鴻海真正打開日本汽車市場的第一扇門：不是 Nissan，而是 Mitsubishi FUSO
- 前半段為文章的英文版本 (The first half is the English version)
- 後半段為中文版本 (The second half is the Mandarin version)
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Foxconn’s Real Entry into Japan’s Auto Industry: It’s Not Nissan — It’s Mitsubishi FUSO
For more than a year, headlines suggested that Foxconn was trying to break into Japan’s auto industry through major passenger-car makers—especially Nissan.
But the real opening, the first door that truly swung open, came from somewhere very different.
Not Nissan.
Not Toyota or Honda.
Not any of the traditional passenger-car giants.
Foxconn’s first real manufacturing foothold in Japan
is coming from Mitsubishi FUSO, Japan’s commercial-vehicle brand responsible for buses and trucks (and part of Daimler Truck).
And unlike the many MOUs, concept announcements, and “ongoing discussions” we have seen over the past two years, this one is:
a formal joint venture,
inside an existing Japanese factory,
with mass production scheduled to begin.
This is Foxconn’s first true landing point in Japan’s automotive sector—
and it is far more strategically meaningful than most observers realize.
1. The Latest Development: A 50–50 Joint Venture and Japan-Based EV Bus Production in 2026
According to a Tokyo TV report, later confirmed and summarized by the Economic Daily News:
- Foxconn and Mitsubishi FUSO will establish a new 50–50 joint venture in January 2026
(tentative name: “FUSO Bus” or “Mitsubishi FUSO Bus”) - Mitsubishi FUSO will carve out and move its entire bus business into the JV
- Production will take place at FUSO’s existing plant in Toyama Prefecture
- Foxconn will manufacture its Model T (full-size EV bus) and Model U (mid-size EV bus) locally in Japan
- Foxconn is reportedly exploring raising its equity share in later phases
- This will become Foxconn’s first EV manufacturing site in Japan
Meaning:
Foxconn has finally achieved something that eluded it for years:
a real, operational automotive manufacturing foothold on Japanese soil.
Not a concept.
Not a partnership announcement.
Actual production, in an actual Japanese factory.
2. Why Mitsubishi FUSO — And Not Nissan, Toyota, or Honda?
For two years, most media assumed Foxconn’s breakthrough would be in passenger cars.
Especially after repeated coverage of its discussions with Nissan on EV platforms and idle factory utilization.
But the Nissan path stalled for predictable reasons:
Passenger-car negotiations in Japan are notoriously complex
- Highly regulated
- Politically sensitive
- Strong labor-union influence
- Supply chain intertwined with national policy
- EV investment remains cautious among Japanese automakers
Meanwhile, commercial vehicles are a completely different story.
The bus and truck market faces:
- Shrinking domestic demand
- High EV development costs
- Difficulty achieving scale
- Immediate competitive pressure from foreign players
And this is where Mitsubishi FUSO needed Foxconn the most.
3. Why Mitsubishi FUSO Needed Foxconn:
BYD Is Forcing the Market to Change
Japanese media have been blunt:
BYD’s electric buses are too cheap to compete with.
With China’s vertically integrated EV supply chain, Japanese commercial-vehicle makers can’t match:
- Battery costs
- Platform integration
- Speed of development
- Subsidy-driven pricing
As a result:
- FUSO’s current cost structure can’t support full EV bus development
- Daimler (FUSO’s parent company) won’t sink massive R&D into a shrinking market
- Japanese municipalities increasingly want EV buses, but local manufacturers can’t supply competitively
In this context, Foxconn provides exactly what FUSO lacks:
✔ EV platform expertise (MIH)
✔ Vertical integration
✔ Capital
✔ Speed
✔ A proven EV bus production track record (Model T in Taiwan)
No single Japanese manufacturer can absorb EV bus development costs alone—
and Mitsubishi FUSO openly admitted this.
4. The True Significance:
Foxconn Finally Establishes a Manufacturing Base in Japan
For years, Foxconn attempted to enter Japan’s automotive value chain:
- Sharp’s Japanese assets
- EV platform discussions with Nissan
- Meetings with Japanese ministries
- MIH platform collaboration pitches
- Engagement with multiple Japanese Tier-1 suppliers
But none of these created a concrete, operational base.
This partnership changes everything:
✔ A formal joint venture
✔ An entire business unit transferred into it
✔ A running Japanese production line
✔ Mass production of Foxconn EVs in Japan
✔ Integration into Japan’s commercial-vehicle supply chain
This is not an experiment.
This is infrastructure.
It gives Foxconn something it never had in Japan before:
Legitimacy as a local automotive manufacturer—
not just a tech outsider.
5. How This Reshapes Foxconn’s Future Negotiations — Especially With Nissan
In several of my previous articles, I argued:
“Foxconn must prove its ability to successfully manufacture vehicles in Japan
before any major Japanese automaker will engage seriously.”
Now, with the Mitsubishi FUSO JV:
- Japan’s government sees Foxconn operating locally
- Existing Japanese factories accept Foxconn management
- Local suppliers begin working with Foxconn
- A Japanese workforce is already building Foxconn EVs
- A Daimler-owned commercial-vehicle brand is partnering deeply with Foxconn
This radically shifts Foxconn’s bargaining position.
If Nissan returns to the negotiation table—which is likely given its idle factory challenges—
Foxconn will no longer be approaching as:
“a foreign electronics manufacturer seeking entry.”
It will be approaching as:
“a proven EV producer already operating inside Japan’s automotive ecosystem.”
That’s a completely different power dynamic.
6. Conclusion:
Japan’s EV Door Didn’t Open Where Everyone Expected—
But It Opened Exactly Where Foxconn Needed It
For two years, discussions about Foxconn’s Japan strategy focused almost entirely on passenger-car manufacturers.
But Foxconn’s true breakthrough came from a much more practical, less glamorous, but strategically perfect avenue:
commercial vehicles.
Why?
Because:
- EV buses require huge investment
- The Japanese market is shrinking
- Only a partnership model can sustain development
- BYD’s price pressure is accelerating Japan’s response
- Mitsubishi FUSO urgently needed a platform + capital partner
- Foxconn was the only one positioned to fill that gap
So instead of Nissan, Foxconn’s first major step in Japan is a fully operational:
- JV
- transferred business unit
- factory integration
- EV production line
- partnership with a Daimler-owned brand
This is the real beginning.
From here, Foxconn gains:
- Local manufacturing credibility
- Pathways to Nissan and other OEMs
- Strong presence in Japan’s commercial-EV transition
- A long-term role in Japan’s mobility supply chain
- The political and industrial trust needed for expansion
Japan’s auto market may be slow to move,
but once a door opens—even a small one—
the rest of the structure begins to shift.
This Mitsubishi FUSO partnership
is that first door.
And it may shape Foxconn’s Japan strategy for the next decade.
If you found this analysis useful
I regularly share deeper, behind-the-scenes insights on my LinkedIn Newsletter:
Taiwan Tech Dispatch
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Further Reading:
- Mitsubishi Fuso, Taiwan’S Foxconn Preparing To Establish New Company In Japan As Early As January Next Year To Produce Next-Generation Ev Buses, TV Tokyo
- History Repeats Itself? From Sharp to Nissan — How Foxconn Navigates Japan’s “Dignity Negotiations”
- From Mitsubishi to Nissan: Foxconn’s Quiet Takeover of Japan’s EV Landscape
- From Tesla’s FSD to Taiwan’s Autonomous Buses: Two Roads Shaped by Capital and Industry
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鴻海真正打開日本汽車市場的第一扇門：不是 Nissan，而是 Mitsubishi FUSO
日本汽車產業的電動化速度，近年來一直被視為「亞洲最慢」。
但也是在這個「慢」的市場裡，鴻海找到了一個出乎意料但極具戰略意義的突破口。
這扇門不是 Nissan。
也不是 Toyota、Honda 或 Mazda。
而是被多數人忽略的——Mitsubishi FUSO（負責日本卡車與巴士的商用車品牌）。
更關鍵的是：這次合作不是象徵性試驗，而是 合資公司 + 現地生產 + 現有工廠導入 的完整佈局。
這，才是鴻海真正踏入日本汽車產業的第一個落地據點。
而且來得比所有人預期的更快。
一、最新進展：合資公司 2026 年 1 月成立，鴻海將在日本正式生產電動巴士
根據日本東京電視台，以及後續台灣經濟日報的整理：
- 鴻海與 Mitsubishi FUSO 將於 2026 年 1 月成立 50%-50% 合資公司
- 名稱正在考慮定為「FUSO 巴士」或「三菱 FUSO 巴士」
- 三菱 FUSO 會把原本的巴士事業分拆，移入合資公司
- 生產地點確定在富山縣工廠（FUSO 既有廠）
- 鴻海最快將於 2026 年開始生產 Model T（大型電巴）與 Model U（中型電巴）
- 鴻海正在洽談 提高持股比例 的可能性
- 這將是 鴻海在日本的第一座 EV 生產據點
換句話說：
鴻海終於在日本汽車產業真正「落地」，從 MOU 走到製造生產。
這不是傳聞，也不是意向，而是正式的合資與工廠導入。
二、為什麼是 Mitsubishi FUSO？
而不是 Nissan、Toyota、Honda？
外界一直以為鴻海想在日本做的是「電動轎車」。
畢竟 2024–2025 一整年，媒體不斷報導：
- 鴻海有意與 Nissan 談 EV 工廠合作
- 鴻海可能參與 Nissan 日本工廠的產能分配
- 鴻海接觸日本政府與車廠，希望引入 EV 平台業務
但是 Nissan 談來談去，最後卡在兩件事：
① 乘用車（轎車）談判難度本來就最高
- 法規更多
- 日本政府高度敏感
- 勞工與工會影響大
- 產品線複雜
- 產能調整涉及國家戰略
② EV 投資巨大，日本車廠仍在觀望，不願快速大轉向
Nissan、Honda、Toyota 對「外部委外製造 EV」的心態仍較保守。
👉 相反，Mitsubishi FUSO 的商用車（Bus / Truck）市場就不一樣：
- 巴士市場正在萎縮
- EV 改裝、開發成本極高
- 車廠單獨做會虧
- Mitsubishi FUSO 的母公司 Daimler（德國商用車巨頭）更務實
- 相較於乘用車，商用車是委外製造最容易的入口
因此，當 Mitsubishi FUSO 找上鴻海時，
兩者的需求完美對上了。
三、三菱 FUSO 為什麼需要鴻海？
一句話：日本商用車市場，已被 BYD 逼到牆角
這件事，日本媒體其實講得非常直接：
→ BYD 的電動巴士太便宜了。
在補助、成本結構、電池垂直整合的差距下，
日本本土巴士品牌幾乎無法在電動化競爭裡站穩。
結果就是：
- Mitsubshi FUSO 無法再用傳統成本結構開發新電動巴士
- 日本巴士市場不大，分散、老化、難以回本
- Daimler 也不可能為了日本市場投入巨額研發
這時鴻海提供的東西剛好補上所有缺口：
✔ MIH 電動車平台技術
✔ 高度整合的電動巴士供應鏈
✔ 台灣在電巴領域的量產經驗（如 Model T）
✔ 大量資金、投資彈性、速度
所以三菱 FUSO 相關人士直接說：
「已不是單獨一家公司能負擔的開發成本，因此需要與鴻海合作。」
這句話非常關鍵。
這代表鴻海不是被動角色，而是 FUSO 無法電動化時唯一能夠補位的解方。
四、這案子的真正意義：
鴻海第一次在日本“正式”建立汽車生產基地
鴻海過去幾年的日本布局一直有一個大目標：
在日本汽車產業證明自己的「落地能力」。
包括：
- Sharp 日本資產佈局
- 與 Nissan 洽談產能合作
- 與日本政府溝通 EV 倡議
- 與三菱、日產、多家日系 Tier-1 接觸
但這些都是「洽談」、「伙伴關係」、「技術交流」。
而這次：
✔ 合資公司成立（50/50）
✔ Mitsubishi FUSO 原廠產線導入
✔ 2026 正式生產電巴
✔ 合資公司承接 FUSO 原巴士事業
這是完全不同級別的合作。
它代表：
鴻海「終於」正式踏進日本汽車製造業的核心。
五、這對未來 Nissan 談判的意義：
鴻海終於拿到“談判籌碼”了
你之前的文章曾提到：
「鴻海要拿到日系車廠的信任，就必須先在日本建立一個成功的製造樣板。」
這次 FUSO 讓鴻海在日本建立工廠後：
- 政府驗證 OK
- 地方政府驗證 OK
- 日本供應鏈接受
- JV 架構運作順利
- 本地合作伙伴願意拆分資產進合資公司
未來如果 Nissan 想重新談 EV 合作或委外生產：
鴻海將不再是「外國電子大廠」。
鴻海會變成：
「已經在日本成功量產車輛的日本本地 EV 生產商」。
這個地位差別太大了。
六、結語：
不是 Nissan，而是 Mitsubishi FUSO——日本市場的入口通常從“意想不到的地方”打開
回顧這兩年鴻海在日本的 EV 佈局，
外界一直把目光放在 Nissan、Toyota、Honda。
但真正願意開門、願意一起承擔電動化成本、
並且願意讓鴻海直接進入日本工廠生產的，
反而是商用車領域的 Mitsubishi FUSO。
這個合作，比 Nissan 更務實、更落地，也更具戰略意義。
因為它讓鴻海：
- 第一次在日本建立汽車工廠
- 正式加入日本汽車產業的一環
- 取得與大車廠談判的實績與地位
- 切入商用車這個電動化迫切的市場
- 證明日本 EV 轉型需要外部夥伴，而鴻海符合這個角色
這扇門一旦打開，
後面可能跟著的是：
- Nissan（乘用車生產合作）
- Toyota（特定 EV 專案委外）
- 日本政府綠能 / EV 補助計畫
- 更多 Tier-1 與 OEM 合作案
這就是為什麼：
這不是一個“小案子”。
這是鴻海日本 EV 版圖真正的起點。
如果這篇分析對你有幫助，
我會在 LinkedIn Newsletter 《Taiwan Tech Dispatch》
分享更多沒有寫在文章裡的觀察與判斷。
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