Large notebook and mainboard maker ASUSTeK Computer recently outsourced production of certain notebook chassis to one of its major rivals Foxconn Electronics, according to reports coming from Taiwan. The decision indicates ASUS’ increasing success in the mobile market.

Foxconn now produces the plastic chassis for ASUS’A4 notebooks, including the A4000D and A4000K series, according to DigiTimes web-site. Both series of notebooks are built using Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Mobile Athlon 64 as well as Mobile Sempron CPUs and feature 15.1” or 15.4” displays. Such laptops are intended mostly to replace desktops and feature some other powerful components, such as ATI’s MOBILITY RADEON 9700 graphics.

ASUS aims to ship 1.3 million own-brand notebooks in 2004 and expand the number to 2 million in 2005. But the company also produces loads more mobile personal computers to certain OEMs around the world, who then resell the laptops under their own brand-name. Rising demand from OEMs and popularity of ASUS own notebooks may have caused ASUS inability to produce enough plastic chassis.

Representatives for ASUS and Foxconn did not comment on the story.