Taiwan truck swaps mirrors for cameras
Formosa Automobile says Taiwan is the first place outside Europe licensed to assemble DAF's new-generation XF heavy truck, from imported parts.
Look for the side mirrors on DAF's new-generation XF heavy truck and you won't find them. Cameras replace them, and Formosa Automobile (台塑汽車), an affiliate of Taiwan's Formosa Plastics (台塑) group, says the truck is Taiwan's only commercial vehicle without conventional mirrors.
One camera system replaces the side mirrors, and a second replaces the front and side curb mirrors. The company says the side view is 2.3 times wider than with mirrors, and the passenger-side blind-spot view 3.8 times wider. Inside are a 12-inch digital instrument panel, a 10.1-inch multimedia screen and a Traditional Chinese interface.
Formosa Automobile, which has sold DAF trucks in Taiwan for 20 years, launched the new XF on Oct. 6. It says DAF, a Dutch truck maker in the US PACCAR group, made Taiwan the first place outside Europe licensed to assemble it, from imported parts. The company says that cuts freight, tariffs and commodity tax.
It aims to sell 600 a year, or 20% of Taiwan's market for large trucks that pull trailers, which TVBS puts at about 3,000 sales a year.
The company plans to test a few battery-electric trucks in the group's freight fleet in 2027, with sales as early as late 2028.
Sources: 鉅亨網 Anue (cnyes), 中時新聞網 China Times, TVBS新聞網 TVBS News
Editor: Ian Lamont
