Rumored Lordstown Plant Buyer Posted $6,000 in Q2 Sales

Published: Aug. 14, 2019, 2 p.m.

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Earlier this week the Associated Press reported that GM was in the \\u2013 likely uncomfortable \\u2013 position of having to correct the vice president on his facts.

The issue centers on Lordstown, Ohio \\u2013 a town that\\u2019s been battered by thousands of job losses over the past few years as GM streamlined, then shuttered a production plant, ultimately shifting about 4,500 positions out of the region.\\xa0

Because it was such a devastating loss for Lordstown, there\\u2019s been a lot of buzz around reallocating the factory\\u2026 and much of the talk has to do with an electric car company called The Workhorse Group that has reportedly been in talks with GM. Earlier this week, VP Mike Pence was visiting Lancaster, Ohio when he suggested than an affiliate of Workhouse had actually secured the funding to buy the plant, but GM quickly responded to the contrary, saying that \\u2013 yes, the affiliate had obtained some recent funding but that it was not related to the Lordstown plant.

And a recent report from Bloomberg suggests that the purchase might actually be quite unlikely, saying Workhorse \\u201clooks more like Lordstown\\u2019s lottery ticket than a savior to be taken seriously.\\u201d

That might be because Workhorse reported such dismal earnings on Tuesday that its stock dropped 35 percent. Bloomberg says the 12-year-old company has never really stabilized sales to any sort of \\u201crobust\\u201d level, but this year\\u2019s Q2 was reported at $6,000. You heard that right: $6,000, or about $70 per day, whichever sounds better.

But\\u2026 there are a few more variables in the mix.\\xa0

Company co-founder and former CEO Steve Burns plans to form a spin-off of Workhorse called Lordstown Motors. This is the entity reportedly planning the deal with GM, with the strategy of licensing IP and technology to make an electric truck based on Workhorse\\u2019s Model W-15. Workhorse would own a minority stake, but Burns is still seeking hundreds of millions in outside backing.

And as for the relative strength of Workhorse, the company reportedly has $70 million backorders and is working out a yet-to-be-finalized but highly lucrative deal with the US Postal Service to produce next gen mail trucks. Gaining access to the Ohio plant, says CEO Duane Hughs, would be \\u201ca potential game changer.\\u201d And certainly based on Workhorse\\u2019s second quarter, something about this game needs to change.

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