Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) on Wednesday said it is deepening its partnerships with automotive chip supplier NXP Semiconductors NV to adopt more chips and technologies in its next generation of electric vehicle (EV) development.
Hon Hai said it has adopted NXP chips in its first electric sedan, dubbed Model C, and plans to use more chips in two new electric models to be unveiled in October.
Hon Hai said it would ramp up production of the Model C in Taiwan in the first half of next year.
Photo: Fang Wei-jie, Taipei Times
Hon Hai’s EVs are developed by Foxtron Vehicles Technologies Co (鴻華先進), a joint venture between Hon Hai and Yulon Motor Co (裕隆汽車).
Hon Hai, the world’s largest iPhone maker, on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with NXP Semiconductors to jointly develop platforms for a new generation of smart-connected vehicles.
The strategic partnership is to involve a broad suite of applications that includes more than 10 automotive products in its first stage, and is soon to begin development, the company said. That is different from NXP’s cooperation with Foxconn Industrial Internet Co Ltd (富士康工業互聯網) in developing smart cockpit solutions.
The collaboration between Hon Hai and NXP is also to include next-generation platforms such as cybersecurity, connectivity using the latest NXP S32 domain, and vehicle networking control, while also advancing secure car access with Bluetooth Low Energy and ultra-wideband, Hon Hai and NXP said in a joint statement.
NXP has also joined the MIH electric vehicle platform, an open platform initiated by Hon Hai.
Hon Hai aims to duplicate Taiwan’s success in the electronics sector in its efforts to build EVs, by swiftly integrating new technologies to introduce new hardware and other products, Hon Hai chief product officer Jerry Hsiao (蕭才祐) told reporters on the sidelines of a news conference in Taipei on Wednesday.
“The cooperation with NXP will allow us to engage in the development of new technologies and new solutions in the early stage of the collaboration, leading to shorter time-to-market,’ Hsiao said.
Such partnerships are crucial in developing next-generation vehicles, given that an open ecosystem significantly reduces manufacturing costs and shrinks time to market, he said.
That is different from conventional practice in the auto industry, where automakers operate their own closed supply chains, he added.
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