Nikola’s deal with GM was supposed to close today—it didn’t
Nikola has postponed a December event to unveil the Badger pickup truck. …
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When Nikola and GM announced a partnership on September 8, GM said it expected the deal to close by September 30. Now September 30 has arrived, and the deal hasn’t closed. Media reports indicate that the deal is unlikely to close today.
A GM spokesman confirmed the delay in an email to Ars. “Our transaction with Nikola has not closed. We are continuing our discussions with Nikola and will provide further updates when appropriate.”
Also this morning, Nikola published a revised overview of the company’s business strategy. It discussed Nikola’s plans to manufacture semitrucks in Europe and the United States, build a network of hydrogen fuel stations, and even plans for an electric all-terrain vehicle. But conspicuously missing from the document was any mention of the Badger pickup truck—the one that GM was supposed to manufacture for Nikola under the now-delayed partnership.
Nikola also announced today that it was indefinitely postponing Nikola World, the December event where Nikola was planning to debut the Badger. Nikola blamed the COVID-19 pandemic and related social distancing rules for the delay.
I asked a Nikola spokeswoman if we should read anything into the fact that the Badger wasn’t mentioned in its new strategy document.
“No, considering the executives remain in active negotiations,” she responded by email.
Perhaps GM’s deal with Nikola has simply been delayed for a few days. But at a minimum, the future of the partnership—and the Badger—remains unclear.
Nikola is having a bad month
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