In a previous series of articles, I explained that Taiwan-based Foxconn (aka Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. or 鴻海精密工業股份有限公司) is going to be a serious player in the EV industry, but that you probably won’t hear much about it. Why? Because it is going to be the “stealth bomber” of manufacturers. The underpinnings will end up in a broad variety of vehicles, but often with the names of other manufacturers on the grille. After all, Foxconn makes everything from Dell Laptops to iPhones already, but you wouldn’t know about it unless you looked it up or follow the electronics industry a lot more than the average user.
Now, we’re starting to see this strategy in action in the automotive industry.
A few days ago, Fisker announced solid plans to build the PEAR, and it is working with Foxconn to build it in Ohio. This is supposed to happen in 2024, and the starting price is supposed to be below $29,900. Normally in an early paragraph like this, we’d describe what kind of vehicle this is supposed to be (car, SUV, truck, etc.), but Fisker is telling journalists that the vehicle defies such categorization.
“The PEAR will be a revolutionary electric vehicle that won’t fit into any existing segment. The exterior design will feature new lighting technology and a wraparound front windscreen inspired by a glider plane glass canopy, enhancing frontal vision,” Fisker’s Chairman and CEO Henrik Fisker said. “Our engineering group is working on new features and high-tech solutions for the PEAR that will change how we use and enjoy a vehicle in the city.”
That wasn’t really good enough for me, though. So, I dug deeper. The PEAR is much like Nissan’s LEAF when it comes to the name. It’s an acronym that stands for Personal Electric Automotive Revolution. But, like the LEAF, expect most people to just call it the Pear. After all, going all caps can be taken as yelling or a sign that you’re aging.
But what kind of car is it? Apparently, it’s actually going to be a small crossover SUV-like vehicle. But it’s going to be kind of like a hatchback. Detailed images haven’t been released beyond what you see above, but there’s a short video Fisker teases us with:
…which also tells us next to nothing about what the PEAR is actually going to be, other than that it won’t be an apple or a peach.
Whatever the PEAR is going to actually be, Fisker and Foxconn tell us that they expect to sell a whole bunch of them. After a ramp-up period, they want to make at least 250,000 units per year, and that they have high hopes to make many more. So, they think it’s going to be that good. Fortunately, Foxconn is a manufacturing legend, so we probably don’t have to worry about production hell, alien juggernauts, or other embarrassing performance issues during the ramp-up.
Also, once they get the PEAR into volume production, they plan to use the same platform to make at least two other electric vehicles, but we know even less about those. What do you think comes after Ocean and PEAR? Tell us in the comments.
Featured image provided by Fisker.
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