VW gets preliminary bids valuing Everllence at about €8 billion

Preliminary bids and sale process for Volkswagen’s Everllence unit

Deal valuation and market expectations

By Andres Gonzalez, Alexander Hübner and Christina Amann

LONDON/MUNICH/BERLIN Feb 27 (Reuters) - Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE> has received bids valuing its diesel engine division Everllence at around 8 billion euros ($9.4 billion) including debt, according to three people familiar with the discussions. 

Such a price tag would be higher than some analysts had predicted. Deutsche Bank analysts said in December in a note that utilising average capital goods multiples, they projected the business' valuation to be in the range of 5 billion euros and 7 billion euros.  

Interested bidders and investor rationale

Private equity firms including Brookfield, CVC, Blackstone are among those that have submitted bids for the unit that produces shipping engines and heat pumps, as these investors seek industrial businesses unlikely to face disruption from artificial intelligence, two of the sources said.

Volkswagen asked parties to submit bids in mid-February and notified some of them recently that they were advancing to the second round, the sources said.

Volkswagen declined to comment and has said previously the company was reviewing strategic options for the business. 

The disposal would rank among the largest carve‑outs by a European company this year, underscoring how major corporates are accelerating efforts to streamline their portfolios. The shift is creating a steady pipeline of non‑core but high‑quality assets for buyout funds to acquire, which are eager to deploy capital amid a rebound in dealmaking.

Company formerly known as MAN Energy Solutions

COMPANY FORMERLY KNOWN AS MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Japanese diesel engine manufacturer Yanmar also submitted a bid, according to a fourth person. Porsche SE, Volkswagen's biggest shareholder, is considering investing in Everllence, the FT reported in October. 

The four people spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is private. One of the sources said binding offers are expected in the next six weeks. 

Porsche SE, the holding firm of the Porsche and Piech families declined to comment. Yanmar, Blackstone, CVC and Brookfield also declined to comment.

Strategic rationale and planned stake retention

A possible sale of Everllence, formerly known as MAN Energy Solutions, might permit the German carmaker to sharpen its focus on its core automotive operations while it navigates challenges including steep tariffs, intensifying competition from Chinese manufacturers, and the costly transition to electric vehicles. 

VW plans to retain a stake of between 30% and 40% in the business, one of the people said. Volkswagen aims to secure the right partner to drive growth for Everllence, according to the same source.  

Bloomberg first reported the news on Friday that bids had been received, and that private equity firms EQT, Bain and Advent were also advanced in the process.

EQT declined to comment while Bain and Advent did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.

($1 = 0.8473 euros)

(Reporting by Andres Gonzalez in London, Alexander Huebner in Munich and Christina Amann in Berlin; Additional reporting by Christopher Steitz; Editing by Anousha Sakoui, Elisa Martinuzzi and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)