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sharp corp. showed off a prototype of the first electric vehicle it has developed on sept. 17. the minivan, called the ldk+, has a living-room-like interior with a large lcd screen, and the company aims to put it into commercial use within a few years.

on the 17th, in tokyo, japan, sharp corporation demonstrated the prototype of its first electric vehicle.

the new concept car is developed based on the cooperation between sharp, hon hai technology group (foxconn) and japanese start-up electric vehicle company folofly, using the electric vehicle platform provided by foxconn. according to information, folofly is known for its focus on the development of small and micro civilian/commercial electric vehicles and related infrastructure services of the same size as the ldk+ concept car. the company was founded in august 2021 and is headquartered in the international science innovation building of kyoto university in kyoto, japan. the company adopts a factory-free production model and has successfully completed multiple rounds of financing.

unlike other brands that are optimistic about new energy, sharp's greater reason for investing in car manufacturing is the sluggishness of its main business. earlier, a sharp spokesperson admitted at a press conference that the emergence of new products, namely electric vehicles, stemmed from the pressure caused by the shrinkage of the main business. sharp said that as the lcd panel business that supports the company's operations has shrunk due to the sluggish market, the company hopes to make electric vehicles a new pillar of revenue. data show that sharp has faced continuous losses in the past period of time, with its net sales falling by nearly 10% in fiscal 2023, and the main loss area is its display and electronic equipment department, which has always been considered strong. in terms of operating profit, the company recorded a net loss of 14.99 billion yen in fiscal 2023. in the second quarter of this year, the company's consolidated revenue fell further by 1.7%.

previously, many home appliance companies have entered the car manufacturing industry. skyworth group developed its first model, skyworth et5, as early as 2021. in addition to the companies themselves building cars as oems, companies such as midea and haier are also gradually participating in the new energy vehicle industry. however, after home appliance companies have entered the car manufacturing industry, their market performance has not yet increased. taking skyworth and stone technology as examples, public sales data show that skyworth auto's total sales in the first eight months of 2024 were 8,646 vehicles. jishi auto's total sales in the first eight months of 2024 were 2,399 vehicles.

beijing business daily comprehensive report