iPhone Manufacturer and Famed Designer Pininfarina Create New EV Model

At first glance, it might look like a new Kia EV based on its unique, sharp edges and futuristic styling, but no, this new fully-electric vehicle is simply called the Model D, and it’s not from any automaker you’re familiar with. The seven-seater Lifestyle Multipurpose Utility Vehicle (LMUV) is based on the work of Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., also known as Foxconn.

If Foxconn sounds familiar, it’s because you’ve likely heard their name in association with Apple, as the company manufactures the iPhone and iPad, along with devices from the likes of Nintento, Nokia, Cisco, Sony, and a laundry list of others. Their automotive branch, called Foxtron, worked with famed designer Pininfarina to create a highly efficient model to house plenty of Foxconn’s technological touches, and it was unveiled at the fifth annual Hon Hai Tech Day event.

The Airbender

Based on its toaster-like profile, you wouldn’t expect that the Model D would be very slippery, beyond its very slanted windshield, but Pininfarina’s expertise lent itself to creating a design that nets a remarkable coefficient of 0.23 cd, which is unheard of for a vehicle that is close to 17-feet long, 6.5-feet wide, and almost 6-feet high. Air curtains, or an item that creates a dam of air through the opening of a space separating two different environments, were used, as were S-ducts, which help reduce turbulent air’s impact on a vehicle as it travels. Additionally, adjustable pneumatic suspension is used to raise or lower the vehicle when needed, further aiding its aerodynamic strengths.

The single LED headlight wraps around the front end and sits above a series of slats cut into the front bumper that lead to large indentions on either end. Look toward the back of the front fenders, and you’ll see the pressure relieving openings baked in. Its LED taillight also illuminates the upper and lower panels.

The Foxtron Alphabet

This isn’t the first time Foxconn and Pininfarina have collaborated. The new Model D is the third project the pair has teamed up on, the first two being the Model E sedan and Model B crossover, from 2021 and 2022, respectively. Outside the Pininfarina trio, Foxconn has also hinted at a Model V pick-up, as well as Model T and Model U buses. None have gone into production, but their Model C, a five-or-seven-seat crossover, has, and was seen at the Tech Day event as was a sample of the Model U narrow bus. Sold to Taiwanese automaker Luxgen Motor Co., Ltd., the Model C now wears Luxgen’s n7 badge.

That seems to be part of the generic naming convention applied to the vehicles Foxconn has come up with, leaving them ready for naming by whatever automotive company chooses to buy and rebadge them, like Luxgen has. Rather than fighting through the tumultuous public car buying battle, the company intends to design and develop the platforms and offer them to established automakers.

What’s In The Box?

Inside the spacious cabin, the large screen you’d expect to find sprawled across much of the dash space is in fact there, in two parts – one for the center section that spills into the passenger area, and a smaller screen just behind the steering wheel. There are a pair of captains’ chairs mounted mid-ship, with room for three more passengers on a bench just behind them. iPad docks were used behind the seats for rear passenger entertainment and iPhone holders/chargers were integrated into the arm rests. Small patterns on the door cards are backlit for a futuristic feel.

Underneath it all is a German-built chassis from ZF Chassis Modules, a company that Foxconn acquired a 50% stake in just last year. The battery, or, perhaps batteries, powering the model D will be of 100-120 kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) and Foxconn aims to build a vehicle capable of over 410 miles based on the WLTP test cycle. If they’re successful, that would give the LMUV top long-range honors in the EV world.

Of course, that goalpost could in fact change before the vehicle makes it into production as Foxtron’s intention is to get started within the next two years.