Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn has unveiled its latest EV models at its annual Tech Day. This year, a "Lifestyle Multipurpose Utility Vehicle" and a mid-sized electric bus were brought out to great fanfare. Plus the company had major news: It expects to mass produce an earlier model in the United States by the end of 2025.
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00:00A rock star welcome for an electric bus.
00:19This is one of two new electric vehicle prototypes that Foxconn unveiled at its latest tech day.
00:26Better known for making iPhones, the Taiwanese company is trying to drive new areas of revenue
00:32and hopes models like this will find favour with markets at home and abroad.
00:38A VIP shuttle or a mobile office, not a problem.
00:43By removing the interior elements and the changing seating arrangement, we then turn
00:49it into a 21-seater bus for daily transportation.
00:55As well as the bus, Foxconn unveiled its Model D, with an estimated range of 800km
01:01on a single charge.
01:03For the past five years, the company has been building prototypes, then trying to find car
01:08makers to put their own brand on them.
01:10So far, they've only partnered with another Taiwanese firm.
01:14This is the Model C, an SUV designed by Foxconn that went on sale in Taiwan earlier this year.
01:22This is the company's first passenger EV to make it to market, and in a significant
01:28boost, the company has announced that this slightly adjusted Model C will be unveiled
01:34in the United States by the end of next year.
01:38Foxconn says they designed it in conjunction with as-yet unnamed American partners.
01:44Its plans to enter the US market come as Chinese EV makers face trouble there.
01:51The Biden administration is moving to diversify the US EV supply chain away from China.
01:57And that comes on top of hefty tariffs on Chinese EVs from both the US and EU, which
02:04accused China of giving its car makers unfair subsidies.
02:09Some industry observers see an opportunity for Foxconn.
02:12Well, I think the most important thing is that the US government is restricting Chinese
02:18technology, not Taiwanese technology.
02:22And if they are able to utilize more Western suppliers, this could allow them to enter
02:31the United States pretty much tariff-free.
02:36If the price points are low, like we've seen with the Foxtron vehicles, then this could
02:41be a real opportunity, a real potential win for them.
02:45Seeing its electric vehicles on US roads would be a major milestone for a company that is
02:50not a traditional car maker.
02:53And with Chinese companies facing high tariffs, this time around, Aegea Politics may just
02:59work in favor of a Taiwanese company.
03:02Klein Wong and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.