A disused factory complex in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen could hold the key to 21st-century carmaking.
The location, now being prepared at top speed, will be the headquarters and main production location for FMC. Remember the name: with the backing of three huge Chinese conglomerates, and led by two leading German auto executives, FMC—Future Mobility Corporation—wants to conceive and build the world’s first truly mass-market electric car. The future of mobility, they say, will be born in China.
“We want to be the Apple of the car industry,” says Carsten Breitfeld, FMC’s German chief executive. Some may scoff at the grandiose claims: FMC is less than a year old, has no factory, and hasn’t produced a single car.