Foxconn Confirms Talks With Wisconsin On Deal To Build Electric Cars

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer and known better universally as Foxconn, confirmed Friday that it is holding talks on building electric vehicles in Wisconsin, but stressed that the plans were not yet final, Chang Chien-chung and Matthew Mazzetta reported for Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA).

"Foxconn has engaged the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC) to discuss the company's plans for electric vehicle manufacturing," the company said in a statement, using the name by which it is known internationally.

"Foxconn is optimistic about our partnership with WEDC and looks forward to ongoing discussions," it said, adding that a final decision and firm timetable on the plan had yet to be reached.

Meanwhile, in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday, the company said that it and its partner, the California-based electric vehicle (EV) maker Fisker Inc., had held talks with the WEDC "as part of the site selection process."

Foxconn and Fisker signed a framework agreement in May to establish an electric vehicle production site in the US while stipulating that the sides would use the MIH Open Platform promoted by Hon Hai to develop vehicles to be sold under the Fisker brand.

Many speculated then that the project would be based in Wisconsin, where Hon Hai had previously planned a $10 billion factory investment to make flat panel displays, before massively scaling it back earlier this year.

The company said at the time, however, that it was also evaluating other potential production sites, with the goal of manufacturing around 250,000 electric vehicles annually.

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