"I believe we can get production up and running in China as early as next year, potentially adding capacity of 75,000 Fisker Oceans annually," Fisker CEO said.
(Image credit: Fisker)
Fisker (NYSE: FSR) plans to open a delivery center in China this year, becoming the next US electric vehicle (EV) startup to target the Chinese market after Lucid Motors (NASDAQ: LCID).
Fisker plans to open a delivery center in China in 2023 and start delivering the Fisker Ocean SUV in the first quarter of 2024, the company said in a June 9 press release.
Fisker's leadership team recently visited China and met with officials and business leaders in Shanghai to discuss cooperation and opportunities in the region, according to the release.
The conversations focused on the automotive supply chain, logistics, warehousing and future production development, Fisker said. The company opened its China office in 2022, according to the release.
"We expect China to be an important growth market for EVs in the future and believe our vehicles will be very appealing. That is why we established an office there and intend to open a delivery center this year," said Henrik Fisker, Fisker's chairman and CEO.
"I believe we can get production up and running in China as early as next year, potentially adding capacity of 75,000 Fisker Oceans annually," he added.
Interestingly, local media outlet Jiemian reported on June 7 that Zhu Jiang, who previously served as an executive at Nio (NYSE: NIO), Ford (NYSE: F) and Jidu Auto, the car-making arm of Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU), has joined Lucid to head up its China operations.
Lucid is starting to prepare for its entry into the Chinese market, Zhu told the outlet.
China is the world's largest EV market, with the segment seeing explosive growth over the past two to three years.
Global EV sales are largely driven by China, with 56 percent of total EV sales in the first quarter coming from the Chinese market, market research firm Counterpoint Research said in a June 8 report.
In China, the premium and affordable luxury segment is growing faster than the general segment, Daniel Foa, Fisker's China board member, said at the company's annual shareholders meeting on June 6.
Fisker fits right into that segment with its unique history, features and design, Foa said.
The company recently announced that deliveries of its first production model, the Fisker Ocean all-electric SUV, will begin in the US on June 23. It starts at $37,499 for the Sport interior trim level.
Notably, Chinese power battery giant CATL is a supplier to Fisker.
On November 2, 2021, Fisker announced it signed an agreement with CATL, which will supply batteries for the Ocean SUV.
CATL will provide Fisker with more than 5 GWh of initial capacity per year from 2023 to 2025, according to a previous statement.
Lucid prepares for China entry, hires ex-Nio, Ford exec Zhu Jiang
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