory reserve at beginning of year

Reversal of reserve

Addition to reserve

Write-off against reserve

Translation difference

Inventory reserve at end of year
Total inventories, net of reserve

NOTE 9. Equity Method Investment

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

$
$

$
$

108

$

15

71
194
$
(27) $
1
(3)
5

1
(23) $
$
172

90

21

70
181
(25)
5
(6)
1
(2)
(27)
154

As of December 31, 2018, the Company has one equity method investment.

On April 18, 2017, Autoliv and Volvo Cars completed the formation of their joint venture, Zenuity AB. Autoliv’s interest in Zenuity 
was  transferred  to  Veoneer  in  connection  with  the  Spin-Off.  Autoliv  made  an  initial  cash  contribution  of  SEK  1  billion
(approximately $111 million as of April 18, 2017) and also contributed intellectual property, lab equipment and an assembled 
workforce. Veoneer and Volvo Cars each have a 50% ownership of Zenuity and neither entity has the ability to exert control over 
the joint venture, in form or in substance. Veoneer accounts for its investment in Zenuity under the equity method and the investment 
is shown in Equity method investment in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The contributed intellectual property, lab equipment, 

84

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

and an assembled workforce have been assessed to constitute a business as defined by ASU 2017-1, Business Combinations (Topic 
805) – Clarifying the Definition of a Business. FASB ASC Topic 810, Consolidation states that when a group of assets that constitute 
a business is derecognized, the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities are removed from the Consolidated Balance Sheets. 
The investor would recognize a gain or loss based on the difference between the sum of the fair value of any consideration received 
less the carrying amount of the group of assets and liabilities contributed at the date of the transaction. The equity value of Zenuity 
on the date of the closing of the transaction of approximately $250 million was calculated using the discounted cash flow method 
of the income approach. Veoneer’s 50% share of the equity value, approximately $125 million, represented its investment in 
Zenuity, including its cash contribution at inception.

As of December 31, 2018, Veoneer had contributed SEK 600 million (approximately $71 million) in cash (representing 50% of 
the total contribution, with the remainder made by Volvo Cars) into Zenuity to support its future operating cash flow needs.

The profit and loss attributed to the investment is shown in Loss from equity method investment in the Consolidated Statements 
of Operations. Veoneer’s share of Zenuity’s loss for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $63 million and $31 million, 
respectively. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company’s equity investment in Zenuity amounted to $101 million and $98 
million, respectively, after consideration of foreign exchange movements.

Certain audited Summarized Income Statement information of Zenuity is shown below:

Net sales
Gross profit
Operating loss
Loss before income taxes
Net loss

NOTE 10. Property, Plant and Equipment 

DECEMBER 31
Land and land improvements

Machinery and equipment

Buildings

Construction in progress

Property, plant and equipment
Less accumulated depreciation
Net of accumulated depreciation

DEPRECIATION INCLUDED IN
Cost of sales

Selling, general and administrative expenses

Research, development and engineering expenses, net

Total

$

$

$

$

$

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

2016

$

$

$

5
—
(125)
(125)
(125) $

$

5
—
(61)
(61)
(61) $

—
—
—
—
—

As of December 31

2018

2017

21

$

662

111

177
971
(472)
499

$

$

20

610

76

72
778
(416)
362

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

62

3

22
88

$

$

58

2

22
82

$

$

Estimated
life
n/a to 15

3-8

20

n/a

51

1

19
71

In 2018 the Company recognized an impairment charge of approximately $1 million of fixed assets related to Brake Systems. 
No significant fixed asset impairments were recognized during the year ended December 31, 2017 or 2016.

The net book value of machinery, equipment, buildings and land under capital lease contracts was $13 million and $11 million 
as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

85

 
 
Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

NOTE 11. Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Intangible assets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, were as follows:

Goodwill

Carrying amount at January 1, 2017
Acquisition

Goodwill impairment charge

Translation differences

Carrying amount at December 31, 2017
Translation differences

Carrying amount at December 31, 2018

Total

Electronics
Segment

Brake Systems
Segment

$

$

$

490
30
(234)
6

292
(1)

$

278
13

—

—

292
(1)

291

$

291

$

212
17
(234)
5

—
—

—

Of the $30 million of goodwill recognized as of December 31, 2017, $13 million is related to the Fotonic acquisition in the fourth 
quarter of 2017 and $17 million is related to the finalization of the purchase price allocation for Brake Systems acquisition in the 
first quarter of 2017 (see Note 4, Business Combinations). During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company recognized 
an impairment charge of the full goodwill amount of $234 million, after consideration of foreign exchange movements, related to 
Brake Systems. The Company estimated the fair value of Brake Systems using the discounted cash flow method, taking into 
account expected long-term operating cash-flow performance. The primary driver of the goodwill impairment was due to the lower 
expected  long-term  operating  cash  flow  performance  of  the  business  unit  as  of  the  measurement  date.  For  more  information 
regarding the Company’s impairment testing, see section “Goodwill and Intangible Assets” in Note 2, Summary of Significant 
Accounting Policies.

Amortizable Intangible
Gross carrying amount

Acquisition

Translation differences

Accumulated amortization

Carrying value

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

$

260

$

3

1
(161)

102

$

249

4

7
(138)

122

During the year ended December 31, 2017 the Company received information related to a contract with an OEM customer of 
MACOM products and as a result the Company recognized an impairment charge to amortization of intangibles in the Consolidated 
Statements of Operations for a customer contract of $12 million.

Of the carrying value of $102 million as of December 31, 2018, $71 million was related to the technology asset category and $31 
million was related to the contractual relationships' asset category. Of the carrying value of $122 million at December 31, 2017, 
$80 million was related to the technology asset category and $38 million was related to the contractual relationships' asset category.

The Company recorded approximately $23 million, $37 million and $35 million of amortization expense related to definite-lived 
intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The Company currently estimated future 
amortization expense be $22 million for 2019, $21 million for 2020, $19 million for 2021, $17 million for 2022 and $8 million
for 2023. Indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are tested for impairment at least annually, or earlier when events 
and circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that such assets have been impaired.

86

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

$

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

55

66

39

16

55

57

36

22

NOTE 12. Accrued Expenses

Operating related accruals

Employee related accruals

Customer pricing accruals
Product related liabilities1
Other accruals

18
193

25
195

Total Accrued Expenses
 1  As of December 31, 2018, $14 million of product related liabilities were indemnifiable losses subject to indemnification by Autoliv and an indemnification 

$

$

asset is included in Other current assets, and there were no indemnification assets as of December 31, 2017.

NOTE 13. Other Comprehensive Loss

Other Comprehensive Loss1
Cumulative translation adjustments

Net gain (loss) of cash flow hedge derivatives

Pension liability

Total (ending balance)
Deferred taxes on the pension liability
1  The components of Other Comprehensive Loss are net of any related income tax effects.

NOTE 14. Retirement Plans

Defined Benefit Pension Plans

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

$

$

(10) $
—
(9)
(19) $
1

(2) $
(1)
(6)
(8) $
—

(31)
8
(6)
(29)
—

The defined benefit pension plans impacting the Veoneer financial results include the following:

Existing Veoneer Plans which are comprised of plans in Japan, Canada, and France, Transferred Veoneer Plans which are comprised
of plans in Germany, India, Japan, and South Korea, and Autoliv Sponsored Plans which are comprised of plans in Sweden and
the U.S.

The combination of the Existing Veoneer Plans and Transferred Veoneer Plans has resulted in a total pension expense of $4 million, 
$5 million and $4 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. 

Existing Veoneer Plans

The defined benefit pension plans for eligible participants in Japan, Canada, and France prior to the Spin-Off continue to provide 
pension retirement benefits to the Company’s employees subsequent to the Spin-Off.

87

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Transferred Veoneer Plans

Prior to the plan transfers to Veoneer legal entities on April 1, 2018, eligible Veoneer employees participated in the following 
Autoliv-sponsored plans:

Country
Germany

India

Japan

South Korea

Name of Defined Benefit Plans
Direct Pension Promises Plan

Gratuity Plan

Retirement Allowances Plan

Defined Benefit Corporate Plan

Severance Pay Plan (statutory plan)

On April 1, 2018, the assets, liabilities, and associated accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) of the pension plans in 
Germany, India, Japan, and South Korea related to active Veoneer employees were transferred to pension plans sponsored by 
various Veoneer legal entities. Benefit plan obligations of $6 million were recorded by Veoneer related to these plans in connection 
with the April 1, 2018 transfer. Plan assets in the transferred plans are immaterial. The amounts recorded for the transfer of the 
Veoneer  plans  were  based  on  the  assumptions  incorporated  into  the  plan  measurements  as  of  December  31,  2017;  however, 
management determined that there were no material changes in assumptions from December 31, 2017 to April 1, 2018. The plans 
were re-measured in connection with the December 31, 2018 actuarial valuation.

Changes in Benefit Obligations and Plan Assets 

As of December 31
2017
2018

Benefit obligation at beginning of year
Service cost
Interest cost
Actuarial (gain) loss
Benefits paid
Curtailments
Settlement
Acquisition
Other
Translation difference
Benefit obligation at end of year
Fair value of plan assets at beginning of year
Actual return on plan assets
Company contributions
Benefits paid
Settlements
Acquisition
Other
Translation difference
Fair value of plan assets at year end
Funded status recognized in the balance sheet

88

$

$
$

$
$

$

74
5
2
(2)
(2)
—
(3)
—
4
(2)
76
60
(2)
4
(2)
(3)
—
(1)
(2)
$
54
(22) $

$
$

66
5
1
1
(1)
(3)
—
1
—
4
74
51
3
6
(1)
(3)
1
—
3
60
(14)

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost Associated with the Defined Benefit Retirement Plan

Service cost
Interest cost
Expected return on plan assets
Net periodic benefit cost

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

$

$

5
2
(2)
4

$

$

5
1
(2)
5

$

$

4
1
(2)
4

The  service  cost  and  amortization  of  prior  service  cost  components  are  reported  among  employee  compensation  costs  in  the 
Consolidated Statements of Operations. The remaining components (interest cost, expected return on plan assets and amortization 
of actuarial loss) are reported in Other non-operating items, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

The estimated prior service cost and net actuarial loss that will be amortized from other comprehensive income into net benefit 
cost over the next fiscal year is immaterial. The estimated net periodic benefit cost for 2019 is $6 million. 

Components of Accumulated other Comprehensive Income Before Tax 

Net actuarial loss (gain)
Prior service cost (credit)
Total accumulated other comprehensive income recognized in the balance sheet

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Before Tax

Total retirement benefit recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income at
beginning of year
Net actuarial loss (gain)
Translation difference
Other
Total retirement benefit recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income at
end of year

As of December 31
2017
2018

9
—
10

$

$

As of December 31
2017
2018

$

7
3
(1)
1

10

$

6
1
7

7
(1)
1
—

7

$

$

$

$

The accumulated benefit obligation for the Veoneer defined benefit pension plans as of December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $67 
million and $33 million, respectively.

Pension Plans for Which Accumulated Benefit Obligation (ABO) Exceeds the Fair Value of Plan Assets 

Projected Benefit Obligation (PBO)
Accumulated Benefit Obligation
Fair value of plan assets

As of December 31
2017
2018

$
$
$

76
67
54

$
$
$

39
33
26

Veoneer, in consultation with its actuarial advisors, determines certain key assumptions to be used in calculating the projected 
benefit obligation and annual net periodic benefit cost.

89

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

 Assumptions Used to Determine the Benefit Obligation

As of December 31
2017
2018
Weighted
average

Discount rate
Rate of increases in compensation level

2.14%
4.39%

 Assumptions Used to Determine the Net Periodic Benefit Cost for Years Ended December 31

Discount rate
Rate of increases in compensation level
Expected long-term rate of return on assets

2.06%
4.30%
3.81%

Year Ended December 31
2017

2018
Weighted
average

Range
0.50-3.90
2.00-5.00
0.75-6.00

Range
0.50-3.60
2.00-3.00

2016

Range
0.50-4.10
2.25-5.00
0.75-6.15

The discount rates for the Veoneer plans have been set based on the rates of return on high-quality fixed-income investments 
currently available at the measurement date and expected to be available during the period the benefits will be paid. The expected 
timing of cash flows from the plan have also been considered in selecting the discount rate. In particular, the yields on corporate 
bonds  rated AA  or  better  on  the  measurement  date  have  been  used  to  set  the  discount  rate. The  expected  rate  of  increase  in 
compensation levels and long-term rate of return on plan assets are determined based on a number of factors and must take into 
account long-term expectations and reflect the financial environment in the respective local market. The expected return on assets 
for the Veoneer plans are based on the fair value of the assets as of December 31.

The investment objectives for the Veoneer plans is to provide an attractive risk-adjusted return that will ensure the payment of 
benefits while protecting against the risk of substantial investment losses. Correlations among the asset classes are used to identify 
an asset mix that Veoneer believes will provide the most attractive returns. Long-term return forecasts for each asset class using 
historical data and other qualitative considerations to adjust for projected economic forecasts are used to set the expected rate of 
return for the entire portfolio. Veoneer has assumed a long-term rate of return on the plan assets of 0.75% for the Japan plans and 
6.00% for the Canada plans for calculating the 2018 and 2019 expense.

The Company made contributions of approximately $4 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 and of approximately $6 
million for the year ended December 31, 2017. In addition, the Company expects to contribute $3 million to its pension plans in 
2019.

Fair Value of Total Plan Assets

ASSETS CATEGORY IN % WEIGHTED AVERAGE
Equity securities
Debt instruments
Other assets
Total

As of December 31
2017
2018

36.0 %
12.0 %
52.0 %
100.0%

40.0 %
13.0 %
47.0 %
100.0%

90

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The following table summarizes the fair value of the defined benefit pension plan assets: 

Assets
Equity

U.S. Large Cap
Non-U.S. Equity

Non-U.S. Bonds
Corporate
Aggregate
Insurance Contracts

Other Investments
Total

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

$

7
13

3
4
24
4
54

$

$

16
8

—
7
25
4
60

The fair value measurement level within the fair value hierarchy (see Note 5, Fair Value Measurements) is based on the lowest 
level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Plan assets are classified as Level 1 with exception of the 
Insurance Contracts which are classified as Level 2 in the table above.

The estimated future benefit payments for the pension benefits reflect expected future service, as appropriate. The amount of 
benefit  payments  in  a  given  year  may  vary  from  the  projected  amount,  especially  as  certain  plans  include  lump  sum  benefit 
payments, and the lump sum amounts may vary with market interest rates.

Pension Benefits Expected Payments
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Years 2024-2028

Autoliv Sponsored Plans

Amount

2
2
3
3
3
22

$
$
$
$
$
$

Prior to certain legal decisions or plan amendments, Veoneer employees in Sweden and in the U.S. participated in the following 
Autoliv-sponsored multiemployer plans:

Country
Sweden

U.S.

Name of Defined Benefit Plans
ITP plan
Autoliv ASP, Inc. Pension Plan
Autoliv ASP, Inc. Excess Pension Plan
Autoliv ASP, Inc. Supplemental Pension Plan

On April 1, 2018, it was determined that the assets, liabilities, and associated accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) of 
the Sweden plan for all Veoneer employees included in the Sweden plan will remain with Autoliv and benefits will be paid out of 
that  plan  in  the  future  upon  retirement. The  allocation  to  capture  the  Company’s  specific  defined  benefit  plans  expense  and 
contributions prior to the plans amendment for the year ended March 31, 2018 were less than $1 million and  $1 million for the 
year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. The remaining components (interest cost, expected return on plan assets 
and amortization of actuarial loss) are reported as other non-operating items, net in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. 
These  costs  were  funded  through  intercompany  transactions  with Autoliv,  which  are  reflected  within  the  Net  Former  Parent 
Investment balance.

On June 29, 2018, it was also determined that the assets, liabilities, and associated accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 
of the U.S. plan for all Veoneer employees included in the U.S. plan will remain with Autoliv and benefits will be paid out of that 

91

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

plan in the future upon retirement. The Veoneer employees were considered to be participating in the Autoliv sponsored plan 
through June 29, 2018 at which date the plan was amended to freeze the accrual of benefits for any Veoneer employees. The U.S. 
plan resulted in less than $1 million of defined benefit plan expense and contributions made allocated to Veoneer for the year ended 
December 31, 2018 and less than $1 million of defined benefit plan expense and contributions made allocated to Veoneer for the  
year ended December 31, 2017. 

Prior to the respective dates above for the Sweden and the U.S. plans, the Veoneer employees were considered to be participating 
in the Autoliv sponsored plans. Effective April 1, 2018 for the Sweden plan and June 29, 2018 for the U.S. plan the respective 
parties determined that Veoneer would not have additional expense or liability related to each of the existing plans.

Post-Retirement Benefits Other Than Pension

Veoneer currently provides postretirement health care and life insurance benefits to eligible Canadian employees. The plan is an 
unfunded plan with a benefit obligation of $4 million as of December 31, 2018 and $3 million as of December 31, 2017 and 2016. 
The net periodic benefit cost and impact on accumulated other comprehensive income related to the plan are immaterial.  

In addition to the existing benefit obligation from the Canadian medical plan, the Company also assumed less than $1 million in 
benefit obligations transferred from Autoliv’s U.S. medical plan as of June 29, 2018 in connection with the Spin-Off. 

Defined contribution plans

Veoneer recorded charges for contributions to the defined contribution plans of $2 million for the year ended December 31, 2018 
and $1 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. 

NOTE 15. Stock Incentive Plan

The Veoneer, Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan was adopted and effective as of the Distribution Date to govern the Company’s stock-
based awards that will be granted in the future as well as awards granted in connection with the conversion of outstanding awards 
granted under the Autoliv equity compensation program. The Veoneer, Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan authorizes the grant of 3 
million shares of Veoneer common stock for future equity awards to Veoneer employees, non-employee directors and other service-
providers. In addition, the board authorized 957,388 shares for the conversion of the outstanding Autoliv stock awards in connection 
with the Spin-Off.

Prior to the Spin-Off, certain eligible employees and non-employee directors of Veoneer participated in the Autoliv, Inc. 1997 
Stock Incentive Plan and received Autoliv stock-based awards, which included stock options, restricted stock units and performance 
shares. In connection with the Spin-Off, each outstanding Autoliv stock-based award as of the Distribution Date was converted to 
a stock award having underlying shares of both Autoliv and Veoneer common stock.

The conversion that occurred on the Distribution Date was based on the following:

• 

Stock Options (SOs) - A number of SOs comprising 50% of the value of the outstanding SOs calculated immediately 
prior to the Spin-Off continued to be applicable to Autoliv common stock. A number of SOs comprising the remaining 
50% of the pre-spin value were replaced with options to acquire shares of Veoneer common stock.

•  Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) - A number of RSUs comprising 50% of the value of the outstanding RSU calculated 
immediately prior to the Spin-Off continued to be applicable to Autoliv common stock. A number of RSUs comprising 
the remaining 50% of the pre-spin value were replaced with RSUs with underlying Veoneer common stock.

• 

Performance Shares (PSs) - Outstanding PSs were converted to time-based RSUs and were treated in the same manner 
as other outstanding RSUs (as described above) on the Distribution Date. The number of outstanding PSs were converted 
based on:

1)  The level of actual achievement of performance goals for each outstanding PS for the period between the first 
day of the performance period and December 31, 2017 (the “Performance Measurement Date”), referred to as 
“Level of Performance-to-Date”, and

2)  The greater of the Level of Performance-to-Date and estimated target performance level (i.e., 100%) for the 

period between the Performance Measurement Date and the last day of the performance period.

92

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

In each case above, the conversion was intended to generally preserve the intrinsic value of the original award determined as of 
the Distribution Date. The number of converted RSUs and SOs for Autoliv and Veoneer was based on the average of Autoliv 
closing stock prices for the last 5 trading days prior to the Spin-Off and the average of closing stock prices of Autoliv and Veoneer, 
respectively, for the first 5 trading days after the Spin-Off.

As a result of the Spin-Off and the related conversion, it was determined that the stock-based awards were modified in accordance 
with ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation. As a result, the fair value of the RSUs and SOs immediately before and after 
the modification was assessed in order to determine if the modification resulted in any incremental compensation cost related to 
the awards, including consideration of the impact of conversion using the 5 trading day average. Based on the valuation performed, 
it was determined that the conversion did not result in any incremental compensation cost for any of the outstanding awards.

With certain limited exceptions, including the freezing of the Performance Measurement Date to December 31, 2017 as noted 
above, the adjusted SOs and RSUs outstanding after the Spin-Off are subject to the same terms and conditions (including with 
respect to vesting and expiration) that were applicable to such Autoliv stock-based awards immediately prior to the conversion. 
There was no stock-based compensation expense related to SOs for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. 

The RSUs granted by the Former Parent on February 15, 2016 and May 9, 2016 vest in three approximately equal annual installments 
beginning on the first anniversary of the grant date. The RSUs and PSs granted by the Former Parent on February 19, 2017 and 
February 15, 2018 will each vest in one installment on the third anniversary of the grant date. The RSUs and PSs granted in 2017 
and the RSUs granted in 2018 entitle the grantee to receive dividend equivalents in the form of additional RSUs and PSs subject 
to the same vesting conditions as the underlying RSUs and PSs, respectively.

The fair value of the RSUs and PSs is calculated as the grant date fair value of the shares expected to be issued. For the grants 
made during 2017 and 2018, the fair value of a PS and a RSU is calculated by using the closing stock price on the grant date. For 
the grants made during 2016, the fair value of a RSU and a PS was estimated using the Black Scholes valuation model. The grant 
date fair value for the RSUs at February 13, 2018 was $6 million and the grant date fair value of the RSUs at February 19, 2017 
was $3 million. The grant date fair value of the PSs at February 19, 2017 was $3 million. The cost will be amortized straight line 
over the vesting period. For PSs, the grant date fair value of the number of awards expected to vest is based on the Former Parent’s 
best estimate of ultimate performance against the respective targets and is recognized as compensation cost on a straight-line basis 
over would be the requisite vesting period of the awards. The Former Parent assessed the expected achievement levels at the end 
of each quarter. As of December 31, 2017, the Former Parent believed it was probable that the performance conditions for the two 
grants will be met, although at a different level, and has recorded the compensation expense accordingly. The cumulative effect 
of the change in estimate is recognized in the period of change as an adjustment to compensation expense.

All SOs were granted for 10-year terms, had an exercise price equal to the fair market value of the share on the date of grant, and 
became exercisable after one year of continued employment following the grant date. The average grant date fair values of SOs 
were calculated using the Black-Scholes valuation model. The Former Parent used historical exercise data for determining the 
expected life assumption. Expected volatility was based on historical and implied volatility. There were no SOs granted in 2018, 
2017 or 2016. The table below includes the assumptions for all awards issued:

PSs and RSUs
Dividend yield 1
1  Dividend equivalent rights applied to grants starting in 2017.

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

—

—

2.2%

Veoneer recognized total stock (RSUs, PSs and SOs) compensation cost of $5 million, $2 million and $3 million, in the Consolidated 
Statements of Operations, for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. These costs include amounts for 
individuals specifically identifiable to the Veoneer business as well as an allocation of costs attributable to individuals in corporate 
functions for the periods prior to the Spin-Off and Veoneer employees subsequent to the Spin-Off. Veoneer has unrecognized 
compensation cost for Veoneer employees of $6 million related to non-vested awards for RSUs and the weighted average period 
over which this cost is expected to be recognized is approximately 1.8 years. There is no compensation cost not yet recognized 
for stock options.

93

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

A summary of RSUs activity is presented below:

RSUs1
Outstanding as of June 30, 2018 (Converted from former Parent in connection with the Spin-Off)

Granted

Shares issued

Cancelled/Forfeited/Expired

Outstanding as of December 31, 2018
1  RSUs presented in this table represent Veoneer awards, including those held by Autoliv employees.

Number of RSUs

601,740

9,380
(7,490)
(9,636)
593,994

 The weighted average fair value per share at the grant date for RSUs during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 
was $42.88, $31.98 and $29.81, respectively. The grant date fair value for RSUs vested in 2018 was $2 million.

There were no PSs granted  subsequent to the Spin-Off. The weighted average fair value per share at the grant date for PSs during 
the  years  ended  December  31,  2017  and  2016  was  $31.98  and  $29.81,  respectively. All  outstanding  PSs  were  cancelled  and 
converted to RSUs in connection with the Spin-Off. There are no PSs outstanding as of December 31, 2018.

The grant date fair value for RSUs and PSs awarded by the Former Parent were converted with a factor of 3.31.

SOs1
Outstanding at June 30, 2018 (Converted from former Parent in connection with the Spin-Off)

Exercised

Cancelled/Forfeited/Expired
Outstanding as of December 31, 2018
1  SOs presented in this table represent Veoneer awards, including those held by Autoliv employees.

The following summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable as of December 31, 2018:

Number of
Options

355,646
(30,062)
—
325,584

EXERCISE PRICES
$4.93
$13.51
$20.25
$20.91
$22.04
$28.67
$34.25

Number
Outstanding1

Remaining
Contract
life (in years)

16,796
21,342
21,266
43,934
15,055
80,627
126,564
325,584

0.14
1.13
3.15
4.14
2.15
5.14
6.13
4.6

1  SOs presented in this table represent Veoneer awards, including those held by Autoliv employees.

The total aggregate intrinsic value, which is the difference between the exercise price and $23.57 (closing price per share as of  
December 31, 2018), for all “in the money” stock options, both outstanding and exercisable as of December 31, 2018, was $1 
million. 

94

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

NOTE 16. Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Proceedings

Veoneer is subject to various claims, lawsuits and proceedings are pending or threatened against the Company, covering a range 
of matters that arise in the ordinary course of its business activities with respect to commercial, product liability and other matters. 
Litigation is subject to many uncertainties, and the outcome of any litigation cannot be assured. After discussions with counsel, 
with the exception of any potential losses resulting from the issue described below, it is the opinion of management that the various 
legal proceedings and investigations to which the Company currently is a party will not have a material adverse impact on the 
Consolidated financial position of Veoneer, but the Company cannot provide assurance that Veoneer will not experience material 
litigation, product liability or other losses in the future.

Product Warranty, Recalls and Intellectual Property

Veoneer is exposed to various claims for damages and compensation if its products fail to perform as expected. Such claims can 
be made, and result in costs and other losses to the Company, even where the product is eventually found to have functioned 
properly. Where a product (actually or allegedly) fails to perform as expected or is defective, the Company may face warranty and 
recall claims. Where such (actual or alleged) failure or defect results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury and/or property damage, 
the Company may also face product liability and other claims. There can be no assurance that the Company will not experience 
material warranty, recall or product (or other) liability claims or losses in the future, or that the Company will not incur significant 
costs to defend against such claims. The Company may be required to participate in a recall involving its products. Each vehicle 
manufacturer has its own practices regarding product recalls and other product liability actions relating to its suppliers. As suppliers 
become  more  integrally  involved  in  the  vehicle  design  process  and  assume  more  of  the  vehicle  assembly  functions,  vehicle 
manufacturers are increasingly looking to their suppliers for contribution when faced with recalls and product liability claims. 
Government safety regulators may also play a role in warranty and recall practices. A warranty, recall or product-liability claim 
brought against the Company in excess of its insurance may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business. Vehicle 
manufacturers are also increasingly requiring their outside suppliers to guarantee or warrant their products and bear the costs of 
repair and replacement of such products under new vehicle warranties. A vehicle manufacturer may attempt to hold the Company 
responsible for some, or all, of the repair or replacement costs of products when the product supplied did not perform as represented 
by the Company or expected by the customer. Accordingly, the future costs of warranty claims by the customers may be material. 
However, the Company believes its established reserves are adequate. Veoneer’s warranty reserves are based upon the Company’s 
best estimates of amounts necessary to settle future and existing claims. The Company regularly evaluates the adequacy of these 
reserves, and adjusts them when appropriate. However, the final amounts actually due related to these matters could differ materially 
from the Company’s recorded estimates.

In addition, as vehicle manufacturers increasingly use global platforms and procedures, quality performance evaluations are also 
conducted on a global basis. Any one or more quality, warranty or other recall issue(s) (including those affecting few units and/
or having a small financial impact) may cause a vehicle manufacturer to implement measures such as a temporary or prolonged 
suspension of new orders, which may have a material impact on the Company’s results of operations.

The Company carries insurance for potential recall and product liability claims at coverage levels based on the Company’s prior 
claims experience. Veoneer cannot assure that the level of coverage will be sufficient to cover every possible claim that can arise 
in the Company’s businesses, now or in the future, or that such coverage always will be available should the Company, now or in 
the future, wish to extend, increase or otherwise adjust the Company’s insurance.

In its products, the Company utilizes technologies which may be subject to intellectual property rights of third parties. While the 
Company does seek to procure the necessary rights to utilize intellectual property rights associated with its products, it may fail 
to do so. Where the Company so fails, the Company may be exposed to material claims from the owners of such rights. Where 
the Company has sold products which infringe upon such rights, its customers may be entitled to be indemnified by the Company 
for the claims they suffer as a result thereof. Such claims could be material.

Product Related Liabilities

The Company is exposed to product liability and warranty claims in the event that the Company’s products fail to perform as 
represented and such failure results, or is alleged to result, in bodily injury, and/or property damage or other loss. The Company 
has  reserves  for  product  risks.  Such  reserves  are  related  to  product  performance  issues  including  recall,  product  liability and 
warranty issues. 

95

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

The Company records liabilities for product related risks when probable claims are identified and when it is possible to reasonably 
estimate costs. Provisions for warranty claims are estimated based on prior experience, likely changes in performance of newer 
products, and volume of the products sold. The provisions are recorded on an accrual basis. 

The table below summarizes the change in product related liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Reserve at beginning of the year
Change in reserve
Cash settlements
Transfers
Translation difference
Reserve at end of the year

As of December 31

2018

2017

$

$

22
10
(15)
(1)
—
16

$

$

30
8
(16)
—
1
22

As of December 31, 2018 and  2017, provisions and cash paid primarily relate to recall and warranty related issues. The decrease 
in the reserve balance as of December 31, 2018 compared to the prior year was mainly due to recall related issues offset by the 
cash payments for warranties and product liabilities.

Agreements entered into between Autoliv and Veoneer in connection with the Spin-Off provide for Autoliv to indemnify Veoneer 
for  certain  liabilities  related  to  electronics  products  manufactured  before  April  1,  2018.  As  of  December  31,  2018,  the 
indemnification asset included in the Other current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets amounting to $14 million represents 
substantially all of the product related liabilities included in the Other current assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. A substantial 
portion of these costs are subject to indemnification by Autoliv.

A majority of the Company’s recall related issues are covered by insurance. Insurance receivables are included within prepaid 
expenses and other contract assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Guarantees

The Company provide lease guarantees to Zenuity of  $8 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017. These represent the maximum 
potential amount of future (undiscounted) payments that Veoneer could be required to make under the guarantees in the event of 
default by the guaranteed parties. These guarantees will generally cease upon expiration of current lease agreements between 2020 
and 2022.

Commitments

Operating Leases

The Company leases certain offices, manufacturing and research buildings, machinery, automobiles, data processing and other 
equipment under operating lease contracts. The operating leases, some of which are non-cancellable and include renewals, expire 
at various dates through 2034. The Company pays most maintenance, insurance and tax expenses relating to leased assets. Rental 
expense for operating leases for the year ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 was $13 million, $7 million and $6 million, 
respectively.

As of December  31, 2018, future minimum lease payments for non-cancellable operating leases totaled $88 million and are payable 
as follows: 2019: $17 million; 2020: $14 million; 2021: $10 million; 2022: $7 million; 2023: $5 million; 2024 and thereafter: $34 
million.

Build-To-Suit Lease

The  Company  has  entered  into  “build-to-suit”  lease  arrangements,  in  addition  to  the  operating  leases  above,  for  certain 
manufacturing and research buildings. The Company is deemed the owner of the buildings for accounting purposes during the 
construction period due to the terms of the arrangements.

As of December 31, 2018, future minimum lease payments for non-cancellable build-to-suit lease obligations totaled $51 million
and are payable as follows: 2019: $3 million; 2020: $3 million; 2021: $3 million; 2022: $3 million; 2023: $3 million; 2024 and 
thereafter: $36 million.

96

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Capital Leases

The Company leases certain property, plant and equipment under capital lease contracts. The capital leases expire at various dates 
through 2027.

As of December 31, 2018, future minimum lease payments for non-cancellable capital leases totaled $15 million and are payable 
as follows: 2019: $1 million; 2020: $1 million; 2021: $12 million; 2022: $0 million; 2023: $0 million; 2024 and thereafter: $1 
million.

Unconditional Purchase Obligation and Other Non-current liabilities 

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company entered into an unconditional purchase obligation whereof the outstanding 
balance as of December 31, 2018 is $10 million which will be paid in 2019. This amount will be reimbursed by Zenuity. There 
are no obligations other than short-term obligations related to inventory, services, tooling, and property, plant and equipment 
purchased in the ordinary course of business.

NOTE 17. Loss Per Share

Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss for the period by the weighted average number of common stock outstanding 
during the period. Diluted loss per share is computed by dividing net loss for the period by the weighted average number of shares 
of common stock and potentially dilutive common stock outstanding during the period. The dilutive effect of outstanding options 
and equity incentive awards is reflected in diluted loss per share by application of the treasury stock method. The calculation of 
diluted loss per share excludes all anti-dilutive common stock. The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted 
loss per share.

(U.S. dollars in millions, except per share amounts)

Numerator:

Basic and diluted:

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

2016

Net loss attributable to common shareholders

$

(276) $

(217) $

(53)

Denominator:

Basic: Weighted average number of shares outstanding (in millions)

Diluted: Weighted-average number of shares outstanding, assuming 
dilution (in millions)1

87.16

87.16

87.13

87.13

87.13

87.13

(0.61)
Basic loss per share
Diluted loss per share1
(0.61)
1   Shares in the diluted loss per share calculation represent basic shares due to the net loss. The shares excluded from the calculation were 446,821 for the year 

(3.17) $
(3.17) $

(2.49) $
(2.49) $

$

$

ended December 31, 2018, because they are anti-dilutive and for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, the shares excluded were zero.

NOTE 18. Segment Information

Financial results for the Company's reportable segments have been prepared using a management approach, which is consistent 
with the basis and manner in which financial information is evaluated by the Company's Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) 
in allocating resources and in assessing performance. The Company has two operating segments, Electronics and Brake Systems. 
Electronics includes all of electronics resources and expertise in passive safety electronics and active safety. The operating results 
of the operating segments are regularly reviewed by the Company’s CODM, the Chief Executive Officer, to assess the performance 
of the individual operating segments and make decisions about resources to be allocated to the operating segments.

The  accounting  policies  for  the  reportable  segments  are  the  same  as  those  described  in  the  Note  2,  Summary  of  Significant 
Accounting Policies to the consolidated financial statements.

97

 
Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Key financial measures reviewed by the Company’s CODM are as follows.

(Loss)/Income Before Income Taxes
Electronics

Brake Systems

Segment operating loss
Corporate and other

Interest and other non-operating items, net

Loss from equity method investment

Loss before income taxes

Capital Expenditures
Electronics

Brake Systems

Total capital expenditures

Depreciation and Amortization
Electronics

Brake Systems

Total depreciation and amortization

Segment Assets
Electronics

Brake Systems

Intersegment assets

Total assets

Year Ended December 31
2017

2016

2018

(116) $
(30)
(146)
(51)
7
(63)
(253) $

(14) $
(247)
(261)
(22)
(1)
(31)
(314) $

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

2016

132

$

56

188

$

$

79

31

110

$

Year Ended December 31

2018

2017

2016

$

72

38

111

$

$

80

39

119

$

11
(12)
(1)
(24)
3

—
(22)

80

23

103

70

36

106

$

$

$

$

$

$

As of December 31

2018

2017

2,329

$

1,286

507

(204)

377

—

2,632

$

1,663

$

$

The Company’s customers consist of all major European, U.S. and Asian automobile manufacturers. Sales to individual 
customers representing 10% or more of net sales were:

In 2018: Customer A 21%, Customer B 17% and Customer C 11%.

In 2017: Customer A 21%, Customer B 17%, Customer C 12% and Customer D 12%. 

In 2016: Customer A 17%, Customer B 16%, Customer C 13%, Customer D 13% and Customer E 11%.

Long-lived Assets
Asia

Americas

Europe
Total

As of December 31
2017
2018

$

$

307

368

438
1,113

$

$

302

393

242
938

98

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

Long-lived assets in the U.S. amounted to $315 million and $349 million for 2018 and 2017, respectively. For 2018 and 2017 $117 
million and $285 million, respectively, of the long-lived assets in the U.S. refers to intangible assets, principally from acquisition 
goodwill.

NOTE 19. Relationship with Former Parent and Related Entities

Before the Spin-Off, Veoneer had been managed and operated in the normal course of business with other affiliates of Autoliv. 
Accordingly, certain shared costs had been allocated to Veoneer and reflected as expenses in the stand-alone  consolidated financial 
statements. Veoneer  Management  consider  the  allocation  methodologies  used  to  be  reasonable  and  appropriate  reflections  of 
historical expenses of Autoliv attributable to Veoneer for purposes of the stand-alone financial statements; however, the expenses 
reflected in the consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of the actual expenses that would have been incurred during 
the periods presented if Veoneer historically operated as a separate, stand-alone entity. In addition, the expenses reflected in the 
consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of expenses that will be incurred in the future by Veoneer.

Prior  to  the  Spin-Off,  transactions  between Autoliv  and  Veoneer,  with  the  exception  of  sales  and  purchase  transactions  and 
reimbursements for payments made to third-party service providers by Autoliv on Veoneer’s behalf, are reflected in equity in the 
Consolidated Balance Sheets as Net Former Parent investment and in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as a financing 
activity in Net transfers from Former Parent.

Transactions with Related Parties

Veoneer and Autoliv entered into a Transition Services Agreement (TSA) under which certain services are provided by Autoliv to 
Veoneer and certain services are provided by Veoneer to Autoliv. For the year ended December 31, 2018, Veoneer recognized $7 
million of expenses under the TSA, and there were no TSA costs for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016. 

Throughout the periods covered by the consolidated financial statements, Veoneer sold finished goods to Autoliv and Nissin Kogyo, 
the 49% owner in VNBS (a 51% owned subsidiary). Related party sales during the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 
2016 amounted to $121 million, $148 million and $120 million, respectively. Related party purchases during the years ended 
December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 amounted to $22 million, $25 million and $29 million, respectively. Furthermore, engineering 
services relating to passive safety electronics, have been rendered to Autoliv amounting to $1 million for the year ended December 
31, 2018, and engineering services relating to Passive safety electronics, received from Autoliv amounting to $1 million for each 
of the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Related Party Balances

Amounts due to and due from related party components as summarized in the below table: 

RELATED PARTY
Related party receivable
Related party notes receivable

Related party payables

Related party short term debt

Related party long-term debt

As of December 31
2017
2018

$

$

$

$

$

64

1

16

1

13

$

$

$

$

$

13

76

8

—

62

Related party receivables are mainly driven by reseller agreements put in place in connection with the Spin-Off. The reseller 
agreements are between Autoliv and Veoneer and facilitate the temporary arrangement of the sale of Veoneer products manufactured 
for certain customers for a limited period after the Spin-Off. Autoliv will collect the customer payments and will remit the payments 
to Veoneer.

As of December 31, 2017, related party notes receivables relate to a long-term loan between Veoneer and Autoliv entities, which 
was subsequently settled prior to the Spin-Off.

As of December 31, 2018, the related party payables mainly relate to an agreement between VNBS and various Autoliv entities.

99

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

A portion of the related party long-term debt is subject to a long-term loan agreement that was settled on June 29, 2018. As of 
December 31, 2018, all related party debt agreements were settled or terminated, with the exception of a capital lease arrangement 
at VNBS of $13 million and $11 million as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. The capital lease is with Nissin Kogyo.

In the third quarter of 2018, the Company recorded certain true-up adjustments related to amounts due to and from Autoliv with 
an offsetting increase to equity of $3 million. In addition, the Company recorded a true-up adjustment during 2018 to its deferred 
tax amount of $8 million associated with the tax impacts of the legal organization prior to the Spin-Off, with an offsetting increase 
to equity.

Corporate Costs/Allocations

For the periods prior to April 1, 2018, the consolidated financial statements include corporate costs incurred by Autoliv for services 
that are provided to or on behalf of Veoneer. These costs consist of allocated cost pools and direct costs. Corporate costs have been 
directly charged to, or allocated to Veoneer using methods management believes are consistent and reasonable. The method for 
allocating corporate function costs to Veoneer is based on various formulas involving allocation factors. The methods for allocating 
corporate administration costs to Veoneer are based on revenue, headcount, or other relevant metrics. However, the expenses 
reflected in the consolidated financial statements may not be indicative of the actual expenses that would have been incurred during 
the periods presented if Veoneer historically operated as a separate, stand-alone entity. All corporate charges and allocations have 
been deemed paid by Veoneer to Autoliv in the period in which the cost was recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. 
Effective April 1, 2018, Veoneer began performing certain functions using internal resources or third parties, and certain other 
services continued to be provided by Autoliv and directly charged to Veoneer. In addition, Veoneer personnel perform certain 
services for Autoliv, which are directly charged to Autoliv.

Allocated corporate costs included in Costs of sales, Selling, general and administrative expenses and Research, development and 
engineering expenses were for shared services and infrastructure provided, which includes costs such as information technology, 
accounting, legal, real estate and facilities, corporate advertising, risk and insurance services, treasury, shareholder services and 
other corporate and infrastructure services.

Cash Management and Financing

Prior to the Spin-Off, Veoneer participated in Autoliv’s centralized cash management and financing programs. Disbursements were 
made through centralized accounts payable systems operated by Autoliv. Cash receipts were transferred to centralized accounts, 
also maintained by Autoliv. As cash was disbursed and received by Autoliv, it was accounted for by Veoneer through the Net 
Former Parent investment. All short-term and long-term debt was financed by Autoliv or by Nissin Kogyo and financing decisions 
for wholly and majority owned subsidiaries were determined by Autoliv’s corporate treasury operations. On the Distribution Date, 
Veoneer held approximately $1 billion of cash and cash equivalents. Upon the Spin-Off, Veoneer created its own corporate treasury 
operations.

100

Veoneer, Inc.
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
(U.S. DOLLARS IN MILLIONS)

NOTE 20. Summary Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited) 

The following table presents summary quarterly financial data: 

2018

2017

First
Quarter

Second
Quarter

Third
Quarter

Fourth
Quarter

First
Quarter

Second
Quarter

Third
Quarter

Fourth
Quarter

Sales

Gross profit

Operating loss

Loss before income taxes

Net loss

Net loss attributable to
controlling interest

Per Share Data:
Basic loss per share

Diluted loss per share

$

$

$

$

(Dollars in Millions, Except Per Share Amounts)

$

594

112

(16)

(30)

(37)

572

112

(48)

(63)

(66)

$

526

$

535

$

583

$

579

$

567

$

99
(58)
(70)
(72)

109
(75)
(90)
(119)

113
(10)
(11)
(22)

120
(12)
(19)
(30)

109
(16)
(26)
(36)

593

124
(244)
(258)
(256)

(32) $

(63) $

(68) $

(114) $

(20) $

(28) $

(33) $

(136)

(0.36) $

(0.72) $

(0.36) $

(0.72) $

(0.78) $
(0.78) $

(1.31) $ (0.23) $
(1.31) $ (0.23) $

(0.32) $
(0.32) $

(0.38) $
(0.38) $

(1.56)
(1.56)

During the first quarter of 2017, the Company recognized an impairment charge to amortization of intangibles of $12 million 
related to a contract with an OEM customer of MACOM products, which was included in earnings for the period.

The Company adjusted the fair value of the earn-out liability to $14 million during 2017 based on actual revenue levels to date as 
well as changes in the estimated probability of different revenue scenarios for the remaining contractual earn-out period. Income 
of approximately $13 million was recognized within other income in the Consolidated Statements of Operations during the year 
ended December 31, 2017 due to the decrease in the contingent consideration liability. 

During the fourth quarter of 2017, the Company recognized an impairment charge of the full goodwill amount of $234 million, 
after consideration of foreign exchange movements, related to VNBS. 

101

Item 9.  Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness 
of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 
as amended), as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on such evaluation, our Chief 
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that as of December 31, 2018 our disclosure controls and procedures 
were effective to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by us in this Annual Report on Form 
10-K was (a) reported within the time periods specified by SEC rules and regulations, and (b) communicated to our management, 
including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding any required disclosure.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

This annual report does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an 
attestation report of the Company's registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC 
for newly public companies. 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 
13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 that materially affected, or are reasonably 
likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information

None

102

Item 10.   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Part III

We have adopted a written Code of Conduct and Ethics for Senior Officers that applies to our Executive Management Team, 
together with our Senior Treasury Officer and Senior Accounting Officer, including our CEO, CFO and Controller. Our Code of 
Conduct and Ethics for Senior Officers serves as our written code of ethics for those officers. The Code of Conduct and Ethics 
for  Senior  Officers  is  also  available  at  the  Corporate  Governance  section  of  the  Investors  page  on  our  website  at  https://
www.veoneer.com/en/governance. If we make any substantive amendments to the Code of Conduct for Senior Officers or grant 
any waiver, including an implicit waiver, from the Code of Conduct to our CEO, CFO or Controller, we will within four business 
days of the event disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver on our website or in a report on Form 8-K.

The  information  relating  to  our  directors,  our  nominees  for  directors,  and  our  executive  officers  pursuant  to  Items 401;  and 
Item 407(c)(3), (d)(4) and (d)(5) of Regulation S-K required by Item 10 will be contained under the caption "Proposal 1 - Election 
of Directors" in the 2019 Proxy Statement to be filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act and is 
hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference thereto.

The information required pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K to be included in this Item 10 will be contained under the caption 
"Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance" in the 2019 Proxy Statement, to be filed by us with the SEC pursuant 
to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act and is hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference thereto.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

The information required under this Item 11 will appear under the captions "Board Compensation," "Compensation Discussion 
and Analysis", "Executive Compensation" and related discussion and disclosure thereto, in the 2019 Proxy Statement, to be filed 
by us with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, and is hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference 
thereto.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information pursuant to Item 403 of Regulation S-K to be included in this Item 12 will appear under the captions "Security 
Ownerships of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management" in the 2019 Proxy Statement, to be filed by us with the SEC pursuant 
to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, and is hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference thereto.´

Shares Previously Authorized for Issuance Under the 2018 Stock Incentive Plan

The following table provides information as of December 31, 2018, about the common stock that may be issued under the Veoneer, 
Inc.  Stock  Incentive  Plan.  The  Company  does  not  have  any  equity  compensation  plans  that  have  not  been  approved  by  its 
stockholders.

Plan Category

(a) Number of
Securities to
be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights

(b) Weighted- 
average
exercise price of 
outstanding options, 
warrants and
rights2

(c) Number of
securities remaining 
available for future 
issuance under equity 
compensation plans 
(excluding securities 
reflected in column (a)3

Equity compensation plans approved
by security holders1
Equity compensation plans not
approved by security holders
Total
1  Veoneer, Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (Stock Options and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)).
2  Excludes RSUs which convert to shares of common stock for no consideration.
3  All such shares are available for issuance pursuant to grants of full-value stock awards.

919,578

$

— $
919,578   $

17.68  

—  
17.68  

3,000,257

—
3,000,257

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

The information required under this item will appear under the captions "Proposal 1 - Election of Directors", "Relationships and 
Related Party Transactions" and related discussion and disclosure thereto, in the 2019 Proxy Statement, to be filed by us with the 
SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, and is hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference thereto.

103

 
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The information required under this item will appear under the captions "Fees of Independent Auditors," and "Audit Committee 
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures" and related discussion and disclosure thereto, in the 2019 Proxy Statement, to be filed by 
us with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, and is hereby specifically incorporated herein by reference 
thereto.

104

Part IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

(a) The following documents are filed as part of this report:

1. Financial Statements

See “Index to Consolidated Financial Statements” in Part II, Item 8 hereof.

2. Financial Statement Schedules

All other financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not required or applicable under instructions contained in 
Regulation S-X or because the information called for is shown in the financial statements and notes thereto.

(b) Exhibits.

These exhibits are available without charge upon written request directed to the Company’s Secretary at Veoneer, Inc.  Attn:  
Corporate Secretary, Box 13089, SE-10302, Stockholm, Sweden. 

Exhibit No.
2.1 

Description
Distribution Agreement, dated June 28, 2018, between Veoneer, Inc. and Autoliv, Inc., incorporated herein by 
reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 2, 2018.

3.1 

3.2 

4.1

10.1 

10.2 

10.3

10.4

10.5

10.6+

10.7+

10.8+

10.9+

10.10*+

10.11*+

10.12*+

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the 
Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 2, 2018.

Amended and Restated Bylaws, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company's Current 
Report on Form 8-K filed July 2, 2018.

General Terms and Conditions for Swedish Depository Receipts in Veoneer, Inc., incorporated herein by 
reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed June 4, 2018.

Employee Matters Agreement, dated June 28, 2018, between Veoneer, Inc. and Autoliv, Inc., incorporated 
herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 2, 2018.

Tax Matters Agreement, dated June 28, 2018, between Veoneer, Inc. and Autoliv, Inc., incorporated herein by 
reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 2, 2018.

Amended and Restated Master Transition Services Agreement between Veoneer, Inc. and Autoliv, Inc., 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 2, 
2018.

Joint Venture Agreement, dated April 18, 2017, between Volvo Car Corporation and Autoliv Development AB 
regarding Zenuity AB, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Registration 
Statement on Form 10 filed June 4, 2018.**

Joint Venture Agreement, dated March  7, 2016, by and among Autoliv ASP, Inc., Autoliv AB, Autoliv 
Holding, Inc. and Nissin Kogyo Co., Ltd., Nissin Kogyo Holdings USA, Inc. and Zhongshan Nissin Industry 
Co., Ltd., incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 
10 filed May 21, 2018.

Employment Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Jan Carlson, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Addendum to Employment Agreement, dated August 20, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Jan Carlson, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's  Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed 
October 25, 2018).

Severance Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Jan Carlson, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018).

Employment Agreement, effective as of December 20, 2017, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Mathias 
Hermansson, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the Company’s Registration Statement on 
Form 10 filed May 21, 2018).

Agreement of Resignations Conditions, effective December 20, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and 
Mathias Hermansson.

Employment Agreement, effective January 8, 2019, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Mats Backman.

Change-in-Control Severance Agreement, effective January 8, 2019, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Mats 
Backman.

105

10.13+

10.14+

10.15*+

10.16+

10.17+

10.18+

10.19+

10.20+

10.21+

10.22+

10.23+

10.24+

10.25+

10.26+

10.27+

10.28

10.29

21*

23*

31.1*

31.2*

32.1*

32.2*

Employment Agreement, effective as of June  29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Johan Löfvenholm, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Change-in-Control  Severance Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and 
Johan Löfvenholm, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to the Company’s Registration 
Statement on Form 10 filed May 21, 2018.

Mutual Separation Agreement, effective October 23, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Johan 
Löfvenholm.

Employment Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Lars Sjöbring, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Change-in-Control Severance Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and 
Lars Sjöbring, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to the Company’s Registration Statement on 
Form 10 filed May 21, 2018.

Employment Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Thomas Jönsson, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Employment Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Art Blanchford, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Employment Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Peter Rogbrant, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Employment Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Mikko Taipale, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Employment Agreement, effective as of June 29, 2018, by and between Veoneer, Inc. and Steven Rodé, 
incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed 
May 21, 2018.

Form of Indemnification Agreement between Veoneer, Inc. and its officers and directors, incorporated herein 
by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 2, 2018.

Veoneer, Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to the Company's 
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed July 27, 2018.

Form of Veoneer, Inc. Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 
10.18 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed July 27, 2018.

Form of Non-Employee Director restricted stock unit grant agreement to be used under the Veoneer, Inc. 2018 
Stock Incentive Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.19 to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed 
July 27, 2018.

Veoneer, Inc. Non-Qualified Retirement Plan, incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.20 to the Company's 
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed July 27, 2018.

Cooperation Agreement, dated May 24, 2018, among Autoliv, Inc., Veoneer, Inc. and Cevian Capital II GP 
Limited, incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 
10 filed June 4, 2018.

Form of Support Agreement among Autoliv, Inc., Veoneer, Inc. and the other parties thereto, incorporated 
herein by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 10 filed June 4, 2018.

List of Subsidiaries.

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.

Certification of Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) promulgated under the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Certification of Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) promulgated under the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Certification of Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to section 
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

Certification of Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to section 
906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

106

101*

The following financial information from the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2018, formatted in XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language) and furnished
electronically herewith: (i) the Consolidated Statements of Operations; (ii) the Consolidated Statements of
Comprehensive Loss: (iii) the Consolidated Balance Sheets; (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flow;
(v) the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity; and (vi) the Notes to the Consolidated Financial
Statements.

* Filed herewith.
+ Management contract or compensatory plan
**Portions of this exhibit have been redacted pursuant to a confidential treatment request filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission pursuant to Rule 24b-2 under the Exchange Act. The redacted portions of this exhibit have been filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

Not applicable.

107

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on 
its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Signatures

Date: February 22, 2019

VEONEER, INC.
(Registrant)

By: /s/ Mathias Hermansson
Mathias Hermansson
Chief Financial Officer
(Duly Authorized Officer and Principal Financial Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following 
persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated, as of February 22, 2019.

Chairman of the Board of Director,
Chief Executive Officer and President (Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Jan Carlson
Jan Carlson

Title

Name

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 (Principal Financial and Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Mathias Hermansson
Mathias Hermansson

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

/s/ Robert W. Alspaugh
Robert W. Alspaugh

/s/ Mary Louise Cummings
Mary Louise Cummings

/s/ Mark Durcan
Mark Durcan

/s/ James M. Ringler
James M. Ringler

/s/ Kazuhiko Sakamoto
Kazuhiko Sakamoto

/s/ Jonas Synnergren
Jonas Synnergren

/s/ Wolfgang Ziebart
Wolfgang Ziebart

108

Report of Independent Auditors

To the Board of Directors

Zenuity AB

We have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Zenuity AB, which comprise the consolidated balance 
sheets as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the related consolidated income statements, statements of changes in equity and 
cash flow statements for the year ended 2018 and for the period from April 18, 2017 through December 31, 2017, and the related 
notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in conformity with the Annual 
Accounts Act and the Swedish Accounting Standards Board’s generally accepted accounting principles BFNAR 2012:1 Annual 
Report and consolidated accounts (K3); this includes the design, implementation and maintenance of internal control relevant to 
the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free of material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditor’s Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We con-ducted our audits in accordance 
with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to 
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. 
The procedures selected depend on the auditor’s judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the 
financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant 
to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate 
in  the  circumstances,  but  not  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  an  opinion  on  the  effectiveness  of  the  entity’s  internal  control. 
Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and 
the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the 
financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Opinion

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position 
of Zenuity AB at December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended 
December 31, 2018 and for the period from April 18, 2017 through December 31, 2017 in conformity with the Annual Accounts 
Act and the Swedish Accounting Standards Board’s generally accepted accounting principles BFNAR 2012:1 Annual Report and 
consolidated accounts (K3).

Accounting principles generally accepted in Sweden (K3) vary in certain respects from accounting principles generally accepted 
in the United States of America (US GAAP). In Note 24 to the consolidated financial statements is a reconciliation from K3 to 
US GAAP

/s/ Ernst & Young AB

Gothenburg, Sweden

February 22, 2019

109

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Consolidated financial statements
For the financial year January 1 2018 - December 31 2018

Zenuity AB

Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Income statement

Amounts in TSEK
Net sales

Cost of services sold

Gross profit
Selling and administrative expenses

Research and development expenses

Other operating income

Other operating expenses

Operating loss
Profit/loss from financial items

Interest income and similar profit/loss items

Interest expense and similar profit/loss items

Loss after financial items

Loss before tax
Tax expense for the year

Net loss for the year

1 January
2018-
31 December
2018

18 April
2017-
31 December
2017

39,193
(36,629)
2,564
(57,714)
(1,043,988)
24,426
(7,790)
(1,082,502)

4,326
(3,432)
(1,081,608)
(1,081,608)
(4,417)
(1,086,025)

40,001
(37,384)
2,617
(80,313)
(452,605)
8,290
(2,652)
(524,663)

1,970
(2,597)
(525,290)
(525,290)
(3,294)
(528,584)

Note

3

6

4,5,7

8

9

10

110

 
Zenuity AB

Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Balance sheet

Amounts in TSEK
ASSETS
Non-current assets
Intangible assets
Capitalized expenditures for software and similar
Concessions, patents, licenses, trademarks and similar rights

Property, plant and equipment
Leasehold improvements
Equipment, plant and machinery

Financial assets
Deferred tax asset
Other long-term receivables

Total non-current assets
Current assets
Current receivables
Receivables from owners
Other receivables
Prepaid expenses and accrued income

Cash and bank balances
Cash and bank

Total current assets
TOTAL ASSETS

Note

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

11
12

13
14

16
17

18

21

18,490
245,976
264,466

3,290
141,550
144,840

49,611
15,379
64,990
474,296

22,520
35,044
104,256
161,820

498,020
498,020
659,840
1,134,136

23,722
256,171
279,893

1,950
105,370
107,320

62,429
8,520
70,949
458,162

20,060
19,801
93,937
133,798

384,136
384,136
517,934
976,096

111

Zenuity AB

Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Balance sheet

Amounts in TSEK
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Equity
Share capital
Other capital contributed
Translation reserve
Retained earnings incl. loss for the year

Provisions
Deferred tax liability

Current liabilities
Accounts payable - trade
Liabilities to owners
Current tax liability
Other liabilities
Accrued expenses and deferred income

TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES

Note

19

16

20

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

500
2,520,297
3,935
(1,614,609)
909,623
910,123

51,134
51,134

35,935
19,717
6,071
21,502
89,654
172,879
1,134,136

500
1,320,297
(3,587)
(528,584)
788,126
788 626

62,429
62,429

23,469
15,718
3,286
12,627
69,941
125,041
976,096

112

Zenuity AB

Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Statement of changes in equity

December 31, 2017

Amounts in TSEK

Opening balance
Net loss for the year
Foreign currency translation differences
Total
Transactions with owners
Issue of ordinary shares
Shareholders’ contribution received
Total
At year end

December 31, 2018

Amounts in TSEK
Opening balance
Net loss for the year
Foreign currency translation differences
Total
Transactions with owners
Shareholders’ contribution received
Total
At year end

Share capital

Other capital
contributed*

Translation
reserve

—

—
—

500

500
500

—

—
—

—
1,320,297
1,320,297
1,320,297

—

(3,587)
(3,587)

—
—
—
(3,587)

Share capital

Other capital
contributed*

Translation
reserve

500

1,320,297

(3,587)

—
—

—
—
500

—
—

1,200,000
1,200,000
2,520,297

7,522
7,522

—
—
3,935

Retained
earnings incl.
loss for the year*
—
(528,584)
—
—

Total equity

—
(528,584)
(3,587)
(3,587)

—
—
—
(528,584)

500
1,320,297
1,320,797
788,626

Retained
earnings incl.
loss for the year*
(528,584)
(1,086,025)
—
—

Total equity

788,626
(1,086,025)
7,522
7,522

—
—
(1,614,609)

1,200,000
1,200,000
910,123

*Definitions of equity has been adjusted in FS 2018 to be in accordance with Swedish GAAP for group accounting.

113

Zenuity AB

Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Cash flow statement

Amounts in TSEK
Operating activities
Loss after financial items
Adjustments for non-cash items, etc.
Income tax paid
Cash flow from operating activities before working capital changes

Increase(-)/Decrease(+) of current receivables
Increase(+)/Decrease(-) of current liabilities
Cash flow from operating activities
Investing activities
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment
Disposal of property, plant and equipment
Acquisition of intangible assets
Contribution in kind, net liquid effect
Acquisition of financial assets
Cash flow from investing activities
Financing activities
Issue of ordinary shares
Received shareholders’ contribution
Cash flow from financing activities
Cash flow for the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Exchange rate differences in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year

1 January
2018-

18 April
2017-

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

(1,081,608)
93,061
(346)

(988,893)
(27,713)
49,613
(966,993)

(76,965)
286
(36,376)
—
(6,859)
(119,914)

-
1,200,000
1,200,000
113,093
384,136
791
498,020

(525,290)
45,064
—

(480,226)
(133,798)
111,659
(502,365)

(87,191)
—
(18,535)
239
(8,520)
(114,007)

500
1,000,555
1,001,055
384,683
—
(547)
384,136

22

22

21

114

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Notes

 Amounts in TSEK unless otherwise stated

Note 1

Accounting principles

These  consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  in  accordance  with  the Annual Accounts Act  and  the  Swedish 
Accounting Standards Board’s generally accepted accounting principles BFNAR 2012:1 Annual Report and consolidated accounts 
(K3).

Assets, provisions and liabilities have been valued at cost unless otherwise stated below.

Intangible assets
Research and development
Expenditures for research activities, i.e. the planned and systematic search for new scientific or technical knowledge and insight, 
are expensed as incurred.

Internal development costs are expensed when incurred in accordance with the expense model in BFNAR 2012:1.

Other intangible assets - intellectual property rights, licenses and similar rights
Other intangible assets acquired are valued at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment.

Amortisations
Amortisation is made on a straight-line basis over the asset’s estimated useful life. The amortisation is recognized as an expense 
in the income statement.

Acquired intangible assets
Software licenses
Software
Intellectual Property

Property, plant and equipment

Useful life

3 years
7 years
7 years

Property, plant and equipment is valued at cost less accumulated depreciation and impairment.

Depreciation
Depreciation is performed on a straight-line basis over the asset’s estimated useful life, since it reflects the expected usage of the 
asset’s future economic benefits. The depreciation is recognized as an expense in the income statement.

Property, plant and equipment
Leasehold improvements
Equipment, tools, fixtures and fittings

Useful life

10 years
3-5 years

Impairment - Property, plant, equipment and intangible assets 

At every closing date, an assessment is made concerning whether or not there is an indication that an asset’s value is lower than 
its carrying value. If an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is calculated in order to identify a potential 
impairment charge.

The recoverable value is the highest of the fair value less cost to sell and the value in use. When calculating the value in use, future 
expected cash flows that the asset is expected to generate in the ongoing operations and when disposed of are discounted to a net 
present value. The discount rate before tax is used as it reflects current market assessment of the time value of money and the risks 
attributable to the asset. An impairment loss is reversed only to the extent that the asset´s carrying amount does not exceed the 
carrying amount that would have been determined, net of depreciation or amortization, if no impairment loss had been recognized.

115

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Leases
Lessee
All lease contracts are defined as operating lease contracts.

Lease payments, including up-front payments but excluding expenditures for services, such as insurance and maintenance, are 
expensed on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

Basis of consolidation
Group companies are consolidated as from the date the Group obtains control over a subsidiary. The consolidation is prepared 
according to the acquisition method.
Any Intra-Group transactions have been eliminated.

Foreign currencies
Items in foreign currencies
Monetary items denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rate at the reporting date. Non-monetary items 
that are measured at their fair value in a foreign currency are translated at the exchange rate at the time of the fair value measurement. 
Non-monetary items that are measured based on historical cost in a foreign currency are translated at the exchange rate at the date 
of the transaction.

Foreign currency differences are recognized in the income statement.

Foreign operations
The assets and liabilities of foreign operations are translated from the foreign operation’s functional currency to the Group’s 
reporting currency, SEK, using the exchange rates prevailing on the balance sheet date.
Revenues and expenses of foreign operations are translated into SEK using the average exchange rates that approximates the 
exchange rates prevailing at each transaction date. Translation differences are recognized in a separate equity component.

Financial assets and liabilities
Financial assets and liabilities are accounted for in accordance with BFNAR 2012:1, chapter 11 - Financial instruments measured 
at cost.

Accounting in and derecognition from the balance sheet
A financial asset or financial liability is recognized in the balance sheet when the Group becomes a part of the financial instrument’s 
contractual agreement. A financial asset is derecognised when the contractual right to the cash flow from the asset has expired or 
been settled. The same is applicable when the risks and benefits that are associated with the holdings in all material aspects are 
transferred to another party and the Group does not possess any control over the financial asset. A financial liability is derecognised 
when the contractual obligation has been fulfilled or expired.

Measurement of financial assets
Financial assets are initially measured at cost, including any transaction costs that are directly attributable to the acquisition.

Subsequent to initial recognition, financial current assets are measured at the lower of cost and net realizable value.

Accounts receivable and other receivables are measured individually at the amount expected to be received.

Subsequent to initial recognition, financial non-current assets are measured at cost adjusted for potential impairment losses.

116

 
Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Employee benefits

Post-employment benefits

Classification
Plans for post-employment benefits are classified according to simplified rules.

For defined contribution plans, determined fees are paid to another Company, normally an insurance Company, and the Group 
does not have any other obligation to the employee when the fee is paid. The size of the employee’s post-employment benefits is 
dependent on the fees that have been paid and the return on the accumulated fees.

For defined benefit plans, the Group has an obligation to provide the benefits agreed upon to current and earlier employees. The 
Group carries, in all material aspects, the risk for the benefits to be higher than expected (actuarial risk) and the risk for the return 
on the assets to deviate from the expectations (investment risk). Investment risk also exists if the assets are transferred to another 
Company.

Defined contribution plans
Obligations  for  contributions  (fees)  to  defined  contribution  plans  are  expensed  as  the  related  service  is  provided.  Prepaid 
contributions are recognized as an asset to the extent that a cash refund or a reduction in the future payments are available.

Defined benefit plans
The Group has chosen to apply the simplifying rules presented in BFNAR 2012:1.

In Sweden the Group has post-employment defined benefit obligations for personnel which are insured by Alecta. Alecta is the 
largest Swedish life insurance Company and safeguards the majority of the private sector’s defined benefit pension plans, i.e., the 
ITP-plan. Alecta is not able to provide specific information for each customer’s obligations and fair value of related assets which 
is necessary information in order to account for the obligations in accordance with the rules for defined benefit plans. Therefore, 
all obligations relating to the Swedish ITP-plan are accounted for as defined contribution plans in accordance with the rules for 
multi-employer plans.

Plans for which pension premiums are paid are accounted for as defined contribution plans, which implies that the fees are expensed 
in the income statement.

Other long-term employee benefits
Liabilities regarding other long-term employee benefits are recognized at the present value of the obligations at the balance sheet 
date.

Termination benefits
Termination benefits, to the extent the employee does not provide the Group with any future services, are only recognised as a 
liability and expense when the Group has a legal or informal obligation to either
a) terminate an employee’s or group of employees’ employments before the normal time for the employment’s termination, or
b) give termination benefits through offerings that encourage voluntary termination.
Termination benefits are accounted for as a provision at the earlier of the date
a) when the Group can no longer withdraw the offer of those benefits; and
b) when the entity recognizes costs for a restructuring that involves the payment of termination benefits.

117

 
Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Tax

Tax expense for the year in the income statement consists of current tax and deferred tax. Current tax is the income tax for the 
current financial year, which refers to the year’s taxable profit and the part of earlier financial years’ income tax that have not been 
recognized. Deferred tax is recognized based on temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and 
their value for tax purposes.
Deferred tax assets for unused tax losses are recognized to the extent it is probable that future taxable profits will be available to 
use the tax losses for.

Revenue
The inflow of economic benefits that the Group receives or will receive on its own behalf are recognized as revenue. Revenue is 
measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable.

Service agreements and construction contract – continuous
Revenue from engagements on continuous contracts are recognized as revenue in line with work performed and services delivered 
or consumed.
All revenue refers to services provided to the owners regarding engineering hours on the owners projects.

Shareholders’ contribution
Shareholders’ contribution that has been made without issued shares or other received equity instruments in exchange is recognized 
in the balance sheet as an increase of the investments’ carrying amount.

Shareholders’ contribution that has been received without issued shares or any other equity instruments in exchange are recognized 
directly in equity.

Note 2

Estimates and judgements

At each reporting date the Group assesses whether there is an indication that intangible assets may be impaired. Management has 
performed an impairment test without identifying any fixed assets that may be impaired. As the Group was established during 
2017 the risk of impaired intangible assets recognized during the establishment is low. 

Note 3

Other operating income

Exchange rate gains on operating receivables/liabilities
Rental income
Other

Note 4

Employees, personnel costs and remunerations to Board of Directors

Average number of employees

1 January 2018-

18 April 2017-

31 December 2018
2,571
6,920
14,935
24,426

31 December 2017
2,303
—
5,987
8,290

Sweden
Germany
US
Total

Disclosure of gender distribution in the management of the Group

Board of Directors
Other senior management

118

1 January 2018-

31 December 2018
349
80
65
494

whereof

men

18 April 2017-

31 December 2017
206
49
41
296

81%
84%
84%
82%

31 December 2018
Proportion of women

31 December 2017
Proportion of women

—%
25%

—%
27%

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Salaries, other remunerations and social security expenses, including pension expenses

Salaries and remunerations

Social security expenses
(of that pension expenses)1
1Of the Company’s pension expenses 589 TSEK (356 TSEK) relate to the Managing Director.

358,952

122,578
(32,371)

146,865

56,794
(13,329)

Note 5

Depreciation, amortisation and impairment of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets

1 January 2018-

18 April 2017-

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

1 January 2018-
31 December 2018

18 April 2017-
31 December 2017

(3,947)
(48,117)
(380)
(39,802)
(92,246)

(3,790)
(26,889)
(160)
(16,092)
(46,931)

1 January 2018-
31 December
2018

18 April 2017-
31 December
2017

(7,627)
(163)
(7,790)

(2,607)
(45)
(2,652)

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

34,616

121,895

135,353

291,864

49,700

156,600

147,972

354,272

1 January 2018-
31 December
2018

18 April 2017-
31 December
2017

33,916

17,118

Depreciation and amortisation divided by asset
Capitalized expenditures for software and similar

Concessions, patents, licenses, trademarks

Leasehold improvements

Equipment, plant and machinery

Note 6

Other operating expenses

Exchange rate losses on operating receivables/liabilities

Capital losses

Note 7

Operating lease

Lease contracts where the Group is the lessee

Future minimum lease payments regarding non-cancellable operating lease contracts
Within one year

Between one and five years

Later than five years

The financial year’s recognized lease expenses

The main part of the lease expense refer to expenses regarding office rent.

119

 
Note 8

Interest income and similar profit/loss items

Interest income, other

Note 9

Interest expense and similar profit/loss items

Interest expense, other

1 January 2018-
31 December
2018

18 April 2017-
31 December
2017

4,326

4,326

1,970

1,970

1 January 2018-
31 December
2018

18 April 2017-
31 December
2017

(3,432)
(3,432)

(2,597)
(2,597)

120

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Note 10

Tax expense for the year

Current tax expense

Reconciliation of effective tax rate

Loss before tax

Tax according to current tax rate for the parent Company

Non-deductible depreciation
Other non-deductible depreciation

Increase of loss carry-forward without corresponding recognized
deferred tax

Effect due to other tax rates and tax regulations

Reported effective tax

Note 11

Capitalized expenditures for software and similar

Accumulated acquisition costs
At the beginning of the year

Contribution in kind

Additions

Reclassifications

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

Accumulated amortization
At the beginning of the year

Reclassifications

Amortization during the year

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

Carrying amount at the end of the year

121

1 January
2018-

31 December
2018

18 April 2017-

31 December
2017

(4,417)
(4,417)

(3,294)
(3,294)

1 January 2018-

18 April 2017-

31 December 2018

31 December 2017

Percent

22 %

(0.9)%

— %

Amount
(1,081,608)
237,954
(10,244)
(171)

Percent

Amount
(525,290)
22 % 115,564
(6,865)
—

— %

(1.3)%

(21.4)% (231,484)
(472)
(4,417)

(0.4)%

— %

(21.1)% (110,810)
(1,183)
(0.2)%
(3,294)

(0.6)%

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

27,479

—

850
(4,402)
306

24,233

(3,757)
1,946
(3,947)
15
(5,743)
18,490

—

16,068

11,833

—
(422)
27,479

—

—
(3,790)
33
(3,757)
23,722

Note 12

Concessions, patents, licenses, trademarks and similar rights

Accumulated acquisition costs
At the beginning of the year

Contribution in kind

Additions

Reclassifications

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

Accumulated amortization
At the beginning of the year

Reclassifications

Amortization during the year

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

Carrying amount at the end of the year

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

283,059

—

35,603

4,519

2

—

276,356

6,702

—

1

323,183

283,059

(26,888)
(2,151)
(48,117)
(51)
(77,207)
245,976

—

—
(26,888)
—
(26,888)
256,171

122

 
Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Note 13

Leasehold improvements

Accumulated acquisition costs
At the beginning of the year

Contribution in kind

Additions

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

Accumulated depreciation
At the beginning of the year

Depreciation during the year

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

2,108

—

1,674

60

3,842

(158)
(380)
(15)
(553)

—

710

1,459
(61)
2,108

—
(160)
2
(158)

Carrying amount at the end of the year

3,290

1,950

Note 14

Equipment, plant and machinery

Accumulated acquisition costs
At the beginning of the year

Contribution in kind

Additions

Disposals

Reclassifications

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

Accumulated depreciation
At the beginning of the year

Reversed depreciation on disposals

Reclassifications

Depreciation during the year

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

121,388

—

75,428
(619)
(117)
1,746

197,826

(16,018)
164

20
(39,802)
(640)
(56,276)

—

36,456

85,930
(211)
—
(787)
121,388

—

13

—
(16,092)
61
(16,018)

Carrying amount at the end of the year

141,550

105,370

123

 
 
Note 15

Participation in group companies

Accumulated acquisition costs
At the beginning of the year

Acquisitions

At the end of the year

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

103,888

1,400

105,288

—

103,888

103,888

Specification of the Parent Company’s participation in group companies

Subsidiary / Corp. Id. No. / Registered office
Zenuity GmbH, HRB 228080,
Unterschleissheim

Zenuity Inc, 81-4350409, Delaware

Zenuity Software Technology Co. Ltd,
Shanghai

31 December 2018

Number of
shares

Share
in % i)

Carrying
amount

Equity

Profit/loss
for the year

25,000

100

—

100.0

100.0

100.0

48,068

55,820

61,649

65,449

1,400

1,414

6,305

6,886

29

Acquisitions during 2017 and 2018
Zenuity GmbH and Zenuity Inc. were founded during 2017 and were contributed to Zenuity AB via contribution in kind from the 
joint owners. Zenuity AB made during 2017 a capital contribution to Zenuity GmbH of 47,829 TSEK and a capital contribution 
to Zenuity Inc. of 55,820 TSEK. Zenuity Software Technology Co. Ltd was founded in 2018 and Zenuity AB made during 2018 
a capital contribution to Zenuity Software Technology Co. Ltd of 1,400 TSEK. 

124

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Note 16

Deferred taxes

Significant temporary differences
Capitalized expenditures for developments

Concessions, patents, licenses

Equipment

Tax-rebate related to acquisition of assets

Deferred tax asset/liability

Significant temporary differences attributable to deferred tax asset
Tax-rebate related to acquisition of assets

Significant temporary differences attributable to deferred tax liability
Capitalized expenditures for developments

Concessions, patents, licenses

Equipment

Significant temporary differences
Capitalized expenditures for developments
Concessions, patents, licenses
Equipment
Tax-rebate related to acquisition of assets

Deferred tax asset/liability

Significant temporary differences attributable to deferred tax asset
Tax-rebate related to acquisition of assets

Significant temporary differences attributable to deferred tax liability
Capitalized expenditures for developments

Concessions, patents, licenses

Equipment

Taxable loss carry-forward amounts to 1,555,605 TSEK (503,683 TSEK).

125

Deferred
tax asset

2018-12-31
Deferred
tax liability

Change
Net

—

—

—

49,611

49,611

1,743

44,007

5,384

—

51,134

-1,743

-44,007

-5,384

49,611
(1,523)

Carrying
amount

2018-12-31

Tax base

Temporary
difference

49,611

49,611

8,328

210,557

25,568

244,453

—

—

—

—

—

—

Deferred
tax asset

2017-12-31
Deferred
tax liability

—
—
—
62,429

62,429

2,182
55,009
5,238
—

62,429

-49,611

-49,611

8,328

210,557

25,568

244,453

Net

-2,182
-55,009
-5,238

62,429

—

Carrying
amount

2017-12-31

Tax base

Temporary
difference

62,429

62,429

9,919

250,037

23,811

283,767

—

—

—

—

—

—

-62,429

-62,429

9,919

250,037

23,811

283,767

Note 17

Other long-term receivables

Accumulated acquisition costs
At the beginning of the year

Paid rental deposit

Repaid rental deposit

Translation differences during the year

At the end of the year

Carrying amount at the end of the year

Note 18

Prepaid expenses and accrued income

Prepaid services according to supplier agreements

Prepaid rent

Accrued income

Other items

Note 19

Number of shares and quotient value

Ordinary shares:

Number of shares

Quotient value

Note 20

Accrued expenses and deferred income

Accrued personnel expenses
Accrued consultant expenses

Prepaid revenue

Other items

Note 21

Cash equivalents

The following sub-components are included in cash equivalents:
Bank balance

126

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

8,520

7,409
(671)
121

15,379

15,379

—

8,520

—

—

8,520

8,520

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

92,226

5,782

5,156

1,092

104,256

73,243

5,253

4,105

11,336

93,937

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

500,000

500,000

1

1

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

62,410

14,249

5,801

7,194

89,654

32,631

14,447

4,498

18,365

69,941

31 December
2018

31 December
2017

498,020
498,020

384,136
384,136

 
Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Note 22

Other disclosures to the cash flow statement

Adjustments for items not included in the cash flow etc.

Depreciation and amortization

Unrealized exchange rate differences

Capital gain/loss on sale of non-current assets

Contribution in kind of subsidiary/assets, net liquid affect

Intangible assets

Property, plant and equipment
Financial assets

Tax-rebate related to acquisition of assets

Total assets

Deferred tax liability

Operational liabilities

Total provisions and liabilities

Consideration

Deductible: Non-cash issue
Effect on cash and cash balances

1 January 2018-

18 April 2017-

31 December 2018

31 December 2017

92,246

678

137

93,061

46,931
(1,867)
-

45 064

31 December 2018

31 December 2017

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

292,425

37,166

239

69,293

399,123

69,293

10,088

79,381

319,742
(319,503)
239

Zenuity AB was formed via contribution in kind at a fair value of 319,742 TSEK and a capital contribution of 1,000,555 TSEK 
in cash from the joint owners.
See further Note 23 for details regarding the contributions from the owners.

Note 23

Information about the business, company, group and formation

Zenuity develops software for active automotive safety and self-driving vehicles. Zenuity started during 2017 but the Group 
originates  from  the  safety  leaders  of  the  automotive  industry  and  builds  on  robust  industrial  automotive  solutions.  Zenuity’s 
engineers have extensive experience and are now developing modular platforms for complete ADAS and AD systems and the 
combination of scalability and completeness allows for fast application cross vehicle variants and vehicle lines.

Parent Company information
Zenuity AB, Corp ID no 559073-6871, was created and registered on August 24, 2016. The Company changed name to Zenuity 
AB on December 7, 2016. The Company’s board of directors is based in Göteborg, Sweden.

Owners
Zenuity AB is a joint venture owned by Veoneer Sweden AB (50 %), Corp ID no 559131-0841, and Volvo Personvagnar AB (50 
%), Corp ID no 556074-3089, Göteborg. Due to that no owner holds more than 50 % of the votes, Zenuity AB is not part of any 
parent group.

Purchases and sales from and to owners
Of the Group’s total purchases and sales in SEK, 12 % (18 %) of the purchases and 100% (100 %) of the sales refer to owner 
companies.
All transactions with the owners are made at arm’s length.
For information regarding the contributions from the owners, see separate section below.

Information regarding the formation of the Group

127

Zenuity AB was created and registered in 2016 but started its business on April 18, 2017 when the joint owners contributed cash 
of 1,000,555 TSEK and contributed in kind at a fair value of 319,742 TSEK. The contribution included intellectual property rights, 
software, fixed assets, personnel, personnel related debt and shares in Zenuity GmbH and Zenuity Inc. The Company has treated 
the contribution as an asset acquisition. Most of the contributed assets have a tax value of zero resulting in temporary differences 
between book values and tax values. See further Note 16 for specification of the current temporary differences.  

During 2018 the joint owners have each contributed cash of 600,000 TSEK. 

128

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Note 24

Reconciliation between Swedish GAAP and US GAAP

Zenuity AB prepared its consolidated financial statements in accordance with the Swedish Annual Accounts Act and the Swedish 
Accounting Standards Board´s generally accepted accounting principles BFNAR 2012:1 (“K3”). The accounting policies are 
further described in the Note 1 Accounting principles.

Swedish GAAP as applied by Zenuity is based on IFRS for SMEs but with minor differences.

As described in Note 1 Research and development, Zenuity applies a policy where all internal development costs are expensed 
when incurred. Therefore, there is no US GAAP adjustment as the costs would also be expensed under US GAAP.

Below  we  present  a  reconciliation  describing  the  main  differences  between  Swedish  GAAP  and  US GAAP  for  Zenuity AB 
consolidated financial statements. 

SEK million
NET LOSS BASED ON SWEDISH GAAP

Reversal of amortization of Tax Rebate Asset

NET LOSS BASED ON US GAAP

SEK million
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY BASED ON SWEDISH GAAP

Reversal of amortization of Tax Rebate Asset at the beginning of the
year
Reversal of amortization of Tax Rebate Asset during the year

Goodwill

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY BASED ON US GAAP

1 January 2018-
31 December 2018

18 April 2017-
31 December 2017

(1,086.0)
12.8

(1,073.2)

(528.6)
6.9

(521.7)

31 December 2018

31 December 2018

910.1

6.9
12.8

924.6

1,854.4

788.6

-

6.9

924.6

1,713.2

129

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Goodwill and reversal of Tax Rebate Asset
Under Swedish GAAP the accounting treatment for formation of a joint venture is not explicitly regulated, and there is 
room for judgment.  Zenuity management assessed that the contributions from the owners were contributions of assets that did 
not comprise a business under the Swedish GAAP definition of a business.

Certain assets (IP, tools and equipment and software) contributed by Volvo Cars and Autoliv had a tax value of zero. Since there 
were differences between carrying amounts and tax values, temporary differences were identified and as a result there was a 
deferred tax liability and a tax rebate asset recorded. This asset is being amortized over 5-7 years, corresponding to the dissolvement 
of deferred tax liability.

Under US GAAP, management concluded that the assets and employees contributed to the JV constituted a business as defined 
in ASC 805. Management assessed two general approaches a joint venture might consider when recognizing those assets: (1) a 
fair value approach or (2) a carryover basis approach. Management determined that the fair value approach is the most appropriate 
as the contributing companies are not related parties and that the fair value is determinable as a valuation was performed in 
connection with the contributions.

There may be different approaches to determine the fair value. Management determined that a “Stand alone entity view” approach 
was appropriate when determine fair value. Under this approach the value of the consideration transferred equals the aggregate 
fair value of the joint venture immediately after formation. Management used a discounted cash flow analysis to calculate the fair 
value of Zenuity.

The differences between Swedish GAAP and US GAAP are: the Tax Rebate Asset is derecognized under US GAAP as an adjustment 
to Goodwill and Goodwill is established as the transaction meets the definition of a business under US GAAP. The amortization 
of the Tax Asset Rebate of SEK 12.8 (6.9) million recorded under Swedish GAAP during 2018 is reversed. As per December 31 
2018 accumulated amortization of Tax Rebate Asset amounts to SEK 19.7 (6.9) million. Further, an additional goodwill of SEK 
924.6 million was recognized under US GAAP (not recognized under Swedish GAAP) as the difference between the fair value 
of the individual assets and liabilities contributed by the owners and the aggregate fair value of the joint venture at formation 
which was estimated to be USD 250 million.

130

Zenuity AB
Corporate identity number 559073-6871

Note 25

Subsequent events

The company has evaluated subsequent events through 22 February 2019, the date on when financial statements were issued. 
No subsequent events have occurred. 

131

 
OUR STRATEGY 
Deliver Innovative Solutions You Can Trust

OUR CORE PILLARS  
Flawless Delivery 
Customer-Centric Collaboration 
Human-Centric Innovation

OUR BELIEFS  
Burning Curiosity 
Passion for Excellence 
Bold Honesty

veoneer.com