16.06.2008 10:00:00
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Hughes Telematics to Combine with Polaris Acquisition Corp. in an All-Stock Deal Valued at Approximately $700 Million
Hughes Telematics, Inc., a leader in the high growth telematics
industry, and Polaris Acquisition Corp., a Special Purpose Acquisition
Corporation ("Polaris”)
(AMEX: TKP.U), have signed a definitive merger agreement in an all-stock
transaction valued at approximately $700 million. The transaction
provides Polaris investors with a unique opportunity to participate in a
rapidly growing technology and services company that is poised for
strong recurring revenues and earnings.
The transaction provides Hughes Telematics with access to added
resources, including an additional $140 million in capital to fund the
company’s growth opportunities. This capital
is in addition to the approximately $90 million invested to date by an
affiliate of Apollo Management L.P. ("Apollo”).
Apollo, which will maintain its current stake in Hughes Telematics, has
agreed, along with management and other Hughes Telematics shareholders,
to a two-year lock-up and will continue to play an important role in
guiding the Company’s management team. In
addition, the founders of Polaris have a 1 year lockup in a further
showing of confidence in this transaction. Hughes Telematics has
established its leadership position through long-term contracts with
Chrysler Group and Mercedes-Benz USA, both of which are expected to
begin implementing the Hughes Telematics solution in the second half of
2009 with the solution expected to be standard in nearly all of their
U.S. production by 2012.
Hughes Telematics Positioned at the
Forefront of a Rapidly Growing Industry
Hughes Telematics is one of the leaders in automotive telematics, a
fast-growing technology enabled services industry that is expected to
reach $30 billion in annual revenue within a decade. Automotive
telematics is a set of systems that leverage and integrate Global
Positioning Systems, on and off board computers, and other
communications technologies, the functionality and combination of which
radically transform the driving experience by remotely connecting
drivers, passengers, auto manufacturers, dealers and other vested third
parties with a wide range of safety, service, information and
entertainment options.
Every day over 650 million people worldwide spend a significant amount
of time in their vehicles. Automakers are contracting with Hughes
Telematics to create user-friendly computerized dashboard displays and
implement advanced, contextual voice recognition systems, through which
drivers will be able to control personal devices such as MP3 players,
download content, read, receive and respond via voice to e-mail,
navigate in real time to connect with valuable points of interest, and
much more.
"Hughes Telematics is making the possibility
of a truly ‘connected car’
a reality,” said Jeff Leddy, CEO of Hughes
Telematics. "Because of our unique systems
and innovative technology, our product and service offerings are gaining
significant interest in the automotive industry. We have been recognized
throughout the industry for developing what we believe to be the best,
most flexible approach to telematics. As the industry evolves, we are
committed to continually innovating ways to add daily value for drivers
using our telematics system. Drivers, fleet managers, auto
manufacturers, dealers and other third parties will all benefit from
being connected real time to the vehicle. Over the next decade, tens of
millions of new vehicles are expected to come equipped with a telematics
offering and since Hughes Telematics offers a seamless, all-encompassing
telematics solution, we are excited about our prospects of gaining
additional and significant market traction.”
Hughes Telematics was recently awarded the "Best
Embedded Telematics Service” at the awards
program for the 8th Annual Telematics Detroit 2008 Conference &
Exhibition, the world's largest and most prestigious telematics
conference.
U.S. consumer adoption of telematics services is expected to almost
double from 16.2 million users in 2009 to 30.6 million in 2011,
according to Visant Strategies, a marketing research firm that focuses
on emerging and wireless technologies.
"Most drivers spend multiple hours each day
in their cars and we know that they want information, convenience, and
the ability to stay connected to their families and their office. They
also want features and services which ensure their safety and security.
Our products and services are being designed to provide all of these
solutions, seamlessly, cost effectively and in a user friendly way. This
will be accomplished through a robust end-to-end solution, leveraging
multiple innovations from the Hughes family of companies,”
Leddy said.
Mr. Leddy continued, "Our long-term contracts
with Chrysler Group and Mercedes-Benz USA clearly underscore the
importance that telematics represents for auto manufacturers,
particularly as increasing numbers of consumers demand more integrated
and interactive safety, convenience, information and entertainment
options in their vehicles. We believe that our OEM partnerships position
us to generate strong free cash flow as subscription services ramp up
commensurately with factory installs in several million vehicles in the
coming years. Our team is also very focused on our continuing
discussions with many other relevant auto manufacturers around the
world, each of which is seeking innovative and differentiating solutions
for their customers. We believe that a large majority of auto
manufacturers are in the process of making strategic decisions about
their telematics solutions and we are well positioned to grow our market
share as these decisions come to maturity.” Transaction Cements Hughes
Telematics Position; Offers Investors Compelling Growth Opportunities
Mr. Leddy added, "This transaction expands
our shareholder base beyond Apollo and provides Hughes Telematics with
additional resources. With access to significant capital and the public
markets, as well as the deep marketing experience of the Polaris
management team, we have the resources in place to propel the company
forward and further deepen our business among manufacturers, dealers and
consumers. This transaction is a validation of our business model by
sophisticated and seasoned investors from Polaris and Apollo, both of
which have a tremendous amount of experience in uncovering high value
investing opportunities.”
Apollo is a leading private equity firm with a long track record of
success in technology investments. Apollo has been an early and ongoing
investor in Hughes Telematics, having invested approximately $90 million
in capital to finance the product and technology solution development
and deployment. Apollo will maintain its current stake in the company
and continue to play an important role in guiding the Hughes Telematics
management team.
Marc Byron, Chairman and CEO of Polaris stated "We
promised our investors that we would methodically and quickly identify a
consumer facing services company with great growth prospects. In merging
with Hughes Telematics, we believe that we delivered on our promise.
First, we are merging with a company in a rapidly growing industry. At
the same time, Hughes Telematics has long-term contracts already in
place that we believe provide financial stability. We believe we are
investing in Hughes Telematics at the inflection point of the Company’s
evolution, much of which is anticipated to come in the form of
predictable, recurring revenues. Second, there are no selling
shareholders in this transaction, validating our belief that the company
is poised to create meaningful value going forward, especially as
revenue and earnings scale with the installations expected in virtually
all Mercedes and Chrysler vehicles in the U.S. in the coming few years.
Third, the transaction merges the technology and engineering skills of
the Hughes Telematics team with the marketing and customer retention
skills of the Polaris team.”
Byron added, "The structure of the all-equity
transaction, including an earn-out component for management, ensures
that all parties are completely aligned and focused on the long-term
success of the business.” Details of the Transaction
The transaction provides for a direct merger of Hughes Telematics and
Polaris. Under the terms of the agreement, the shareholders of Hughes
Telematics will receive approximately 45 million shares of Polaris
common stock at the closing of the transaction, subject to certain
adjustments, and they will be eligible to receive up to 29 million
additional shares of Polaris common stock upon the achievement of
certain stock price targets in the subsequent five years based on
approximately 25% compounded annual growth in the Polaris stock price.
Hughes shareholders are expected to initially own approximately 65% of
the fully diluted equity of the combined company, and the Hughes
Telematics management team, with significant experience in telematics,
satellite radio, wireless, automotive and entrepreneurial initiatives,
will continue to manage the company.
Stockholders of Hughes Telematics will further align their interests
with the public stockholders of Polaris by agreeing not to transfer
their shares of Polaris for two years. The transaction is expected to be
completed during the first quarter 2009 pending Polaris stockholder
approval, regulatory approval, and other customary closing conditions.
Lazard is serving as financial advisor to Polaris, and Pali Capital is
serving as financial advisor to Hughes Telematics. Legal counsel to
Polaris is Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, while legal counsel to Hughes
Telematics is Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Duff & Phelps
provided an opinion to the Polaris Board that the transaction was fair
to Polaris from a financial point of view.
Additional information regarding the transaction as well as Hughes
Telematics operations and historical financial information will be
contained in an investor presentation to be made public and filed by
Polaris with the Securities and Exchange Commission today.
For more information on the transaction, visit www.HTIPolaris.com About Polaris Acquisition Corporation
Polaris Acquisition Corporation is a special purpose acquisition company
formed for the purpose of acquiring a growing subscription-based
business or assets. Polaris went public on January 17, 2008 and trades
on the AMEX under the ticker "TKP.U”.
For more information, visit www.polarisacq.com About Hughes Telematics
Hughes Telematics is an Atlanta-based automotive technology solutions
company that provides consumers with an extensive line of in-vehicle
telematics. Hughes is majority owned by Apollo management, a leading
private equity firm, which also manages various enterprises in the
telecommunications sector including Hughes Network Systems, LLC, a
service provider to Hughes Telematics. Hughes Telematics’
existing assets also include wholly-owned subsidiary Networkcar, Inc.
The San Diego, CA based company is a leader in remote vehicle
diagnostics, and offers an integrated GPS tracking and diagnostic
monitoring system for wireless vehicle management.
For more information, visit www.hughestelematics.com.
Conference Call
Hughes Telematics and Polaris Acquisition Corp. will host a conference
call on Monday, June 16, 2008 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) to discuss
the transaction. The call will be open to the public. All interested
parties should dial (800) 370-0740 (within the U.S.) or (973) 935-8758
(outside the U.S.) 10 to 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the
call. The conference call ID is 51572193. For those unable to listen to
the live broadcast, a replay will be available by dialing (800) 642-1687
(within the U.S.) or (706) 645-9291 (outside the U.S.) approximately two
hours after the event. The conference call ID is 51572193. Participants
can also access the teleconference via webcast available at https://www.HTIPolaris.com.
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect,'
"estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend,"
"plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts,"
"potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to
identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements include, without limitation, Polaris' and Hughes Telematics'
expectations with respect to future performance, anticipated financial
impacts of the merger transaction and related transactions; approval of
the merger transaction and related transactions by shareholders; the
satisfaction of the closing conditions to the merger transaction and
related transactions; and the timing of the completion of the merger
transaction and related transactions.
These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and
uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially
from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside our control
and difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences
include, but are not limited to, the possibility that the expected
growth will not be realized, or will not be realized within the expected
time period, due to, among other things, (1) the telematics environment;
(2) competitive actions taken by automotive manufacturers or other
telematics firms; (3) general economic conditions; (4) actions taken or
conditions imposed by the United States and foreign governments; and (5)
the willingness of customers to use the services. Other factors include
the possibility that the merger does not close, including due to the
failure to receive required stockholder or regulatory approvals, or the
failure of other closing conditions.
Polaris and Hughes Telematics caution that the foregoing list of factors
is not exclusive. Additional information concerning these and other risk
factors is contained in Polaris' most recent filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). All subsequent written and oral
forward-looking statements concerning Hughes Telematics, Polaris, the
merger, the related transactions or other matters and attributable to
Polaris or Hughes Telematics or any person acting on their behalf are
expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements
above. Hughes Telematics and Polaris do not undertake any obligation to
update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, relating
to the matters discussed in this news release.
Additional Information about the Merger and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed merger, Polaris will file with the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC”)
a proxy statement. Polaris will mail the proxy statement to its
stockholders. Polaris urges investors and security holders to read the
proxy statement regarding the proposed merger when it becomes available
because it will contain important information. You may obtain copies of
all documents filed with the SEC regarding this transaction, free of
charge, at the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov).
Polaris and its directors, executive officers and certain other members
of management and employees may be soliciting proxies from Polaris
stockholders in favor of the merger. Information regarding the persons
who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the
solicitation of Polaris stockholders in connection with the proposed
merger will be set forth in the proxy statement when it is filed with
the SEC. You can find information about Polaris’s
executive officers and directors in its Prospectus, current Reports on
Form 8-K and other documents that have previously been filed with the
SEC.
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