Taiwan’s automobile industry is interconnected in multiple ways. This includes passenger car production, automotive spare parts, and automotive electronics. Moreover, assembly does not play a major role in the country’s economy, although about 3,000 companies are involved in the automotive industry. Hotai Motor, China Motor Corporation, Yulon Nissan Motor, and Honda Taiwan head the ranking. In addition, local industrialists are actively investing in electric models. Not surprisingly, 75% of Tesla’s employees are Taiwanese residents.
What are the Taiwanese automobile brands?
Taiwan’s automotive industry is well developed, though it is not the engine of the local economy. Major brands include Hotai Motor, Yulon Motors, Luxgen, Yulon GM, China Motor Corporation, Chin Chun Motors, Kuozui Motors, Ford Lio Ho, Honda Taiwan, Her Chee, SYM Motors, Formosa Automobile, Ta Ching Motor, and Prince Motors.
Hotai Motor
It is a conglomerate founded in 1947. It manufactures, advertises, and sells automobiles and automotive parts. Lee Ho Huang founded it and supplied small cars and cars under the Toyota and Lexus brands.
It also manufactures a range of large vehicles, including trucks, under the Toyota and Hino brands. However, unlike similar structures, the company has two subsidiaries dealing with auto insurance, auto parts, and auto leasing. In other words, this manufacturer dominates all areas of the automotive industry.
Yulon Motors
This is one of Taiwan’s largest automobile manufacturers. It assembles passenger cars under Nissan’s license. Until 1992 (when the company was founded in 1953), the manufacturer was named Yue Loong; thereafter, it was shortened to Yulon. Today, the company is among the four leading companies in the Taiwanese automobile market. It forms a holding company with several brands: Yulon Rental, Carnival Industrial Corporation, Yulon Financial, Yulon-Nissan Motor, and others.
In 2010, the organization created the Luxgen brand to sell its cars. It also sells several Nissan and Renault models. The Nissan lineup is particularly broad, comprising the March, Verita, Sentra, Teana, Serena, and X-Trail models.
Luxgen
This company produces cars under the Yulon brand and is 100% owned by its parent company. It forms a single entity, Dongfeng, with the Chinese automaker Dongfeng Yulon. Luxgen supplies the PRC market with several passenger car models: S5, S3, U5, U6, 7 MPV, and 7 SUV. The company is headquartered in the Miaoli district.
Yulon GM
The structural division between Yulon and General Motors no longer exists. It dissolved in 2012, although it once successfully sold Cadillac, Buick, and Opel vehicles. The company also designed and assembled the Buick Excelle and Buick LaCrosse. After a poor rating that precipitated financial collapse, the Taiwanese and American companies terminated the partnership, and the joint venture dissolved.
China Motor Corporation
Taiwan’s Taipei-based CMC produces well-equipped, modern Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler vehicles. It is also their primary overseas supplier, offering modernized models for export. In 2021, its lineup included a wide range of Mitsubishi passenger cars: the Zinger (based on the Challenger platform), Space Gear, Savrin, Grunder (an Asian variant of the Galant series), and Lancer. Since 2006, Chrysler has produced a wide range of cars. The company has extensive experience, having been in the market since 1969.
Chin Chun Motors
This automotive organization began operations in 1991 in Taoyuan, where it remains based today. It is a partnership formed by Chinfon Huanyu and Volkswagen AG. Also, Chin Chun Motors is a subsidiary of the Chinfon Group. It currently manufactures Hyundai commercial vehicles in Taiwan.
Kuozui Motors
This Taiwanese automaker specializes in producing Toyota vehicles. The list includes many series such as Yaris, Zace, Wish, Camry, Altis, and Vios. In addition to assembly, it handles passenger-car sales and after-sales maintenance. The company began as a subsidiary of Hino Motors and Hotai Motor. In the 1980s, it spun out of them and became an independent entity. But in 2008, Hotai Motor and Toyota increased their stakes in Kuozui Motors, gaining a controlling interest.
Ford Lio Ho
Ford Lio Ho was founded as a Ford passenger-car assembly plant in Taiwan. From the mid-1980s through the 1990s, it handled cars based on the Mazda 626 and 323. Ford Motor Company intended to sell these in the Asia-Pacific region, where they were known as the Telstar, Ford Laser, and Explorer. The current lineup is much broader and includes adapted Mazda and Ford models. The company was founded in 1972. Ford owns only 70% of the shares, with the rest held by Lio Ho investors.
Honda Taiwan
This plant is wholly owned by the Japanese conglomerate Honda Motor Co., Ltd. He founded it in 2002 after local firms ceased cooperating with him. As a result, the foreign company established a separate enterprise where it began producing its CR-V and Accord series cars (in 2003), the Civic (in 2006), and the Fit (in 2008).
Her Chee
This company focuses on producing small SUVs and compact side-by-side all-terrain vehicles in Taiwan. Additionally, Taiwanese manufacturers produce ATVs, scooters, and motorcycles. The company’s full name, Her Chee Industrial, indicates its specialization in the industrial sector and its lack of independent development.
SYM Motors
Sanyang Motor Co., Ltd. was established in 1954. Entrepreneurs Chang Kuo An and Huang Chi-Chung founded it in Taipei. The company is headquartered in Hsinchu County and has three factories in Taiwan, China, and Vietnam. Its main product range consists of ATVs, motorcycles, scooters (under the SYM brand), mini trucks, and cars (under the Hyundai brand).
Formosa Automobile
The automobile company, founded in 1996, was established following the acquisition of Sanfu Motor Co., Ltd.’s factory in bankruptcy. The Formosa Plastics Group financed it and subsequently assembled Daewoo cars from 2003 to 2006. It produced various other models under its Formosa brand. In 2004, it abandoned it due to financial losses. To recover, the company tried to partner with Skoda, but also failed. It now produces only one line of Dutch DAF trucks.
Ta Ching Motor
This Taiwanese company, founded in 1989, assembled Subaru cars. Its main industrial sites were located in Pingtung. The company also developed a unique sedan, the Subaru Justy. In 2002, the manufacturer ceased operations.
Prince Motors
The firm was founded by politician and businessman Hsu Sheng-fa. It was founded in 1965. Initially, it assembled passenger and commercial vehicles and was a key supplier of Japanese trucks, including Mitsubishi Kato and Komatsu. Since 1971, Prince Motors Co. has manufactured Nissan Homer vehicles. After the contract ended, the company entered into a long-term agreement with Isuzu and Suzuki and relocated the assembly line to New Taipei (Tucheng District). But in 2011, the Taiwanese company went bankrupt.
Thunder Power
Thunder Power is a modern electric-car brand positioned for the future. It features high-speed, energy-intensive batteries, noise-absorbing interiors, and innovative design. The Thunder Power logo is large and is located in the front grille. The badge is an oval shape that diverges over water and consists of three elements stylized in shiny metal.
Tobe
This is a proprietary brand of the Taiwanese automaker Yulon Motor Company, which produces inexpensive superminis. The company has produced passenger cars in Miaoli City since 2009. The Tobe logo is circular, with an orange center bearing the brand name. The name is set in lowercase and arranged in two rows. Like the frame, the lettering has a metallic texture and a shiny surface.
CMC
This Taiwanese automaker and distributor’s abbreviation stands for China Motor Corporation. The company has operated since 1969 and is based in Taipei. CMC has used its current logo since 2015. It is a horizontal rhombus divided by a vertical stripe into two identical triangles, with the name in blue at the bottom.