Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics company, is already known for assembling Apple’s ubiquitous iPhones. But on Tuesday, Foxconn Chairman Liu Young-way noted that Foxconn is now looking at electric vehicle manufacturing as its new frontier — and it is hoping to assemble EVs for Tesla in the future.
The Foxconn Chairman’s comments were made during the company’s annual Tech Day. The executive noted that Foxconn is looking to replicate its level of success in assembling consumer gadgets such as Apple’s iPhones to electric cars for automakers. And Tesla, being the world’s premier EV company, would be a great client for Foxconn.
“Based on our past records for the PC and cellphone markets… we’re at about 40-45% of the overall market share. So, ambitions-wise, hopefully we are able to achieve the same kind of achievement like in the ICT industry, but we will start small, which is about 5% in 2025. I hope one day we can do Tesla cars for Tesla,” Liu said, according to a Reuters report.
During his talk, Liu noted that Foxconn would not really be selling its own electric cars. Instead, it wants to help its customers sell “a lot” of electric vehicles that will be made in the United States, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Foxconn Chairman added that the company is currently negotiating with partners in India and Indonesia.
Liu noted that Foxconn could offer a lot to EV makers, as the company will be leveraging its “48-year-old roots in ICT manufacturing” to potentially halve EV design times and slash development costs by a third. “Despite the challenges of conflict in Europe and COVID globally, Foxconn has maintained our EV strategy. Supply chain resilience has always been Foxconn’s DNA. Our global footprint in 24 countries gives us a huge advantage to meet EV industry demands,” Liu said.
Tesla has not released a statement about the Foxconn Chairman’s statement. However, the electric vehicle maker has made a name for itself for being a company that values vertical integration. Tesla has focused on making its vehicles and their components in-house, with the company currently looking to produce batteries for its cars. This was despite the company also inking large supply deals with key battery makers such as Panasonic, CATL, and LG Energy Solution.
Tesla, however, has ambitious plans for the future, with the company aiming to produce 20 million cars annually by the end of the decade. To accomplish such a task, perhaps the EV maker should probably consider partnering with companies like Foxconn, which already have extensive experience building tech devices.
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