Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn unveils three Tesla-named electric vehicles
A year ago, Foxconn Technology Group introduced its own MIH electric vehicle platform, and now the first three electric vehicles under the Foxtron brand – the Model C crossover, Model E sedan and Model T bus – have debuted on it. This is just the beginning of Foxconn's electric vehicle business, which will be global and have assembly sites. in the USA and Europe.
Foxconn is the trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., founded in 1974 by Taiwanese entrepreneur Terry Gou. Today, Foxconn is one of the largest IT companies in Asia that produces electronic components and is the main assembler of the equipment of the American company Apple – the legendary iPhones.
Last year, Foxconn announced plans to diversify its business and break into the electric vehicle market by unveiling its own open source modular MIH platform, which Foxconn intends to offer to everyone. The first consumer of the MIH platform was expectedly the Taiwanese automobile company Yulon Motor (it owns the recently known brand Luxgen). Foxconn and Yulon formed a joint venture with the trade name Foxtron, under which the first three electric vehicles on the MIH platform debuted today, their premiere took place at the Foxconn Technology Day event in Taipei, timed to coincide with the birthday of Terry Gow – he turned 71 today.
Foxtron Model E sedan interior
Foxtron Model E sedan interior
Terry Gow himself (in the title photo) rolled onto the stage to the tune of Happy Birthday To You, driving the flagship Foxtron Model E sedan, which was designed by the Italian studio Pininfarina. The Foxtron Model E, which measures 5,100 mm in length and has a 3,100 mm wheelbase, is powered by two electric motors (one for each axle) producing a combined 550 kW (748 hp), according to Chinese magazine Autohome. Model E can accelerate to 100 km / h in 2.8 seconds and travel up to 750 km on a single charge (for which cycle is unknown). The drag coefficient cx is only 0.22. Inside, there are a lot of screens and almost no physical buttons, and instead of the front passenger seat, a footstand for the “boss” sitting behind can be installed. A production start date for the Foxtron Model E has yet to be announced.
Foxtron Model C crossover interior
The Foxtron Model C mid-size crossover (length – 4640 mm, wheelbase – 2860 mm) with a 5 + 2 landing formula will be put on the conveyor in 2023. Its twin-engine power plant produces 300 kW (408 hp) and 700 Nm, a range on a single charge is up to 700 km, acceleration to “hundreds” takes 3.8 seconds, an estimated price is 1 million Taiwan dollars (2.55 million conventional units in translation at the current rate).
Foxtron Model T
The Foxtron Model T bus with a range of up to 400 km on a single charge was announced back in the summer and will hit Taiwan roads next year.
Alas, Foxconn did not provide branded photos of new products at the time of publication of our publication.
In the future, the Foxtron lineup will expand significantly: the light version of the MIH platform provides a wheelbase spread from 2750 to 3100 mm, several types of battery cells, a total battery capacity of 93, 100 or 116 kWh and several types of suspensions for models of different price segments. The power of the electric motor on the front axle can be 95, 150 or 200 kW, on the rear – 150, 200, 240 or 340 kW. By 2024, solid-state batteries with radically increased capacity and charging speed are promised. By 2026, the value of Foxconn's electric vehicle business should reach $35 billion. By 2027, every tenth electric car in the world should be based on the MIH platform.
Earlier this month, it became known that Foxconn bought a former GM plant in Ohio with a capacity of 600,000 cars a year from the American startup Lordstown Motors – it will become the main production site of the Taiwanese IT giant in the United States. Here, from 2024, the as-yet-unpresented Fisker PEAR compact electric car will be assembled on a contract basis, while Lordstown Motors will rent part of the plant for its own needs.
In the spring, Foxconn became a strategic partner of Stellantis Corporation in the Chinese market. The Taiwanese company will announce plans to enter the European market in the near future.
In general, Foxconn's electric vehicle division is gaining momentum and, according to Bloomberg, it will eventually be able to become a partner of Apple and this area – the “apple” company, as you know, still hatches a plan to produce its own electric vehicles, and Foxconn, as in the case of “iPhones”, can get a contract for their production.