PARIS (Reuters) – Stellantis cut its 2024 profit forecast on Monday and warned it will burn through more cash than expected as Europe’s No.2 carmaker pledged to reduce output and offer big discounts to revive its U.S. business, wiping billions off its market value.

The world’s fourth biggest automaker by sales said it was facing weakening global demand and stiff competition from China, echoing similar comments from rivals, including Volkswagen which cut its annual profit outlook on Friday.

“Competitive dynamics have intensified due to both rising industry supply, as well as increased Chinese competition,” Stellantis said in its guidance. 

It said instead of positive cash flow, it now expects negative cash flow of between 5 billion and 10 billion euros ($5.58-$11.17 billion). 

Italian brokers Equita and Akros said that puts the automaker’s dividend and share buyback programmes at risk. Stellantis said it would make no further comment beyond its guidance on Monday.

The company also said it now expects an adjusted operating profit margin of between 5.5% and 7% this year, down from the double-digit forecast that investors have come to expect from the automaker because of its lucrative U.S. business.

“This warning confirms just how difficult the situation is at the company,” Bernstein analysts wrote in a client note. “The scale of the hit to margins far exceeds our already reduced expectations.”

Its shares were down as much as 14% by 1052 GMT, wiping about 6 billion euros ($6.7 billion) off the company’s market value and hitting their lowest level since October 2022. 

They have fallen about 40% this year, the worst performer among Europe’s carmakers.

BMW and Mercedes have also warned about lower than expected profits.

BIG INVENTORY

Stellantis’ current problems are centred on the United States, where selling costly Jeeps and pickup trucks has until now been the company’s profit engine.

But as demand softened, it has been stuck with high inventory, forcing it to lower prices. That cut its operating profit 40% in the first half of the year.

The owner of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat, Citroen and Peugeot brands said on Monday it would increase consumer discounts in the United States to speed up dealer inventory reductions and slash production more than previously announced. 

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares visited Detroit last month to develop a strategy to fix its struggling North American operations. 

The warning on Monday revealing the scale of problems in the U.S. business is expected to increase pressure on Tavares.     

The company announced in August it was laying off up to 2,450 factory workers from an assembly plant outside Detroit as it ends production of its Ram 1500 Classic truck.

The United Auto Workers union has accused Stellantis of breaking contract promises and has asked U.S. workers to authorise a strike. 

($1 = 0.8955 euros) (This story has been refiled to fix a typo, in paragraph 1)

(Reporting by Makini Brice, Tassilo Hummel and Valentina Za; Editing by Jan Harvey, Louise Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)

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