Exhibit 99.1
DropCar and AYRO Announce Signing of Merger Agreement
●
A leading global
low-speed electric vehicle (LSEV) maker
●
LSEV market totaled
$4.9 billion in sales in 2019 and is expected to grow at a
compounded annual growth rate of 15.7%
●
Strategic
Partnership with Club Car, a subsidiary of Ingersoll-Rand
(NYSE:IR)
NEW YORK, NY and AUSTIN, TX, December 20th,
2019 – DropCar, Inc. (Nasdaq: DCAR)
(“DropCar”) and privately-held AYRO, Inc.
(“AYRO”), an Austin-based company, today jointly
announced that they have signed a definitive merger agreement under
which, if approved by DropCar shareholders, will result in DropCar
merging with AYRO in an all-stock transaction. The merged company
would focus on creating a leading electric car company for Campus
Management, Last Mile Delivery, Urban Commuting and Closed Campus
Transport. The combined company is expected to operate under the
name AYRO, Inc. and trade on the Nasdaq Capital
Market.
AYRO’s
Chief Executive Officer, Rod Keller, who previously served as
president of globally recognized personal transporter manufacturer
Segway, Inc., stated, “Today marks a significant turning
point for both DropCar and AYRO shareholders. With our vehicle
product portfolio, we deliver industry-leading value to a rapidly
expanding market where the need for high quality, cost effective,
zero emissions vehicles and technology platforms is becoming
increasingly important. AYRO’s core strength is in
applications that don’t require all the features of
traditional automobiles and that also reduce carbon emissions and
significantly lower the total cost of vehicle ownership. I am
excited to get to work creating value for our combined
company’s shareholders with the goal of replicating our
success at Segway.”
AYRO’s
fleet of vehicles provide customers with meaningful cost savings by
lowering vehicle operating costs by up to 50% per year vs. existing
gas-powered trucks. It also allows customers to have an
environmental impact through the reduction of CO2 emissions by an
average of 44% per vehicle.
Earlier
in 2019, AYRO and Club Car (subsidiary of Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE:
IR)) announced a strategic partnership to supply Club Car its first
light duty, compact, all-electric, and emissions-free utility truck
vehicle, initially branded the Club Car 411. The vehicle is
designed for a multitude of applications ranging from campus
environments, warehouse and logistics, city government, utilities,
and university markets. Club Car is also a major supplier of
maintenance utility vehicles to many universities with many such
utility vehicles expected to be replaced by purpose-built, street
legal, electric utility vehicles like the Club Car 411. The Club
Car partnership leverages AYRO’s expertise in manufacturing
and designing automotive-grade electric vehicles, and its
international supply chain, with Club Car’s dealer network
and more than 60 years of experience.
“Following
an extensive review of strategic alternatives, we believe that this
merger with AYRO is the best path forward and has the potential to
deliver significant and immediate value to DropCar
shareholders,” said Joshua Silverman, Chairman of the Board
of Directors of DropCar. “We look forward to incorporating
the strength and dedication of the AYRO leadership team into the
combined company.”
Transaction Details
On a
pro forma basis and based upon the number of shares of DropCar
common stock to be issued in the merger, current DropCar
shareholders will own approximately 20% of the combined company and
current AYRO’s shareholders will own approximately 80% of the
combined company. The Boards of Directors of both DropCar and AYRO
have approved the transaction. The merger is expected to close in
the first half of 2020, subject to the approval of DropCar
shareholders at a special shareholder meeting, as well as other
customary closing conditions.
In connection with
the definitive merger agreement, DropCar has also entered into an
asset purchase agreement (“APA”) with Spencer
Richardson and David Newman, who currently serve as Chief Executive
Officer of DropCar and Chief Business Development Officer of
DropCar, respectively, whereby DropCar will sell substantially all
of the assets of the existing DropCar business to Mr. Richardson
and Mr. Newman along with the assumption of certain liabilities.
The existing DropCar business is expected to continue to operate
independently of the merged company after the consummation of the
merger. Completion of the APA is subject to certain customary
closing conditions, as well as the consummation of a change in
control that would be deemed to occur upon the closing of the
contemplated merger with AYRO.
Palladium
Capital Advisors, LLC acted as financial advisor to the parties in
connection with the above transactions.
Management and Organization
The
combined company will be led by Rod Keller, Chief Executive Officer
of AYRO, and will be headquartered in Austin, Texas. The board of
directors is expected to be composed of seven members, three of
whom will be designated by DropCar (including Joshua Silverman, who
will serve as Chairman of the Board of the combined company), three
of whom will be designated by AYRO, and one of whom will be
designated by the lead investor in a pre-closing financing to be
conducted by AYRO.
About DropCar
Founded and launched in New York City in 2015, DropCar’s
mission is to power the next generation of mobility by bringing the
automotive industry’s products and services to
everyone’s front door. DropCar’s core Mobility Cloud
platform and integrated mobile apps help consumers and
automotive-related companies reduce the cost, hassles and
inefficiencies of owning a car, or fleet of cars, in urban centers.
Dealerships, fleet owners, OEMs and shared mobility companies use
DropCar’s last mile logistics platform to reduce costs,
streamline logistics and deepen relationships with customers. More
information is available at https://drop.car/
About AYRO
Founded
in 2017, Texas-based AYRO, Inc. designs and manufactures compact,
sustainable electric vehicle solutions for urban and community
transport, local on-demand and last mile delivery, closed campus
mobility, and government use. One hundred percent emissions-free,
multi-purpose and capable of accommodating a broad range of
commercial applications, AYRO vehicles are the emerging leaders of
safe, affordable, efficient, and sustainable logistical
transportation solutions. Discover more about AYRO, Inc. at
AYRO.com
No Offer or Solicitation
This
communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the
solicitation of an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to
buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in
any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be
unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the
securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No public offer of
securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting
the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended.
Important Additional Information Will be Filed with the
SEC
In
connection with the proposed transaction between DropCar and AYRO,
DropCar intends to file relevant materials with the SEC, including
a registration statement that will contain a proxy statement and
prospectus. DROPCAR URGES INVESTORS AND STOCKHOLDERS TO READ
THESE MATERIALS CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME
AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT
DROPCAR, THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS.
Investors and shareholders will be able to obtain free copies of
the proxy statement, prospectus and other documents filed by
DropCar with the SEC (when they become available) through the
website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition,
investors and shareholders will be able to obtain free copies of
the proxy statement, prospectus and other documents filed by
DropCar with the SEC by contacting Investor Relations by mail at
DropCar, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, 1412 Broadway, Suite
2105, New York, New York 10018. Investors and stockholders
are urged to read the proxy statement, prospectus and the other
relevant materials when they become available before making any
voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed
transaction.
Participants in the Solicitation
DropCar
and AYRO, and each of their respective directors and executive
officers and certain of their other members of management and
employees, may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of
proxies in connection with the proposed transaction. Information
about DropCar’s directors and executive officers is included
in DropCar’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on April 3, 2019,
as amended on April 12, 2019, and the proxy statement for
DropCar’s 2019 annual meeting of stockholders, filed with the
SEC on November 6, 2019. Additional information regarding
these persons and their interests in the transaction will be
included in the proxy statement relating to the transaction when it
is filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of
charge from the sources indicated above.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain
statements contained in this communication regarding matters that
are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of
1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, known as the PSLRA. These include statements regarding
management’s intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or
forecasts for the future, and, therefore, you are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on them. No forward-looking statement can be
guaranteed, and actual results may differ materially from those
projected. DropCar and AYRO undertake no obligation to
publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the
extent required by law. We use words such as
“anticipates,” “believes,”
“plans,” “expects,” “projects,”
“future,” “intends,” “may,”
“will,” “should,” “could,”
“estimates,” “predicts,”
“potential,” “continue,”
“guidance,” and similar expressions to identify these
forward-looking statements that are intended to be covered by the
safe-harbor provisions of the PSLRA. Such forward-looking
statements are based on our expectations and involve risks and
uncertainties; consequently, actual results may differ materially
from those expressed or implied in the statements due to a number
of factors, including, but not limited to, risks relating to the
completion of the merger, including the need for stockholder
approval and the satisfaction of closing conditions; the
anticipated financing to be completed prior to or concurrently with
the closing of the merger; the cash balances of the combined
company following the closing of the merger and the financing; the
ability of DropCar to remain listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market;
and expected restructuring-related cash outlays, including the
timing and amount of those outlays. Risks and uncertainties related
to AYRO that may cause actual results to differ materially from
those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statement
include, but are not limited to: decreased demand for electric
vehicles; maintaining our partnership with Club Car, changes in our
supply chain, components and parts, or products; product liability
claims; general economic conditions; and the availability of future
financing on reasonable terms or at all..
New
factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to
predict all such factors, nor can we assess the impact of each such
factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or
combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ
materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
These risks, as well as other risks associated with the
combination, will be more fully discussed in the proxy
statement/prospectus that will be included in the registration
statement that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the
proposed transaction. Additional risks and uncertainties are
identified and discussed in the “Risk Factors” section
of DropCar’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed from time to
time with the SEC. Forward-looking statements included in this
release are based on information available to DropCar and AYRO
as of the date of this release. Neither DropCar nor AYRO undertakes
any obligation to update such forward- looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances after the date of this
release.
DropCar Media and Investor Contact:
ir@dropcar.com
646-916-4595
AYRO Media and Investor Contact:
Curtis
Smith
investors@ayro.com
(512)
643-1256