.png)
Foxconn reveals three electric vehicle prototypes
Written by Thembani Magazi October 21, 2021
Reviewed by Asaf Kedem
A sedan, an SUV, and a bus. All electric. Who knew that mobile phone assembly companies would also be adept at building electric cars? Foxconn is a Taiwanese conglomerate known as an assembler of iPhones is now expanding into automotive with these three new vehicles. The company recently showed off an SUV it calls the Model C, a sedan it calls the Model E, and a bus dubbed the Model T, all under a new “Foxtron” branding.
For the time being it doesn’t seem like the company is intent on making these cars itself. Rather, it wants them to be reference designs, examples of the types of vehicles that can be built on the EV platform it’s been developing, and advertisements for the automotive components and software it plans to sell. In fact, Foxconn didn’t even build the prototypes — they were made by Taiwanese automaker Yulun Motor, which Foxconn announced as the first customer for its platform. Still, it is encouraging to see the company venture into automotive and provide new, clean mobility solutions.
Foxconn is making big claims about the capabilities of its platform. The company says the Model E can travel 750 kilometers on a single charge and climb to 100 kilometers an hour in under 3 seconds. The Model C tops out at 700km and it takes about a second slower to hit 100km/h. Foxconn says the bus has already gone through hundreds of thousands of kilometers’ worth of testing.
Foxconn has spent more than a year talking about the ambitions it has to become a player in the automotive world, part of a bid to diversify away from phones, laptops, and other consumer electronics. The company has said it wants to have Foxconn’s tech inside five percent of all-electric vehicles made by 2025.
Auto Trendy’s take
Foxconn is one of the biggest tech companies in the world, but it has become infamous for failing to execute on some big international expansions. What was supposed to be a massive, multibillion-dollar LCD factory in Wisconsin, for instance, is still mostly just empty buildings. Now it is entering an ever-crowding field, though, as traditional top-tier suppliers like Magna are already building electric vehicles for other automakers. One concern remains stubbornly clear: Does Foxconn have the quality in its product to be competitive in today’s EV market? That remains to be seen and we at Automotive Trendy will be watching out for any strategic partnerships Foxconn will make in the immediate future. These strategic collaborations could be vital to their success.
