Toyota, Chinese Seek Thai Support for HVs, EVs

News: Thailand

2024-07-14

Honda To Cut Thai Car Production

THAILAND REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Honda said it plans to integrate its two automotive manufacturing plants in Thailand by 2025. The move will cut annual production capacity in Thailand by 50% to 270,000 units.

Production at the Ayutthaya plant will be discontinued and consolidated at the Prachinburi plant in central Thailand. The Ayutthaya plant has an annual production capacity of 150,000 units. Honda’s total production capacity in Thailand is 270,000 units, but there was a surplus of 147,000 units in 2011. The company will improve the profitability of its four-wheel business by reducing fixed costs. The Ayutthaya plant will continue to be used as an auto parts plant.

Source: The Nikkei

PSR Analysis:  Just last month in PowerTALK, I reported on Suzuki’s withdrawal from four-wheel production in Thailand, and now it is clear that Honda is also struggling in the Thai market due to the rapid growth of EVs, with the Japanese brand’s share falling 8% year-on-year to 78% in 2023. By 2024, the share is expected to fall even further.

While some in Europe and the U.S. are discussing a review of BEVs, the debate is not as active in Southeast Asia. The region has reserves of rare metals needed for EV batteries, and each country has positioned EV manufacturing as a growth driver for its national manufacturing industry. Since it is difficult to change policy, EVs will continue to be promoted in the future. PSR

Akihiro Komuro is Research Analyst, Far East and Southeast Asia, for Power Systems Research

2024-02-27

Japanese Car Share Plummets in Thailand, China Gains

THAILAND REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

The share of Japanese automakers in Thailand’s new car market, once considered a “stronghold for Japanese cars,” is plummeting. This is due to the rapid adoption of electric vehicles due to the government’s preferential policies and the rise of Chinese manufacturers focusing on electric vehicles. Thailand is also the largest automobile manufacturing base in Southeast Asia, and this could affect the entire regional market. According to a tally by Toyota Motor’s Thai subsidiary, the nine Japanese giants will have a combined market share of 77.8% in 2023. They once held a 90% share, but the 2023 mark was 7.6 percentage points lower than the previous year.

In Thailand, companies that import EVs can receive a subsidy of up to 150,000 baht (about $600,000) per vehicle and a tariff reduction of up to 40% if they sign a memorandum of understanding with the government. More than 10 companies, including Chinese EV giant BYD, have signed the MOU because of the lower selling price.

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2024-01-22

Thailand Lithium Deposit World’s Third Largest

THAILAND REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

The Thai government has announced the discovery of a large lithium deposit, calling the deposit the third largest in the world after Bolivia and Argentina. It has estimated reserves of approximately 14.8 million tons. The deposit was found at two sites in the southern province of Phang Nga. However, it will take some time to find out how much of the discovered resources can be used.

Thailand is keen to become the center of EV production in Southeast Asia, leveraging its experience in assembling conventional cars, and the discovery of the lithium deposit will give the country a boost in achieving this goal.

Source: AFPBB

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2023-05-21

China’s Changan Auto To Build EV Plant in Thailand

SOUTHEAST ASIA: THAI REPORT

Changan Automobile Group, a major Chinese automobile manufacturer, will establish a new plant for electric vehicles such as EVs in Thailand, according to the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI). The investment will be US$ 284 million (9.8 billion baht or about 38 billion yen), and construction is expected to be completed within a few years. The initial production capacity will be 100,000 vehicles a year, and on-board batteries will also be manufactured. The Thai government has established an incentive program to encourage local production of EVs, and Chinese EV giants have been actively investing in the country.

In addition to EVs, the new plant will produce electric vehicles such as HVs and PHVs. The company plans to supply vehicles to Southeast Asian countries, Australia, South Africa, and other markets.

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2022-01-22

Japan Could Miss Out on Southeast Asia’s Shift To EVs

INDONESIA AND THAILAND REPORT
Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

Competition in the development of EVs is fierce, and the momentum for their introduction is growing in Southeast Asia. While Chinese and Korean manufacturers are aggressively entering the market, Japanese manufacturers, which hold an 80% share of the new car market, have not made any significant moves.

Although the COVID-19 disaster has brought the market to a standstill, Southeast Asia, with a population of 660 million and a rising middle class, will continue to be a promising growth market.

A proactive EV strategy is required to protect the current market dominance. In Indonesia and Thailand, the two largest markets in the region, Japanese cars have a 90% share of the market. However, it is only the Chinese and South Koreans who are providing the buzz about EVs.

In Indonesia, South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. will begin producing EVs in March at its completed vehicle plant that recently went into operation. For the time being, it will rely on imports for key components, but it is building a plant for mass production of onboard batteries in collaboration with LG Group, another Korean electronics giant.

In Thailand, China’s SAIC Motor Group and Great Wall Motor have already started selling EVs. The latter plans to start mass production of EVs in 2023 at a plant it acquired from GM in the US. Compared to China and South Korea, which are trying to secure a scale of production with an eye to exports, Japan is generally cautious, with Toyota and Mitsubishi considering local production of EVs in Thailand starting in 2023.

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2021-06-27

GWM Opens Smart factory in Thailand, Renovates GM’s Factory

Akihiro Komuro
Akihiro Komuro

China’s Great Wall Motor (GWM) has announced the official opening of a plant in Thailand. The company acquired the plant from General Motors (GM) in 2020 and has been working to make it smarter by installing advanced AI-based equipment. It is the company’s first smart factory to be opened in Southeast Asia. The amount of investment for the renovation has not been disclosed, but the company has indicated that it plans to invest 22.6 billion baht (about 79 billion yen) in Thailand.

The production capacity is 80,000 units per year, and it is expected to produce HVs first. In the future, the plant will also produce EVs. The company plans to allocate 60% of the vehicles produced to the Thai domestic market and 40% for export to neighboring countries in Southeast Asia and Australia.

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