OFFERING SUPPORT:Toyota auto sales are up on the release of its Sienta last week, a multi-utility car similar to Wish model that was phased out in June

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 03, 2016
By: Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter

New car sales rose 6.9 percent to 38,284 units last month from October, due to new model launches and the industry’s traditional high season.

Last month’s figures increased 9.8 percent from a year earlier, data compiled by local motor vehicle branches showed.

From January through last month, total new car sales reached 397,744 units in Taiwan, up 5 percent from the same period last year, the data showed.

Hotai Motor Co (和泰汽車), which maintained its position as the nation’s top seller last month, posted sales of 12,067 units, up 3.7 percent from the previous month.    [FULL  STORY]

COMPLICATED DESIGN:An anticipated collaboration with Samsung would consolidate Largan’s industry position, as the firm already has orders from other major manufacturers

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 03, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Largan Precision Co (大立光), Taiwan’s leading smartphone camera lens supplier, is likely to again receive orders from Samsung Electronics Co after the South Korean company settled a patent dispute with Largan, analysts said.

“The victory in the three-year-long lawsuit is no doubt positive news for Largan’s operations in the long term,” Yuanta Securities Investment Consulting Co (元大投顧) analyst Jeff Pu (蒲得宇) said by telephone yesterday.

Pu’s remarks came after Largan filed a statement with the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday, saying that it has reached settlements with Samsung and Taiwan’s Genius Electronic Optical Co (玉晶光) over Largan’s patent rights.

Largan declined to disclose the details of the settlements, as it inked confidentiality agreements with the two companies.    [FULL  STORY]

PRIVATIZATION PUSH:At a public hearing, critics said the proposed amendment was unduly focused on the ‘green’ energy sector, rather than across-the-board liberalization

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 02, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

The Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee held its first public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Electricity Act (電業法) yesterday, after the Executive Yuan submitted it to the legislature on Oct. 20.

The proposed amendment aims to gradually liberalize the electricity industry and help to develop the nation’s renewable energy industry.

At the hearing in Taipei, National Taipei University professor of economics Wang To-far (王塗發) said the Executive Yuan should withdraw the amendment and redraft it, as the scale of the liberalization is too small to make an impact on the industry.

Wang is a strong advocate for the liberalization of the local power industry, saying that state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) should separate its power generation and electricity distribution businesses to provide private operators with the leeway to participate in the domestic energy business.    [FULL  STORY]

The China Post
Date: December 2, 2016
By: Christine Chou

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese artificial intelligence (AI) startup Appier (沛星互動科技) announced Thursday it had received NT$620 million (US$19.5 million) in foreign funding from its recent Series B round of fundraising.

Appier uses AI technology to analyze how people interact with multiple screens and to provide businesses with insights on multi-screen behavior, to help them make informed decisions.

The fresh funds bring the startup to NT$1.58 billion (US$49.5 million) in total funding from seed, Series A and B rounds.

Investors in the latest round included Temasek-subsidiary investment firm Pavilion Capital International, as well as WI Harper Group, FirstFloor Capital and Qualgro.    [FULL  STORY]

GREATER TAIPEI:Brokers reported increases in sales in the two northern cities, spurred by a housing price correction, which ignited the interest of purchasers

Taipei Times
Date: Dec 01, 2016
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter

The nation’s major real-estate brokers reported uneven improvement in property deals last month, as some sellers made greater concessions to facilitate transactions.

Sinyi Realty Inc (信義房屋), the nation’s only listed broker, said transactions last month picked up 8 percent nationwide on top of October sales, with the rebound most evident in the Greater Taipei area.

A noticeable correction in housing prices in Taipei and New Taipei City helped spur transactions, while the government has softened rhetoric about the market, Sinyi research manager Tseng Ching-der (曾敬德) said.

Housing transactions increased by double-digit percentage points in the two northern cities, whether compared with October or a year earlier, Sinyi data showed.    [FULL  STORY]