March 2, 2005 Dear Stockholder, It is my pleasure to invite you to the 2005 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Autoliv, Inc. which will be held on Tuesday, April 26, 2005, at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 East Delaware Place, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1428, USA, commencing at 9:00 a.m. local time. Information regarding the matters to be voted upon at the meeting is contained in the formal notice of the meeting and proxy statement on the following pages. It is important that your shares be represented at this meeting. Therefore, please mark, sign, date and return the accompanying proxycard promptly in the enclosed postage-paid envelope. This way your shares will be voted as you direct even if you cannot attend the meeting. A public news release covering voting results will be available after the meeting. The Autoliv, Inc. Annual Report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004 is being distributed to stockholders with this proxy statement. Sincerely, S. Jay Stewart Chairman of the Board Autoliv, Inc. Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Autoliv, Inc. ("Autoliv" or the "Company") will be held on, Tuesday, April 26, 2005, at 9:00 a.m., local time, at the Four Seasons Hotel, 120 East Delaware Place, 900 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1428, USA, to consider and vote upon: 1. Reelection of two directors for a term of office expiring on the date of the Annual Meeting of Stockholders in 2008 (see page 3). 2. Ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young AB as the Company's independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2005 (see page 15). 3. Any other business that may properly come before the meeting and/or any adjournment thereof. The close of business on March 1, 2005 has been fixed as the record date for the annual meeting (the "Record Date"). All stockholders of record at the close of business on that date are entitled to be present and vote at the meeting and/or any adjournment thereof. Attendance at the annual meeting will be limited to stockholders of record, beneficial owners of Company common stock entitled to vote at the meeting having evidence of ownership, a maximum of one authorized representative of an absent stockholder, and invited guests of management. Any person claiming to be an authorized representative of a stockholder must, upon request, produce written evidence of such authorization. The meeting will be conducted pursuant to the Company's by-laws and rules of order prescribed by the Chairman of the annual meeting. By order of the Board of Directors March 2, 2005
Jörgen I. Svensson AUTOLIV, INC. Proxy Statement March 2, 2005 Solicitation of Proxies The shares represented by all properly executed and unrevoked proxies received in proper form in time for the meeting will be voted. Each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of common stock held on the Record Date. Shares will be voted in accordance with stockholders' instructions in the accompanying proxy. If no specific instructions are given, the proxies will vote the shares in accordance with the Board's recommendations, which are noted herein, to the extent permitted by applicable law and the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange. Any proxy given may be revoked at any time before it is voted at the meeting. Directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes of the shares present at the meeting in person or by proxy and entitled to vote thereon. Votes withheld as to one or more nominees will not be counted as votes cast for such individuals. Any other proposal brought before the meeting will be decided by a majority of votes represented at the meeting and entitled to vote thereat. Consequently, abstentions and broker non-votes (i.e., votes withheld by brokers in the absence of instructions from beneficial holders) will not be counted for purposes of determining whether a proposal has been approved, but will be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum at the meeting. The Company will bear the cost of the solicitation. In addition to solicitation by mail, the Company will request banks, brokers and other custodian nominees and fiduciaries to supply proxy materials to the beneficial owners of the Company's common stock of whom they have knowledge, and will reimburse them for their expenses in so doing. Certain directors, officers and other employees of the Company, not specially employed for the purpose, may solicit proxies, without additional remuneration therefore, by personal interview, mail, telephone or facsimile. In addition, the Company has retained Georgeson Shareholder Communications Inc. to assist in the solicitation for a fee of $11,000 plus expenses, and WM-data AB for a fee of $45,000 plus expenses. 1. Election of Directors Listed below as nominees for reelection at the 2005 Annual Meeting for three-year terms are Sune Carlsson and S. Jay Stewart whose present terms will expire at that time. Messrs. Carlsson and Stewart presently serve as directors, and the Company has not been advised by either of them that they will not serve if elected. Mr. Roger W. Stone, whose present term also expires at the 2005 Annual Meeting, has advised the Company that he will not stand for reelection due to retirement. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee has commenced the process of identifying potential nominees to fill the vacancy created by Mr. Stone's decision not to stand for reelection to the Board. THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE NOMINEES FOR DIRECTORS. The Board, Meeting Attendance and Compensation of Directors The Guidelines and the Codes are posted on the Company's Corporate Website www.autoliv.com - Governance. The Board has determined that Messrs. Aronson, Carlsson, Kunerth, Lorch, Nyberg, Ringler, Sekiya, Stewart, Stone and Welin qualify as independent directors. Mr. Stewart has been elected Chairman of the separate sessions of independent directors. The independent directors met in separate sessions five times in 2004. Any interested party who desires to communicate with the Board or the independent directors regarding the Company can do so under the following address: Board/Independent Directors Contact can be made anonymously and communication with the Board or the independent directors is not screened. The Chairman of the Board and the sessions of independent directors receive all such communication after it has been determined that the content represents a message to the Chairman. Directors who are employees of the Company or any subsidiary thereof do not receive any compensation for service on the Board or Board committees. Non-employee directors receive for their services a retainer of $100,000 per year, plus a fee of $1,500 for each Board meeting attended. The Chairman of the Board receives a retainer of $200,000 per year, plus a fee of $1,500 for each Board meeting attended. In addition, non-employee directors who are chairmen of the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee each receive additional annual retainers of $5,000 and the chairman of the Audit Committee receives an additional annual retainer of $20,000; and each committee chairman and member receives $1,500 for attendance at a committee meeting. Non-employee directors can elect to defer receipt of a pre-determined percentage of their compensation under the Autoliv, Inc. 2004 Non-Employee Director Stock-Related Compensation Plan, attached hereto as Appendix A. Nominees for Directors at the April 2005 Annual Meeting S. Jay Stewart, age 67, has been a director of Autoliv since May 1997 and has served as the Chairman of the Board, since April 2001. He was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Morton International, Inc. from April 1994 through October 1999, and was a director of Morton between 1989 and 1999. Mr. Stewart was President and Chief Operating Officer of Morton International, Inc. from 1989 through March 1994. He is a director of HSBC North America Holdings, Inc. Mr. Stewart holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and an M.B.A. from West Virginia University. Incumbent Directors - Terms Expiring at the 2006 Annual
Meeting James M. Ringler, age 59, has been a director of Autoliv since January 2002. He was prior to his retirement Vice Chairman of Illinois Tool Works Inc. between 1999 and 2004. Prior to joining Illinois Tool Works, Mr. Ringler was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Premark International, Inc., which merged with Illinois Tool Works in November 1999. Mr. Ringler joined Premark in 1990 and served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer prior to becoming the CEO in 1996. He serves on the boards of Dow Chemical Company, FMC Technologies, Inc., Corn Products International and NCR Corporation. He also serves on the board of the Manufactures Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). Mr. Ringler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and an M.B.A. degree in finance from the State University of New York. Tetsuo Sekiya, age 70, has been a director of Autoliv since April 2001. He presently also serves as Advisor to the Board of NSK Ltd, a leading global manufacturer of bearings and automotive parts, of which he was Chairman between July 2002 and June 2004 and President & CEO between June 1994 and June 2002. Mr. Sekiya also serves as Advisor to the Japan Bearing Industrial Association, an Executive Member of the Board of Directors of Nippon Keidanren, the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations, Director of Taisei Corporation, one of Japan's major construction firms, and President of the Japan-Poland Economic Committee. Mr. Sekiya, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Keio University, was honored in 1998 with the Medal of Blue Ribbon from His Majesty, the Emperor of Japan, in recognition of his outstanding service to the industry in Japan. Per Welin, age 68, has been a director of Autoliv since May 1997 and of Autoliv AB since 1995. Mr. Welin served as Executive Vice President and director of the investment company L-E Lundberg-foretagen AB from 1991 to 1998 and has been Chairman of the Board of L-E Lundberg-foretagen AB since 1998. Mr. Welin has a Master of Science degree in Engineering Physics from the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Gothenburg, from which he also holds a licentiate of engineering degree in applied thermo- and fluid dynamics. He also holds an M.B.A. from the Gothenburg School of Economics. Incumbent Directors - Terms Expiring at the 2007 Annual
Meeting Walter Kunerth, age 64, has been a director of Autoliv since August 1998. Professor Kunerth is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Gildemeister AG and Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Basler AG, Götz AG, Paragon AG and Suspa GmbH. For more than 20 years, Professor Kunerth held various Senior executive positions at Siemens AG in Germany, including as a member of Siemens' Corporate Executive Board (1993-97), President of Siemens' Automotive Systems Group (1988-93) and head of Siemens' Automotive Electronics Division. He holds a doctorate degree in Engineering from the University of Stuttgart and has been named Honorary Professor by the university. Lars Nyberg, age 53, has been a director of Autoliv since October 2004. Mr. Nyberg is Chairman of NCR Corporation, a leading global technology company that provides IT Relationship Technology solutions and which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to becoming the non-executive Chairman in 2003, he was the Chief Executive Officer of NCR from 1995. Lars Nyberg also serves as a Director on the Boards of Sandvik AB, a Swedish-based engineering company with world-leading positions in tools for metalworking, listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, and of Snap-on Inc., a leading global manufacturer of tools and equipment for the automobile industry and other professional tool users listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He is a board member of DataCard Corporation, the world leader in Secure ID and Card personalization and is also Chairman of Micronics Laser Systems AB, a world-leading manufacturer of high-end laser pattern generators for the production of photomasks, listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Mr. Nyberg, is a graduate in Business Administration from the University of Stockholm. Lars Westerberg, age 56, has been a director and President and Chief Executive Officer of Autoliv, Inc. since February 1999. From 1994 until he assumed his positions with Autoliv, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Granges AB, a Swedish-based aluminum and plastics company listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. From 1991 to 1994 he held the same positions at the publicly-traded welding company Esab AB. He started his employment at Esab in 1984 and held several executive positions, including President of Esab's North American subsidiary. He is the Chairman of Ahlsell AB, a Swedish heating, water and sanitation company and a director of Plastal AB, a Swedish supplier of automotive plastic components, and Haldex AB, a listed Swedish automatic braking and transmission supplier. Mr. Westerberg holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm and an M.B.A. from the University of Stockholm. Committees of the Board The Audit Committee appoints in its sole discretion (subject to stockholder ratification) the Company's independent auditors and is responsible for the compensation, retention and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and for any special assignments given to such auditors. The committee also reviews the annual audit and its scope, including the independent auditor's letter of comments and management's responses thereto; approves any non-audit services provided to the Company by its independent auditors; reviews possible violations of the Company's business ethics and conflicts of interest policies; reviews any major accounting changes made or contemplated; and reviews the effectiveness and efficiency of the Company's internal audit staff. In addition, the committee confirms that no restrictions have been imposed by Company personnel on the scope of the independent auditors' examinations. Members of this committee are Messrs. Welin (Chairman), Aronson, Carlsson, Kunerth, Lorch, Nyberg and Stewart. The committee met eight times in 2004. The Compensation Committee advises the Board of the Company with respect to the compensation to be paid to the directors of the Company and approves and advises the Board with respect to the terms of contracts to be entered into with the senior executives of the Company. The Committee also administers the Company's cash and stock incentive plan. Members of this committee are Messrs. Stone (Chairman), Aronson, Ringler, Stewart and Welin. The committee met twice in 2004. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identifies and recommends individuals qualified to serve as members of the Board and assists the Board in reviewing the composition of the Board and its committees, monitoring a process to assess Board effectiveness and developing and implementing the Company's Corporate Governance Guidelines. The Committee will consider Stockholder nominees for election to the Board if timely advance written notice of such nominees is received by the Secretary of the Company at its principal executive offices in accordance with the Company's by-laws, a copy of which may be obtained by written request to the Company's Secretary. Members of this Committee are Messrs. Stewart (Chairman), Aronson, Ringler, Sekiya, Stone and Welin. The committee met five times in 2004. Audit Committee Report The Charter is also posted on the Company's Corporate Website at www.autoliv.com - Governance. Each of the members of the Audit Committee is independent and is qualified to serve on the Committee pursuant to the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations as promulgated by SEC. Each of the members possesses financial literacy and accounting or related financial management expertise, and Mr. Welin is determined by the Board to qualify as an audit committee financial expert. The Audit Committee appoints the Company's independent auditors. The Audit Committee reviews the Company's financial reporting process on behalf of the Board of Directors. In fulfilling its responsibilities, the Audit Committee has reviewed and discussed the audited financial statements contained in the 2004 Annual Report on Form 10-K with the Company's management and independent accountants. Management is responsible for the financial statements and the reporting process, including the system of internal controls. The independent accountants are responsible for expressing an opinion on the conformity of those audited financial statements with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. The Audit Committee discussed with the independent accountants matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, "Communication with Audit Committees," as amended. In addition, the Company's independent accountants provided to the Audit Committee the written disclosures required by the Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, "Independence Discussions with Audit Committees" and the Audit Committee discussed with the independent accountants their independence. The Audit Committee also concluded that the independent auditors' provision of non-audit services to the Company is compatible with the independent auditors' independence. In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors (and the Board has approved) that the audited financial statements be included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, for filing with the SEC. The Audit Committee can be contacted regarding accounting issues as follows: Contacts can be made anonymously and communication with the Committee is not screened. The Chairman of the Committee will receive all such communication after it has been determinated that the contents represent a message to the Chairman. Per Welin, Chairman Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Report The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee acts under a written charter first adopted and approved by the Board of Directors in 2002 and subsequently amended in December 2003. A copy of the Charter is available on the Company's Corporate Website at www.autoliv.com - Governance. Each of the members of the Committee is independent and qualified to serve on the Committee pursuant to the requirements of the New York Stock Exchange, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC. In 2004 one new director was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors pursuant to the By-laws of the Company. Mr. Lars Nyberg was proposed to the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee by the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. The candidate met with the Chairman of the Board and management of the Company. The Committee evaluated the proposed candidate and determined that he had the necessary skills, experiences and qualifications to fulfil the duties on the Board. The Committee thereafter recommended to the Board to appoint the candidate to be a member of the Board of Directors. The Board determined that the candidate qualified as independent under applicable rules of the New York Stock Exchange, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and rules and regulations promulgated by SEC. The directors nominated for reelection, Messrs. Carlsson and Stewart, have been reviewed and recommended for re-election by the Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will consider director candidates nominated by stockholders so long as such nominations are submitted to the Committee by stockholders in accordance with Article II, Section 6 of the By-laws of the Company. In considering candidates submitted by stockholders, the Committee will take into consideration the need of the Board and the qualifications of the candidate. Qualifications of director candidates that are considered by the Committee include an attained position of leadership in the candidates area of expertise, business and financial experience relevant to the Company, possession of demonstrated sound business judgment, expertise relevant to the Company's line of businesses, independence and ability to serve on standing Committees and the ability to serve the interests of all stockholders. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee identifies potential nominees by asking current directors and executive officers to notify the Committee if they become aware of persons, meeting the criteria described above, who have had a change in circumstances that might make them available to serve on the Board - for example, retirement as a CEO or CFO of a public company or exiting government or military service. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee also, from time to time, engages firms that specialize in identifying director candidates. As described above, the Committee will also consider candidates recommended by stockholders. Once a person has been identified by the Committee as a potential candidate, the Committee may collect and review publicly available information regarding the person to assess whether the person should be considered further. If the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee determines that the candidate warrants further consideration, the Chairman or another member of the Committee contacts the person. Generally, if the person expresses a willingness to be considered and serve on the Board, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee requests information from the candidate, reviews the persons' accomplishments and qualifications, including in light of any other candidates that the Committee might be considering, and conducts one or more interviews with the candidate. In certain instances, Committee members may contact one or more references provided by the candidate or may contact other members of the business community or other persons that may have greater first-hand knowledge of the candidate's accomplishments. The Committee's evaluation process does not vary based on whether or not a candidate is recommended by a stockholder. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee can be contacted as follows: Contacts can be made anonymously and communication with the Committee is not screened. The Chairman of the Committee receives all such communication after it has been determined that the content represents a message to the Chairman. S. Jay Stewart, Chairman Voting Securities and Principal Holders Thereof |
Shares beneficially owned 1) 2) | |
Per-Olof Aronson | 8,000 |
Sune Carlsson | 303 |
Halvar Jonzon | 24,210 |
Walter Kunerth | 0 |
George A. Lorch | 303 |
Magnus Lindquist | 6,000 |
Benoît Marsaud | 41,910 |
Lars Nyberg | 0 |
James M. Ringler | 964 |
Tetsuo Sekiya | 2,600 |
S. Jay Stewart | 78,459 |
Roger W. Stone | 5,365 |
Jörgen I. Svensson | 6,000 |
Per Welin | 5,385 4) |
Lars Westerberg | 199,000 |
All directors, nominees and | 480,086 |
executive officers as a group 3) |
1) All amounts shown represent less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Company. Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation Executive Compensation Base Salaries Annual Bonus Programs Stock Incentive Plan In December, 2000, the Committee concluded that the stock options under the Stock Incentive Plan had become unattractive, and therefore the programme did not accomplish its intended purpose of attracting and retaining executive personnel, motivating executive personnel and providing incentive compensation that was competitive with those of other major corporations. The Committee further concluded that it was of the utmost importance to expediently ensure that executive personnel was retained and motivated. The Committee received advice from an independent compensation consultant, and thereafter offered optionees the opportunity to cancel the options granted 1997, 1998 and 1999 against (i) a grant by the Company to the optionee of a number of RSUs representing 30 percent of the number of options cancelled, and (ii) a commitment by the Company to grant to the optionee, under the terms and conditions of the Stock Incentive Plan, a number of Stock options, corresponding to 20 percent of the number of options cancelled, which were granted on June 18, 2001, with an exercise date of June 18, 2002. The exercise price was equal to the market price on June 18, 2001. Chief Executive Officer For 2004, the Committee approved a stock option grant of 30,000 shares and a RSU grant of 10,000 shares of common stock of the Company to Mr. Westerberg, a cash compensation at an annual rate of SEK 6,800,000 (USD 924,528), and an annual performance bonus of SEK 3,400,000 (USD 462,264) with a maximum of SEK 6,800,000 (USD 924,528). Limitation on Deductibility of Certain Compensation It is the Committee's general policy to avoid the loss of tax deductibility whenever compliance with Section 162(m) would be consistent with the Company's incentive compensation objectives. Consequently, the employee incentive compensation programs in which the Company's most highly compensated officers participate have been structured to comply with the Code's definition of performance-based compensation. To qualify as performance-based under the Code, compensation payments must be made pursuant to a plan that is administered by a committee of outside directors and must be based on achieving objective performance goals. In addition, the material terms of the plan must be disclosed to and approved by stockholders, and the Committee must certify that the performance goals were achieved before payments can be awarded. Notwithstanding its general policy, however, the Committee retains the discretion to authorize incentive payments that may not be deductible if it believes that doing so would be in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders. Roger W. Stone, Chairman Stock Performance Graph (1) 1) Dividends at a rate of $3,71 per share of common stock were paid during the period and are included in the cumulative return on the Company common stock. Summary Compensation Table (USD) (1) |
Annual Compensation | Long-Term Compensation |
All Other Compensation | |||||
Name and Principal Position |
Fiscal year |
Salary | Bonus(2) | Other Ann. Comp. |
Securities Underlying Options |
Restricted Stock Units (3) |
(4) |
Lars Westerberg Chief Executive Officer |
2004 2003 2002 |
924,529 802,698 564,509 |
870,416 679,200 0 |
0 0 0 |
30,000 37,500 50,000 |
10,000 12,500 0 |
1,376,134 1,157,921 370,843 |
Benoît Marsaud Vice Pres. Manufacturing Pres. Autoliv France |
2004 2003 2002 |
390,916 343,662 250,447 |
268,925 216,432 0 |
0 0 0 |
6,000 7,500 10,000 |
2,000 2,500 0 |
|
Magnus Lindquist Chief Financial Officer |
2004 2003 2002 |
319,506 277,857 210,408 |
174,097 135,836 25,600 |
0 0 0 |
6,000 7,500 10,000 |
2,000 2,500 0 |
121,400 84,807 24,180 |
Halvar Jonzon Vice President Purchasing |
2004 2003 2002 |
258,324 228,460 177,050 |
167,979 148,185 5,132 |
0 0 0 |
6,000 7,500 10,000 |
2,000 2,500 0 |
240,698 123,939 26,099 |
Jörgen I. Svensson Vice President Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary |
2004 2003 2002 |
248,807 216,111 144,720 |
147,313 123,487 0 |
0 0 0 |
6,000 7,500 10,000 |
2,000 2,500 0 |
297,478 61,061 18,850 |
(1) The amounts contained in the table below were paid either in Swedish Krona or Euro. Option Grants in Last Fiscal Year |
Individual Grants(1) | |||||||
Name and | Number of | % of Total | Exercise | Expiration | Potential Realizable Value | ||
Principal | Securities | Options | or Base | Date | at assumed Annual Rates | ||
Position | Underlying | Granted | Price | of Stock Price Appreciation | |||
Options | to Employees | (per share) | for Option Term(2) | ||||
Granted | in Fiscal year | 5% | 10% | ||||
Lars Westerberg Chief Executive Officer |
30,000 | 10.3 | $40.26 | 12/1/14 | 759,600 | 1,640,100 | |
Benoît Marsaud Vice President Manufacturing President Autoliv France |
6,000 | 2.1 | $40.26 | 12/1/14 | 151,920 | 328,020 | |
Halvar Jonzon Vice President Purchasing |
6,000 | 2.1 | $40.26 | 12/1/14 | 151,920 | 328,020 | |
Magnus Lindquist Chief Financial Officer |
6,000 | 2.1 | $40.26 | 12/1/14 | 151,920 | 328,020 | |
Jörgen I. Svensson Vice President Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary |
6,000 | 2.1 | $40.26 | 12/1/14 | 151,920 | 328,020 |
(1) For 2004, all senior executive officers of the Company as a group received 88,000 options and 29,333 RSU's, and all
employees of the Company (other than executive officers) as a group received 202,368 options and 69,043 RSUs. Aggregated Option Exercises in Last Fiscal Year and FY-End Option Values |
Name | Shares acquried on Excercise |
Value Realized |
Number Of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options At Fiscal Year-End Excercisable/Unexercisable |
Value Of Unexercised In-The-Money Options At Fiscal Year-End ($) Exercisable/Unexercisable |
Lars Westerberg Chief Executive Officer |
0 | n/a | 136,500 / 30,000 | 4,202,640 / 214,200 |
Benoît Marsaud V.P. Manufacturing Pres. Autoliv France |
0 | n/a | 30,864 / 6,000 | 952,117 / 48,240 |
Halvar Jonzon Vice President Purchasing |
0 | n/a | 18,210 / 6,000 | 555,920 / 48,240 |
Magnus Lindquist Chief Financial Officer |
17,500 | 736,290 | 0 / 6,000 | 0 / 48,240 |
Jörgen I. Svensson Vice President Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary |
17,500 | 725,897 | 0 / 6,000 | 0 / 48,240 |
Equity Compensation Plans (1) |
(a) | (b) | (c) | |
Plan category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (3) | Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (4) | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance (a) |
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders (2) | 1,170,602 | $25.91 | 2,499,871 (5) |
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | - | - | - |
Total | 1,170,602 | $25.91 | 2,499,871 |
(1) All information as of December 31, 2004. Termination of Employment and Change of Control Severance
Agreements Senior Executive Officers of the Company have Change of Control Severance Agreements with the Company ("agreements") which were originally effective until December 31, 1998 for Mr. Svensson until December 31, 2000 for Mr. Westerberg and until December 31, 2002, for Messrs. Lindquist and Jonzon which all are automatically extended annually for additional one-year periods unless notice to the contrary is given. The agreements are otherwise terminable during their periods of effectiveness only by termination of the executive's employment. Such termination in connection with a change in control of the Company (as defined in the agreements) will entitle an executive to benefits under the agreements. In the event that during the two-year period following a change of control, the executive terminates the executive's employment for Good Reason (as defined in the agreements) or, during the 30-day period commencing one year after the change of control, for any reason, or the Company terminates the executive's employment without cause (as defined in the agreements), the executive would be entitled to receive an immediate lump sum payment in an amount equal to three times for Mr. Westerberg, and two and a half time for other Senior Executive Officers, the sum of (i) such executive's then current annual salary, (ii) the average of the bonuses received for the two most recent fiscal years or the bonus for the most recent fiscal year, if higher, and (iii) the taxable value of the benefit of a company car, and (iv) the value of any pension benefits to which the executive would have been entitled to if he remained in service for one year following termination. Pension Plans Senior Executive Officers of the Company other than Mr. Westerberg have the right to retire at the age of 60 with pension benefits amounting to 70 percent of the base salary at retirement until the age of 65 and with complementary pension benefits after the age of 65. Pursuant to such agreements, the Company pays insurance premiums on a linear basis to ensure the pension benefits for the period from the date of retirement until normal retirement age of 65 and thereafter for complementary pension benefits. Compliance With Section 16(A) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 2. Ratification of Appointment of Independent Auditors In accordance with directions of the Committee, this appointment is being presented to the stockholders for ratification at the 2005 Annual Meeting. While ratification by stockholders of this appointment is not required by law or the Company's certificate of incorporation or by-laws, the Committee and management believes that such ratification is desirable. In the event this appointment is not ratified by a majority vote of stockholders, the Committee will consider that fact when it selects independent auditors for the next year. Ernst & Young AB has been the independent auditing firm for the Company since May 1997. Ernst & Young AB has been the independent auditors for Autoliv AB since 1984. Audit services provided to the Company by Ernst & Young AB during 2004 consisted of the examination of the financial statements and financial control systems of the Company and its subsidiaries for that year and the preparation of various reports based thereon. Audit Fees Audit Related Services Fees Tax Fees Financial Information Systems Design and Implementation Fees
All Other Fees The Audit Committee has considered the services discussed in the preceding five paragraphs and provided to the Company by Ernst & Young AB and determined that the provision of these services is compatible with maintaining the independence of Ernst & Young AB. The Audit Committee has, however, instructed management to reduce to a minimum services rendered by Ernst & Young AB other than audit services in the future. In addition, the Audit Committee has adopted strict guidelines for the use of Ernst & Young AB to provide audit and non-audit services, including Audit Committee approval of any such audit and non-audit services. The Audit Committee approved 100 percent of such services in 2004. Representatives of Ernst & Young AB will not be present at the Annual Meeting. THE BOARD RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE PROPOSAL TO RATIFY THE APPOINTMENT OF ERNST & YOUNG AB AS THE COMPANY'S INDEPENDENT AUDITORS. 3. Discretionary Voting of Proxies on Other Matters Management does not now intend to bring before the 2005 Annual Meeting any matters other than those disclosed in the notice of the meeting. Should any matter requiring a vote of the stockholders be properly brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board, the proxies in the enclosed form confer upon the person or persons entitled to vote the shares represented by such proxies discretionary authority to vote such shares in respect of any such matter in accordance with their best judgment to the extent permitted by applicable law and the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange. For business to be properly brought before an annual stockholders meeting by a stockholder, timely advance written notice thereof must be received by the Secretary of the Company at its principal executive offices in accordance with the Company's by-laws, a copy of which may be obtained by written request to the Company's Secretary. No such notices were received for the 2005 Annual Meeting. For the Company's 2006 Annual Stockholders Meeting any such notices must be received by the Company not later than February 26, 2006 and not earlier than January 26, 2006. Stockholder Proposals for 2006 Annual Meeting By Order of the Board
Jörgen I. Svensson ************* Appendix A AUTOLIV, INC. |
1 NAME. |
This plan shall be known as the Autoliv, Inc. Non-Employee Directors Stock-Related Compensation Plan and is herein referred to as the "Plan." |
2 DEFINITIONS. |
The following definitions shall apply in interpreting the Plan: |
(a) | "Beneficiary" shall mean such individual and/or the trustee or trustees of a trust as may be designated by a Participant (other than a Participant who is subject to the laws of Sweden) pursuant to such Participant's deferral election. | |
(b) | "Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company. | |
(c) | "Code" shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. | |
(d) | "Committee" shall mean the Compensation Committee of the Board. | |
(e) | "Company" shall mean Autoliv, Inc., a Delaware corporation. | |
(f) | "Compensation" shall mean any retainer fees, meeting fees and any other director fees payable in the form of cash by the Company as consideration for a Participant's services as a member of the Board. | |
(g) | "Fair Market Value" per share of Stock as of a particular date shall mean (i) the closing price per share of Stock on a national securities exchange for the last preceding date on which there was a sale of Stock on such exchange, (ii) if the shares of Stock are then traded in any over-the-counter market, the average of the closing bid and asked prices for the shares of Stock in such over-the-counter market for the last preceding date on which there was a sale of Stock in such market or (iii) if the shares of Stock are not then listed on a national securities exchange or traded in an over-the-counter market, such value as the Committee in its discretion may determine. | |
(h) | "Non-Employee Director" means a person (i) who is serving as a member of the Board and (ii) who is not an officer or employee of the Company. | |
(i) | "Participant" shall mean a Non-Employee Director who elects to set apart Compensation to be allocated to the Plan. | |
(j) | "Phantom Stock Unit" shall mean a bookkeeping unit, having at all times a value equal to one share of Stock, credited to a Participant's Register in accordance with Section 4(a) below. | |
(k) | "Plan Year" shall mean the calendar year; provided, however, that the first Plan Year shall commence on the date on which the Plan is adopted and shall terminate on the next December 31. | |
(l) | "Register" shall mean the register established by the Company for each Participant, which shall set forth the number of Phantom Stock Units allocated to each Participant pursuant to the Plan. | |
(m) | "Stock" shall mean the common stock of the Company, par value $1.00 per share. | |
(n) | "Unforeseeable Emergency" shall mean a severe financial hardship to a Participant that results from (i) an illness or accident of the Participant, the Participant's spouse or a dependent (as defined in Section 152(a) of the Code) of the Participant, (ii) loss of the Participant's property due to casualty or (iii) other similar extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances arising as a result of events beyond the control of the Participant. |
3. PARTICIPATION. |
(a) | All Non-Employee Directors shall be eligible to participate in the Plan. Each Non-Employee Director entitled to Compensation with respect to a Plan Year may elect to have a pre-determined percentage of such Compensation set apart and allocated to this Plan. Such election shall be made in the form set forth on Exhibit A hereto, or such other form as shall be determined by the Committee from time to time. | |
(b) | A Non-Employee Director may elect to participate in the Plan with respect to Compensation that may be payable with respect to a Plan Year by making an election no later than December 31 of the Plan Year immediately preceding the Plan Year in respect of which such Compensation would be payable [; provided, however, that, with respect to the Plan Year during which the Plan is initially adopted, any Non-Employee Director serving as of the date of adoption of the Plan may, within 30 days of the Plan's Effective Date (as defined in Section 9), elect to set apart Compensation to this Plan that would otherwise be paid following such election] [and provided further, the Committee may allow a Non-Employee Director whose first term as a Non-Employee Director begins during any Plan Year to elect within 30 days after the start of such first term to set apart Compensation to this Plan that would otherwise be paid following such election]. | |
(c) | Elections to set apart Compensation shall be made each year in accordance with Section 3(a) and shall continue in force until the end of the Plan Year for which the Participant made such election. All amounts set apart or otherwise credited to a Participant's Register pur-suant to the Plan shall continue to be subject to the provisions of the Plan notwithstanding such Participant's election not to set apart additional Compensation. |
4. DEFERRAL OF COMPENSATION; DIVIDEND EQUIVALENTS. |
(a) | The Company shall establish a Register on its books in the name of each Participant. | |
(b) | On each date on which Compensation would otherwise have been paid to a Participant but for an election made in accordance with Section 3(a), the Company shall credit to such Participant's Register a number of Phantom Stock Units equal to (i) the amount of Compensation set apart on such date pursuant to such election divided by (ii) the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on such date. | |
(c) | With respect to Participants who are not subject to United States tax laws, on each date on which a cash dividend is paid on the Stock, the Company shall credit to each Register then maintained under the Plan for such Participants a number of Phantom Stock Units equal to (i) the per share amount of such dividend, multiplied by (ii) the number of Phantom Stock Units credited to the Participant's Register on the record date for such dividend, divided by (iii) the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date on which the dividend is paid. Each Participant who is subject to United States tax laws shall be paid an amount in cash equal to the cash dividend that would have been paid if the Phantom Stock Units credited to the Participant's Register as of the record date for such dividend were actual shares of Stock; provided, however, that, to the extent permitted under Section 409A of the Code, such a Participant may elect to defer receipt of such dividend in the form of additional Phantom Stock Units credited to the Participant's Register, calculated in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence. |
5. DISTRIBUTION OF DEFERRED COMPENSATION. (1) |
(a) | The Company shall pay or commence payment to a Participant of the balance credited to the Participant's Register (i) within [30] days after the Participant's service on the Board ends or (ii) at such other time as the Participant shall have elected (such date, the "Distribution Event"). Such election shall be made in the form set forth on Exhibit A hereto, or such other form as shall be determined by the Committee from time to time. | |
(b) | Once a Participant (other than a Participant subject to Swedish law) makes an election with respect to the timing of distribution of all or a portion of the balance credited to such Participant's Register, such Participant may make subsequent elections to delay distribution of that portion of the balance credited to such Participant's Register, subject to the following limitations: |
(i) | such subsequent election shall not take effect until at least 12 months after the date on which it is made; | ||
(ii) | in the case of a subsequent election with respect to any scheduled payment under an election pursuant to clause (ii) of Section 5(a), other than any such election providing for distribution upon the occurrence of the Participant's death or disability (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code), the first payment pursuant to the subsequent election must occur no earlier than five years following the date of the payment would otherwise have been made pursuant to the prior election; and | ||
(iii) | in the case of a subsequent election with respect to any payment to be made at a specified time pursuant to an election pursuant to clause (ii) of Section 5(a), the subsequent election may not be made less than 12 months prior to the date of the first scheduled payment pursuant to the prior election. |
(c) | Distributions of amounts credited to a Participant's Register shall be made, at the Participant's election (which election may be made on the Participant's initial election form, pursuant to a subsequent election, or at the time such distribution is to be made), in cash, shares of Stock or a combination thereof. Distributions may be made either in a lump sum or in equal annual installments over a period of years (no more than five), as elected in advance on the election form pursuant to which the Participant made his or her initial election (or, in the case of Participants not subject to Swedish law, in accordance with Section 5(b)). In the event that distributions are to be made in installments, such installment payments shall be made on, or as soon as practicable following, the last business day of the fiscal year of the Company (each such date, the "Payment Date") in which occurs the applicable Distribution Event. If no election as to time and manner of payment is designated, payment shall be made in a lump sum. | |
(d) | Calculations of Distributions. |
(i) | Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, (1) if the Participant elects to receive a lump sum cash payment, the amount of such payment shall be equal to (i) the number of Phantom Stock Units credited to the Participant's Register on the day immediately prior to the Payment Date multiplied by (ii) the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the day immediately prior to the Payment Date, and (2) if the Participant elects to receive cash distributions in installments, the amount of each installment shall be equal to (i) the number of Phantom Stock Units credited to the Participant's Register on the day immediately prior to the Payment Date multiplied by (ii) the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the day immediately prior to the Payment Date divided by (iii) the number of installments remaining to be paid to the Participant. | ||
(ii) | Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, (1) if the Participant elects to receive a lump sum payment in the form of shares of Stock, the number of such shares to be distributed to the Participant shall be equal to the number of Phantom Stock Units credited to the Participant's Register on the day immediately prior to the Payment Date and (2) if the Participant elects to receive distributions in installments in the form of shares of Stock, the number of shares of Stock to be distributed in each installment shall be equal to (i) the number of Phantom Stock Units credited to the Participant's Register on the day immediately prior to the Payment Date divided by (ii) the number of installments remaining to be paid to the Participant. Fractional shares resulting from this calculation shall be payable in cash. |
(e) | In no event may any portion of the balance credited to a Participant's Register be distributed prior to the expiration of the relevant deferral period; provided, however, that a Participant who is not subject to Swedish law may petition the Committee for an early distribution based on the existence of an Unforeseeable Emergency. The existence of an Unforeseeable Emergency with respect to a Participant shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion and in accordance with Section 409(A) of the Code and regulations promulgated thereunder. In the event that the Committee determines that an Unforeseeable Emergency exists with respect to a Participant, the Committee shall determine the amount to be paid from the balance credited to the Participant's Register; provided that such amount may not exceed the amount necessary to satisfy the Unforeseeable Emergency, plus amounts necessary for the Participant to satisfy any taxes reasonably anticipated as a result of such distribution, after taking into account the extent to which such hardship is or may be relieved through reimbursement or compensation by insurance or otherwise or by liquidation of the Participant's assets (to the extent the liquidation of such assets would not itself cause severance financial hardship). |
(1) Consider whether Registers should be paid out immediately
upon a change in control of the Company. |
6. ADMINISTRATION. |
(a) | The Plan shall be administered by the Committee, which shall have all authority that may be deemed appropriate for administering the Plan, including the discretion and authority to interpret the Plan and to adopt rules and regulations for implementing, amending and carrying out the Plan. The Committee may delegate such duties as it determines to such individuals or entities as it may determine. | |
(b) | All determinations made by the Committee with respect to the Plan shall be conclusive and binding on the Company and its successors, the Participants and, if applicable, their Beneficiaries. |
7. GENERAL PROVISIONS. |
(a) | In the event of a reorganization, recapitalization, spinoff, stock dividend or stock split, or combination or other increase or reduction in the number of issued shares of Stock, the Committee shall, in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of rights under the Plan, make such equitable changes or adjustments as it deems necessary or appropriate to any or all of the number and kind of shares of Stock or other property (including cash) upon which the value of Phantom Stock Units is determined. | |
(b) | The right of any Participant to receive future payments under the provisions of the Plan shall be an unsecured claim against the general assets of the Company. | |
(c) | A Participant who is not subject to Swedish law may designate one or more Beneficiaries to receive the Participant's benefits under the Plan in the case of the Participant's death. A Participant may change his or her Beneficiary(ies) at any time by notifying the Committee in such form as the Committee shall from time to time designate. | |
(d) | No Participant or Beneficiary shall have any power to commute, encumber, sell, or otherwise dispose of the rights provided herein, and such rights shall be non-assignable and non-transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution. This limitation shall also apply to a Participant's or Beneficiary's estate. | |
(e) | The crediting of Phantom Stock Units to a Participant's Register shall not create for such Participant (or, if applicable, such Participant's Beneficiar(ies)) any rights with respect to the underlying shares of Stock. |
8. TERMINATION OF THE PLAN; AMENDMENT OF THE PLAN. |
(a) | The Plan shall continue in effect until terminated by resolution of the Board; provided, however, that no such termination shall cause the accelerated payment of any portion of the balance credited to any Participant's Register and no such termination may adversely alter the rights of Participants to amounts credited to their Registers as of the date of the termination. | |
(b) | The Plan may be amended from time to time by resolution of the Committee; provided, however, that no amendment shall provide for accelerated payment of any portion of the balance credited to any Participant's Register and no amendment may adversely alter the rights of Participants to amounts credited to their Registers as of the date of the amendment. |
9. EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE PLAN. |
The Plan was adopted by the Board effective as of December 16, 2004 (the "Effective Date"). The Plan shall be effective with respect to any Compensation payable to a Non-Employee Director for services rendered after such effective date. |
EXHIBIT A [SWEDISH PARTICIPANTS] |
[Address] Attention: Secretary Gentlemen: Pursuant to the provisions of Section 3 of the Autoliv, Inc. Non-Employee Directors Stock-Related Compensation Plan (hereinafter called the "Plan"), I hereby irrevocably elect to have the indicated percentage of my retainer fees, meeting fees and any other director fees which may become payable to me with respect to [2005] allocated to the Plan in the manner provided therein: (Designate percentage to be deferred.) ______% of Compensation This direction shall be effective only for fees payable to me with respect to [2005]. I elect to have amounts I have allocated to the Plan distributed to me: - Within [30] days after my service on the Board ends - ______________________________ (please specify the date which will trigger distribution of payments to you) I elect to receive payments upon distribution in (elect both timing and form of payment): - Lump sum: Cash _____% Stock _____% - Annual installments over ___ years (must be 5 or fewer). Each installment: Cash ______% Stock ______% If electing to be paid in installments, each installment will equal the value, immediately prior to the Payment Date, of the Phantom Stock Units then credited to my Registered, divided by the number of remaining installments, plus any dividend equivalents that may have accrued since the last Payment Date. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand as of the date set forth below: __________________________ Name of Participant __________________ Date |
EXHIBIT A [NON-SWEDISH PARTICIPANTS] |
[Address] Attention: Secretary Gentlemen: Pursuant to the provisions of Section 3 of the Autoliv, Inc. Non-Employee Directors Stock-Related Compensation Plan (hereinafter called the "Plan"), I hereby irrevocably elect to have the indicated percentage of my retainer fees, meeting fees and any other director fees which may have become payable to me with respect to [2005] deferred in Phantom Stock Units in the manner provided in the Plan: (Designate percentage or amount to be deferred.) ______% of Compensation This direction shall be effective only for fees payable to me with respect to [2005]. I elect to have amounts I have allocated to the Plan distributed to me: - Within [30] days after my service on the Board ends - ______________________________ (please specify the date which will trigger distribution of payments to you) I elect to receive payments upon distribution in (elect both timing and form of payment): - Lump sum: Cash _____% Stock _____% - Annual installments over ___ years (must be 5 or fewer). Each installment: Cash ______% Stock ______% If electing to be paid in installments, each installment will equal the value, immediately prior to the Payment Date, of the Phantom Stock Units then credited to my Registered, divided by the number of remaining installments, plus any dividend equivalents that may have accrued since the last Payment Date. If I die while a director of the Company or prior to receiving of all distributions to which I am entitled under the Plan, I hereby direct that any amounts then recorded in my Register be distributed as follows in: - In a lump sum to ______________________________ (Insert Name of Beneficiary) ______________________________ ______________________________ (If more than one Beneficiary is named, indicate percentages to be paid to each Beneficiary) In continued installments as directed by me above ______________________________ (Name one Beneficiary only) IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand as of the date set forth below: __________________________ Name of Participant __________________ Date |
Autoliv Inc, Box 70381, SE-107 24 Stockholm, Sweden |