U.S. electric truck manufacturer Lordstown Motors filed for bankruptcy protection and put itself up for sale after failing to resolve a dispute over a promised investment from Taiwan's Foxconn, Reuters reported. Shares of Lordstown tumbled 35% in trading on the Nasdaq. The company's bankruptcy is not the first among the crop of EV startups that went public during the pandemic-era SPAC boom. But Lordstown was a high-profile member of that class because it was challenging the core of the legacy Detroit automakers' business of high-margin pickup trucks, and because of its location. The automaker, named after the Ohio town where it is based, filed for chapter 11 protection in a Delaware bankruptcy court. In the complaint, Lordstown accused Foxconn of fraudulent conduct and a series of broken promises in failing to abide by an agreement to invest up to $170 million in the electric-vehicle manufacturer. Foxconn previously invested about $52.7 million in Lordstown as part of the agreement, and currently holds an 8.4% stake in the EV maker. Lordstown contends that Foxconn is balking at purchasing additional shares of its stock as promised and misled the EV maker about collaborating on vehicle development plans. Foxconn, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry and best known for assembling Apple's iPhones, has said Lordstown breached the investment agreement when the automaker's stock fell below $1 per share.
