Taiwan’s Yulon Motor Company said it plans to launch its first electric vehicle (EV) model based on Hon Hai Precision Company’s EV platform in 2023, a company executive confirmed this week.
Yulon Motors is one of Taiwan’s largest vehicle manufacturers, producing vehicles under license from Nissan Motor and Infiniti, and also under its own brands including China Motors and Luxgen Motor. It also sells cars in China through its Dongfeng Nissan Ltd joint venture.
Yulon’s vice president Lee Chien-hui confirmed during an online investor conference this week that his company has agreed to produce the Model C battery-powered SUV under its upmarket Luxgen brand from 2023, followed by the Model E sedan.
Mr Lee said during the virtual event “Luxgen will be the first company in Taiwan to introduce electric vehicles designed by Foxconn. The project will kick off next year in preparation for the launch in 2023. All vehicles will be made in Taiwan. The Model C will be the first to be introduced in the domestic market”.
Hon Hai, also known as Apple Inc’s main contract manufacturer Foxconn, has invested heavily in the last two years to position itself as a significant player in the global EV market. It has developed the MIH dedicated EV platform complete with powertrain, which it offers to potential partners, and is in the process of establishing an effective supply chain.
Earlier this year Hon Hai established a new EV division called Foxtron Vehicle Technologies, which it said employed “several thousand” people. Earlier this month Hon Hai confirmed it had agreed to acquire a former General Motors’ vehicle assembly plant from US-based Lordstown Motors Corporation.
Yulon Motors has been busy establishing an EV charging network through its subsidiary YES-Energy Service Company, which it says has 2,200 charging piles located mainly in parking lots and shopping malls across the country.