Luxgen: History, Landmark Models and Line-up

Luxgen at a glance

Luxgen is best known for well-equipped MPVs, SUVs and sedans that brought camera systems and connected technology to buyers at mainstream prices. According to earlier descriptions, the name combines "luxury" and "genius". All its models are listed in the Luxgen catalogue.

Origins and founders

Luxgen was created in early 2009 within the Yulon group, one of Taiwan's established carmakers. Kenneth Yen is named as its founder, and design and engineering were handled by HAITEC, Yulon's technical centre. The company adopted the motto "Think Ahead", and from the start it focused on technology: around-view cameras, night vision and in-car computing featured strongly in its early models.

History by era

2009–2012: launch and first models

The brand's first car, the Luxgen7 MPV, was shown on 19 August 2009 and went on sale in Taiwan a month later, on 19 September. Its body structure was based on the third-generation Renault Espace, a link to the French maker whose story is told in the history of Renault. The MPV was an immediate success at home: by March 2010 more had been sold in Taiwan than the entire Hyundai range, whose maker is covered in the history of Hyundai.

At the Dubai Motor Show in December 2009, Luxgen presented three more vehicles: the Luxgen7 SUV, the EV+ electric model developed with AC Propulsion, and a built-to-order Luxury CEO version. The Luxgen 7 SUV went on sale on 4 June 2010. Both seven-series models used a 2.2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine developed with Le Moteur Moderne and fitted with a Garrett turbocharger. In 2010 Luxgen made its first overseas sale, in Oman, and named the Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia among its target regions.

The Neora EV concept, shown at Auto Shanghai in April 2011, previewed the brand's first sedan. The production Luxgen5 was unveiled at the Taipei Auto Show in November 2011 and launched in the second quarter of 2012. It was the first car developed entirely in Taiwan by HAITEC's design centre. Engines were 1.8- and 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol units with variable valve timing; earlier descriptions give about 112 and 134 kW (150 and 180 hp). The same descriptions lists an around-view camera system, night vision, a head-up display and an Android-based infotainment computer.

2013–2019: crossovers and a wider range

In 2013 the compact U6 crossover joined the range on the Luxgen5 platform, with the same 1.8 and 2.0 turbo engines; the U6 GT used the smaller engine and the U6 GT225 the larger one. A 2017 facelift added a 1.6-litre engine from the PSA Group, the French maker whose history is in the history of Peugeot. The Luxgen5 sedan went on sale in China in July 2013.

In 2014 the naming system changed: the 7 MPV became the M7 and the 7 SUV the U7, and after a 2015 refresh the Luxgen5 became the S5. A wheelchair-accessible V7, based on the M7 with a lower, extended tailgate and raised roof, was revealed in production form at the 2016 Taipei Auto Show. The sub-compact S3 sedan arrived in 2016, followed by the U5 sub-compact crossover on the S3 platform in the third quarter of 2017. That year Luxgen also entered Iran, while the Dominican Republic was among its other export markets.

In 2019 Luxgen added the mid-size URX crossover, based on the U6 platform and possibly the first Luxgen exported to Europe, and showed the MBU performance crossover concept on a new platform intended for future models.

2020 to today: retreat, electrification and Foxtron

The year 2020 marked a turning point. The joint venture Dongfeng Yulon, which had built and sold Luxgen cars in China since 2010, ended Luxgen production, and the brand announced it would leave the Chinese market because of low sales. The China joint venture partner's own story is told in the history of Dongfeng. In the same year the S3, U5, S5 and U7 were discontinued, and the M7 and V7 followed in 2021.

In 2022 Luxgen replaced its "L" badge with the full "LUXGEN" lettering and adopted a new slogan, "Pure Highlights, Infinite Possibilities". Preorders for its first production electric car, the n7 SUV, opened in September 2022, and the n7 debuted in 2023. In December 2025 Foxtron Vehicle Technologies agreed to acquire Luxgen, subject to approval by Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission; under the plan, Luxgen stops launching new models and runs a dedicated sales network for the Foxtron brand.

Luxgen timeline

Landmark models that defined Luxgen

Engineering firsts and technology

Luxgen has no motorsport record; its reputation rests on technology and service. Early cars offered surround-view cameras, night vision and connected infotainment. The EV+ of 2009, developed with AC Propulsion, showed the brand's early interest in electric drive, which led to the n7. Luxgen also earned recognition for customer care: in 2011 it topped the J.D. Power Customer Service Index among locally produced brands in Taiwan, and in 2018 it was the highest-scoring mass-market brand in the same study.

Ownership, factories and production today

Luxgen began as part of the Yulon group, and its cars have been built mainly in Taiwan. In China, production ran through the Dongfeng Yulon joint venture between 2010 and 2020. Today Wikipedia lists Luxgen as a wholly owned subsidiary of Foxtron, the electric-vehicle company linked to Yulon and Foxconn, and its products are made and sold mainly in Taiwan. The December 2025 agreement formalises Foxtron's takeover and the shift of Luxgen's dealer network to Foxtron vehicles.

Model line-up

Luxgen in numbers

Luxgen sells mainly in Taiwan, and published annual production figures are not available from the sources used here. Key milestones are its first export sale to Oman in 2010, ten years of Chinese production with Dongfeng Yulon from 2010 to 2020, nine production model lines in its first fifteen years and two J.D. Power customer-service titles in Taiwan.