According to foreign media reports, recently, according to a source close to Taiwanese manufacturing group Foxconn, Foxconn is approaching reaching an agreement with Japanese commercial vehicle manufacturer Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus to supply pure electric buses.
Mitsubishi Fuso plans to sell the Model T bus and Model U minibus developed by the Foxconn Group under its own brand, which will be the first electric buses in its product line. It is reported that the two sides are considering setting up a new company to co-ordinate the bus business.
Image source: Foxconn official website
After announcing an agreement with Mitsubishi Motors in May this year, the partnership with Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus will be Foxconn’s second supply to a Japanese companyElectric vehicle。 Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industries, entered the electric vehicle industry in 2019 and promoted its electric vehicles to global automakers, an electronics outsourcing manufacturer known for assembling iPhones.
Foxconn said at a strategy conference in April this year that it plans to introduce Model T and Model U buses to the Japanese market in 2027, but did not disclose specific manufacturing partners at the time. Model T buses have been available in Taiwan since 2022 and are currently serving local bus routes.
Foxconn Chairman Liu Yangwei said at a shareholders’ meeting in May that the company will build the electric vehicle business into another growth engine. When asked if he was in talks with other automotive partners after Mitsubishi Motors, he said that preparations were nearing completion.
According to people familiar with the matter, Foxconn and Mitsubishi Motors signed a memorandum of understanding on electric vehicles in May to supply Mitsubishi with a customized Model B crossover.
On June 10 this year, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Company and Toyota Motor Corporation’s Hino Motors officially signed a final merger agreement. At the press conference, Mitsubishi Fuso President Karl Deppen specifically revealed independent cooperation plans in the field of electric buses, saying that the company is advancing related projects “with other partners”.
Chinese car company BYD is the first company to enter the Japanese electric bus market, and local Japanese company EV Motors Japan also participated in the competition by letting Chinese OEMs compete. In addition, Hino and Isuzu Motors are also selling electric buses through their joint venture J-Bus.