Taiwan’s Foxconn has said it was talking with state officials about building electric vehicles in Wisconsin, part of the major Apple supplier’s move to diversify income streams.
According to a Reuters report, Foxconn and Fisker said in May they had finalised a vehicle assembly deal. They did not identify a location, but Fisker’s CEO said Foxconn’s Wisconsin site was a possibility.
In a statement cited by the news agency, Foxconn said it had begun discussions with Wisconsin.
“Foxconn has engaged the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to discuss the company’s plans for electric vehicle manufacturing. Foxconn is optimistic about our partnership with WEDC and looks forward to ongoing discussions,” it added.
The company, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry, gave no further details, Reuters said.
A Wisconsin Economic Development Corp spokesman told Reuters the agency does not comment on any potential talks until a contract is executed.
In April, Foxconn drastically scaled back a planned $10bn factory in Wisconsin, confirming its retreat from a project that former US president Donald Trump once called “the eighth wonder of the world” and was supposed to build cutting-edge flat-panel display screens.
A month earlier, Foxconn’s chairman said it might make electric vehicles (EVs) at the Wisconsin site, though could decide on Mexico, and would make a decision this year, Reuters noted.
Over the past year or so Foxconn has announced several deals on the production of EVs with automakers including Fisker, Byton and Zhejiang Geely Holding , and Stellantis’ Fiat Chrysler unit.
On Friday, Fisker told Reuters talks with Wisconsin economic development officials were normal in the process of evaluating potential plant sites. The carmaker said in May it had finalised plans for Foxconn to build vehicles for the EV startup at a US plant starting in 2023, and Wisconsin was one of four options.
Foxconn aims to provide components or services to 10% of the world’s EVs by 2025 to 2027, posing a threat to established automakers by allowing technology companies a shortcut to competing in the vehicle market, the news agency’s report noted.