Foxconn to soon announce second Japanese auto partner

Taiwan's Foxconn will soon announce a second Japanese auto partner, chair Young Liu said on Thursday, as the company best known as Apple's main iPhone maker continues its diversification push.

“There are two Japanese carmakers; one has already been announced, and the other is almost ready to be,” Liu said at the company's annual shareholders meeting, without elaborating.

Foxconn subsidiary Foxtron Vehicle Technologies and Japanese carmaker Mitsubishi this month signed a memorandum of understanding for the supply of an electric vehicle model.

Foxconn views partnerships in Japan as a major opportunity for growing its EV business, Jun Seki, the Taiwan contract manufacturer's chief strategy officer for EVs, said at a Tokyo seminar in April.

The Apple supplier's interest in working with Japanese car makers comes as it faces growing competition from Chinese brands that are aggressively making inroads in markets such as Europe, Brazil and Thailand.

Mitsubishi Motors is a junior partner in the long-standing alliance of Nissan and French carmaker Renault.

Foxconn has previously said it would consider taking a stake in Nissan for co-operation, as it has ambitions to diversify into EVs. Foxtron, the company's EV joint venture with Yulon, counts Yulon-owned Luxgen as its main client in Taiwan.