Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday debuted three electric vehicle (EV) prototypes to great fanfare at its Tech Day event at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
The prototypes of sports utility vehicle Model C, luxury sedan Model E and electric bus Model T were developed by Foxtron Vehicles Technologies Co (鴻華先進), a joint venture between Hon Hai and Yulon Motor Co (裕隆汽車).
The Model C and Model E are to be initially sold under the Yulon-affiliated Luxgen Motor Co (納智捷汽車) and China Motor Corp (中華汽車) brands when they hit the market, Hon Hai chairman Young Liu (劉揚偉) said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The company expects the electric vehicle business to contribute to revenue as early as next year, Liu said.
“We anticipate significant revenue contribution by 2023, and for EVs to be Hon Hai’s next trillion NT business in five years,” he said.
Although Hon Hai has aggressively trumpeted its EV ambitions since October last year and announced many partnerships, including with US firm Fisker Inc, Lordstown Motors Corp and European auto giant Stellantis NV, yesterday was the first time it showed the fruits of its labor.
The 4.64m-long Model C features a sleek, spacious and power-saving design, while the Model T bus is equipped with a rigid body and a 400 watt-hours battery, fully meeting the standards set by the US Federal Transit Administration, the company said.
The Model E luxury sedan, jointly developed with Italian design firm Pininfarina SpA, can accelerate from 0 to 100kph in 2.8 seconds, and generates 750 horsepower, with a full range of 750km, it said.
The three vehicles were built on Hon Hai’s EV open platform known as MIH. The “MIH alliance” is an open standard founded by Hon Hai with the aim of allowing Taiwanese EV component makers to cooperate with each other with the ambition to become “the Android of EVs.” It was spun off as an independent entity in July.
The price of the Model C would be “under NT$1 million [US$35,695],” Liu said, but did not disclose the prices for the other two models.
The prototypes are demonstration models for customers, who can have them customized according to their specifications and design, he said.
Yulon Motor chairperson Lilian Chen (嚴陳莉蓮), who appeared on stage in a Model C, said the three EVs were built in just one year, a display of Taiwan’s potential and strengths in automobile research and development.
While the physical vehicles were the star of the show yesterday, Liu said that Hon Hai is driving its EV business into “a software-defined enterprise.”
“As the electric vehicle business develops and matures, Hon Hai will set up a software R&D [research and development] center with more than 2,500 engineers within three years,” he said. “We welcome those who are interested in the field of electric vehicle software.”
Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said the Model T is likely to start service in Kaohsiung next year, once it passes the quality and safety test of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, paving the way for it to break into overseas markets
Former Hon Hai chairman and company founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who drove a Model E sedan onto the stage, said the EVs were the “best birthday present ever.”
He turned 71 yesterday.
“This is the best gift I have ever received for my birthday,” he said.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from