ITEM 1. BUSINESS.
Carvana Co. is a holding company that was formed as a Delaware corporation on November 29, 2016. Carvana Co. Class A common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "CVNA." On May 3, 2017, Carvana Co. completed its initial public offering ("IPO") of 15.0 million shares of Class A common stock at a public offering price of $15.00 per share. Carvana Co. received approximately $205.8 million in proceeds, net of underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, which it used to purchase approximately 18.8 million newly-issued membership interests of Carvana Group, LLC ("Carvana Group") at a price per unit equal to 0.8 times the initial public offering price less underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. On April 30, 2018, Carvana Co. completed a follow-on offering of 6.6 million shares of its Class A common stock at a public offering price of $27.50 per share and received net proceeds from the offering of approximately $172.3 million after underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. The Company used the net proceeds to purchase approximately 8.3 million newly-issued LLC Units in Carvana Group, which used the net proceeds primarily for general corporate purposes. See Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 for additional information about our IPO and organizational transactions completed in connection with our IPO. Unless the context requires otherwise, references in this report to "Carvana," the "Company," "we," "us" and "our" refer to both Carvana Group and its consolidated subsidiaries prior to the IPO described in this report and to Carvana Co. and its consolidated subsidiaries following the IPO and organizational transactions completed in connection with our IPO.
Our Company
Carvana is a leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars. We are transforming the used car sales experience by giving consumers what they want—a wide selection, great value and quality, transparent pricing and a simple, no-pressure transaction. Each element of our business, from inventory procurement to fulfillment and overall ease of the online transaction, has been built for this singular purpose.
We provide a refreshingly different and convenient car buying experience that can save buyers time and money. On our platform, consumers can research and identify a vehicle, inspect it using our patented 360-degree vehicle imaging technology,
obtain financing and warranty coverage, purchase the vehicle, and schedule delivery or pick-up, all from their desktop or mobile devices. Our transaction technologies and online platform transform a traditionally time consuming process by allowing customers to secure financing, complete a purchase and schedule delivery online in as little as 10 minutes.
Our technology and infrastructure allow us to seamlessly and cost efficiently deliver this car buying experience to our customers. We use proprietary algorithms to optimize our nationally pooled inventory of over 14,000 vehicles, inspect and recondition our vehicles based on our 150-point inspection process and operate our own logistics network to deliver cars directly to customers as soon as the next day. Customers in certain markets also have the option to pick up their vehicle at one of our patented vending machines, which provides an exciting pick-up experience for the customer while decreasing our variable costs, increasing scalability and building brand awareness.
The automotive retail industry’s large size, fragmentation, and lack of differentiated offerings present an opportunity for disruption. We have demonstrated that our custom-built business model can capitalize on this opportunity. From the launch of our first market in January 2013 through December 31, 2018, we purchased, reconditioned, sold and delivered approximately 166,000 vehicles to customers through our website, generating $3.4 billion in revenue. Our sales have grown as we have increased our market penetration in our current markets and added new markets. As of December 31, 2018, our in-house distribution network services 85 metropolitan markets, and we plan to continue to expand our network into additional markets.
Industry Background & Market Opportunity
Exceptionally Large and Fragmented Market
The U.S. automotive industry generated approximately $1.2 trillion in sales in 2017, according to NADA Data 2017 report. This comprised roughly 21% of the U.S. retail economy and made it the largest consumer retail market in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Cox Automotive estimated the 2018 U.S. market to reach 39.5 million used vehicle transactions, an increase of 0.5% from 2017.
The used car retail industry is highly fragmented. There are approximately 43,000 used car dealerships in the U.S according to Borrell Associates' 2017 Outlook. The largest dealer brand commands approximately 1.7% of the U.S. market and the top 100 used car retailers collectively hold approximately 7.0% market share, according to Edmunds.com, publicly listed dealership filings and Automotive News. Additionally, consumers are often dissatisfied with the car buying process. According to the DealerSocket 2016 Independent Dealership Action Report, 81% of North American consumers do not enjoy the car buying process, and car salespeople are among the least trusted professionals, according to a 2016 Gallup poll.
The traditional used car retailing model is costly, operationally challenging and difficult to scale. Providing an end-to-end solution requires inspection, repair, reconditioning and showroom facilities, as well as inventory sourcing and financing capabilities, substantially all of which is traditionally done at each dealership location. According to publicly listed dealership filings, some full-service dealerships providing all of these services can require an initial investment of up to $22 million per dealership. Additional variable costs include the salaries of on-site employees, inventory financing fees and vehicle transportation costs.
Customer acquisition is expensive and inefficient for traditional automotive retailers as they are typically confined to local advertising channels and must drive foot traffic to their physical locations, where they offer an often undifferentiated service and limited inventory.
Additional challenges in automotive retailing, both online and offline, stem from the following unique characteristics of selling cars:
• big ticket item, often representing the second most expensive purchase many consumers make and finance, and one of the customer’s largest and longest life cycle purchases;
• range of taste in make, model, body style, price, year, mileage, color, drivetrain and features;
• complex transaction often involving a vehicle trade-in, financing, and the purchase of add-on service products to protect the customer’s investment;
• reliance on third parties for critical business functions; and
• state and local regulatory variability.
The Way Consumers Buy Cars Is Changing
Historically, consumers discovered vehicles for sale through local print and broadcast media, as well as word of mouth, and would go to dealerships to educate themselves on potential purchases. However, consumers no longer rely solely on traditional media and dealerships to discover and research vehicles. According to MediaPost, 91% of vehicle shoppers utilize the internet. In fact, the 2018 Car Buyer Journey report from Autotrader indicates that a typical used car buyer spends approximately ten hours researching his or her prospective car purchase online.
As e-commerce has become more established, reaching 9.6% of total retail sales in the U.S. during the first three quarters of 2018 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, consumers have become more comfortable buying taste-driven, higher-priced products such as consumer electronics and home furnishings online. Similarly, auto consumers are interested in e-commerce solutions for their car purchasing needs—83% of U.S. car buyers want to do one or more steps of the car purchasing process online, according to the 2018 Cox Automotive Future of Digital Retail Study.
What Auto Consumers Want
As a result of the unique aspects of purchasing a vehicle, consumers have a distinct set of expectations that are challenging for traditional used car retailers to address.
• Wide selection. Automobiles vary widely in model, style, color, age and price, and consumers exhibit differing tastes, style and purchasing goals and budgets. This requires dealers to maintain a broad inventory and offer multiple financing, warranty and service plan choices.
• Traditional used car retailers are limited by staging capacity and anticipated local demand at each dealership; they generally lack the logistical capabilities to source vehicles from other locations quickly and cost-effectively. Additionally, even as traditional used car retailers add new store locations, it remains difficult to create broad diversity of inventory among stores because each lot requires the highest demand units, creating redundancies.
• Value. Auto consumers want consistent, fair value.
• Traditional used car retailers have high overhead costs and must pass these costs on to their customers.
• Confidence in quality. Auto consumers want to have comfort that the vehicle they purchase is mechanically sound and will not require costly repairs or replacement in the near term.
• Traditional used car retailers may lack the scale and expertise to consistently purchase high-quality vehicles and uniformly recondition them, increasing the incidence of selling a "lemon."
• Control and no pressure. Auto consumers want to feel in control of the buying process, without being pressured.
• According to a 2017 Gallup Poll, only 56% of American consumers view the automotive industry positively, although this is a record high. In addition, only 58% of people trust that used car dealerships can provide the best deal, according to the 2018 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey.
• Fast, simple purchasing process. Auto consumers want their transaction to be convenient, fair and on their own desired timeline.
• Buying a car at a traditional auto dealership is often a multi-part transaction including vehicle purchase, trade-in, financing and complementary products, and requires over three hours on average, according to the 2018 Car Buyer Journey report from Autotrader, and half of that is spent doing paperwork and negotiating.
Carvana’s Solution
In response to these evolving consumer needs, we built Carvana to provide a no-pressure, no-haggle experience with flexible and fast transactions. Consumers can research and identify a vehicle, inspect it using interactive high definition photography, obtain financing and warranty coverage, value their trade-in, complete their purchase and schedule delivery or pick up, all from our online platform. Our uniformed employees deliver cars to customers in branded haulers as soon as the next day, and we offer a seven-day return policy on all of our cars sold. The sales process we have built enables our customers to execute their purchases, once a car has been selected, in as little as 10 minutes.
We aim to deliver the best selection, best value and best experience for used car buyers.
The Best Selection
As of December 31, 2018, we offer all customers a nationally pooled inventory of over 14,000 high-quality used vehicles. We evaluate all of the vehicles that we own and offer for sale using our 150-point "Carvana Certified" inspection process, which we are able to perform at scale across our network of inspection and reconditioning centers ("IRCs"). Our customer research indicates that size and range of selection are primary determinants of where customers will transact. We use proprietary algorithms to optimize our inventory acquisition based on extensive used vehicle market and customer behavior data. Furthermore, our nationally pooled inventory system maximizes the breadth of vehicle selection for our customers in any given location. This results in a higher likelihood that customers are able to find the make, model, year and color combination that they desire. In contrast, traditional dealerships are limited in range of selection because they typically optimize a local inventory of a few hundred vehicles at each dealership location, even if they own thousands of vehicles across multiple distributed locations.
The Best Value
Our proprietary technology and vertically integrated business model will allow us to enjoy a significantly lower variable cost structure at scale versus traditional dealerships and provide substantial value to our customers. We do not require a network of brick-and-mortar dealerships, staffed with sales personnel; instead, we utilize both an in-house logistics network and patented vending machines to facilitate vehicle delivery and trade-ins. These savings are passed on to the consumer through sales prices that are below industry averages. Additionally, we believe our pooled inventory approach will result in lower average days to sale than industry averages, which we expect will help improve margins due to decreased vehicle depreciation resulting in higher unit selling price. Furthermore, we are able to provide personalized and highly transparent financing terms based on basic customer information that results in faster transaction times, clear lending terms and competitive interest rates.
The Best Experience
We aim to provide the best car buying experience available for our customers through a fully integrated, convenient online shopping experience. Our patented 360-degree vehicle imaging technology provides transparency by allowing customers to view vehicle features and imperfections. We also provide automated trade-in valuations, automated financing, vehicle service contracts ("VSC"), GAP waiver coverage and limited warranty. Customers can easily select among thousands of preapproved financing terms and receive approval in seconds.
We offer a premium fulfillment experience with pick-up and delivery options available, including pick-up at our vending machines in some markets. Our in-house customer advocates are available to answer customer questions that arise throughout the process. At every customer touch point, we strive to provide the level of customer service that makes purchasing a car from us an enjoyable, memorable experience. Finally, we offer seven-day return and 100-day warranty policies with every car we sell. We believe that our customers value the ease of use and transparency of our platform. They have responded favorably to our solution, as illustrated by the ratings we receive. Our customers rated us an average of 4.7 out of 5.0 as of December 31, 2018 based on over 24,400 satisfaction surveys we solicited from our inception through December 31, 2018. These positive reactions create opportunities for repeat customers and a strong referral network.
Strengths & Competitive Advantages
Our business model is disrupting the traditional used vehicle sales model. Our primary goal is to rapidly scale vehicle unit sales by focusing on delivering an unparalleled customer experience. Since our inception in 2012, we have been developing and leveraging the following key strengths of our robust platform, which we believe provide significant competitive advantages.
Purpose-Built Vertically Integrated E-commerce Platform
We built our used car e-commerce platform because we believe a lower and differentiated cost structure is critical to providing a seamless, best-in-class car buying experience. We believe that traditional dealerships and other technology-enabled auto platforms do not provide this type of experience, and that our end-to-end model allows us to offer a superior solution while reducing our cost of operations and enhancing our ability to offer complementary products and services. Our vertically integrated platform gives us control of all critical operations and transaction elements, which facilitates a fast, simple and consistent user experience. We control the algorithms that help determine the vehicles we make available to our customers, the prices of those vehicles, the financing terms and VSC and GAP waiver coverage options available to our customers and the trade-in values we offer. Additionally, we control the logistics infrastructure that enables us to offer customers fast, specific and reliable delivery times. We have invested heavily in our custom designed website to provide a cutting-edge user interface, and have built a team of in-house customer advocates that is dedicated to providing first-rate customer service.
Differentiated Shopping Experience
We have developed technology that makes the online vehicle purchasing process intuitive, transparent and fun. Our patented photo booth, paired with custom photo processing and display technology, provides an interactive way for consumers to search for vehicles and take a virtual tour of the interior and exterior of a vehicle using annotated, high definition photography. We believe this technology, coupled with our certification process and seven-day return policy, generates the confidence and trust in our platform needed to buy a car online.
Proprietary Financing Technology
Our differentiated financing solutions provide customers with nearly instantaneous credit decisions as well as flexibility and transparency in financing their vehicle purchase. We preapprove thousands of down payment and monthly payment combinations that allow customers to choose their preferred financing. We preapprove these terms utilizing "soft credit checks" which do not impact a customer’s credit unless they complete a purchase and financing transaction. Due to our relatively low car prices, our customers generally have lower PTI (Payment to Income) ratios, lower LTV (Loan to Value) ratios, or higher quality vehicles underlying their financing transactions than they would have at higher prices. This significantly enhances the quality of the loans that we generate and the premium we can capture when we sell them to our financing partners.
Efficient Logistics Network and Attractive Fulfillment Experience
We have developed proprietary logistics software and an in-house delivery network that differentiates us from competitors by allowing us to predictably and efficiently transport cars while providing customers a distinctive fulfillment experience. Our home delivery is conducted by a Carvana employee on a branded delivery truck. Customers in certain markets can also pick up their vehicles at one of our patented car vending machines, which are multi-story glass towers that store purchased vehicles. These vending machines provide an attractive and unique experience for our customers and develop brand awareness while lowering our variable fulfillment expenses. Following the opening of a vending machine in one of our markets, our market penetration has seen a meaningful increase while our variable operating costs per car sold have decreased. We intend to grow our logistics network and build vending machines in many of the metropolitan markets that we serve.
Scaled Used Vehicle Infrastructure
As of December 31, 2018, we leverage a network of five IRCs and supporting software for our vehicle reconditioning and logistics activities that required significant investment in time and capital to develop. We believe these facilities at full utilization give us capacity to inspect and recondition approximately 250,000 cars per year. Our proprietary inventory management system and Transportation Management System ("TMS"), combined with our expertise and experience gained from operating these facilities, position us well to continue to build out additional reconditioning and distribution centers as needed.
Scale Driving Powerful Network Effects
Our business benefits from powerful network effects. Our logistics capabilities allow us to offer every car in our inventory to customers across all of our markets. As we add markets, we expect to increase overall demand, which would enable us to carry a larger inventory. A broader vehicle inventory would further improve our offering across our markets, enabling us to
increase market share. Furthermore, we anticipate that increased brand awareness, driven by national advertising, will allow us to expand our national inventory and further these network effects.
Our Growth Strategies
The foundation of our business is retail vehicle unit sales. This drives the majority of our revenue and allows us to capture additional revenue streams associated with financing, VSCs and GAP waiver coverage, as well as trade-in vehicles. As we mature, we believe we will continue to improve conversion on these revenues and expand our offering of complementary products. However, all of these additional revenue opportunities are derived from retail vehicle unit sales and, as a result, our growth strategies are primarily focused on this metric.
Our ability to generate vehicle sales is a function of the number of markets we operate in, our penetration in those markets and our ability to build and maintain our brand by offering great value, transparency and outstanding customer service. We plan to continue growing our vehicle unit sales, number of markets, market penetration and complementary product revenues while enhancing competitive positioning by executing the following key elements of our growth strategy:
Increase Sales Through Further Penetration of Our Existing Markets
We believe that our markets are at an early stage of growth when measured by market penetration. In Atlanta, our first and most mature market, we had approximately 1.7% market penetration for the year ended December 31, 2018 compared to approximately 1.3% in the prior year, making us one of the largest used car dealers in Atlanta. We plan to continue marketing and actively building our brand in existing markets by improving our operations, opening additional vending machines, increasing our inventory size and growing brand awareness.
Continue to Enter Key Geographic Markets
We believe there is a substantial opportunity to utilize our capital-light expansion model and proven go-to-market strategy to enter additional markets by expanding our existing logistics network and advertising in those markets. We believe we can enter more markets than many of the larger dealership groups because of our lower cost structure, which allows us to efficiently operate in smaller markets. Furthermore, our nationally pooled inventory creates an even larger competitive advantage in these smaller markets, where customers typically have access to less inventory selection at local dealerships.
Continue to Innovate and Extend Our Technology Leadership
We will continue to make significant investments in improving and adding to our customer offering. We believe that the complexity of the automotive retail transaction provides substantial opportunity for technology investment and that our leadership and continued growth will enable us to responsibly invest in further separating ourselves from our competitors’ offerings. In addition to our own internal developments, we have acquired purpose-built technology from Carlypso, Car360, and Propel AI and hired employees from those companies to our company. We believe each of these acquisitions and purchases not only extends our technology leadership but adds talented entrepreneurs to our team.
Develop Broad Consumer Awareness of Our Brand
We believe our brand development efforts will meaningfully impact our ability to acquire new customers. We intend to attract new customers through advertising, public relations and customer referrals. We believe these efforts will be further enhanced as we increase our national advertising campaigns, which we began in early 2017 and have expanded since. We also plan to build vending machines in additional markets to capitalize on word-of-mouth publicity in building awareness of our brand.
Develop New Products
We plan to leverage our existing e-commerce and logistics infrastructure to increase monetization opportunities by introducing new complementary products and services. The car purchasing and ownership cycle provides many opportunities to add value for our customers and our technology expertise and process automation position us well to provide these services in unique and differentiated ways.
Customer Lifecycle
Search and Discovery. We have developed a mobile-optimized website, where prospective car buyers can immediately begin browsing, researching, filtering and identifying their choice from an inventory of over 14,000 vehicles that we offer for sale. We have also developed a series of innovative features to enhance the customer experience on our website and enable better product discovery, such as highly engaging visual imagery and merchandising, as well as easy-to-use site navigation tools and personalization features. We also integrate with various vehicle data providers for vehicle feature and option information as a research tool to assist our customers with their purchase decisions.
Virtual Tour. Once customers select a vehicle, they have the ability to take an annotated virtual vehicle tour on our website, which includes a 360-degree view of the interior and exterior of the actual vehicle. This interactive tour allows customers to review vehicle imperfections through high definition photography and provides them with an extensive list of vehicle details, accessories and safety features presented in an intuitive and easy to review manner.
Seamless Transaction Technology. Once customers have chosen a vehicle, our platform allows them to complete the purchase in as little as 10 minutes, saving them both time and money.
• Financing. We preapprove thousands of down payment and monthly payment combinations that allow customers to choose their preferred financing. Our website includes unique, highly engaging and intuitive financing tools that are transparent and demonstrate the relationship between preapproved down payment, monthly payment and term combinations. Our innovative financing tool allows borrowers to select an exact dollar payment plan based on thousands of permutations of APR, down payment, monthly payment and term. Our customers can obtain a financing decision in seconds generated by our proprietary credit scoring and deal structuring algorithms for every car in our inventory. This involves a short process that only requires 11 fields to be completed and will not impact customers’ credit unless they complete a purchase and finance transaction.
• Complementary products. Our customers can further supplement their online vehicle purchase by electing to purchase a fully integrated VSC, or extended warranty, serviced by an affiliate of DriveTime Automotive Group, Inc. (we will refer to DriveTime Automotive Group, Inc. together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, other than us, as "DriveTime"). In order to help improve the transaction experience, we evaluate numerous options to ultimately provide each customer with two plans that we believe will best meet their needs. Customers in certain states financing their purchase with us are also offered GAP waiver coverage, customized by term length, during checkout.
• Trade-in. For customers interested in pursuing a trade-in, our Cardian Angel tool provides customers with an automated valuation of their existing vehicle that can be applied to any vehicle purchase. Carvana will also purchase vehicles directly from customers without an associated vehicle purchase.
• Documentation and payment. To further improve the ease of financing, complementary products and trade-ins, we have developed a seamless, fully integrated online documentation process. We have established partnerships with several technology providers that allow for automated down payment income verification and payment processing through simple, easy to use tools, such as the ability to take pictures of required documents with a smartphone.
Fulfillment. Customers can choose to have their vehicle delivered or pick up their vehicle at one of our patented vehicle vending machines. In certain markets, we can deliver cars as soon as the next day with a Carvana-uniformed employee in a branded, custom single-car hauler. Our vending machines provide an attractive and unique customer pick-up experience that many customers choose. At our vending machines, the customer deposits a Carvana-branded token into a coin slot and an automated platform selects the customer’s car from the multi-story tower and delivers it to a garage bay where the customer is waiting with a Carvana delivery associate.
Post-sale customer support. Once customers have their car, our customer advocates manage the post-sale coordination and service call process including any claims from our standard 100-day / 4,189-mile "Worry Free Guarantee" and the seven-day return policy. Given the return rates we have seen and the cost to us of honoring the return policy, we believe the peace of mind our customers gain from our seven-day return policy supports the cost of this offering. Our customers rated us an average of 4.7 out of 5.0 as of December 31, 2018, based on over 24,400 satisfaction surveys we solicited from our inception through December 31, 2018. These positive reactions create opportunities for repeat customers and a strong referral network.
Vehicle Lifecycle
Vehicle Acquisition. We acquire the substantial majority of our used vehicle inventory through the large and liquid national used-car auction market. The remainder of our inventory is acquired directly from customers, vehicle finance and leasing companies, rental car companies, and other suppliers. We use proprietary algorithms to determine which cars to bid on and how much to bid. Our software sifts through over 100,000 vehicles per day and filters out vehicles with reported accidents, poor condition ratings, or other unacceptable attributes, and can evaluate the tens of thousands of potential vehicle purchases that remain per day, creating a competitive advantage versus in-person sourcing methods generally used by traditional dealerships. We assess vehicles on the basis of quality, inventory fit, consumer desirability, relative value, expected reconditioning costs and vehicle location to identify what we believe represent the most in-demand and profitable vehicles to acquire for inventory. We utilize a broad range of data sources, including proprietary site data and a variety of external data sources to support our assessments. Once our algorithms have identified a suitable vehicle for purchase, bids are verified and executed by a centralized team of inventory-sourcing professionals.
Inspection and Reconditioning. Once we acquire a vehicle, we leverage our in-house logistics or a vendor to transport the vehicle to one of our IRCs, at which point the vehicle is entered into our inventory management system. We then begin a 150-point inspection process covering controls, features, brakes, tires and cosmetics. Each IRC includes trained technicians, vehicle lifts, paint-less dent repair and paint capabilities and receives on-site support from vendors with whom we have integrated systems to ensure ready access to parts and materials. When an inspection is complete, we estimate the necessary reconditioning cost for the vehicle to be deemed "Carvana Certified" and expected timing to be made available for sale on our website.
Photography and Merchandising. To provide transparency to our customers, our patented, automated photo booths capture a 360-degree exterior and interior virtual tour of each vehicle in our website inventory. Our photo booths photograph the interior and exterior of the vehicle while technicians annotate material defects based on visibility-threshold category. We also feature integrations with various vehicle data providers for vehicle feature and option information. We have instituted a unified cosmetic standard across all IRCs to better ensure a consistent customer experience.
Transportation and Fulfillment. Third-party vehicle transportation is often slow, expensive and unreliable. To address these challenges, we built an in-house auto logistics network backed by a proprietary TMS to transport our vehicles nationwide. The system is based on a "hub and spoke" model, which connects all IRCs to vending machines and hubs via our owned and leased fleet of multi-car and single car haulers. Our TMS allows us to efficiently manage locations, routes, route capacities, trucks and drivers while also dynamically optimizing for speed and cost. We store inventory at our IRCs, and when a vehicle is sold, it is delivered directly to the customer or transported to a vending machine for pick-up by the customer. Due to our robust and proprietary logistics infrastructure, we are able to offer our customers and operations team highly accurate predictions of vehicle availability, minimizing unanticipated delays and ensuring a seamless and reliable customer experience.
Markets
As of December 31, 2018, we have an established logistics network and a local marketing presence in 85 major metropolitan cities and have purchased, reconditioned, sold and delivered approximately 166,000 vehicles since the launch of our first market in January 2013. We initially launched in Atlanta, Georgia in 2013 and have since grown our network across the United States, adding two markets in 2014, six in 2015, 12 in 2016, 23 in 2017, and 41 in 2018. We are committed to providing an honest, transparent and customer-centric used car buying experience online, which is achieved through our hub and spoke market approach. While our entire inventory of vehicles is available for sale across the United States through our own network and third party delivery services, our focus is on serving our markets and providing the best possible car buying experience to our customers at a low, transparent cost. Our established logistics network and ability to deliver any car in our inventory on Carvana-branded haulers to customers within our markets allow us to provide a low-cost, simple car buying experience.
Marketing
We believe our customer base is similar to the overall market for used cars at average price points of our vehicles. Our sales and marketing efforts utilize a multi-channel approach, built on a seasonality-adjusted, market-based model budget. We utilize a combination of brand building as well as direct response channels to efficiently seed and scale our local markets. Our paid advertising efforts include, but are not limited to, advertisements through national and local television, search engine marketing, inventory site listing, retargeting, organic referral, display, out-of-home, digital radio, direct mail and branded pay-per-click channels. We believe our strong customer focus ensures customer loyalty which will drive both repeat purchases and referrals.
In addition to our paid channels, we intend to attract new customers through enhancing our earned media and public relations efforts and further investing in our patented vending machines.
Customer Advocates
We have a team of in-house customer support specialists who provide assistance 13 hours per day, seven days per week to our customers located nationwide. Operating as advocates, our specialists are available to assist customers with questions that arise throughout the car buying process. These advocates are available via web chat or telephone and help customers navigate the website, answer specific questions and assist in loan verification by working with our customers to establish proof of identity, income and insurance. We take a consultative approach with our customers, offering live support and acting as a trusted partner to guide them through each phase of the purchase lifecycle. We are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality transaction experience and believe our advocates, who receive no commission income, are a meaningful reason why customers prefer transacting with us. The effectiveness of our model is reflected in the high ratings we receive from our customers and strong customer referrals. We focus on developing our advocates and providing them with the information and resources they need to offer exceptional customer service.
Competition
The U.S. used car marketplace is highly fragmented. There are approximately 43,000 used car dealerships in the United States according to Borrell Associates' 2017 Outlook, including approximately 27,000 independent dealerships. The largest dealer brand commands approximately 1.7% of the U.S. market and the top 100 used car retailers collectively hold approximately 7.0% market share, according to Edmunds.com, publicly listed dealership filings and Automotive News. We believe the primary competitive factors in this market include transparency, convenience, price, selection and vehicle quality. Our current competitors can be largely classified into the following segments:
• franchised dealerships – 37% of establishments;
• independent dealerships – 63% of establishments; and
• online dealerships/marketplaces.
A number of used vehicles are also bought and sold through privately negotiated transactions.
We believe that our vertically integrated business model provides a meaningful and sustainable competitive advantage.
Technology
Our business is driven by data and technology at all stages of the process, from inventory purchasing, reconditioning, photography and annotation through online merchandising, sales, financing, trade-ins, logistics, and delivery. Carvana’s proprietary and exclusive-use technology portfolio includes:
• a decision model for consolidating internal and external data to provide profitability estimates for inventory available for purchase;
• a limited-exclusivity license to an inventory management system that handles vehicles from acquisition through photography;
• a custom-built automated photography system with software that combines high-quality photos to produce an interactive, 360-degree virtual tour of both the exterior and interior of the vehicle, and creates a 3D model of the car allowing for future innovations;
• a website that includes advanced filtering and search technology that helps customers find a car that suits their tastes;
• a logistical model to optimize the transport of purchased inventory to and from the customer; and
• a custom automated delivery tower, or vending machine, including customer experience enhancements such as automatically generated video (suitable for posting to social media) that captures the customer’s pick-up experience.
We also rely on third party technology, including the following:
• customer identity verification for financing;
• transportation fleet telemetry;
• network infrastructure for hosting the website and inventory data;
• software libraries, development environments and tools;
• services to allow customers to digitally sign contracts;
• customer service call center management software; and
• automation controls and software for the vending machine.
Organizational Structure
The following chart summarizes our organizational structure as of December 31, 2018. This chart is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not purport to represent all legal entities owned or controlled by us:
(1) Shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote as a single class. Each outstanding share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally. The shares of Class B common stock have no economic rights. Each share of our Class B common stock held by Ernest Garcia II, Ernest Garcia III and entities controlled by one or both of them (collectively, the "Garcia Parties") entitles its holder to ten votes on all matters to be voted on by stockholders generally for so long as the Garcia Parties maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of at least 25% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (determined on an as-exchanged basis assuming that all of the Class A common units of Carvana Group ("Class A Units") and Class B common units of Carvana Group ("Class B Units") were exchanged for Class A common stock). All other shares of our Class B common stock entitle their holder to one vote per share on all matters to be
voted on by stockholders generally. In accordance with the exchange agreement (the "Exchange Agreement") entered into in connection with the organizational transactions, LLC Unitholders are entitled to exchange LLC Units, together with shares of Class B common stock in the case of certain Class A Units, for shares of Class A common stock determined in accordance with the Exchange Agreement or, at our election, for cash.
(2) We have a Floor Plan Facility to finance our used vehicle inventory, which is secured by substantially all of our assets, other than our interests in real property. Our Floor Plan Facility, which was most recently amended in November 2018, provides for aggregate borrowings of up to $650.0 million. As of December 31, 2018, the outstanding balance under this facility was approximately $197.0 million. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" included in Part II, Item 7 for additional information.
(3) In September 2018, we issued an aggregate of $350.0 million in senior unsecured notes due 2023 (the "Senior Notes"). The outstanding principal of the Senior Notes, net of unamortized debt issuance costs, was approximately $342.9 million as of December 31, 2018. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" included in Part II, Item 7 for additional information.
Employees
As of December 31, 2018, we had 3,879 employees. None of our employees is represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be strong.
Intellectual Property
We protect our intellectual property through a combination of trademarks, domain names, copyrights, trade secrets, patents and contractual provisions and restrictions on access and use of our proprietary information and technology.
We hold five patents, which cover our vending machine technology, photo booth, website user interface technology and imaging technology, and 11 pending patent applications covering various technologies, including our website user interface, underwriting, and vending machine technologies.
We have nine trademark registrations, including registrations for "Carvana," the Carvana logo, and various slogans.
We are the registered holder of a variety of domestic and international domain names, including "carvana.com."
In addition to the protection provided by our intellectual property rights, we generally enter into confidentiality and proprietary rights agreements with our employees, consultants, contractors and business partners. In addition, employees and contractors with inventive functions are subject to invention assignment agreements. We further control the use of our proprietary technology and intellectual property through provisions in both our general and product-specific terms of use on our website.
In addition, we have a cross-license agreement with DriveTime pursuant to which DriveTime has obtained limited licenses to some of our intellectual property.
Seasonality
We expect our quarterly results of operations, including our revenue, gross profit, profitability, if any, and cash flow to vary significantly in the future, based in part on, among other things, consumers’ car buying patterns. We are a growing company and our revenues have increased every quarter from our inception to date. However, we have experienced higher quarter over quarter revenue growth rates in the first quarter of the calendar year than in each of the last three quarters of the calendar year. We believe these results are due to seasonal buying patterns driven in part by the timing of income tax refunds, which we believe are a primary source of our customers’ down payments on used vehicle purchases. As we mature, we expect revenues may decrease in the second half of the calendar year. Due to our short operating history and the overall growth of our business, these seasonal trends have not yet been pronounced, but we expect that in the future our revenues may be affected by these seasonal trends as well as cyclical trends affecting the overall economy, specifically the automotive retail industry. See Item 1A "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We expect to experience seasonal and other fluctuations in our quarterly operating results, which may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business."
Government Regulation
Various aspects of our business are or may be subject to U.S. federal and state regulation. In particular, the advertising, sale, purchase, financing and transport of used motor vehicles are highly regulated by states in which we do business and by the U.S. federal government. The regulatory bodies that regulate our business include the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the United States Department of Transportation, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, the Department of Justice, the Federal Communications Commission, various state dealer licensing authorities, various state consumer protection agencies and various state financial regulatory agencies. We are subject to compliance audits of our operations by many of these authorities.
Certain states have concluded that our activities are subject to vehicle dealer licensing laws, requiring us to maintain a used vehicle dealer license in order to conduct business in that state. In certain other states, we have elected to obtain a used vehicle dealer license to maximize operational flexibility and efficiency and invest in relationships with state regulators. We have at least one licensed facility in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Most states regulate retail installment sales, including setting a maximum interest rate, caps on certain fees, or maximum amounts financed. In addition, certain states require that finance companies in general and Carvana in particular file a notice of intent or have a sales finance license or an installment sellers license in order to solicit or originate installment sales in that state. In certain other states, we have chosen to obtain such a license to invest in relationships with state regulators. We have obtained a sales finance license in Arizona, Delaware, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Texas, an installment seller license in Florida, Maryland, and New Jersey, and have filed consumer credit notices in Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
For a discussion of the various risks we face from regulation and compliance matters, see Item 1A "Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business—We operate in several highly regulated industries and are subject to a wide range of federal, state and local laws and regulations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition."
Other Information
Carvana Co. was incorporated in Delaware on November 29, 2016. Our principal executive offices are located at 1930 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, Arizona and our telephone number is (480) 719-8809.
General information about us can be found at investors.carvana.com. The information contained on or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and should not be considered part of this or any other report filed with the SEC. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments to those reports, are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy statements and other information regarding SEC registrants, including Carvana Co.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
Described below are certain risks to our business and the industry in which we operate. You should carefully consider the risks described below, together with the financial and other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our other public disclosures. If any of the following risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. As a result, our future results could differ materially from historical results and from guidance we may provide regarding our expectations of our future financial performance, and the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline.
Risks Related to Our Business
We have a history of losses and we may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future.
We have not been profitable since our inception in 2012 and had an accumulated loss of approximately $571.6 million as of December 31, 2018. We incurred net losses of $93.1 million, $164.3 million and $254.7 million in the years ended December 31, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. We expect to make significant investments to further develop and expand our business and these investments may not result in increased revenue or growth on a timely basis or at all. In addition, as a public company, we have and will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. As a result of these increased expenditures, we will have to generate and sustain increased revenue to achieve and maintain profitability.
We expect to continue to incur losses as we invest in and strive to grow our business. We may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including slowing demand for used vehicles and our related products and services, increasing competition, weakness in the automotive retail industry generally, a decline in global financial conditions that negatively impacts economic activity and employment, as well as other risks described in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications and delays in generating revenue or profitability. If our rate of generating revenue slows, we may not be able to reduce costs in a timely manner because many of our costs are fixed. In addition, if we reduce variable costs to respond to losses, this may limit our ability to acquire customers and grow our revenues. Accordingly, we may not achieve or maintain profitability and we may continue to incur significant losses in the future.
Our recent, rapid growth may not be indicative of our future growth and, if we continue to grow rapidly, we may not be able to manage our growth effectively.
In the calendar years 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, our revenue grew from $130.4 million, to $365.1 million, to $858.9 million, to $1,955.5 million, respectively. For our revenues to continue to increase, we need to successfully enter new markets,
acquire more customers, gain repeat customers, and expand our brand awareness. The foregoing may not happen at all or may not happen as quickly as we expect. Our failure to successfully enter new markets, acquire new customers, gain repeat customers and expand our brand awareness would harm our business, financial condition and results of operation.
We expect that, in the future, even if our revenue increases, our rate of growth may decline. In any event, we will not be able to grow as fast or at all if we do not:
•increase the number of unique visitors to our website and the number of customers;
•further improve the quality of our product offering, features and complementary products and services;
•introduce high quality new products, services, and features; or
•acquire sufficient appropriate inventory with high enough quality and low enough cost to meet the increasing demand for our vehicles.
There can be no assurance that we will meet these objectives. We expect to continue to expend substantial financial and other resources on:
•marketing and advertising, including an increase to our television advertising expenditures;
•expansion of our inventory; and
•general administration, including legal, accounting and other compliance expenses related to being a public company.
Our historical rapid growth has placed and may continue to place significant demands on our management and our operational and financial resources. We have experienced significant growth in the number of users of our platform as well as the amount of data that we analyze. We have hired and expect to continue hiring additional personnel to support our rapid growth. Our organizational structure is becoming more complex as we add staff, and we will need to improve our operational, financial and management controls as well as our reporting systems and procedures. We will require significant capital expenditures and the allocation of valuable management resources to grow and change in these areas without undermining our corporate culture of rapid innovation, teamwork and attention to the car-buying experience for the consumer. If we cannot manage our growth effectively to maintain the quality and efficiency of our customers’ car-buying experience and the quality of the vehicles we sell, our business could be harmed and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Our business has grown rapidly as additional customers have purchased used vehicles and complementary products and services through our platform. However, our business is relatively new and has operated at substantial scale for only a limited period of time. Given this limited history, it is difficult to predict whether we will be able to maintain or grow our business. We also expect that our business will evolve in ways that may be difficult to predict. For example, over time our investments that are intended to drive new customer traffic to our website may be less productive than expected. In the event of this or any other adverse developments, our continued success will depend on our ability to successfully adjust our strategy to meet changing market dynamics. If we are unable to do so, our business could be harmed and our results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
Our failure to maintain a reputation of integrity and to otherwise maintain and enhance our customer service quality and brand could adversely affect our business, sales and results of operations.
Our business model is based on our ability to provide customers with a transparent and simplified solution to car buying that will save them time and money. Accordingly, our ability to deliver that solution at high quality and our reputation as a company of integrity are critical to our success. If we fail to maintain the high standards on which our reputation is built, or if an event occurs that damages this reputation, it could adversely affect consumer trust and demand and have a material adverse effect on our business, sales and results of operations. Even the perception of a decrease in the quality of our customer service or brand could impact results. Our high rate of growth makes maintaining the quality of our customer experience a particularly difficult challenge.
Irrespective of their validity, complaints or negative publicity—about our business practices, our marketing and advertising campaigns, our compliance with applicable laws and regulations, the integrity of the data that we provide to users, our cyber-security measures and privacy practices and other aspects of our business—could diminish customer confidence in our platform and adversely affect our brand. The growing use of social media increases the speed with which information and opinions can be shared and thus the speed with which reputation can be affected. If we fail to correct or mitigate misinformation or negative information about us, the vehicles we offer to sell or purchase, our customer experience, or any aspect of our brand, including
information spread through social media or traditional media channels, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, sales and results of operations.
Our limited operating history and historical reliance on DriveTime systems and services makes it difficult to evaluate our current business and future prospects.
We launched our first market in 2013 and do not have a long history operating as a commercial company. In addition, we have only operated independently of DriveTime since November 1, 2014, and, following our spinoff from DriveTime, we remained dependent on DriveTime for a number of important operations, including locations for certain of our inspection and reconditioning centers ("IRCs"), vehicle inventory purchasing, and a number of administrative services. We continue to utilize DriveTime for certain services. Due to this and other factors, our operating results are not predictable and our historical results may not be indicative of our future results.
We expect to experience seasonal and other fluctuations in our quarterly operating results, which may not fully reflect the underlying performance of our business.
We expect our quarterly results of operations, including our revenue, gross profit and profitability, if any, and cash flow to vary significantly in the future based in part on, among other things, consumers’ car-buying patterns. Used vehicle sales exhibit seasonality with sales peaking late in the first calendar quarter (coinciding with the time when the federal government issues tax refunds) and diminishing through the rest of the year, with the lowest relative level of sales expected to occur in the fourth calendar quarter. Due to our rapid growth, our sales patterns to date have been different from the general seasonality of the used vehicle industry, but we expect this to change once our business and markets mature. Used-vehicle prices also exhibit seasonality, with used vehicles depreciating at a faster rate in the last two quarters of each year and a slower rate in the first two quarters of each year. Historically, this has led our gross profit per unit to be higher on average in the first half of the year than in the second half of the year. Other factors that may cause our quarterly results to fluctuate include, without limitation:
•our ability to attract new customers;
•changes in the competitive dynamics of our industry;
•the regulatory environment;
•expenses associated with unforeseen quality issues and manufacturer recalls; and
•litigation or other claims against us.
In addition, a significant portion of our expenses are fixed and do not vary proportionately with fluctuations in revenues. Accordingly, our results in any quarter may not indicate the results we may achieve in any subsequent quarter or for the full year, and period-to-period comparisons of our operating results may not be meaningful.
Through shared service and other agreements that were not negotiated at arm’s length, we historically benefited from DriveTime’s expertise and economies of scale, and continue to and may in the future utilize DriveTime and its affiliates for certain services and processes.
We were incubated by and may benefit from our relationship and a series of arrangements with DriveTime not negotiated at arm’s length, as DriveTime is controlled by our controlling shareholder who is also the father of our chief executive officer. Currently, many services that DriveTime historically provided to us (including certain accounting, finance, legal, human resources, payroll and benefits, tax, information technology, real estate and inventory purchasing) are now provided by alternative vendors or have been brought in-house. Consequently, certain of our historical costs may not accurately reflect our future costs to the extent that DriveTime no longer provides us with such services or refuses to continue doing so at currently contracted-for prices.
For example, DriveTime built our IRCs in Georgia, Texas, Ohio, and New Jersey and now leases them to us. Verde Investments, Inc. ("Verde"), an affiliate of DriveTime, leases to us our Arizona IRC. If we are unable to time-efficiently and cost-effectively construct or acquire additional IRCs in the future, our production capacity may not be sufficient to satisfy customer demand. In addition, we lease many of our hubs from DriveTime. If we cannot similarly lease space for new hubs or IRCs from DriveTime at prices consistent with their historical prices, or at all, we may not be able to expand production or into new markets as quickly as we have historically and we may incur additional costs in such expansion.
We continue to engage DriveTime, its affiliates, and other entities controlled by our controlling shareholder to provide us with certain services, including the administration of VSCs, GAP waiver coverage, and other related products sold to our
customers. We also continue to utilize DriveTime for certain information technology systems and services. For example, we rely on DriveTime’s inventory management system to support our revenue recognition process. Should DriveTime fail to adequately perform any of these services or maintain these systems on terms or at prices consistent with their historical prices, or at all, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Additionally, DriveTime has in the past and may in the future purchase automotive finance receivables from us. However, there can be no assurance that they will do so on the same or similar terms, or at all. As a result, our historical results may not be reflected in our future results.
Before and after we sell automotive receivables originated by us, DriveTime performs ongoing servicing and collections. If DriveTime is unwilling to enter into servicing arrangements for our future auto receivable facilities on terms or at prices consistent with their historical prices or at all, our ability to sell such receivables may be adversely affected. If DriveTime refuses to continue servicing and collecting on automotive finance receivables originated by us before we sell them, our ability to adequately prepare such receivables for sale may be adversely affected. Our revenues derived from the sale of those receivables may decline as a result.
Our results of operations and financial condition are subject to management’s accounting judgments, estimates, and changes in accounting policies.
The preparation of our financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions affecting the reported amounts of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. If these estimates or assumptions are incorrect, it could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition. We have identified several accounting policies as being "critical" to the fair presentation of our financial condition and results of operations because they involve major aspects of our business and require us to make judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain. These policies are described in "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the notes to consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The implementation of new accounting requirements or other changes to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles could have a material adverse effect on our reported results of operations and financial condition.
We participate in a highly competitive industry; pressure from existing and new companies may adversely affect our business and operating results.
We face significant competition from companies that provide listings, information, lead generation, and car-buying services designed to reach consumers and enable dealers to reach these consumers.
Our current and future competitors may include:
•traditional used vehicle dealerships that could increase investment in technology and infrastructure to compete directly with our online model;
•internet and online automotive sites that could change their models to directly compete with us, such as Amazon, Autobytel.com, AutoTrader.com, Cars.com, CarGurus.com, eBay Motors, Edmunds.com, Google, KBB.com and TrueCar.com;
•providers of offline, membership-based car-buying services such as the Costco Auto Program;
•used vehicle dealers or marketplaces with e-commerce business or online platforms such as Shift and Vroom; and
•automobile manufacturers such as Ford, General Motors, Hyundai and Volkswagen that could change their sales models through technology and infrastructure investments.
We also expect that competitors, both new and existing, will continue to enter the online and traditional automotive retail industry with competing brands, business models, products, and services, which could make it difficult to acquire inventory, attract customers, and sell vehicles at a profitable price. For example, traditional vehicle dealerships could transition their selling efforts to the internet, allowing them to sell vehicles across state lines and compete directly with our online offering and no-negotiating pricing model. There can be no assurance we will not experience competition from DriveTime, the company from which we were spun off and with which we currently have a number of business relationships. Furthermore, we have a cross-license agreement with DriveTime pursuant to which DriveTime has obtained limited licenses to some of our intellectual property. Additionally, existing e-commerce businesses, such as Amazon, could directly enter the online used vehicle market.
Some of these companies have significantly greater resources than we do and may be able to provide customers access to a greater inventory of vehicles at lower prices while delivering a competitive online experience.
Our competitors may also develop and market new technologies that render our existing or future business model, products and services less competitive, unmarketable or obsolete. For example, rideshare services, such as Uber and Lyft, are becoming increasingly popular as a means of transportation and may decrease consumer demand for the used vehicles we sell, particularly as urbanization increases. Technology is currently being developed to produce automated, driverless vehicles that could reduce the demand for, or replace, traditional vehicles including the used vehicles that we sell. In addition, if our competitors develop business models, products or services with similar or superior functionality to our solutions, it may adversely impact our business.
Our competitors may also impede our ability to reach consumers or commence operations in certain jurisdictions. For example, our competitors may increase their search engine optimization efforts and outbid us for search terms on various search engines. Additionally, our competitors could use their political influence and increase lobbying efforts to hinder our real estate entitlements processes, push for new regulations, or encourage interpretations of existing regulations that would prevent us from operating in certain jurisdictions.
Our current and potential competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we have, and the ability to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and support of their products and services. Additionally, they may have more extensive automotive industry relationships, longer operating histories and greater name recognition than we have. As a result, these competitors may be able to respond more quickly with new technologies and to undertake more extensive marketing or promotional campaigns. If we are unable to compete with these companies, the demand for our used vehicles, products and services could substantially decline.
Private plaintiffs and federal, state and local regulatory and law enforcement authorities continue to scrutinize advertising, sales, financing and insurance activities in the purchase, sale and leasing of used vehicles. If, as a result, other automotive retailers adopt more transparent, consumer-oriented business practices, our differentiation versus those retailers could be reduced.
In addition, if one or more of our competitors, or DriveTime, were to merge or partner with another of our competitors, the change in the competitive landscape could adversely affect our ability to compete effectively. Our competitors may also establish or strengthen cooperative relationships with our current or future data providers, technology partners, or other parties with whom we have relationships, thereby limiting our ability to develop, improve and promote our solutions. We may not be able to compete successfully against current or future competitors, and competitive pressures may harm our revenue, business and financial results.
Our business is sensitive to changes in the prices of new and used vehicles.
Any significant changes in prices for new or used vehicles could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations. For example, if prices for used vehicles rise relative to prices for new vehicles, it could make buying a new vehicle more attractive to our customers than buying a used vehicle, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and could result in reduced used vehicle sales and lower revenue. Additionally, manufacturer incentives could contribute to narrowing the price gap between new and used vehicles. Used vehicle prices may also decline due to an increased number of new vehicle lease returns over the next several years. While lower used vehicle prices reduce our cost of acquiring new inventory, lower prices could also lead to reductions in the prices at which we can sell such inventory, which could have a negative impact on gross profit. Furthermore, any significant changes in wholesale prices for used vehicles could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations by reducing wholesale margins.
Our business is dependent upon access to desirable vehicle inventory. Obstacles to acquiring attractive inventory, whether because of supply, competition, or other factors, may have a material adverse effect on our business, sales and results of operations.
We acquire vehicles for sale through numerous sources, including from wholesale auctions, other retailers, and directly from consumers. There can be no assurance that the supply of desirable used vehicles will be sufficient to meet our needs. A reduction in the availability of or access to sources of desirable inventory could have a material adverse effect on our business, sales and results of operations.
Additionally, we evaluate hundreds of thousands of potential vehicles daily using a proprietary algorithm to predict mechanical soundness, consumer desirability and relative value as prospective inventory. If we fail to adjust appraisal offers to
stay in line with broader market trade-in offer trends, to recognize those trends, or to properly assess vehicles before we purchase them, it could adversely affect our ability to acquire desirable inventory. Our ability to source vehicles through our appraisal process could also be affected by competition, both from new and used vehicle dealers directly and through other websites driving appraisal traffic to those dealers. In addition, we remain dependent on others to sell us used vehicles, and there can be no assurance of an adequate supply of such vehicles on terms that are attractive to us.
Our business is dependent upon our ability to expeditiously sell inventory. Failure to expeditiously sell our inventory could have a material adverse effect on our business, sales and results of operations.
Our purchases of used vehicles are based in large part on projected demand. If actual sales are materially less than our forecasts, we would experience an over-supply of used vehicle inventory. An over-supply of used vehicle inventory will generally cause downward pressure on our product sales prices and margins and increase our average days to sale.
Used-vehicle inventory has typically represented a significant portion of our total assets. Having such a large portion of our total assets in the form of used vehicle inventory for an extended period of time subjects us to depreciation and other risks. Accordingly, if we have excess inventory or our average days to sale increases, we may be unable to liquidate such inventory at prices that allow us to meet margin targets or to recover our costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our ability to sell automotive finance receivables and generate gains on sales of these finance receivables may decline in the future; any material reduction could harm our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We provide financing to customers and typically sell the receivables related to the financing contract. For example, we entered into agreements in November 2018 pursuant to which financing partners renewed their commitments, agreeing to purchase additional automotive finance receivables we originate. As we use the available capacity under each agreement, we plan to enter into new arrangements to sell additional automotive finance receivables. If we are no longer able to sell receivables to our financing partners for a variety of reasons, including because we reached our capacity under these or future arrangements, our financing partners exercised constructive or other termination rights before we reached capacity or we reached the scheduled expiration date of the commitments, and we are not able to enter into new arrangements, we may not have adequate liquidity and our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
Additionally, there can be no assurance that our relationships with the financing partners who purchase these receivables will continue in the future, that such financing partners will renew our agreements with them when those agreements expire, or that they will not terminate them by exercising certain constructive or other early termination rights, due to a breach by us of our agreements with them or otherwise. If they cease to purchase these receivables, it would have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue originating finance receivables and adversely impact our operating results. Furthermore, we would be subject to the risk that some of these receivables are not paid when due and we are forced to incur unexpected asset write-offs and bad-debt expense.
We depend on the sale of automotive finance receivables for a substantial portion of our gross profit.
In connection with the sale of used vehicles, many of our customers use our financing services to finance a portion of the purchase price of their vehicle. The prices we are able to charge for finance receivables that we sell are based on a variety of factors, including the terms and credit risk associated with the automotive finance receivables, the relationship between the interest rates we quoted the customer at the time they priced their financing and market and projected interest rates at the time we sell the finance receivables, the historical credit performance of the finance receivables we sell, financing partner demand and other factors. If these variables or others were to change, we might be required to reduce our sale prices on finance receivables, sell fewer of them, or both, which could reduce our gains on sales of finance receivables. Any material reduction in our interest rate spread or gains on sale of finance receivables could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Furthermore, customers may elect to finance their vehicle purchases through other parties who may be able to offer more attractive terms, in which case we would lose a source of what has historically been a significant portion of our gross profit.
Our ability to resell automotive finance receivables is dependent on our ability to originate desirable finance receivables. If customers or other parties provide us incorrect or fraudulent data, we may offer credit terms that do not align with customers’ credit profiles, and our operating results may be harmed.
We offer financing to our customers to facilitate their purchases of used vehicles. The terms of the financing we offer are dependent in part on our assessment of such customers’ credit-worthiness, which is based on data gathered from customers and
other parties. If the information we rely on is inaccurate or fraudulent, we may offer inappropriate terms to our customers, resulting in originating receivables that we are unable to collect or sell because they are based on inaccurate credit profiles. Originating a material amount of receivables with inaccurate or fraudulent credit profiles could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The success of our business relies heavily on our marketing and branding efforts, and these efforts may not be successful.
We believe that an important component of our growth will be the growth of visitors to our website. Because we are a consumer brand, we rely heavily on marketing and advertising to increase brand visibility with potential customers. We currently advertise through a blend of brand and direct advertising channels with the goal of increasing the strength, recognition and trust in the Carvana brand and driving more unique visitors to our website. We recorded expenses of approximately $27.0 million, $55.7 million and $111.2 million on advertising in the years ended December 31, 2016, December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2018, respectively.
Our business model relies on our ability to scale rapidly and to decrease incremental customer acquisition costs as we grow. If we are unable to recover our marketing costs through increases in customer traffic and in the number of transactions by users of our platform, if our advertising partners refuse to customize their products and services to accommodate our business model, if our advertising partners refuse to work with us at competitive rates or at all, or if our broad marketing campaigns are not successful or are terminated, it could have a material adverse effect on our growth, results of operations and financial condition.
We rely on internet search engines, vehicle listing sites, lead generators, automotive finance providers, and social networking sites to help drive traffic to our website, and if we fail to appear prominently in the search results or fail to drive traffic through paid advertising, our traffic would decline and our business would be adversely affected.
We depend in part on internet search engines (such as Bing, Google and Yahoo!), vehicle listing sites (such as AutoTrader.com, CarGurus.com and TrueCar.com), lead generators, automotive finance partners, and social networking sites (such as Facebook) to drive traffic to our website. Our ability to maintain and increase the number of visitors directed to our website is not entirely within our control. Our competitors may increase their search engine optimization efforts and outbid us for placement on various vehicle listing sites or search terms on various search engines, resulting in their websites receiving a higher search result page ranking than ours. Additionally, internet search engines could revise their methodologies in a way that would adversely affect our search result rankings. If internet search engines modify their search algorithms in ways that are detrimental to us, if vehicle listing sites refuse to display any or all of our inventory in certain geographic markets, or if our competitors’ efforts are more successful than ours, overall growth in our customer base could slow or our customer base could decline. Internet search engine providers could provide automotive dealer and pricing information directly in search results, align with our competitors or choose to develop competing services. Our website has experienced fluctuations in search result rankings in the past, and we anticipate similar fluctuations in the future. Any reduction in the number of users directed to our website through internet search engines, vehicle listing sites, lead generators, automotive finance providers, or social networking sites could harm our business and operating results.
We operate in several highly regulated industries and are subject to a wide range of federal, state and local laws and regulations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to a wide range of federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Our sale and purchase of used vehicles and related activities, including the sale of complementary products and services, are subject to state and local licensing requirements, state laws related to title and registration, state laws regulating the sale of motor vehicles and related products and services, and federal and state laws regulating advertising of motor vehicles and related products and services. Our facilities and business operations are subject to laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and health and safety. The financing we offer to customers is subject to state licensing laws and to federal and state laws regulating the advertising, provision, and collection of consumer finance. Regulators of jurisdictions where our customers reside but in which we do not have a dealer or financing license could require that we obtain a license or otherwise comply with various state regulations, and may seek to impose punitive fines for operating without a license or demand we seek a license in those jurisdictions, any of which may inhibit our ability to do business in those jurisdictions, increase our operating expenses and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In the future, we may engage in different business activities or make changes to our business model that subject us to further state and federal regulation.
Our logistics operations, which we depend on to transport vehicles to and from auctions, our IRCs, our vending machines, our hubs and our customers, are subject to regulation by the DOT and by the states through which our vehicles travel. Vehicle dimensions, driver alcohol and drug testing and driver hours of service are also subject to both federal and state regulation.
More restrictive limitations on vehicle weight and size, trailer length and configuration, methods of measurement, driver qualifications or driver hours of service would increase our operating expenses and may adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows. If we fail to comply with the DOT regulations or if those regulations become more stringent, we could be subject to increased inspections, audits or compliance burdens. Regulatory authorities could take remedial action including imposing fines or shutting down our in-house transportation operations. If any of these events occur, our financial condition, operating results and cash flows would be adversely affected.
In addition to these laws and regulations that apply to our business operations, we are also subject to laws and regulations affecting public companies, including securities laws and NYSE listing rules. The applicability of these regulatory and legal compliance obligations is dependent on the evolving interpretations of these laws and regulations.
The violation of any of these laws or regulations could result in administrative, civil or criminal penalties or in a cease-and-desist order against some or all of our business activities, any of which could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, sales and results of operations. We have incurred and will continue to incur capital and operating expenses and other costs to comply with these laws and regulations.
This description of laws and regulations to which we are or may be subject is not exhaustive, and the regulatory framework governing our operations is subject to evolving interpretations and continuous change.
Changes in the laws and regulations to which our business and industry is subject could have a material adverse effect on our business, sales, results of operations and financial condition.
Recent federal legislative and regulatory initiatives and reforms may result in an increase in expenses or a decrease in revenues, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. For example, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the "Dodd-Frank Act") regulates, among other things, the provision of consumer financing. The Dodd-Frank Act established a new consumer financial protection agency, the CFPB, with broad regulatory powers. The CFPB is responsible for administering and enforcing laws and regulations related to consumer financial products and services. The evolving regulatory environment in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the Dodd-Frank Act and the creation of the CFPB may increase the cost of regulatory compliance or result in changes to business practices that could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, as it is phased in over time, significantly affects the provision of health care services and will increase the costs we incur to provide our employees with health coverage.
Current federal labor policy could lead to increased unionization efforts, which could increase labor costs, disrupt facility operations, and have a material adverse effect on our business, sales and results of operations.
The enactment of new laws and regulations or the interpretation of existing laws and regulations in an unfavorable way may affect the operation of our business, directly or indirectly, which could result in substantial regulatory compliance costs, civil or criminal penalties, including fines, adverse publicity, decreased revenues and increased expenses.
If we fail to comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, we may face significant damages, which could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We utilize telephone calls and text messaging as a means of responding to and marketing to consumers interested in purchasing, trading in, selling or financing vehicles and related products and services. We generate leads from our website by prompting potential customers to provide their phone numbers so that we can contact them in response to their interest in financing terms, trading in or selling a vehicles, or purchasing a specific vehicle. We also pay others for leads. A portion of our revenue comes from purchases, sales, and financing that involves a call or text made by our internal call centers, automated communications systems, or vendors we engage to reach out to these potential customers.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (the "TCPA"), as interpreted and implemented by the FCC and U.S. courts currently imposes significant restrictions on the use of telephone calls and text messages to residential and mobile telephone numbers as a means of communication when prior consent of the person being contacted has not been obtained. Violations of the TCPA may be enforced by the FCC or by individuals through litigation, including class actions. Statutory penalties for TCPA violations range from $500 to $1,500 per violation, which has been interpreted to mean per phone call.
While we have implemented processes and procedures to comply with the TCPA, if we or those services we rely on for data fail to adhere to or successfully implement appropriate processes and procedures in response to existing or future
regulations, it could result in legal and monetary liability, fines, penalties, or damage to our reputation in the marketplace. Additionally, any changes to the TCPA, its interpretation, or enforcement of it by the government, the courts, or private parties that further restrict the way we contact and communicate with our potential customers or generate leads could adversely affect our ability to attract customers.
Government regulation of the internet and e-commerce is evolving, and unfavorable changes or failure by us to comply with these regulations could substantially harm our business and results of operations.
We are subject to general business regulations and laws as well as regulations and laws specifically governing the internet and e-commerce. Existing and future regulations and laws could impede the growth of the internet, e-commerce or mobile commerce. These regulations and laws may involve taxes, privacy, cyber security, anti-spam, pricing, content protection, electronic contracts and communications, mobile communications, consumer protection, information reporting requirements, unencumbered internet access to our services and the design and operation of websites. It is not clear how existing laws governing issues such as property ownership, sales and other taxes and consumer privacy apply to the internet as the vast majority of these laws were adopted prior to the advent of the internet and do not contemplate or address the unique issues raised by the internet or e-commerce. Unfavorable interpretation or enforcement of regulations and laws, or newly promulgated unfavorable regulations and laws, could diminish the demand for used vehicles and complementary products and services and increase our cost of doing business.
Our ability to grow our complementary product and service offerings may be limited, which could negatively impact our growth rate, revenues and financial performance.
If we introduce new or expand existing offerings for our platform, such as services or products involving other inventory sources, new vehicles, trade-ins, financing, insurance, subscription services, shipping services, deficiency waivers, customized accessories, leasing or maintenance, we may incur losses or otherwise fail to enter these markets successfully. Our expansion into these markets will place us in competitive and regulatory environments with which we are unfamiliar and involve various risks, including the need to invest significant resources and the possibility that returns on such investments will not be achieved for several years, if at all. In attempting to establish new service or product offerings, we expect to incur significant expenses and face various other challenges, such as expanding our customer advocate and management personnel to cover these markets and complying with complicated regulations that apply to these markets. In addition, we may not successfully demonstrate the value of these complementary products and services to consumers, and failure to do so would compromise our ability to successfully expand into these additional revenue streams. Any of these risks, if realized, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
If we do not adequately address our customers’ shift to mobile device technology, operating results could be harmed and our growth could be negatively affected.
Our future success depends in part on our ability to provide adequate functionality for visitors who use mobile devices to shop for used vehicles and the number of transactions with us that are completed by those users. In recent years the proportion of U.S. consumers who use mobile devices to access websites has generally increased. A shift to mobile technology by our users may harm our business in the following ways:
•customers visiting our website from a mobile device may not accept mobile technology as a viable long-term platform to buy or sell a vehicle. This may occur for a number of reasons, including our ability to provide the same level of website functionality to a mobile device that we provide on a desktop computer, the actual or perceived lack of security of information on a mobile device and possible disruptions of service or connectivity;
•we may not continue to innovate and introduce enhanced products that can be suitably conveyed on mobile platforms;
•consumers using mobile devices may believe that our competitors offer superior products and features based in part on our inability to provide sufficient website functionality to convince a mobile device user to transact with us; or
•regulations related to consumer finance disclosures, including the Truth in Lending Act and the Fair Credit Reporting Act, may be interpreted, in the context of mobile devices, in a manner which could expose us to legal liability in the event we are found to have violated applicable laws.
If we do not develop suitable functionality for users who visit our website using a mobile device, our business and operating results could be harmed.
Our business is subject to risks related to the larger automotive ecosystem, including consumer demand, global supply chain challenges and other macroeconomic issues.
Decreases in consumer demand could adversely affect the market for used vehicles and, as a result, reduce the number of consumers using our platform. Consumer purchases of new and used vehicles generally decline during recessionary periods and other periods in which disposable income is adversely affected. For example, the number of used vehicle sales in the United States decreased from approximately 41.4 million in 2007 to approximately 35.5 million in 2009, according to CNW Research Retail Automotive Summary. Purchases of new and used vehicles are typically discretionary for consumers and have been, and may continue to be, affected by negative trends in the economy and other factors, including rising interest rates, the cost of energy and gasoline, the availability and cost of credit, reductions in business and consumer confidence, stock market volatility, increased regulation and increased unemployment. Increased environmental regulation has made, and may in the future make, used vehicles more expensive and less desirable for consumers. In addition, our business may be negatively affected by challenges to the larger automotive ecosystem, including urbanization, global supply chain challenges and other macroeconomic issues. For example, rideshare services, such as Uber and Lyft, are becoming increasingly popular as a means of transportation and may decrease consumer demand for the used vehicles we sell, particularly as urbanization increases. Additionally, new technologies such as autonomous driving software have the potential to change the dynamics of vehicle ownership in the future. Any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
The current geographic concentration where we provide services creates an exposure to severe weather, local economies, regional downturns or catastrophic occurrences that may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
As of the date of this report, we conduct business through six IRCs located in Arizona, Georgia, New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio and Texas, managing fulfillment to 100 metropolitan areas across a substantial portion of the United States. We hold the significant majority of our inventory at these six locations. Our business is currently more susceptible to regional conditions than the operations of more geographically diversified competitors, and we are vulnerable to economic downturns and other unforeseen events or circumstances in those regions. Changes in demographics and population or severe weather conditions and other catastrophic occurrences in areas in which we operate or from which we obtain inventory may materially adversely affect our results of operations. Such conditions may result in physical damage to our properties, loss of inventory and delays in the delivery of vehicles to our IRCs, hubs, vending machines or customers.
Any of these factors may disrupt our businesses and materially adversely affect our financial condition and result of operations. Furthermore, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully replicate our business model and achieve levels of success as we enter new markets.
An inability to obtain affordable insurance on our inventory may materially adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on inventory insurance to protect against catastrophic losses of our inventory. There is no guarantee that we will continue to be able to insure our inventory at affordable rates, or at all, through outside insurers. If we are unable to purchase affordable insurance, we may have to self-insure, reducing our ability to make other investments in our business and exposing us to financial risk. In addition, our inability to insure our inventory through an outside insurer, or to adequately self-insure, may adversely impact our ability to finance our inventory purchases.
We may require additional debt and equity capital to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances. If such capital is not available to us, our business, operating results and financial condition may be harmed.
We may require additional capital to pursue our business objectives and respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances, including to increase our marketing expenditures to improve our brand awareness, build and maintain our inventory of quality used vehicles, develop new products or services (including vehicle-financing services) or further improve existing products and services, enhance our operating infrastructure and acquire complementary businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. However, additional funds may not be available when we need them, on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, any debt financing that we secure in the future could involve restrictive covenants which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities. For example, the indenture governing our Senior Notes limits our and certain of our subsidiaries’ ability to, among other things, incur additional debt or issue preferred stock, create liens, create restrictions on our subsidiaries’ ability to make payments to us, pay dividends and make other distributions, redeem or repurchase stock or prepay
subordinated indebtedness, make certain investments or certain other restricted payments, guarantee indebtedness, designate unrestricted subsidiaries, sell certain kinds of assets, enter into certain types of transactions with affiliates, and effect mergers or consolidations. See Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity—Senior Unsecured Notes."
Volatility in the credit markets may also have an adverse effect on our ability to obtain debt financing. If we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or convertible debt securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of holders of our Class A common stock. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue to pursue our business objectives and to respond to business opportunities, challenges or unforeseen circumstances could be significantly limited, and our business, operating results, financial condition and prospects could be adversely affected.
We rely on agreements with lenders to finance our vehicle inventory purchases. If we fail to maintain adequate relationships with lenders to finance our vehicle inventory purchases, we may be unable to maintain sufficient inventory, which would adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We rely on agreements with lenders to finance our vehicle inventory purchases. If we are unable to extend the agreements on favorable terms or at all, or if the agreements expire and are not renewed, our inventory supply may decline, resulting in fewer vehicles available for sale on our website. For example, our agreement with Ally matures in October 2020 and may be extended for an additional period at Ally’s sole discretion. If we are unable to renew the facility with Ally or find a satisfactory replacement, whether because of our financial and operating performance or for other reasons, our ability to acquire inventory would be adversely affected. New funding arrangements may be at higher interest rates or other less favorable terms. These financing risks, in addition to rising interest rates and changes in market conditions, if realized, could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Errors in our contracts with our customers may render them unenforceable or ineligible for sale. If we have already sold contracts with errors in them, we may be required to repurchase them.
We enter into purchase agreements, buyer’s orders, retail installment contracts and other contracts with our customers that are generated automatically based upon information the customer enters into our website. The contracts are intended to comply with the applicable consumer lending and other commercial and legal requirements of the relevant jurisdictions. We face the risk, however, that the auto-generated forms may inadvertently contain errors, omissions or otherwise fail to comply with applicable regulations in a manner that would render such contracts unenforceable. For example, most jurisdictions impose a maximum interest rate cap that we can charge our customers. If we inadvertently or otherwise exceed the relevant cap, our retail installment contracts in such jurisdiction may be unenforceable, and in some instances, we may be required to pay damages or repay any financing charges previously collected. If a significant number of our retail installment contracts are rendered unenforceable, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We generally seek to sell automotive finance receivables to financing partners. The financing partners who agree to buy or fund our loans require that we make certain representations about the enforceability or validity of those contracts. If these receivables do not meet the specified representations, we have in the past been, and may in the future be, forced to repurchase these receivables. If we sell a significant amount of receivables that do not meet the predetermined representations, we may be required to use cash on hand or to obtain alternative financing in order to repurchase them. Any significant repurchases could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and may jeopardize our ability to sell contracts to those or other financing partners in the future.
We rely on our proprietary credit scoring model to forecast automotive finance receivable loss rates. If we are unable to effectively forecast loss rates, it may negatively impact our operating results.
We rely on our internally developed models to forecast loss rates of the automotive finance receivables we originate. If we rely on a model that fails to effectively forecast loss rates on receivables we originate, those receivables may suffer higher losses than expected. We generally seek to sell these receivables to financing partners. If the receivables we sell experience higher loss rates than forecasted, we may obtain less favorable pricing on the receivables we sell to those parties in the future and suffer reputational harm in the marketplace for the receivables we sell and our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. We hold receivables we originate on our balance sheet until we sell them to financing partners, and to the extent those receivables fail to perform during our holding period, they may become ineligible for sale. As a result, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.
Because we rely on internal and external logistics to transport our inventory throughout the United States, we are subject to business risks and costs associated with the transportation industry. Many of these risks and costs are out of our control, and any of them could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on a combination of internal and external logistics to transport vehicles to and from wholesale auctions, IRCs, vending machines and our customers. As a result, we are exposed to risks associated with the transportation industry such as weather, traffic patterns, gasoline prices, recalls affecting our vehicle fleet, local and federal regulations, vehicular crashes, insufficient internal capacity, rising prices of transportation vendors, fuel prices, taxes, license and registration fees, insurance premiums, self-insurance levels, difficulty in recruiting and retaining qualified drivers, disruption of our technology systems, and increasing equipment and operational costs. Our failure to successfully manage our logistics and fulfillment process could cause a disruption in our inventory supply chain and distribution, which may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We face a variety of risks associated with the construction, financing, and operation of our inspection and reconditioning centers and vending machines, any of which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We are required to obtain approvals, permits, and licenses from state regulators and local municipalities to construct and operate our IRCs and vending machines. We may face delays in obtaining the requisite approvals, permits, financing, and licenses to construct and operate our IRCs and vending machines, or we may not be able to obtain them at all. If we encounter delays in obtaining or cannot obtain the requisite approvals, permits, financing, and licenses to construct and operate our IRCs and vending machines in desirable locations, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We lease or finance certain real estate on which we construct and operate some of our IRCs and vending machines. Because of potential difficulties finding a replacement tenant, some landlords will have concerns leasing and some lenders will have concerns financing to a tenant with such a unique use. Consequently, some landlords or lenders may offer unfavorable leasing or financing terms or may not be willing to lease or finance the sites we pursue. Similarly, sites we wish to purchase for the construction or operation of our IRCs and vending machines may have similar constraints. If we are required to enter into inflexible or expensive leases, financing, or purchase agreements to construct and operate our IRCs and vending machines, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We depend on one supplier to construct portions of our vending machines and to provide technical support and maintenance on them. If we are unable to maintain our relationship with our supplier, or our supplier ceases to produce the parts or perform the services we need, or our supplier is unable to effectively deliver services and equipment on timelines and at the price we have negotiated, and we are unable to contract with an alternative supplier, we may not be able to construct new vending machines or continue to operate existing vending machines, and our financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected. Additionally, the durability of our vending machines is unknown and we may be required to incur significant maintenance and other expenses to keep them operating properly. If we are required to incur significant expenses to maintain our vending machines our financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.
We also rely on vendors and suppliers to construct and operate portions of our IRCs. If we are unable to maintain our relationship with our vendors and suppliers, or such vendors and suppliers cease to provide the services we need, or such vendors and suppliers are unable to effectively deliver our services on timelines and at the price we have negotiated, and we are unable to contract with alternative vendors and suppliers, our ability to construct new IRCs or continue to operate existing IRCs and our financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.
We may rely on agreements with lenders or institutional real estate investors to finance certain vending machines and inspection and reconditioning centers. If we fail to create or maintain adequate relationships with lenders or investors to finance such assets, we may be unable to construct and operate additional vending machines and inspection and reconditioning centers in the future, which would adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We currently rely on agreements with lenders or institutional real estate investors to finance certain vending machines and IRCs, and may in the future rely on agreements with lenders or investors to finance real estate capital expenditures, including additional vending machines and inspection and reconditioning centers. If we are unable to enter into new financing agreements for such assets on favorable terms or at all, whether because of our financial and operating performance or for other reasons, our ability to construct and operate additional vending machines and IRCs would be adversely affected. New funding arrangements may be at higher interest rates than historical real estate financing or other less favorable terms. If realized, these financing risks, in addition to rising interest rates and changes in market conditions, could negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.
We collect, process, store, share, disclose and use personal information and other data. Our actual or perceived failure to protect such information and data, mitigate data loss, and prevent a cybersecurity or other incident could damage our reputation and harm our business and operating results.
We collect, process, store, share, disclose and use sensitive information and other data provided by consumers and employees, including personally identifying information. We rely on encryption and authentication technology licensed from third parties to securely transmit and store such information. We expend significant resources to protect against both internal and external security breaches and may need to expend more resources in the event we need to address problems caused by breaches. Any failure or perceived failure to maintain the security of personal and other data that is provided to us by consumers, employees, and vendors could harm our reputation and expose us to a risk of loss or litigation and possible liability, any of which could adversely affect our business and operating results.
Additionally, concerns about how we collect, protect, store, use or disclose personal information, or other privacy related matters, even if unfounded, could harm our business and operating results.
We are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws regarding privacy, cybersecurity and the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information and other data. The scope of these laws is changing. The laws are subject to differing interpretations, and both the laws and their interpretations are often inconsistent across jurisdictions. We are also subject to contractual requirements and others’ privacy policies that govern how we use and protect personal information and other data. They may be costly to comply with, and may conflict with other rules. These obligations may be interpreted and applied in new ways or in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. New regulations could be enacted. Any failure or perceived failure by us to comply with our privacy policies, our privacy- or cybersecurity-related obligations to consumers, employees, or other third parties, or our privacy- or cybersecurity-related legal obligations, or any compromise generally of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of sensitive information, which may include personally identifiable information or other customer or employee data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation or public statements against us by consumer advocacy groups or others and could cause consumers, employees, vendors and receivable financing partners to lose trust in us, which could have an adverse effect on our business. If vendors, developers or other parties that we work with violate applicable laws or our policies, such violations may also put consumers’, employees’, vendors’ or receivable financing partners’ information at risk and could in turn harm our reputation, business and operating results.
A significant disruption in service on our website could damage our reputation and result in a loss of consumers, which could harm our business, brand, operating results and financial condition.
Our brand, reputation and ability to attract consumers depend on the reliable performance of our website and the supporting systems, technology and infrastructure. We may experience significant interruptions to our systems in the future. Interruptions in these systems, whether due to system failures, programming or configuration errors, computer viruses, or physical or electronic break-ins, could limit the availability of our inventory on our website and prevent or inhibit consumers from accessing our website. Problems with the reliability or security of our systems could harm our reputation, result in a loss of customers and result in additional costs.
Substantially all of the communications, network, and computer hardware used to operate our website are located at co-location facilities. Although we have multiple locations, our systems are not fully redundant. In addition, we do not own or control the operation of these facilities. Our systems and operations are vulnerable to damage or interruption from fire, flood, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attacks, acts of war, electronic and physical break-ins, computer viruses, earthquakes, and similar events. The occurrence of any of these events could damage our systems and hardware or could cause them to fail.
Problems faced by our web-hosting providers could adversely affect the experience of our customers. For example, our web-hosting providers could close their facilities without adequate notice or suffer interruptions in service caused by cyber-attacks, natural disasters or other phenomena. Any financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, faced by our web-hosting providers or any of the service providers with whom they contract may have negative effects on our business, the nature and extent of which are difficult to predict. If our web-hosting providers are unable to keep up with our growing capacity needs, our business could be harmed.
Any errors, defects, disruptions, or other performance or reliability problems with our network operations could interrupt our customers’ access to our inventory and our access to data that drives our inventory purchase operations as well as cause delays and additional expense in arranging access to new facilities and services, any of which could harm our reputation, business, operating results and financial condition.
Failure to adequately protect our intellectual property, technology, and confidential information could reduce our competitiveness and harm our business and operating results.
Our business depends on our intellectual property, technology, and confidential information, the protection of which is crucial to the success of our business. For example, we have developed proprietary algorithms to price the vehicles we purchase and sell and to determine the financing terms we offer customers. We rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and contractual restrictions to protect these algorithms and our other intellectual property, technology, and confidential information. In addition, we attempt to protect our intellectual property, technology, and confidential information by requiring certain of our employees and consultants to enter into confidentiality and invention assignment agreements and certain third parties to enter into nondisclosure agreements. These agreements may not effectively grant all necessary rights to any inventions that may have been developed by the employees and consultants. In addition, these agreements may not effectively prevent unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, intellectual property, or technology, and may not provide an adequate remedy in the event of unauthorized use or disclosure of our confidential information, intellectual property, or technology. Despite our efforts to protect our proprietary rights, unauthorized parties may attempt to copy aspects of our website features, software, and functionality, or to obtain and use information that we consider proprietary. Changes in the law or adverse court rulings may also limit the scope of our rights and inhibit us from preventing others from using our technology.
We currently hold rights to the "carvana.com" internet domain name and various other related domain names. The regulation of domain names in the United States is subject to change. Regulatory bodies could establish additional top-level domains, appoint additional domain name registrars, or modify the requirements for holding domain names. As a result, we may not be able to acquire or maintain all domain names that use the name Carvana or are otherwise important for our business.
We may be subject to claims that our employees, consultants, or advisors have wrongfully used or disclosed trade secrets or other intellectual property or proprietary information of their current or former employers, or claims asserting ownership of what we regard as our own intellectual property.
Although we try to ensure that our employees, consultants and advisors do not use the proprietary information or know-how of others in their work for us, we may be subject to claims that we or those who work for us have used or disclosed trade secrets or other intellectual property or proprietary information of their current or former employer. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. If we fail in defending any such claims, we may have to pay monetary damages and lose valuable intellectual property rights or personnel. Even if we are successful in defending against such claims, litigation could result in substantial costs, harm our reputation, and be a distraction to management.
In addition, while it is our policy to require our employees and contractors who may be involved in the conception or development of intellectual property to execute agreements assigning such intellectual property to us, we may be unsuccessful in executing such an agreement with each party who conceives or develops intellectual property that we regard as our own. The assignment of intellectual property may not be self-executing, may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions or may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties or defend claims that they may bring against us to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. This could be costly, and if we are unsuccessful, we may not be able to prevent others from using our technology, and may not be able to use it ourselves.
We may become involved in lawsuits to defend ourselves against intellectual property disputes, which could be expensive and time consuming, and ultimately unsuccessful, and could result in the diversion of significant resources, and hinder our ability to commercialize our existing or future products.
Our success depends in part on not infringing the patents or violating the other proprietary rights of others. Intellectual property disputes can be costly to defend and may cause our business, operating results and financial condition to suffer. Significant litigation regarding patent rights occurs in the e-commerce industry. Whether merited or not, it is possible that U.S. patents and pending patent applications controlled by third parties may be alleged to cover our products and activities. Our competitors, many of which have substantially greater resources and have made substantial investments in patent portfolios and competing technologies, may have applied for or obtained or may in the future apply for and obtain patents that prevent, limit, or otherwise interfere with our ability to use our technology or processes that are necessary to operate our business. Our competitors may have one or more patents for which they can threaten or initiate patent infringement actions against us or any of our suppliers. Our ability to defend ourselves or our suppliers may be limited by our financial and human resources, the availability of reasonable defenses, and the ultimate acceptance of our defenses by the courts or juries. Furthermore, if such patents are successfully asserted against us, this may result in an adverse impact on our business, including injunctions, damages, and attorneys’ fees. From time to time and in the ordinary course of business, we may develop non-infringement or
invalidity positions with respect to the patents of others, which may not be accepted by a judge or jury if such patents were asserted against us.
We may receive in the future, particularly now that we are a public company, communications from patent holders alleging infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights or misappropriation of trade secrets, or offering licenses to such intellectual property. Any claims that we assert against perceived infringers could also provoke these parties to assert counterclaims against us alleging that we infringe their intellectual property rights. At any given time, we may be involved as either a plaintiff or a defendant in a number of patent infringement actions, the outcomes of which may not be known for prolonged periods of time.
The large number of patents, the rapid rate of new patent applications and issuances, the complexities of the technologies involved, our potential expansion into new business lines, and the uncertainty of litigation significantly increase the risks related to any patent litigation. Furthermore, as the number of participants in our industry grows, the possibility of intellectual property infringement claims against us increases. Any litigation or claim against us, even those without merit, may cause us to incur substantial costs, and could place a significant strain on our financial resources, divert the attention of management from our core business and harm our reputation. Any potential intellectual property litigation also could force us to do one or more of the following:
•stop using the technology or processes that use the disputed intellectual property necessary to operate our business and sell our products;
•obtain a license from the intellectual property owner to continue using technology or processes necessary to operate our business or sell our products, which license may require substantial royalty payments and may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all;
•incur significant expenses and legal fees;
•pay substantial damages or royalties to the party whose intellectual property rights we may be found to be infringing, potentially including treble damages if the court finds that the infringement was willful;
•pay substantial royalties, upfront fees, or grant cross-licenses to intellectual property rights for our products and services;
•find a non-infringing substitute product or technology, which could be costly and create significant delay in our operations; or
•redesign those products, technologies or processes that infringe any intellectual property, which could be costly, disruptive, or infeasible.
Our platform utilizes open source software, and any failure to comply with the terms of these open source licenses could negatively affect our business.
We use open source software in our platform and expect to use open source software in the future. The terms of various open source licenses have not been interpreted by United States courts, and there is a risk that such licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to market our platform. By the terms of certain open source licenses, we could be required to release the source code of our proprietary software and to make our proprietary software available under open source licenses if we combine our proprietary software with open source software in a certain manner. In the event that portions of our proprietary software are determined to be subject to an open source license, we could be required to publicly release the affected portions of our source code, to re-engineer all or a portion of our technologies, or otherwise to be limited in the licensing of our technologies, each of which could reduce or eliminate the value of our technologies and services. In addition to risks related to license requirements, usage of open source software can lead to greater risks than use of commercial software, as open source licensors generally do not provide warranties or controls on the origin of the software. Many of the risks associated with usage of open source software cannot be eliminated and could negatively affect our business and operating results.
Our business is sensitive to conditions affecting automotive manufacturers, including manufacturer recalls.
Adverse conditions affecting one or more automotive manufacturers could have a material adverse effect on our sales and results of operations and could impact the supply of vehicles. Manufacturer recalls are a common occurrence that have accelerated in frequency and scope in recent years. Recalls and the increased regulatory scrutiny surrounding selling used vehicles with open safety recalls could adversely affect used vehicle sales or valuations, could cause us to temporarily remove vehicles from inventory, could cause us to sell affected vehicles at a loss, could force us to incur increased costs, and could
expose us to litigation and adverse publicity related to the sale of recalled vehicles, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on third-party technology to complete critical business functions. If that technology fails to adequately serve our needs and we cannot find alternatives, it may negatively impact our operating results.
We rely on third-party technology for certain of our critical business functions, including inventory management, customer identity verification for financing, transportation fleet telemetry, network infrastructure for hosting the website and inventory data, software libraries, development environments and tools, services to allow customers to digitally sign contracts, customer service call center management software, automation controls and software for our vending machines, hosted telephony, human resource management, and security. If these technologies fail or we cannot maintain our relationships with the technology providers and we cannot find suitable alternatives, our financial condition and operation results may be adversely affected.
We depend on key personnel to operate our business. If we are unable to retain, attract and integrate qualified personnel, our ability to develop and successfully grow our business could be harmed.
We believe our success has depended, and continues to depend, on the efforts and talents of our executives and employees. Our future success depends on our ability to attract, develop, motivate, and retain highly qualified and skilled employees. Qualified individuals are in high demand, and we may incur significant costs to attract and retain them. In addition, the loss of any of our key employees or senior management, including our Chief Executive Officer, Ernest Garcia III, our Chief Financial Officer, Mark Jenkins, or our Chief Operating Officer, Benjamin Huston, could materially adversely affect our ability to execute our business plan and strategy, and we may not be able to find adequate replacements on a timely basis, or at all. Our executive officers and other employees are at-will employees, which means they may terminate their employment relationship with us at any time, and their knowledge of our business and industry would be extremely difficult to replace. We may not be able to retain the services of any members of our senior management or other key employees. If we do not succeed in attracting well-qualified employees or retaining and motivating existing employees, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
The obligations associated with being a public company require significant resources and management attention, and we have and will continue to incur increased costs as a result of becoming a public company.
As a public company, we face increased legal, accounting, administrative and other costs and expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs related to operating as a public company. We are subject to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the rules and regulations implemented by the SEC, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and the listing requirements of the NYSE, each of which imposes additional reporting and other obligations on public companies.
These rules and regulations and changes in laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, which have created uncertainty for public companies, have and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and make some activities more time consuming and costly. These laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. Our investment in compliance with existing and evolving regulatory requirements has and will continue to result in increased administrative expenses and a diversion of management’s time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have and may continue to acquire other companies or technologies, which could divert our management’s attention, result in additional dilution to our stockholders and otherwise disrupt our operations and harm our operating results.
Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to grow our business in response to the demands of consumers, other constituents within the automotive industry, and competitive pressures. In the past, we have done so by acquiring complementary businesses and technologies rather than through internal development, and we may do so again in the future. The identification of suitable acquisition candidates can be difficult, time-consuming, and costly, and we may not be able to successfully complete identified acquisitions. The risks we face in connection with acquisitions include:
•diversion of management time and focus from operating our business to addressing acquisition integration challenges;
•coordination of technology, research and development, and sales and marketing functions;
•transition of the acquired company’s users to our website and mobile applications;
•retention of employees from the acquired company;
•cultural challenges associated with integrating employees from the acquired company into our organization;
•integration of the acquired company’s accounting, management information, human resources, and other administrative systems;
•the need to implement or improve controls, policies, and procedures at a business that, prior to the acquisition, may have lacked effective controls, policies, and procedures;
•potential write-offs of intangibles or other assets acquired in such transactions that may have an adverse effect our operating results;
•liability for activities of the acquired company before the acquisition, including patent and trademark infringement claims, violations of laws, commercial disputes, tax liabilities, and other known and unknown liabilities; and
•litigation or other claims in connection with the acquired company, including claims from terminated employees, consumers, former investors, or other third parties.
Our failure to address these risks or other problems encountered in connection with our past or future acquisitions and investments could cause us to fail to realize the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions or investments, cause us to incur unanticipated liabilities and otherwise harm our business. Future acquisitions could also result in dilutive issuances of our equity securities, the incurrence of debt, contingent liabilities, amortization expenses, or the write-off of goodwill, any of which could harm our financial condition. Also, the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions may not materialize. Any of these risks, if realized, could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We are, and may in the future be, subject to legal proceedings in the ordinary course of our business. If the outcomes of these proceedings are unfavorable to us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to various litigation matters from time to time, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Legal claims could be asserted against us by individuals, either individually or through class actions, by governmental entities in civil or criminal investigations and proceedings or by other entities. These claims could be asserted under a variety of laws, including but not limited to consumer finance laws, consumer protection laws, intellectual property laws, privacy laws, labor and employment laws, securities laws, employee benefit laws, tax laws, and tort laws. These actions could expose us to adverse publicity and to substantial monetary damages and legal defense costs, injunctive relief and criminal and civil fines and penalties, including but not limited to suspension or revocation of licenses to conduct business.
We may not be able to extend the durations of our sale-leaseback arrangements on similar terms or at all, or we may be required to repurchase sold properties in the future. If either happens, we may be required to vacate properties or to repurchase the facilities from the lessor, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
On November 3, 2017, we entered into a master sale-leaseback agreement, which was amended in November 2018, pursuant to which we may sell and lease back certain of our owned or leased properties and construction improvements. Under the agreement, at any time we may elect to repurchase one or more of the properties sold and leased back pursuant to the agreement for an amount equal to the repurchase price. Beginning in November 2020 or until a property owner of a leased site consents to the sale-leaseback, the purchaser has the right to demand that we do repurchase these properties. Repurchase prices are generally the original purchase prices plus any accrued and unpaid rent. Under the master sale-leaseback agreement, the total sales price of properties we have sold and are leasing back at any point in time is limited to $75.0 million.
As of December 31, 2017, approximately $19.2 million of our finance leases were through the master sale-leaseback agreement. Throughout 2018 we continued to sell and leaseback additional properties under this agreement. However, by December 20, 2018, we repurchased all properties under the agreement for a price of approximately $28.8 million. As of December 31, 2018, we may sell and lease back $75.0 million of our property and equipment under the agreement.
We may not be able to extend the November 2020 date in our master sale-leaseback agreement on similar terms or at all. If we are unable to extend that date, and we have insufficient funds or are unable to obtain financing to repurchase the properties upon the purchaser's demand that we repurchase sold properties, we may be required to vacate such properties. The cost of vacating the properties or repurchasing them may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Risks Related to Our Organizational Structure
Our principal asset is our indirect interest in Carvana Group, and, accordingly, we depend on distributions from Carvana Group to pay our taxes and expenses, including payments under the Senior Notes and Tax Receivable Agreement. Carvana Group’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions.
We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our indirect ownership of LLC Units of Carvana Group. As such, we have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow, and our ability to pay our taxes, debt obligations and operating expenses depends on the financial results and cash flows of Carvana Group and its subsidiaries and distributions we receive from Carvana Group. These taxes, obligations and expenses include the following:
Taxes. Carvana Group is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income of Carvana Group is allocated to the LLC Unitholders, including Carvana Sub, our wholly owned subsidiary. Accordingly, we incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of Carvana Group. Under the terms of the LLC Operating Agreement, Carvana Group is obligated to make tax distributions to LLC Unitholders, including us.
Debt obligations. We have payment obligations under our Senior Notes (detailed in "Liquidity and Capital Resources—Senior Unsecured Notes"). Under the terms of the LLC Operating Agreement, Carvana Group is obligated to make distributions to us for the payment of obligations under these notes.
Operating expenses and other expenses. We also incur expenses related to our operations, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Due to the uncertainty of various factors, we cannot estimate the likely tax benefits we realize as a result of LLC Unit exchanges, and the resulting amounts we are likely to pay out to LLC Unitholders pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement; however, we estimate that such payments may be substantial. Under the terms of the LLC Operating Agreement, Carvana Group is obligated to make distributions to us for our payment obligations under the tax receivable agreement.
While we intend to cause Carvana Group to make distributions to us in an amount sufficient to fund these taxes, obligations and expenses, Carvana Group’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions, such as restrictions on distributions that would either violate any contract or agreement to which Carvana Group is then a party, including debt agreements, or any applicable law, or that would have the effect of rendering Carvana Group insolvent. If we do not have sufficient funds to pay taxes, obligations or expenses, we may have to borrow funds, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and subject us to various restrictions imposed by any such lenders. If we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, those payments generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. Nonpayment for a specified period, however, may constitute a breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement, unless, generally, such nonpayment is due to a lack of sufficient funds.
Conflicts of interest could arise between our stockholders and the LLC Unitholders, which may impede business decisions that could benefit our stockholders.
Holders of LLC Units have the right to consent to certain amendments to the operating agreement of the LLC, as well as to certain other matters, including the revaluation of partnership interests in Carvana Group. Holders of these voting rights may exercise them in a manner that conflicts with the interests of our stockholders. Circumstances may arise in the future when the interests of the LLC Unitholders conflict with the interests of our stockholders. As we control the LLC, we have certain obligations to the LLC Unitholders that may conflict with fiduciary duties our officers and directors owe to our stockholders. These conflicts may result in decisions that are not in the best interests of stockholders.
We are a "controlled company" within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE and, as a result, we qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. Our stockholders do not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such requirements.
The Garcia Parties continue to control a majority of the combined voting power of Carvana Co. As a result, we continue to be a controlled company within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Under the NYSE rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a "controlled company" and need not comply with certain requirements, including the requirement that a majority of the Board consist of independent directors and the requirements that our compensation and nominating and governance committees be composed entirely of independent directors. We do not intend to utilize these exemptions; however, for so long as we qualify as a controlled
company, we will maintain the option to utilize some or all of these exemptions. If we utilize these exemptions, we may not have a majority of independent directors and our compensation and nominating and governance committees may not consist entirely of independent directors, and such committees will not be subject to annual performance evaluations. Accordingly, in the event we rely on these exemptions in the future, our stockholders would not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.
The Tax Receivable Agreement with the LLC Unitholders requires us to make cash payments to them in respect of certain tax benefits to which we may become entitled, and we expect that the payments we will be required to make will be substantial.
In connection with the consummation of our IPO, we entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement with the LLC Unitholders. Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, we will be required to make cash payments to such LLC Unitholders equal to 85% of the tax benefits, if any, that we actually realize, or, in some circumstances, are deemed to realize, as a result of (1) the increase in our wholly owned subsidiary’s proportionate share of the existing tax basis of the assets of the LLC and an adjustment in the tax basis of the assets of the LLC reflected in that proportionate share as a result of any future exchanges of LLC Units held by the LLC Unitholders for shares of our Class A common stock or cash, and (2) certain other tax benefits related to payments we make under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Due to the uncertainty of various factors, we cannot estimate the likely tax benefits we will realize as a result of LLC Unit exchanges, and the resulting amounts we are likely to pay out to LLC Unitholders pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement; however, we estimate that such payments may be substantial. Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine, which tax reporting positions will be based on the advice of our tax advisors. Any payments made by us to the LLC Unitholders under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement, such payments generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid. Nonpayment for a specified period, however, may constitute a breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement, unless, generally, such nonpayment is due to a lack of sufficient funds. Furthermore, our future obligation to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement could make us a less attractive target for an acquisition, particularly in the case of an acquirer that cannot use some or all of the tax benefits that may be deemed realized under the Tax Receivable Agreement. The payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are also not conditioned upon the LLC Unitholders maintaining a continued ownership interest in the LLC.
The actual amount and timing of any payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of exchanges by the LLC Unitholders, the amount of gain recognized by such LLC Unitholders, the amount and timing of the taxable income we generate in the future and the federal tax rates then applicable.
The amounts that we may be required to pay to the LLC Unitholders under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated in certain circumstances and may also significantly exceed the actual tax benefits that we ultimately realize.
The Tax Receivable Agreement provides that if (1) certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combination, or other changes of control were to occur, (2) we breach any of our material obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement or (3) we elect an early termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement, then the Tax Receivable Agreement will terminate and our obligations, or our successor’s obligations, to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement would accelerate and become immediately due and payable. The amount due and payable in that circumstance is based on certain assumptions, including an assumption that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize all potential future tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. We may need to incur debt to finance payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement to the extent our cash resources are insufficient to meet our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement as a result of timing discrepancies or otherwise.
As a result of a change in control or our election to terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement early, (1) we could be required to make cash payments to the LLC Unitholders that are greater than the specified percentage of the actual benefits we ultimately realize in respect of the tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement and (2) we would be required to make an immediate cash payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits that are the subject of the Tax Receivable Agreement, which payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization, if any, of such future tax benefits. In these situations, our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combination, or other changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement.
Certain benefits from our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, will not benefit Class A common stockholders to the same extent as they will benefit the LLC Unitholders.
Certain benefits from our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent as LLC Unitholders. We entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement with the LLC Unitholders, which will provide for the payment by us to the LLC Unitholders of 85% of the amount of tax benefits, if any, that we actually realize, or in some circumstances are deemed to realize, as a result of (1) the increase in our wholly owned subsidiary’s proportionate share of the existing tax basis of the assets of the LLC and an adjustment in the tax basis of the assets of the LLC reflected in that proportionate share as a result of any future exchanges of LLC Units held by an LLC Unitholder for shares of our Class A common stock or cash and (2) certain other tax benefits related to our making payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Due to the uncertainty of various factors, we cannot estimate the likely tax benefits we will realize as a result of LLC Unit exchanges, and the resulting amounts we are likely to pay out to LLC Unitholders pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement; however, we estimate that such payments may be substantial. Although we will retain 15% of the amount of such tax benefits, this and other aspects of our organizational structure may adversely impact the trading market for the Class A common stock.
We will not be reimbursed for any payments made to the LLC Unitholders under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the event that any tax benefits are disallowed.
We will not be reimbursed for any cash payments previously made to the LLC Unitholders pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement if any tax benefits initially claimed by us are subsequently challenged by a taxing authority and are ultimately disallowed. Instead, any excess cash payments made by us to an LLC Unitholder will be netted against any future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement. However, a challenge to any tax benefits initially claimed by us may not arise for a number of years following the initial time of such payment or, even if challenged early, such excess cash payment may be greater than the amount of future cash payments that we are required to make under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement and, as a result, there may not be future cash payments to net against. The applicable U.S. federal income tax rules are complex and factual in nature, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will agree with our tax reporting positions. As a result, it is possible that we could make cash payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are substantially greater than our actual cash tax savings.
We may not be able to realize all or a portion of the tax benefits that are currently expected to result from future exchanges of LLC Units for our Class A common stock and from payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreement.
Our ability to realize the tax benefits that we currently expect to be available as a result of the increases in tax basis created by any future exchanges of LLC Units (together with shares of our Class B common stock in the case of certain Class A Units) for our Class A common stock, the payments made pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, and the interest deductions imputed under the Tax Receivable Agreement all depend on a number of assumptions, including that we earn sufficient taxable income each year during the period over which such deductions are available and that there are no changes in applicable law or regulations. For example, the reduction in corporate tax rates pursuant to recent changes in U.S. federal income tax law has the effect of reducing the expected value of the tax benefits we realize as a result of the increase in our proportionate share of the existing tax basis of the assets of Carvana Group arising from future exchanges of LLC Units held by an LLC Unitholder for shares of our Class A common stock or cash. The reduction in the value of such tax benefits is expected to have two primary consequences—it reduces the cash payments we expect to be required to make pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement and it reduces the expected value to us of the 15% of the amount of such tax benefits that we will retain pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement. Additionally, if our actual taxable income were insufficient or there were additional adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, we may be further unable to realize all or a portion of the expected tax benefits and our cash flows and stockholders’ equity could be negatively affected.
In certain circumstances, Carvana Group will be required to make distributions to us and the LLC Unitholders and the distributions may be substantial.
Carvana Group is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, is not subject to U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to its members, including us. We intend to cause Carvana Group to make tax distributions quarterly to the holders of Class A Units (including us) on a pro rata basis based on Carvana Group’s net taxable income and to the holders of Class B Units based on such holder’s allocable share of Carvana Group’s net taxable income (rather than on a pro rata basis). Funds used by Carvana Group to satisfy its tax distribution obligations will not be available for reinvestment in our business. Moreover, these tax distributions may be substantial, and will likely exceed (as a percentage of Carvana Group’s income) the overall effective tax rate applicable to a similarly situated corporate taxpayer. As a result of the potential differences in the amount of net taxable income allocable to us and the LLC Unitholders, particularly in light of the
reduction in corporate tax rates passed in 2017, it is possible that we will receive distributions significantly in excess of our tax liabilities and obligations to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. To the extent we do not distribute such cash balances as dividends on our Class A common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances or lend them to Carvana Group, the LLC Unitholders would benefit from any value attributable to such accumulated cash balances as a result of its ownership of Class A common stock following an exchange of its LLC Units (including any exchange upon an acquisition of us).
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States, and our tax liabilities will be subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
•changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;
•expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;
•expiration of or detrimental changes in research and development tax credit laws; or
•changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof.
In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal and state authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
If we were deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an "investment company" for purposes of the 1940 Act if it (1) is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (2) is engaged, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an investment company, as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act.
As the sole managing-member of Carvana Sub, we control and manage Carvana Sub, which, by virtue of being the sole managing-member of Carvana Group, in turn, controls and manages Carvana Group. On that basis, we believe that neither our interest in Carvana Sub nor Carvana Sub’s interest in Carvana Group are "investment securities" under the 1940 Act. Therefore, we have less than 40% of the value of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) in "investment securities." However, if we were to lose the right to manage and control Carvana Sub or if Carvana Sub were to lose the right to manage and control Carvana Group, interests in Carvana Group or Carvana Sub could be deemed to be "investment securities" under the 1940 Act.
We intend to conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed to be an investment company. However, if we were deemed to be an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Liquidity
Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial flexibility and our competitive position and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our credit agreement.
As of December 31, 2018, we had outstanding, on a consolidated basis (1) $350.0 million aggregate principal amount of our Senior Notes, (2) $197.0 million aggregate principal amount of borrowings under our vehicle inventory financing and security agreement with Ally Financial, dated as of July 27, 2015 (as amended, the "Floor Plan Facility"), (3) $16.2 million aggregate principal amount of indebtedness represented by our capital lease agreements between us and providers of equipment financing and (4) $33.0 million aggregate principal amount of indebtedness represented by our promissory note agreements between us and providers of equipment financing. Also, as of December 31, 2018, we had, on a consolidated basis, $45.0
million of other long-term debt related to our sale leaseback transactions. Our substantial indebtedness could have significant effects on our business. For example, it could:
•make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our current and future indebtedness, including our Senior Notes and Floor Plan Facility;
•increase our vulnerability to adverse changes in prevailing economic, industry and competitive conditions;
•require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to make payments on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the availability of our cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, the execution of our business strategy and other general corporate purposes;
•limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;
•increase our cost of borrowing;
•restrict us from exploiting business opportunities;
•place us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors that have fewer debt obligations; and
•limit our ability to borrow additional funds for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our business strategy and other general corporate purposes.
We expect to use cash flow from operations to meet current and future financial obligations, including funding our operations, debt service requirements and capital expenditures. The ability to make these payments depends on our financial and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic, industry and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, economic and other factors beyond our control.
Despite current indebtedness levels, we may incur substantially more indebtedness, which could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial indebtedness.
We may incur significant additional indebtedness in the future. We may also consider investments in joint ventures or acquisitions, which may increase our indebtedness. If new debt is added to our currently anticipated indebtedness levels, the related risks that we face could intensify.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash flow to service all of our indebtedness, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under such indebtedness, which may not be successful, or may harm our business.
Our ability to make scheduled payments or to refinance outstanding debt obligations depends on our financial and operating performance, which will be affected by prevailing economic, industry and competitive conditions and by financial, business and other factors beyond our control. Additionally, some of our debt accrues interest at a variable rate that is based on LIBOR or other market rates; if those market rates rise, so too will the amount we need to pay to satisfy our debt obligations. We may not be able to maintain a sufficient level of cash flow from operating activities to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. Any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which would also adversely affect our ability to incur additional indebtedness.
We may not be able to refinance any of our indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all. If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek additional capital or seek to restructure or refinance our indebtedness. Any refinancing of our indebtedness could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants. These alternative measures may not be successful, and we may be unable to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.
In the absence of such cash flows and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to sell material assets or operations to attempt to meet our debt service obligations. We may not be able to consummate these asset sales to raise capital or sell assets at prices and on terms that we believe are fair, and any proceeds that we do receive may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. If we cannot meet our debt service obligations, the holders of our indebtedness may accelerate such indebtedness and, to the extent such indebtedness is secured, foreclose on our assets. In such an event, we may not have sufficient assets to repay our indebtedness. If any of these risks are realized, our business and financial condition would be adversely affected.
Risks Related to Ownership of our Class A Common Stock
The Garcia Parties control us and their interests may conflict with our or our stockholders’ interests in the future.
The Garcia Parties together hold approximately 95% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock through their beneficial ownership of our Class A and Class B common stock as of December 31, 2018. The Garcia Parties are entitled to ten votes per share of Class B common stock they beneficially own, for so long as the Garcia Parties maintain, in the aggregate, direct or indirect beneficial ownership of at least 25% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (determined on an as-exchanged basis assuming that all of the Class A Units were exchanged for Class A common stock). Our Class A common stock has one vote per share. So long as the Garcia Parties continue to beneficially own a sufficient number of shares of Class B common stock, even if they beneficially own significantly less than 50% of the shares of our outstanding capital stock, the Garcia Parties will continue to be able to effectively control our decisions. For example, if the Garcia Parties hold Class B common stock amounting to 25% of our outstanding capital stock, they would collectively control 77% of the voting power of our capital stock.
As a result, the Garcia Parties have the ability to elect all of the members of our Board and thereby effectively control our policies and operations, including the appointment of management, future issuances of our Class A common stock or other securities, the payment of dividends, if any, on our Class A common stock, the incurrence of debt by us, amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, and the entering into of extraordinary transactions. The interests of the Garcia Parties may not in all cases be aligned with our stockholders’ interests.
In addition, the Garcia Parties can determine the outcome of all matters requiring stockholder approval, cause or prevent a change of control of our company or a change in the composition of our Board, and preclude any acquisition of our company. This concentration of voting control could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their shares of Class A common stock as part of a sale of our company and ultimately might affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
In addition, the Garcia Parties may have an interest in pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance their investment, even though such transactions might involve risks. For example, the Garcia Parties could cause us to make acquisitions that increase our indebtedness or cause us to sell revenue-generating assets. The Garcia Parties may from time to time acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. One of the Garcia Parties, Ernest Garcia II, is the chairman of the board of directors and controlling shareholder of DriveTime, which could compete more directly with us in the future. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that none of the Garcia Parties or any director who is not employed by us (including any non-employee director who serves as one of our officers in both his or her director and officer capacities) or his or her affiliates has any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which we operate. The Garcia Parties also may pursue acquisition opportunities that may otherwise be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.
Our stock may be diluted by future issuances of additional Class A common stock or LLC Units in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise; future sales of such shares in the public market or the expectations that such sales may occur could lower our stock price.
We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock in several ways:
By the Board. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue shares of our Class A common stock and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to our Class A common stock or the consideration of and on the terms and conditions established by our Board in its sole discretion, whether in connection with acquisitions or otherwise.
Under the Exchange Agreement. LLC Unitholders may require Carvana Group to redeem all or a portion of their LLC Units in exchange for, at our election, (1) a cash payment by Carvana Group or (2) newly issued shares of Class A common stock, in each case in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Exchange Agreement. The LLC Operating Agreement authorizes Carvana Group to issue additional LLC Units whether in connection with an acquisition or otherwise. We have entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with certain LLC Unitholders that would require us to register shares issued to them, and we may enter into similar agreements in the future.
Under the 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan. We have reserved 14.0 million shares of Class A common stock for issuance under our 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the "2017 Incentive Plan"). As of December 31, 2018 we have granted 1.4 million restricted stock awards and units and options to purchase 1.1 million shares of Class A common stock to certain consultants,
directors and employees. After considering the granted and forfeited awards, we have 11.7 million shares of Class A common stock available for future issuance under our 2017 Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2018.
Any stock that we issue or exchange would dilute the percentage ownership held by the investors who purchase Class A common stock. The market price of shares of our Class A common stock could decline as a result of newly issued or exchanged stock, or the perception that we might issue or exchange stock. A decline in the price of our Class A common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock or other equity securities.
Our Class A common stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance.
Volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock may prevent our stockholders from being able to sell their shares at or above the price they paid for them. Many factors may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to fluctuate significantly, including those described elsewhere in this "Risk Factors" section and this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as the following:
•our operating and financial performance and prospects;
•our quarterly or annual earnings or those of other companies in our industry compared to market;
•future announcements concerning our business or our competitors’ businesses;
•the public’s reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;
•the size of our public float;
•coverage by or changes in financial estimates by securities analysts or failure to meet their expectations;
•market and industry perception of our success, or lack thereof, in pursuing our growth strategy;
•strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;
•changes in laws or regulations which adversely affect our industry or us;
•changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;
•changes in senior management or key personnel;
•issuances, exchanges or sales, or expected issuances, exchanges or sales of our capital stock;
•adverse resolution of new or pending litigation against us; and
•changes in general market, economic and political conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, acts of war and responses to such events.
As a result, volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock may prevent investors from being able to sell their Class A common stock at or above their purchase price or at all. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our Class A common stock is low.
Substantial blocks of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the market. If there are substantial sales of shares of our Class A common stock, the price of our Class A common stock could decline.
The price of our Class A common stock could decline if there are substantial sales of our Class A common stock (including sales of Class A common stock issuable upon exchange of LLC Units), particularly sales by our directors, executive officers, and significant stockholders, or if there is a large number of shares of our Class A common stock available for sale. As of December 31, 2018, we have 41.2 million shares of our Class A common stock outstanding. All of the shares of Class A common stock sold in our IPO and the follow-on offering in April 2018 are available for sale in the public market. Shares held by directors, executive officers and other affiliates are subject to volume limitations under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and various vesting agreements.
Certain of our LLC Unitholders have rights, subject to conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering Class A common stock issuable to them upon exchange of their LLC Units. We would be required to include certain Class A common shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or our stockholders, subject to market standoff and lockup agreements. These registration rights would facilitate the resale of such securities into the public market, and any such resale would increase the number of shares of our Class A common stock available for public trading. We also intend to register shares of common stock that we have issued and may issue under our employee equity incentive plans. Once we register these
shares, they will be able to be sold freely in the public market upon issuance, subject to existing market standoff or lock-up agreements.
The market price of the shares of our Class A common stock could decline as a result of the sale of a substantial number of our shares of Class A common stock in the public market or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of such shares intend to sell their shares.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our Class A common stock for the foreseeable future.
We currently have no intention to pay dividends on our Class A common stock at any time in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors that our Board may deem relevant. Certain of our debt instruments contain covenants that restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends to us. In addition, despite our current indebtedness, we may still be able to incur additional debt in the future, and such indebtedness may restrict or prevent us from paying dividends on our Class A common stock.
Furthermore, our ability to declare and pay dividends may be limited by instruments governing future indebtedness we may incur.
Delaware law and certain provisions in our certificate of incorporation may prevent efforts by our stockholders to change the direction or management of our company.
We are a Delaware corporation, and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law impose various impediments to the ability of a third party to acquire control of us, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated by-laws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult without the approval of our Board, including, but not limited to, the following:
•the Garcia Parties are entitled to ten votes for each share of our Class B common stock they hold of record on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders for so long as the Garcia Parties maintain direct or indirect beneficial ownership of at least 25% of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (determined on an as-exchanged basis assuming that all of the Class A Units were exchanged for Class A common stock);
•at such time as there are no outstanding shares of Class B common stock, only our Board may call special meetings of our stockholders;
•we have authorized undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval; and
•we require advance notice and duration of ownership requirements for stockholder proposals.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also contains a provision that provides us with protections similar to Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), and prevents us from engaging in a business combination with a person (excluding the Garcia Parties and their transferees) who acquires at least 15% of our common stock for a period of three years from the date such person acquired such common stock, unless board or stockholder approval is obtained prior to the acquisition. These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for our stockholders to elect directors of their choosing and cause us to take other corporate actions our stockholders desire, including actions that our stockholders may deem advantageous, or negatively affect the trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, because our Board is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team.
These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and Delaware law could make it more difficult for stockholders or potential acquirers to obtain control of our Board or to initiate actions that are opposed by our then-current Board, a merger, tender offer or proxy contest involving our company. The existence of these provisions could negatively affect the price of our common stock and limit opportunities for our stockholders to realize value in a corporate transaction.
With limited exceptions, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (3) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate or our bylaws or (4) any other action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The forum selection clause in our certificate may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against us or our directors and officers and may limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our Class A common stock, which could depress the price of our Class A common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue one or more series of preferred stock. Our Board has the authority to determine the preferences, limitations and relative rights of the shares of preferred stock and to fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such series, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our preferred stock could be issued with voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to the rights of our Class A common stock. The potential issuance of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change in control of us, discouraging bids for our Class A common stock at a premium to the market price, and materially adversely affect the market price and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A common stock.
We are subject to SEC rules and regulations regarding our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to remediate material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting or otherwise establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, or report them in a timely manner.
As a public reporting company, we are subject to the rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC and the NYSE. These rules and regulations require that, among other things, we establish and periodically evaluate procedures with respect to our internal control over financial reporting. Reporting obligations as a public company place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel. Our management team, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, has limited experience managing a publicly traded company, and limited experience complying with the increasingly complex and changing laws pertaining to public companies.
In addition, as a public company we are required to document and test our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act so that our independent registered public accounting firm can attest in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, and in future annual reports. Under this law, we have been required and will continue to be required to document and make significant changes to our internal control over financial reporting.
If our senior management is unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting or to certify the effectiveness of such controls; if our independent registered public accounting firm cannot render an unqualified opinion on management's assessment and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting; or if material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting is identified, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, a loss of public and investor confidence, and to litigation from investors and stockholders, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our stock price. In addition, if we do not maintain adequate financial and management personnel, processes and controls, we may not be able to manage our business effectively or accurately report our financial performance on a timely basis, which could cause a decline in our common stock price and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Negative research about our business published by analysts or journalists could cause our stock price to decline. A lack of regularly published research about our business could cause trading volume or our stock price to decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock depends in part on the research and reports that analysts and journalists publish about us or our business. If analysts or journalists publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If we fail to meet the expectations of analysts for our operating results, or if the analysts who covers us downgrade our stock, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or
fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.
Short sellers of our stock may be manipulative and may drive down the market price of our common stock.
Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed or intends to borrow from a third party with the intention of buying identical securities at a later date to return to the lender. A short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities, as the short seller expects to pay less in the covering purchase than it received in the sale. It is therefore in the short seller’s interest for the price of the stock to decline, and some short sellers publish, or arrange for the publication of, opinions or characterizations regarding the relevant issuer, often involving deliberate misrepresentations of the issuer’s business prospects and similar matters calculated to create negative market momentum.
As a public entity in a highly digital world, we have been and in the future may be the subject of so-called "fake news," a type of yellow journalism constructed to look legitimate while consisting of intentional misinformation and misrepresentations deliberately propagated by profiteering short sellers seeking to gain an illegal market advantage by spreading false information concerning our business, financing arrangements and affiliates. In the past, the publication of intentional misinformation concerning Carvana by a disclosed short seller could be associated with the selling of shares of our common stock in the market on a large scale, resulting in a precipitous decline in the market price per share of our common stock. In addition, the publication of intentional misinformation may also result in lawsuits, the uncertainty and expense of which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and reputation.
While utilizing all available tools to defend ourselves and our assets against fake news, there is limited regulatory control, making fake news an ongoing concern for any public company. While we move forward in our business development strategies in good faith, there are no assurances that we will not face more fake news or similar tactics by bad actors in the future, and the market price of our common stock may decline as a result of their actions or the action of other short sellers.