Foxtron Model B is US-built EV hatchback to rival Tesla Model Y

Foxtron, the automotive division of Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn, has previewed a new electric hatchback called the Model B ahead of a full unveiling on 18 October.

Styled by Pininfarina, the Volkswagen ID 3-sized Model B is the third electric passenger car to be revealed by Foxtron, following the Model C and Model E unveiled in 2021.

Founded in 2020 as a joint venture between electronics contract manufacturer Foxconn and Taiwanese car maker Yulon, Foxtron has also revealed an electric bus called the Model T and a pick-up known as the Model V. The Model V will make its public debut alongside the Model B at Foxconn’s Technology Day on 18 October.

Foxtron confirms the Model B is based on its open-source MiH electric car platform, which also underpins the Model C and Model E.

No details have been revealed about the new model’s drivetrain, although officials suggest it has been engineered to accept both single-motor and dual-motor four-wheel-drive set-ups.

Although billed as a concept, the Model B is expected to make it to production relatively unchanged in 2024 as part of an extended Foxtron line-up, including production versions of both the Model C SUV and Model E saloon.

Foxconn CEO Yang-Wei Liu has confirmed that the development of the Model E is nearing completion, with production of the new saloon due to begin during the second quarter of 2023. Along with production activities scheduled to take place in Taipei, Taiwan, from 2023, Foxtron says it will begin building cars at a factory in Ohio, US, in 2024.

Yang-Wei Liu told journalists in August the US plant is designed for annual capacities of up to 500,000 cars.  

In a move mirroring the contract manufacturing activities of parent company Foxconn, which produces the Apple iPhone, Foxtron plans to offer manufacturing expertise to third-party companies.

The Taiwanese company has already signed a manufacturing agreement to produce Fisker’s second planned electric passenger car, which goes under the working title Pear.