Mazda and China's Changan Automobile Group are poised to build electric SUVs together.
According to Japan's Nikkei Asian Review, the automakers plan to collaborate to develop and build a battery-powered crossover SUV by 2019. The two manufacturers have been in a 50:50 joint-venture partnership since 2012, and their relationship stretches back even longer, into the mid-2000s.
The Nikkei's report indicates that Changan will supply much of the SUV's electric drivetrain -- including batteries and motors, while Mazda will produce the bodies.
The move comes amidst a backdrop where Chinese authorities are pushing to adopt more stringent clean-air regulations. The country is already the world's largest market for electric vehicles, and it's become a global leader in the move to electrification through public policy.
China ranks fifth highest in the world for deaths from air pollution.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 24 2018, @08:58AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchukuo [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Wednesday January 24 2018, @10:26AM
Does 50:50 also apply to the profit split (assuming it it makes money)?
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex