money Foxconn unveils three new EV prototypes
The Model C, E and T are a sedan, SUV and bus, respectively.
At its HHTD21 event, Foxconn unveiled three electric vehicle prototypes including two sedans and an electric bus, according to a Nikkei report and YouTube video. The company said it is "no longer the new kid in town" when it comes to EVs, and aims to develop a business worth up to $NT 1 trillion, or around $36 billion per year.
Foxconn developed the EV prototypes under the Foxtron brand in collaboration with Taiwan's Yulon Motor. The latter has its own brand (Luxgen) and manufactures Nissan and Mitsubishi vehicles for the local market. The prototypes include a luxury sedan, SUV and transit bus, labeled the Model E, Model C and Model T, respectively.
The vehicles are based on Foxconn's open software and hardware platform, MIH Consortium. They're essentially designed as kits, serving as reference designs that EV brands can mass produce to their own specifications.
The Model T bus could hit roads as early as next year (hopefully under a different name), with a projected range of 400 km and top speed of 120 km/h (75 MPH). It also includes technology like pedestrian warnings, advanced temperature management and high crashworthiness, according to Taiwan News.
Foxtron's Model C is an electric SUV that will be available in Taiwan by 2023 with high efficiency and zippy 3.8 second 0-to-62 MPH speeds. It's expected to cost below $NT 1 million ($35,700), said Foxconn chairperson Young Liu. The Model E, a luxury performance sedan designed in partnership with Pininfarina, will enter the market at a later, unspecified date. It will offer 750 horsepower and deliver a 0-62 MPH time of 2.8 seconds, along with a 750 km range. Yulon will be among the first EV makers to use the designs, said chairperson Lilian Chen.
Foxtron said it aims to capitalize on a trend of producing EVs close to the markets where they're sold in order to keep costs down. The company plans to build EV factories in the US, and recently announced that it would acquire troubled Lordstown's Ohio manufacturing plant. It aims to manufacture Lordstown's Endurance pickup truck at the plant, and build Fisker EVs in the complex by late 2023. Foxconn said it would announce details of its EV production plans for Europe soon.
