iPhone Maker Wants to Build EVs for Tesla, Too
Taiwan’s Hon Hai Technology Group, better known internationally as Foxconn and the maker of Apple’s iPhone, unveiled two new electric vehicle prototypes this week.
The Foxtron Model B is a small crossover with generous interior space resulting from a long wheelbase of 2.8 metres as well as a claimed 450 kilometres of range, while the Foxtron Model V is a compact, dual-cab pickup with a payload of one ton and a towing capacity of three tons.
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The names are reminiscent of Tesla vehicles, and as a matter of fact Foxconn would very much like to team up with the EV king now based in Texas.
Foxconn chairman and CEO Young Liu explained that his company doesn’t want to sell its own products. Rather, it aims to design and manufacture vehicles for other automakers around the world. And Tesla is at the top of the list.
Foxconn already has deals with Yulon Motor in Taiwan as well as Lordstown Motors and Fisker in the U.S. It owns and runs the former GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio where the Fisker Pear will be built starting in 2024.
Liu said that Foxconn is targeting a 5 percent market share globally of electric vehicle production by 2025. However, it won’t be able to get there by partnering with startups only. That’s why a big fish like Tesla could be part of the picture.
Now, it’s highly unlikely at this point that Elon Musk’s company would strike a deal with Foxconn, especially with the two new Gigafactories in Austin, Texas and Berlin, Germany being far from operating at full capacity.
In the longer term, things could be different. Remember, Tesla plans to sell up to 20 million EVs annually by 2030. Foxconn claims it can reduce the design time of a vehicle in half and development costs by a third for automative partners.
Foxconn showed three other EV prototypes last year. Two of them are now on the road in Taiwan including a large bus and a compact crossover.
