Yulon Eyes EV Biz in Taiwan, China

Taipei, March. 9, 2011 (CENS)--Yulon Group, a major automobile manufacturing/sales conglomerate in Taiwan, is actively exploring the lucrative business opportunities in domestic electric vehicle (EV) market.

Yulon Nissan Motor Co., the sales arm of locally assembled and imported Nissan car makes, is scheduled to publicize its cooperation plan with Taichung City Government to push more EVs on-road.

Yulon claimed that it is ready to engage in the EV business. In addition to Yulon Nissan, the group stressed, the affiliated Luxgen Motor Co., Ltd. (LUXGEN brand) and Yulon Tobe Motor Co. (tobe brand) have successfully developed battery electric vehicle (BEV) models.

A fleet of LUXGEN7 EV+ BEVs have been adopted by the Taipei International Flora Exposition as one of the in-campus transportation green vehicles and all the mileages have been counted for trial drive of such vehicles. .

Outside Taiwan, Yulon is constructing an automobile plant in Xiaoshan, Hangzhou of Zhejiang Province, China in partnership with Chinese automaker Dongfeng Group. The new facility is expected to produce both gasoline- and battery-powered LUXGEN car models for sales in China.

Yulon has also developed a BEV model, the tobe M'car EV, for its Chinese partner Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd., which is contracting Yulon now to locally produce Geely-developed car products under "tobe" brand name for sales in Taiwan and other nations. Geely is expected to introduce the Yulon-developed BEV model, based on the chassis of Geely Panda mini-car, for sales in China.

Though Taiwan government has promulgated to provide commodity-tax holidays for BEVs sold in Taiwan and some key EV-related technologies have been matured, industry sources said, the key factors leading to increasing popularity of EVs include the charging infrastructure and battery cost.