The electric ARCFOX Alpha-T (also referred to as the α-T) compact SUV is based on Magna’s EV platform dubbed BE21, and was developed with joint-venture partner BJEV, a subsidiary of China’s BAIC Group.

As of May 31, approximately 4,000 ARCFOX vehicles have rolled off the assembly line at Magna Steyr China's contract manufacturing joint venture in Zhenjiang.

The plant’s 200 painting robots are programmed so that every drop of paint is on the car’s body, not the environment, in a major sustainability initiative.

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Magna’s contract manufacturing in China offers new mobility companies a one-stop shop, including platform sharing, engineering services and manufacturing.

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This is the first time Magna’s contract manufacturing has expanded outside of Europe, where we have produced 3.7 million vehicles for Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and others.

Magna’s EV contract production is designed to speed new electrified models to market as the auto industry transitions to clean mobility.

Magna is building electric cars for today’s young generation in China. The ARCFOX brand is aimed at environmentally conscious buyers living in high-rises in big cities.

ARCFOX has a nature theme. The name stands for arctic fox, a small animal that lives in the cold regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Magna employees are taking pride in the ARCFOX brand. More than 100 of them turned out for a special dealer ride-and-drive event in Shanghai in May.

A Love of High Altitudes

In his spare time, Zhenyu Huang likes to fire up his PC and test himself with the takeoff and landing challenges of Microsoft’s Flight Simulator, sometimes flying where maps don’t go.

He often is behind the controls of a virtual Boeing 737 or Bombardier CRJ700, flying at high altitudes. The comparisons between flight and managing Magna’s Zhenjiang contract manufacturing facility are not lost on Huang, the vice president of Magna Steyr China and the general manager of the tech JV with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co.

“Whether you are running a plant or a flight simulator, you need focus,” Huang said. “You need the right combination of things to make everything run smoothly.”

With any flight simulator, the goal is to land the plane as smoothly and accurately as possible. Running the Zhenjiang facility, which currently produces ARCFOX electric vehicles, is just as demanding.

“We aim to be a leading partner in China for zero-emission mobility,” Huang said.

A major objective: Share Magna’s EV platform, developed with JV partner BJEV, a subsidiary of China’s BAIC group, with non-BAIC companies.

For new mobility companies with an “aggressive desire” to come to market, platform sharing may be the “only solution,” Huang noted.

“The platform gives our customers a solid foundation to start with,” he said. “Then, they can add their own styling and customer experience and bring the car to market quickly.”

Contract manufacturing also provides the auto industry with a more sustainable approach to new mobility.

“We go beyond sharing a platform to supply-chain sharing,” Huang said. “Customers don’t need to build their own tools and components which can be most cost-efficient for them. It’s a simple but solid path for new entrants to bring their product to market.”