Lippstadt, 20 July 2022

Preliminary yearly figures: HELLA significantly outperforms global automotive market despite sales decline

• According to preliminary figures for the fiscal year 2021/2022, currency and portfolio-adjusted sales declined by 2.4% to € 6.2 billion due to lower worldwide vehicle production
• Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes fell to around € 280 million as a result of consistent investments in future technologies and increasing cost burdens; adjusted EBIT margin at 4.4%

According to preliminary key data for the fiscal year 2021/2022 (June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022), the internationally positioned automotive supplier HELLA who operates under the umbrella brand FORVIA, once again significantly outperformed the global automotive market in a challenging market environment. On a preliminary basis, the company's currency and portfolio-adjusted sales decreased slightly by 2.4% to € 6.2 billion (previous year: € 6.4 billion), while global light vehicle production fell significantly by around 9% in the same period. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (adjusted EBIT) decreased to around € 280 million (previous year: € 510 million) as a result of increasing cost burdens; adjusted EBIT margin was 4.4% (previous year: 8.0%).

"In the past fiscal year, we were facing strong headwinds from the market. On the one hand, vehicle production declined significantly as a result of component shortages and corona lockdowns; on the other hand, cost burdens increased significantly due to supply bottlenecks and noticeable inflation," says HELLA CEO Michel Favre. "In view of these diverse challenges, we performed well overall in the past fiscal year and once again significantly outperformed the general market trend. At the same time, we continued to invest heavily in the development of new automotive technologies and we recorded a very high order intake, among other things, for pioneering product innovations such as front panels, high-voltage voltage converters, the access system Smart Car Access or our brake-by-wire technology. This shows how robust and well prepared for the future HELLA's business model is."

The final and complete results for fiscal year 2021/2022 will be published on August 18, 2022. At this occasion, a press conference on the financial statements will also be held on that day in Düsseldorf at 8:30 a.m. as well as an explanatory analyst and investor call at 10:00 a.m. with Michel Favre (CEO) and Bernard Schäferbarthold (CFO).

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About HELLA

HELLA is a listed, internationally positioned automotive supplier operating under the umbrella brand FORVIA. Within this factual group, HELLA stands for high-performance lighting technology and automotive electronics. At the same time, the company covers a broad service and product portfolio for the spare parts and workshop business as well as for manufacturers of special vehicles with its Business Group Lifecycle Solutions. HELLA has 36,000 employees at more than 125 locations worldwide and generated preliminary currency and portfolio-adjusted sales of € 6.2 billion in the fiscal year 2021/2022.

About FORVIA

FORVIA comprises the complementary technology and industrial strengths of Faurecia and HELLA. With over 300 industrial sites and 77 R&D centers, 150,000 people, including more than 35,000 engineers across 40+ countries, FORVIA provides a unique and comprehensive approach to the automotive challenges of today and tomorrow. Composed of six Business Groups with 24 product lines, and a strong IP portfolio of over 14,000 patents, FORVIA is focused on becoming the preferred innovation and integration partner for OEMS worldwide. FORVIA aims to be a change maker committed to foreseeing and making the mobility transformation happen.  

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Markus Richter      HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA
Company spokesman     Rixbecker Straße 75
Tel.: +49 (0)2941 38-7545                  59552 Lippstadt / Germany