Visteon Corporation

Good morning. I'm Chris Doyle, Vice President of Investor Relations and FP&A. Welcome to our earnings call for the fourth quarter of 2025. Before we begin this morning's call, I'd like to remind you that today's presentation contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed. Please refer to the page titled Forward-Looking Information in our earnings material for more detail. Presentation materials for today's call were posted this morning on the Investors section of Vistion's website. You can download them at investors.vistion.com if you haven't already done so. Joining us today are Sachin Ollande, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jerome Rouquet, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. We schedule the call for one hour, and we'll open the lines for questions after Sachin's and Jerome's prepared remarks. Please limit your participation to one question and one follow-up. Thank you again for joining us. Now I'll turn the call over to Sachin.

Thank you, Chris, and good morning, everyone. Overall, we delivered a strong performance in 2025 despite several industry challenges. Net sales for the year were $3,768,000,000, coming in largely as we expected at the beginning of the year. From a product perspective, displays will stand out, with sales growing approximately 20% year-over-year, reflecting strong customer demand for larger and advanced displays, as well as our execution capabilities. Growth over market was muted in 2025 because of two well-understood factors we've discussed throughout the year. First, battery management systems continued to be a headwind as EV demand in the U.S. was softer than originally anticipated. And second, in China, our results were impacted by ongoing shift in market dynamics, including the continued loss of share by global OEMs. These two factors negatively impacted GOM by about seven percentage points. From a profitability standpoint, 2025 was a record year. Adjusted EBITDA reached $492 million or 13.1% of sales, representing the highest level in the company's history. We also generated very strong adjusted free cash flow, reflecting disciplined execution and continued focus on cost and capital efficiency. New business activity was another highlight of the year. We delivered a record $7.4 billion of new business wins, surpassing our prior peak. Finally, a strong balance sheet and cash generation continued to provide significant flexibility. During the year, we deployed more than $120 million towards M&A and shareholder returns while maintaining a strong net cash position. Turning to page three. Before I go deeper into our 2025 results, I want to take a step back and briefly update you on the strategic work underway to build Visteon's next phase of growth. While the majority of the benefits will come later, some of these initiatives are expected to show results in 2026. We are diversifying our customer base by expanding our presence with specification automakers that have historically been underrepresented at Visteon. In 2025, we secured another $500 million of new business with Toyota, building on the momentum from prior year, and launched new products with Toyota, Mahindra, Tata, and Maruti Suzuki. We expect revenue from these OEMs to begin growing in 2026 and to ramp steadily over the next several years, making them an important driver of our future growth. At the same time, software-defined vehicles are now extending into other parts of the broader mobility ecosystem, particularly commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. While we have served these adjacent markets in the past, the changes driven by these trends are making them significantly more attractive growth opportunities while also helping us diversify our exposure. In 2025, nearly 15% of our new business wins came from two-wheeler and commercial vehicle manufacturers, compared to about 4% of our sales today. A particularly important milestone was winning the largest digital cluster program in the two-wheeler industry, approximately $400 million in lifetime revenue with Honda. Launches for this program are scheduled to begin in 2027. Our manufacturing footprint and cost structure have long been a competitive advantage for Visteon, To further strengthen this advantage, we have increased vertical integration in manufacturing to simplify the supply chain and capture incremental value. In 2025, we accelerated the insourcing of the molding of metal brackets used for large displays using an advanced lightweight pixel molding process. We are the only Tier 1 supplier that has this capability in-house in the industry. We have also increased our optical bonding capacity in various plants. Finally, we began manufacturing automotive cameras to complement our in-house surround vision software, enabling a complete end-to-end solution. More broadly, investing in the business remains a top capital allocation priority. In 2025, we deployed approximately $180 million across CAPEX and M&A to support new program launches, technology development, and vertical integration initiatives. Advancing our technology portfolio and aligning it closely with market trends is a key element of our strategic priorities. Today, I would like to highlight two emerging product trends in particular, advanced displays based on OLED technology and AI in the cockpit. In 2025, nearly 50% of our new business wins were for displays, surpassing 2024 record levels and positioning this product for sustainable revenue growth. Importantly, we secured significant OLED display vins with luxury OEMs and establishing Vistion's leadership in this segment of the auto market. While TFT displays will represent the bulk of the automotive market for displays, OLED displays will have greater share in the luxury vehicles. AI technology is advancing at an extraordinary pace. Newer AI models deliver significantly higher intelligence with far fewer parameters, enabling AI to move from the cloud to device-based architectures, an essential shift for automotive applications. We are addressing this opportunity through two complementary offerings. First is our high-performance compute hardware, which provides the processing headroom and architectural flexibility required to run AI workloads in the vehicle. Early in 2025, we secured a win with Cherry in China, and more recently, follow-on business with Geely as they expand this architecture into the Lincoln Co. brand, building on our Zeker win in 2024. These are the most advanced cockpit systems in the industry and are scheduled to launch in the second half of 2026, reflecting both the pace of innovation and our ability to execute alongside our customers. Second is Cognito AI. our in-house AI-based smart assistant for the cockpit. Over the past year, we expanded Cognito AI to support multimodal AI, combining large language models with vision models, allowing the system to interpret visual information, such as road signs and symbols, alongside voice interaction to deliver more contextual and intelligent driver experiences. Following CES, we have seen growing customer interest and deeper technical collaboration Together, our high-performance compute systems and Cognito AI positions Visteon at the forefront of bringing AI into the automotive cockpit. Turning to page four. This slide provides more color on original sales performance for the year. In the Americas, our sales were impacted by lower customer vehicle production and by the steep drop in production of EVs at GM and Stellantis. DMS sales took a further step down in Q4 after the expiration of the EV tax credit and resulted in a full-year headwind of about 8% toward 2025 America's sales. Offsetting these headwinds were a strong growth in digital clusters, displays, and infotainment programs at Ford, VW, Toyota, and Nissan on vehicles such as the Bronco, Tarok, Camry, and the Murano. With a strong performance in cockpit electronics, we were able to deliver a 5% growth of our market in this region despite the significant reduction in BMS sales. Europe was a standout market for us despite lower customer vehicle production and the cybersecurity-related disruption at JLR, one of our larger customers in the region. Our strong performance was driven by the ramp-up of newly launched products, mostly large displays in digital clusters, with Audi, Ford, and Renault delivering an outstanding 11% growth over market in this region. We also benefited from our recently acquired engineering services businesses, which is an important strategic capability we are building starting in Europe. In rest of Asia, our sales were essentially flat as our growth in India and Southeast Asia were offset by declines with some customers in Japan. Our market outperformance in the region was driven by two-wheeler programs with Honda, Royal Enfield, and TVS. We also benefited from a recently launched digital cluster program with Mitsubishi that's going on multiple car lines. Finally, as expected, sales in China declined year over year, resulting in a significant headwind to our overall growth over market performance. The underperformance in China was largely driven by continued market share losses among global OEMs, and to a lesser extent, by vehicle mix and our product transition at Geely. Encouragingly, we delivered sequential sales growth in the fourth quarter, supported by new product launches, including a new cockpit domain controller with Geely. Overall, we delivered 2% growth over market globally, despite EV headwinds in the U.S. and the ongoing challenges in China. This performance reflects the strength and diversification of our product and customer portfolio, which has enhanced our ability to navigate market volatility. The strategic initiatives outlined earlier are expected to further strengthen the resilience of the business. Turning to page five. Our 2025 operational performance reflected strong execution and global reach, with new products launched on 86 vehicle models across 19 vehicle manufacturers. These launches were well distributed geographically, underscoring balanced growth across all major regions. From a product perspective, approximately one-third of the launches were for large displays and smart code programs, aligned with the industry's accelerating shift towards software-defined vehicles. The launch mix also showed increasing momentum in hybrid vehicles, which performed particularly well in 2025, as well as in commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. Several key fourth quarter launches are highlighted on this page. In China, we launched a new digital cluster on the refreshed Toyota Corolla and Corolla Cross models. The Corolla has been a longstanding success for Toyota in the Chinese market. And the updated versions offered with both ICE and hybrid powertrains introduce enhanced smart features designed to reinforce Toyota's position in this highly competitive segment. We also launched a central information display on the Mazda CX-5 SUV, a key element of Mazda's return to growth plan for 2026. This launch supports both ICE and hybrid variants of the vehicle in the China market. In addition, we introduced a smart core system with Zeker, further strengthening our position with Chinese OEMs, adopting more advanced cockpit architectures. In India, we introduced a fully integrated smart core-based cockpit system on Mahindra's XUV7XO, featuring three 12-inch displays. The centralized compute system offers state-of-the-art SDV capabilities, including surround view, telematics, streaming media, OTA, and ADAS visualization besides advanced infotainment capabilities. Other fourth quarter launches included instrument clusters with Ford in North America and Tata in India. In summary, we delivered strong operational performance in 2025, launching a high number of new products aligned with key industry growth drivers, including the shift to software-defined vehicles, increasing adoption of large displays, and rising demand for hybrid vehicles that sets us up for continued growth. Turning to page six, we delivered a record $7.4 billion of new business wins in 2025, 20% higher than 2020 before. This performance is particularly impressive given the slower OEM core activity during the year, especially in Europe and the U.S., as automakers adjusted to shifting market dynamics around electrification and increased competition from Chinese OEMs. Displays and smart core performed exceptionally well, reflecting the continued acceleration of the software-defined vehicle trend across the industry. Together, they accounted for approximately three quarters of our total wins. We also continued to build momentum in high performance compute system for the cockpit, securing a second customer, Cherry, in China. We also secured significant wins in large format digital clusters to support the growth of ADAS and the increasing need to present safety critical information directly in the driver's line of sight. Turning now to the fourth quarter, we secured approximately $1.7 billion of new business wins and finishing the year on a strong note. A key highlight was a center information display program for a large, full-size ICE pickup in North America, serving both commercial and retail customers. This is a flagship high-volume platform and underscores how OEMs continue to prioritize the cockpit as a critical area of differentiation, even in pickups and trucks. We also won an integrated display and infotainment system on a high-volume global SUV and truck platform for a Japanese OEM. where we displaced an incumbent supplier. This win highlights our ability to deliver integrated cockpit systems at scale and compete effectively on both technology and cost. In China, we secured a driver display program for an entry-level sedan with Toyota and expanded our high-performance compute system on the Lincoln Co vehicle at Geely. Overall, the breadth of our cockpit product portfolio continues to create meaningful growth opportunities for the company. The product and regional diversity of our new business wins positions as well to navigate industry challenges and drive continued growth. Turning to page seven. Let me close with a look at how we are thinking about 2026 and how it sets the path for our next stage of growth. For 2026, we expect sales to be in the range of 3.625 to 3.825 billion dollars. Starting on the left-hand side of the slide, there are two specific headwinds we anticipate to impact 2026, both of which we expect will be largely behind us as we move into 2027. First, U.S. EV production is expected to be lower following the reset in demand. As a result, we are assuming that BMS volume in the Americas will decline by nearly 50% year over year. Second, Ford discontinued several vehicle models in 2025 where we had content and there are no successful programs for those vehicles. In addition, we expect net pricing, foreign exchange, and other commercial items to represent roughly a 2% headwind, which is broadly in line with normal pricing dynamics. Jerome will walk through these items in more detail. Offsetting these pressures, the right-hand side of the slide highlights the building blocks of our next stage of growth, which begin to take shape in 2026. In China, we expect sales to grow modestly despite lower customer vehicle production. We have two high-performance compute smart core programs launching with domestic Chinese OEMs, along with cockpit domain controller and display programs with German OEMs launching in the second half of the year. While we have been conservative in our estimates, there is potential upside if the upper segment of the vehicle market performs well, as indicated by January market trends. Our strategic initiatives also begin to contribute in 2026. We have multiple program launches during the year, including several with Toyota, continued growth in India, and further expansion in two-wheeler and commercial vehicles. These launches reflect the strategic work we discussed earlier and helped set the foundation for sustainable growth. The final bar on the slide represents the net impact of program activity across the remainder of our customer portfolio. This includes new program launches and production ramps across a broader customer base, such as the panoramic display and cluster with Audi, digital clusters on multiple Renault vehicles, and new displays with Nissan and Mercedes that more than offset normal program roll-offs. It should be noted that it excludes the specific headwinds and the strategic growth drivers we have already discussed. Separately, the supply of memory chips is tight throughout the industry, and we are working closely with suppliers to mitigate the gaps and develop alternative drop-in replacements. While the situation is still evolving, we expect that we will be able to cover customer demand applying similar playbook as with prior semiconductor shortages. Overall, 2026 represents an important year. While sales are impacted by temporary headwinds, the second half of the year begins to reflect the progress we have made in executing our growth strategy. That positions us for a return to top-line growth as we move into 2027 and 2028. With that, I'll turn the call over to Jerome.

Thank you, Sachin. Before getting into the details of the quarter and our outlook, I want to briefly step back and look at our financial performance over the past few years as it provides important context for how we have managed the business through a dynamic environment. Over this period, we have grown sales by more than 800 million, or 28%, despite our customer production declining by 13%. we have more than doubled adjusted EBITDA and expanded margins by over 500 basis points. Importantly, this margin progression has been steady and consistent, reflecting disciplined execution across pricing, cost structure, and operational performance. We have also generated strong cash flows. Adjusted free cash flow totaled $1 billion over this period, with an average conversion rate of approximately 42% driven by EBITDA growth and a sustained focus on working capital discipline and capital efficiency. While not shown on this slide, our return on invested capital remains in the high teens, well above our cost of capital and above our peer group, reflecting the quality of returns we are generating from our investments in the business. Taken together, these results demonstrate our ability to expand margins and generate cash even as volumes, mix, and regional dynamics have shifted. Turning to page 10. Sales for the fourth quarter were $948 million, coming in above our expectations, primarily driven by customer recoveries related to program shortfalls. In the quarter, sales benefited by $30 million related to a customer claim on an EV program in the U.S., of which a portion was used to settle supplier obligations. From a product perspective, displays continued to be the main growth driver year over year, while battery management systems were down following the expiration of the EV tax credit in the U.S. We also experienced several discrete headwinds in the quarter, including the Novellis fire impacting Ford and the cyber attack at JLR, both of which were known headwinds going into the quarter. There was no impact on the volumes related to the potential Nexperia supply risk we referenced on the last call. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $110 million, representing a margin of 11.6% and came in slightly above the midpoint of our guidance. One-time items in the quarter represented a modest headwind, as elevated warranty expense and some costs associated with resourcing away from Nexperia more than offset the EBITDA benefit from the customer claim I mentioned previously. When excluding these one-time items, adjusted EBITDA margins were approximately 12.5% on a normalized basis, reflecting continued commercial discipline and underlying cost performance. Adjusted free cash flow was strong, coming in at 77 million, supported by robust EBITDA levels and continued discipline in working capital management and capital efficiency. During the quarter, we returned capital to shareholders through $15 million of share repurchases and $7 million through our quarterly dividends, which we initiated in the third quarter. Our net cash position was $472 million at the end of the quarter. Turning to page 11. For the full year, sales were $3,768,000,000, down 98 million or 3% year-over-year. Customer production was down 1% for the year, while currency was neutral. Pricing was a headwind of 4%. This includes our normal annual price reductions of 2%, which are consistent with historical levels, as well as the lower customer recoveries. The reduction in recoveries reflects the unwind of prior year semiconductor inflation. As these costs have decreased, the associated recoveries have declined as well. Excluding the impact of FX and pricing, we delivered 2% growth over market. This reflects strength from new launches, including Ford, Audi, and Renault launches, growth with Toyota and higher engineering services revenue, offsetting headwinds from lower BMS volumes, lower sales in China, and normal program roll-offs. In 2025, we delivered another record year for both adjusted EBITDA dollars and margins. Pricing and lower customer recoveries were offset through disciplined cost execution. We delivered end-to-end product cost improvements, including supplier cost reductions and vertical integration initiatives, and drove productivity gains across engineering and SG&A. Throughout the year, we actively managed our cost structure in line with market conditions, enabling us to improve margins while continuing to invest in strategy growth initiatives. For the full year, the net impact from favorable one-timers, including elevated one-time commercial recoveries, was just under 30 million. Excluding these items, normalized adjusted EBITDA margins are in the mid-12% range for the full year. Before moving on to cash flow, I want to highlight our voluntary decision to change the methodology used to calculate our valuation allowance on U.S. deferred tax assets. While there are two methodologies available that are acceptable under US GAAP, the methodology we will be using going forward enhances transparency and reduces complexity while also aligning with industry norms. We have reflected this accounting change in our US GAAP tax expense for the past three years in the 10-K. This change impacts the presentation of US GAAP taxes but does not affect cash taxes or underlying economics of the business. Additional details are included in the 10-K, turning to page 12. In 2025, we generated $292 million of adjusted free cash flow, reflecting continued strength in the underlying earnings profile of the business. Trade working capital was a source of cash for the year, driven by lower sales and inventory reductions. Cash taxes increased year over year due to increased profitability, the timing of tax payments, and some level of discrete items. Interest was a net positive as income generated on our cash balances more than offset interest payments on debt. Other changes primarily reflect ongoing pension contributions and timing of cash flows. Capital expenditures were $133 million for the year, or 3.5% of sales, illustrating the capital discipline of the company. This included continued investments in vertical integration as well as the purchase of land in India in the fourth quarter to support growth in this market. Taken together, our conversion ratio from EBITDA to adjusted free cash flow was nearly 60%. In total, we deployed approximately $275 million of capital. This included both organic and inorganic investments, the return of approximately $72 million of cash to shareholders through share repurchases, and the initiation of a quarterly dividend. During the fourth quarter, we completed 100 million pension de-risking by transferring pension-related assets and liabilities to an insurance company. This transaction had a non-cash impact to net income of negative $7 million. Also in the fourth quarter, S&P upgraded Visteon to BA1, reflecting expanded margins, strong free cash flow generation, a conservative financial policy, and sustainable demand for advanced cockpit technologies. Turning to page 13. Turning to our 2026 outlook. Starting with sales, we expect revenue in the range of 3.625 to 3.825 billion. As Sachin discussed, we begin to see the benefits of our strategy growth initiatives in 2026 with more meaningful acceleration into 2027 and beyond, laying the foundation for sustainable annual top-line growth beginning in 2027. At the same time, 2026 includes several discrete headwinds, including lower BMS sales and the discontinuations of certain programs at Ford, with both items largely behind us as we go into 2027. Our outlook is primarily based on the January S&P forecast. Customer weighted production is expected to be down in the low single digits. Against this backdrop, we expect this year's growth of a market to be in the low single digits. This is below our long-term expectations due to the discrete headwinds in 2026, but positions us for stronger growth going forward as those headwinds roll off and our strategic initiatives accelerate. Before moving to EBITDA, let me provide some additional perspective on the commercial dynamics embedded in our outlook. recognizing that this remains a dynamic area. There are several items that reduce sales year over year, including normal annual pricing to customers, lower customer recoveries related to semiconductor and supply chain disruptions from prior years, as well as the non-recurrence of certain commercial recoveries recognized in 2025. Partially offsetting these declines, we expect recoveries related to more recent semiconductor dynamics, including memory-related costs. We also anticipate a modest tailwind from currency. On a net basis, we expect these various items to represent approximately a 2% headwind to sales year-over-year. Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between 455 to 495 million. At the midpoint of guidance, margins are 12.8%. As we have highlighted previously, our 2025 results included a net benefit of just under 30 million above our normal run rates. Of that amount, we expect about only 10 million to repeat in 2026, resulting in a 20 million year-over-year headwind. Excluding this factor, we expect adjusted EBITDA dollars to be roughly flat year-over-year despite lower sales, reflecting the underlying strength of the business and our continued operational focus. Compared to normalized margins of 12.5% in 2025, our guidance incorporates a 30 basis point improvement. Included in our guidance are ongoing benefits from cost discipline, emerging savings from vertical integration, and product costing initiatives. These are offset by increased investments in the business to support product development, including in AI and vertical integration. This outlook also incorporates an increase in memory cost with a year-over-year cost increase representing approximately 2% of sales. We are in active discussions with our customers to pass along these costs, and we have incorporated in our guidance a modest amount of potential timing mismatch between cost incurred and customer recoveries. These discussions are ongoing, and given their sensitive nature, we will not be providing additional details at this time. Turning to cash flow, we expect adjusted free cash flow of approximately 170 to 210 million, representing a conversion rate of approximately 40% at the midpoint. We currently anticipate working capital will be a slight use of cash as we increase inventory levels. Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately 150 million, or about 4% of sales, which includes the build-out of a second manufacturing facility in India, as well as support of upcoming program launches and continued investments in vertical integration. Overall, our 26th guidance reflects a business executing with discipline, maintaining margin expansion on a normalized basis, generating strong cash flow, and continuing to invest in the growth initiatives that support the next phase of our top-line growth. As usual, we're not providing formal quarterly guidance, but I did want to share some directional insight before moving on. we expect first quarter sales to be the lowest of the year, reflecting the industry production profile for 2026, continued depressed BMS volumes and launches that are weighted towards the back half of the year. From a profitability standpoint, Q1 EBITDA will be negatively impacted by lower volumes as well as higher memory costs, recognizing that not all customer recoveries agreements will be finalized by the end of the first quarter. Turning to page 14. In 2026, we expect to have more than half a billion dollars of cash available to deploy. This amount represents a combination of cash on hand and cash that we expect to generate during the year. We will continue to be guided by the same disciplined capital allocation framework, prioritizing investment in the business while returning excess capital to shareholders. Starting with investments in the business, this remains our top priority. As discussed earlier, we expect to allocate approximately $150 million to capital expenditures in 2026, positioning the business for future growth and supporting vertical integration initiatives. In addition to CAPEX, we continue to see meaningful opportunities for M&A. Our focus remains on expanding capabilities through engineering services, while also selectively evaluating opportunities to enhance our technology portfolio. While the ultimate level of investment will depend on how the transactions progress during the year, M&A deployment could be up to two times our annual capex investment levels. As always, we will remain disciplined and prioritize strategic fit and financial returns. Even after funding these growth investments, we expect to maintain significant capacity to return capital to shareholders. First, we are increasing our quarterly dividend to 37.5 cents per share, representing an increase of 36%. This reflects our confidence in the durability of our cash flow and equates to approximately 40 million on an annual basis. In addition, we intend to remain active in share repurchases. At a minimum, we will offset dilution with the intent to be more opportunistic depending on market conditions and the pace of M&A activity. At the end of 2025, we had 75 million remaining under our existing authorization, and we expect to revisit this level as the year progresses. To round out the cash flow picture, we have a modest amortization requirement on our debt facility, representing 18 million of cash outflow in 2026. Taken together, our capital allocation plan for 2026 reflects a balanced and flexible approach, continuing to invest in growth, returning capital to shareholders, and maintaining balance sheet strength as the business continues to transition and scale. Turning to page 15. Before we conclude, I want to highlight our upcoming investor day, which will be held on June 25th in New York City. We look forward to sharing more detail on our long-term outlook, including how the strategic initiatives we've discussed today translate into growth and value creation over the coming years. We hope many of you will be able to join us. Thank you for your time today. I would like now to open the call for your questions.