AK Motor International Corporation reaches out to local suppliers and developers for its EV project

Maple Majestic Module Layout (CNW Group/AK Motor International Corporation)

TORONTO — Development continues on the Maple Majestic Canadian EV by Toronto-based AK Motor, with milestones reached in bringing together the right partners for the project. In building this vehicle, AK Motor is employing a business model that is ideally tailored to Canada. The Maple Majestic vehicle is being developed using external suppliers for components and assembly services, as well as technological products and academia. The Maple Majestic EV project is divided into module packages which represent complete projects for leading suppliers with expertise in these areas. AK Motor is providing an opportunity for these companies to effectively take ownership of these modules, and to unleash their creative potential. In using this strategy, AK Motor is reaching out to parts suppliers for opportunities in co-operation.

“In formulating a business strategy for the Maple Majestic venture, we wanted to do things in a way that is reflective of Canada’s auto industry. Our ideas are disruptive, but we’re not here to displace existing stakeholders. Instead, we are here to empower them. The strategy has to be the right fit for the country. Canada may not be well known for creating its own automotive brands, but our country pioneered the business of producing parts for automotive OEMs. With over 600 domestic parts suppliers, Canada is a world leader in technological development and providing services to OEMs. If we’re to build a Canadian car, leveraging these resources is the right fit for the future of Canada’s auto industry. It is the best business model because it also focuses on the success of existing stakeholders, and not only ours,” says AK Motor founder and CEO Arkadiusz Kaminski.

The global shift towards Electric Vehicles represents an opportunity for Canada to become more than a parts supplier for the world’s OEMs. At the core of this opportunity lies the need to recognize that Canada cannot do things the way it used to. Building parts and developing technologies has been the traditional approach for Canadian companies for many years, but the real opportunity is to create a Canadian automotive brand that leverages these resources.

AK Motor’s logic of working with parts suppliers extends to organizations of different structures, like assembly services, developers of new technologies and academia. The objective is to create an ecosystem for the development and manufacture of Canadian automobiles. Figuring out the best way to integrate these diverse automotive building blocks now will go a long way towards securing Canada’s future as an automotive manufacturing country, creating unprecedented opportunities for future generations of Canadians. An example of this co-operation is AK Motor’s recent usage of the VR Cave which is operated by Invest WindsorEssex. The VR CAVE is Canada’s largest publicly accessible facility that was created through the support of the Province of Ontario’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network and Windsor-Essex being designated as a Regional Technology Development Site. Working with the Simulation Team at the Invest WindsorEssex VR CAVE allows for the immersive visualization of the Maple Majestic virtual prototype to showcase how the vehicle will transform through its pre-production journey.

“The Windsor-Essex region is the birthplace of the Canadian Automotive industry. We are very proud to work with AK Motor to support their efforts in the creation of the Maple Majestic concept vehicle. By providing simulation capabilities through the Invest WindsorEssex VR CAVE to help bring the model to life, we hope that this will offer a glimpse into the exciting journey ahead for AK Motor and the great things to come for Canada’s Automobility future,” says Ed Dawson, Senior Manager of Automobility and Innovation – Simulation Team at Invest WindsorEssex.