There is a new SUV being launched soon and glimpses of the rear designed teased the brand’s emblem with the final two alphabets ‘O’ and ‘N’. The first guess for anyone in Malaysia would be Proton and supposedly the large X90 model joining the line-up.
Unfortunately, the carmaker with the final two alphabets shared with Proton is a new EV brand from Taiwan called Foxtron. This new automotive company by Foxconn, makers of high-end consumer devices such as Apple’s iPhone, is showing glimpses of several new products to build up to the official launch of the Foxtron brand on Monday.
The teaser video was presented as part of the parent company’s annual tech day which usually draws interest from the consumer electronics industry. Hon Hai Tech Day (HHTD) of 2020 also launched the MIH open-sourced EV platform.
In the video, three key models were shown- an E-segment sedan, a C-segment SUV dubbed Model C and a commuter bus. All models will be fully electric and built on the MIH platform, while the bus will be on a commercial variant.
Foxconn, via Hon Hai, has also signed a joint venture with PTT of Thailand (similar to what Petronas is in Malaysia) to establish a fully integrated electric vehicle production facility to develop and produce EVs in the country. The new facility also allows other automakers and parts suppliers to participate in all things EV.
Production is only scheduled to begin by 2024 latest, with an initial manufacturing target of 50,000 units per annum and expanding to 150,000 units per annum in the coming future.
The government of Thailand recently announced bold plans to accelerate the supply and adoption of EVs in the country. By the end of 2025, Thailand hopes to have 25% of new vehicles sold are zero local emissions, with the figure increasing to 50% by the end of this decade, up from 30% previously proposed.
The kingdom plans to only offer zero-emission new vehicles from 2035, the earliest country in the ASEAN region to wave goodbye to the internal combustion engine.
GALLERY
