Kandi Technologies Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Financial Results

- Q4 EV parts sales increased 51.6% YoY to $57.5 million
- 2015 EV parts sales increased 68.4% YoY to $196.1 million
- Q4 the JV Company sold 12,100 EV products, a 231.0% increase YoY
- 2015 the JV Company sold 24,220 EV products, a 121.5% increase YoY
- Q4 Non-GAAP net income increased 250.9% YoY to $13.9 million, or $0.30 EPS
- Full year Non-GAAP net income increased 100.9% YoY to $28.5 million, or $0.61 EPS

JINHUA, China, March 14, 2016 -- Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. (the “Company,” “we” or “Kandi”) (NASDAQ:KNDI), today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2015.

Fourth Quarter Highlights

• Total revenues grew 11.2% to $58.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, from $52.9 million for the same period of 2014.
• Electric Vehicle (“EV”) parts sales increased 51.6% to $57.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2015, compared with $37.9 million in the same period of 2014.
• Kandi Electric Vehicles Group Co., Ltd. (the "JV Company"), sold 12,100 EV products in the fourth quarter, a 231.0% increase compared with the same period last year. Total EV products sales comprised 6,474 EV products to the Micro Public Transportation (“MPT”) program and 5,626 EV products through the distribution channel under the direct sales program.
• GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2015 was $0.8 million, or $0.02 per fully diluted share, compared with $1.7 million, or $0.07 per fully diluted share in the same period of 2014.
• Non-GAAP adjusted net income¹, which excludes stock award expenses and changes in the fair value of financial derivatives, was $13.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared with $4.0 million of the same period of 2014. Non-GAAP adjusted earnings per share¹ was approximately $0.30 per fully diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with $0.09 per fully diluted share for the same quarter of 2014;
  
  

Full Year 2015 Highlights

• Total revenues grew 18.1% to $201.1 million in 2015, from $170.2 million in 2014.
• EV parts sales increased 68.4% to $196.1 million in 2015, compared with $116.4 million in 2014.
• The JV Company sold 24,220 EV products in 2015, a 121.5% increase compared with 2014. Total EV products sales comprised 14,947 EV products to the MPT program and 9,273 EV products through the distribution channel under the direct sales program.
• GAAP net income in 2015 was $14.7 million, or $0.31 per fully diluted share, compared with $12.3 million, or $0.29 per fully diluted share in 2014.
• Non-GAAP adjusted net income¹, which excludes stock award expenses and changes in the fair value of financial derivatives, was $28.5 million in 2015, compared with $14.2 million in 2014. Non-GAAP adjusted earnings per share¹ was approximately $0.61 per fully diluted share for the full year of 2015 compared with $0.33 per fully diluted share for the same quarter of 2014.
• Working capital surplus was $59.9 million as of December 31, 2015. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $32.9 million as of December 31, 2015.
  
  

“Our outstanding results in 2015 include exceeding revenue and EV sales targets with the JV Company by selling 24,220 EV products, a 121.5% increase year-over-year,” commented Mr. Hu Xiaoming, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kandi, “As the JV Company became China’s top seller for pure EV products in 2015, its EV products received extremely positive market recognition, highlighted by model K17 named as China 2015 Pure Electric Passenger Vehicle of the Year at the 6th Global New Energy Vehicle Conference. The direct sales program was launched in the second quarter and achieved 9,273 in EV products sales in 2015 through the distribution channel under this program, accounting for 38.3% of total EV products sold during the year. We are confident in being able to increase the contribution of direct sales as a percentage of total sales in 2016.”

“China’s government has continued to strongly support the growth of the EV industry,” Mr. Hu continued. “Most recently through an industry-wide subsidy investigation, the government is committed to maintaining the healthy development of the EV industry, which will benefit scaled EV products manufacturers like the JV Company. Meanwhile, the central government has extended its continuous support and confidence in developing the new energy vehicle (NEV) industry by enacting additional policies, including reducing traffic controls and purchase quotas on NEVs, encouraging government purchases and promoting EV car-share programs. By focusing on our unique growth engines, which are the rapid expansion of the Micro Public Transportation program and the direct sales program through the distribution channel, we look forward to leading the growth of China’s EV industry in 2016.”

“Our significant achievements in 2015 include excellent financial results, particularly with sales and gross margin meeting our expectation,” added Mr. Wang Cheng (Henry), Chief Financial Officer of Kandi, “During the year, key milestones, including the successful launch of the direct sales program and the expansion of the MPT program to 16 cities were accomplished. With a solid foundation built for our EV business, we believe that the Company will continue to achieve strong financial performance in 2016.”

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Financial Results

Net Revenues and Gross Profit

Net revenues for the fourth quarter increased 16.4% sequentially, and 11.2% from the year-ago period. The increase in net revenues was mainly due to growth of EV products sales from the JV Company. Gross margin in the fourth quarter increased to 14.4%, compared with 11.0% in the same quarter last year.  Margin increase was a result of cost control from battery packing production.

Net revenues for the full year 2015 increased 18.1% from 2014. The increase in net revenues was mainly due to growth of EV products sales from the JV Company. Gross margin for the full year 2015 increased to 14.1%, compared with 13.7% in 2014. Margin increase was a result of cost control from battery packing production.

Operating Income (Loss)

Total operating expenses in the fourth quarter were $13.9 million, compared with $3.0 million in the same quarter of 2014. The increase in total operating expenses was due to increased stock compensation expense, which was $9.8 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $2.0 million in the same quarter last year. Excluding stock compensation, operation expenses in the fourth quarter of 2015 were $4.0 million, compared with $1.0 million in the same quarter last year. The increase was mainly due to research and development expenses for new EV product models, such as K12 and K17, and for new battery packs, as well as the accrual for compensation expense.

Total operating expenses in 2015 were $32.4 million, compared with $18.2 million in 2014. The significant increase in total operating expenses was due to increased stock compensation expense in 2015, which was $22.4 million, compared with $8.5 million in 2014. Excluding stock compensation, operation expenses in 2015 were $10.0 million, slightly higher than $9.7 million in 2014.

GAAP Net Income

Net income was $0.8 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $1.7 million in the same quarter of 2014.  Net income was affected by significant increases in stock compensation expense and the change of the fair value of financial derivatives, which together were $10.8 million more in the fourth quarter of 2015 than in the fourth quarter of 2014. Non-GAAP net income in the fourth quarter was $13.9 million, a 250.9% increase from $4.0 million in the same quarter of 2014, mainly due to revenue growth, margin improvement, and the increased net income contribution from the JV Company.

Net income in 2015 was $14.7 million, compared with $12.3 million in 2014. The increase in net income was mainly due to revenue growth and margin improvement, increased net income contribution from the JV Company, and gain from financial derivatives, offset by the increase from stock compensation expense. Non-GAAP net income in 2015 was $28.5 million, a 100.9% increase from $14.2 million in 2014, mainly due to revenue growth, margin improvement, and increased net income contribution from the JV Company.

JV Company Financial Results

In the fourth quarter, the JV Company sold 12,100 EV products, a 231.0% increase from the same period last year. Total EV product sales comprised 6,474 EV products to the MPT program and 5,626 EV products through the distribution channel under the direct sales program, with the latter being a significant sequential increase over the 3,004 EV products sold through the distribution channel under the direct sales program in the third quarter.

The condensed financial income statement of the JV Company in the fourth quarter is as below:

For the full year 2015, the JV Company sold 24,220 EV products, a 121.5% increase from 2014. Total EV product sales comprised 14,947 EV products to the MPT program and 9,273 EV products through the distribution channel. Total EV products sold in 2015 included 11,801 units of model K10, 10,472 units of model K11, 1,945 units of model K17 and 2 units of model K30.

The condensed financial income statement of the JV Company in full year 2015 is as below:

Gross margin for the full year 2015 was 16.4% compared with 19.4% in 2014. The margin decrease in 2015 was mainly due to the product price decline and the lower selling price to a strategic partner during the year.

Kandi’s investments in the JV Company are accounted for under the equity method of accounting, as Kandi has a 50% ownership interest in the JV Company. As a result, Kandi recorded 50% of the JV Company’s profit for $9.7 million for the fourth quarter and $11.7 million for the full year 2015. After eliminating intra-entity profits and losses, Kandi’s share of the after tax profit of the JV Company was $9.9 million for the fourth quarter and $11.8 million for the full year of 2015.

Outlook

For the first quarter of 2016, Kandi expects net revenues to be in the range of $46.0 million to $48.0 million, with gross margin in the range of 13.5% to 14.5%. For full year 2016, Kandi expects net revenues to be in the range of $270 million to $300 million.

The Company also expects the JV Company to deliver a total of 35,000 or more EV products in the full year of 2016.

This outlook reflects the current view of the management, which is subject to change.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Conference Call Details
The Company has scheduled a conference call and live webcast to discuss the financial results at 8:00 AM (U.S. Eastern time) on March 14, 2016 (8:00 PM Beijing time on March 14, 2016). Mr. Hu Xiaoming, Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Wang Cheng (Henry), Chief Financial Officer, will deliver prepared remarks, followed by a question and answer session.

The dial-in details for the conference call are as follows:

• Toll-free dial-in number: +1 877-407-3982
  
• International dial-in number: +1 201-493-6780
  
• Conference ID: 13631514
  
• Webcast and replay: http://public.viavid.com/index.php?id=118533
  
  

The live audio webcast of the call can also be accessed by visiting Kandi's Investor Relations website at http://ir.kandivehicle.com. An archive of the webcast will be available on the Company's website following the live call.

About Kandi Technologies Group, Inc.

Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. (KNDI), headquartered in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province, is engaged in the research and development, manufacturing and sales of various vehicle products. Kandi has established itself as one of China's leading manufacturers of pure electric vehicle ("EV") products (through its joint venture), EV parts and off-road vehicles. More information can be viewed at the Company's corporate website at http://www.kandivehicle.com. The Company routinely posts important information on its website.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains certain statements that may include "forward-looking statements." All statements other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions, involving known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including the risk factors discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these risk factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

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¹ Non-GAAP measures, including the Non-GAAP net income and Non-GAAP EPS are defined as the financial measures excluding the change of the fair value of financial derivatives and the effects of the stock award expense. We supply non-GAAP information because we believe it allows our investors to obtain a clearer understanding of our operations.  Any non-GAAP measures should not be considered as a substitute for, and should only be read in conjunction with, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

- Tables Below -

Company Contact:

Ms. Kewa Luo
Kandi Technologies Group, Inc.
Phone: 1-212-551-3610
Email: [email protected]

IR Contact:
The Piacente Group
Phone: 1-212-481-2050
Email: [email protected]