Lenovo (HKSE: 0992) (PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG)
announced today that Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility from
Google is complete.
(from left to right) Liu Jun, EVP, Lenovo, President Mobile Business Group, Lenovo and Chairman of the Motorola Management Board; Yang Yuanqing, Lenovo Chairman and CEO; and Rick Osterloh, President and COO, Motorola Mobility celebrate the closing of Lenovo's acquisition of Motorola Mobility today. Here Rick Osterloh demonstrates the latest features of the new Nexus 6 smartphone in front of the company's new logo. (Photo: Business Wire)
The acquisition of the Motorola brand and Motorola's portfolio of
innovative smartphones like Moto X, Moto G, Moto E and the DROIDTM
series, as well as the future Motorola product roadmap, positions Lenovo
as the world’s third largest maker of smartphones.
Lenovo will operate Motorola as a wholly-owned subsidiary. Motorola’s
headquarters will remain in Chicago. With the completion of the
acquisition, Lenovo welcomes the addition of a new portfolio company
with nearly 3,500 employees around the world - including about 2,800 in
the U.S. - who design, engineer, sell and support Motorola’s outstanding
devices.
“Today we achieved a historic milestone for Lenovo and for Motorola -
and together we are ready to compete, grow and win in the global
smartphone market. By building a strong number three and a credible
challenger to the top two in smartphones, we will give the market
something it has needed: choice, competition and a new spark of
innovation,” said Yang Yuanqing, chairman and CEO, Lenovo. “This
partnership has always been a perfect fit. Lenovo has a clear strategy,
great global scale, and proven operational excellence. Motorola brings a
strong presence in the U.S. and other mature markets, great carrier
relationships, an iconic brand, a strong IP portfolio and an incredibly
talented team. This is a winning combination.”
“Motorola is in great hands with Lenovo, a company that’s all-in on
making great devices,” said Larry Page, CEO, Google.
Liu Jun, Lenovo executive vice president and president of Lenovo’s
Mobile Business Group, is chairman of the Motorola Management Board.
Rick Osterloh, a Motorola veteran, will remain president and chief
operating officer of Motorola.
“Motorola has already built solid momentum in the market, and their
recent results show consumers are excited about their exceptional
products that stand out for their design and simplicity,” said Liu Jun.
“With the complementary strengths of our two companies, we expect to
sell more than 100 million mobile devices this year - including
smartphones and tablets - by leveraging the Lenovo brand’s leading
market position in China, our shared momentum in emerging markets, and
Motorola’s strong foothold in mature markets like the U.S.”
Motorola already has strong momentum in the marketplace led by highly
successful new product launches and groundbreaking innovations, which
have provided solid growth. Beyond smartphones, the Moto 360 watch has
captured consumer attention and established Motorola as a company
expanding into emerging mobile device areas. As previously stated,
Lenovo expects to make the Motorola business profitable in four to six
quarters.
Google will maintain ownership of a majority of the Motorola Mobility
patent portfolio, while Motorola will receive a license to this rich
portfolio of patents and other intellectual property. Motorola will
retain over 2,000 patent assets and a large number of patent
cross-license agreements, as well as the Motorola Mobility brand and
trademark portfolio.
The total purchase price at close was approximately US$2.91 billion
(subject to certain post-close adjustments), including approximately
US$660 million in cash and 519,107,215 newly issued ordinary shares of
Lenovo stock, with an aggregate value of US$750 million, representing
about 4.7 percent of Lenovo’s shares outstanding, which were transferred
to Google at close. The remaining US$1.5 billion will be paid to Google
by Lenovo in the form of a three-year promissory note. A separate cash
compensation of approximately US$228 million was paid by Lenovo to
Google primarily for the cash and working capital held by Motorola at
the time of close.
The transaction has satisfied all regulatory requirements and customary
closing conditions, including clearance by competition authorities in
the U.S., China, EU, Brazil and Mexico, and by the Committee on Foreign
Investment in the United States (CFIUS). This is the fifth time since
2005 Lenovo has been cleared by CFIUS to acquire a U.S. business.
ABOUT LENOVO
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $39 billion global Fortune 500
company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and
enterprise technology. Our portfolio of high-quality, secure products
and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode
YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of
mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets
and apps. Join us on LinkedIn,
follow us on Facebook
or Twitter (@Lenovo)
or visit us at www.lenovo.com.
ABOUT GOOGLE
Google is a global technology leader, focused on improving ways people
connect with information. Google’s innovations in web search and
advertising have made its website a top Internet property and its brand
one of the most recognized in the world.
*DROID is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies. Used
under license.
For More information
A press kit is available here: http://news.lenovo.com/MotorolaAcquisition
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