Imports continue to eat away at the Taiwan manufacturers’ market share, while vehicle sales are flat overall. New car sales have long been flat in Taiwan. Last year, a government subsidy program boosted sales to 439,000 units, an annual increase of 4.5%, and the best performance in a decade. This year marks a return to…
Fully automatic buses are already being tested in Taipei for late-night service. Backed by its solid base in ICT (information-communications technology), Taiwan is gearing up for the coming trend of driverless cars, which is expected to revolutionize transportation worldwide within 10 years. Taiwanese automaker Yulon Motor Co. has been among the leaders domestically in this…
Despite an ambitious government initiative designed to help improve air quality, Taiwan has been slow to embrace electrically powered motor vehicles. Besides electric scooters, the major progress to date has been in development of electrically powered buses, which are already in service in several cities. Nearly all of the electric cars on Taiwan’s roads –…
The major new development is creation of Taiwania Capital Management, a government-backed venture-capital operation. Among the seven industries targeted in the government’s “5+2 Industrial Innovation Program,” the one starting with the strongest foundation is smart machinery. Overall machinery production value this year could break the NT$1 trillion (about US$33 billion) mark for the first time,…
Rising worldwide demand for Taiwan’s export products is injecting more vitality into the economy. Most economists are currently forecasting GDP growth for this year and 2018 in the range of 2-2.5% – not the fast pace that Taiwan was long accustomed to, but still an improvement over recent economic performance. Given Taiwanese companies’ prominent role…
The government is moving cautiously – some developers think too cautiously – in promoting what could become a major new industrial sector. Offshore wind-power development is a huge undertaking. Enormous turbines fixed on gigantic masts rise 150 meters above the sea, with foundations reaching 50 meters into the waters below. The generating capacity of each…
The use of agricultural land will be needed to provide sufficient area, but regulations governing farmland are stringent. Taiwan’s rural Yunlin County, traditionally one of the island’s least developed areas, is virtually booming with solar panels. Every third farmhouse or barn seems to be covered in solar panels. And where locals once eyed solar-power purveyors…
Concern is growing as to whether Taiwan can meet its objectives to both eliminate nuclear power and greatly cut carbon emissions by 2025. The reliance on nuclear has already fallen sharply, as several reactors that had to be temporarily shut down have not been brought back online. In the meantime, increased generation from coal-fired plants…
As consumer interest in organic foods grows, major food companies are entering this market segment. Around the world, consumers are expressing greater interest in healthier diets that include more natural and organic ingredients without artificial additives and preservatives. Global sales of organic food have surged 200% over the last decade, according to research institutes, and…
On the morning of July 28, Wei Ying-chung, former chairman of Wei Chuan Foods Corp., reported to the Taipei Prosecutors Office to begin a two-year prison sentence for his involvement in the 2013 edible-oil scandal that dealt a fatal blow to his company, once one of Taiwan’s leading foodstuff manufacturers. In late April, the appellate…
