Chinese auto giant SAIC Motor is looking to set up shop in Thailand, eyeing our northern neighbour as a right-hand drive production hub for export to RHD countries in ASEAN and beyond. SAIC is working with Thailand’s CP Group on this, Bangkok Post reported.
According to CP vice-chairman Thanakorn Seriburi, both parties will complete feasibility studies for the project by the fourth quarter this year.
“The study will include the cost of investment for making at least 50,000 passenger cars a year. The entry of the company would mean not only Chinese investment in the assembly plant, but also in auto parts,” Seriburi added.
SAIC, for Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, may be a faceless name to many, but the company is China’s number one automaker, with a mammoth 3.64 million vehicles made last year.
It is the owner of the classic British MG brand, and makes premium cars under its own brand Roewe. SAIC is also the local partner for Volkswagen and GM, the top two foreign automakers in China.
The grey hatch above is the MG5 and the orange notchback is the MG6. Click here to see a gallery of the supermini sized MG3 and here to view MG’s latest concept for the Beijing show. The “new MG” could be coming, anyone interested?
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from china,japan,US to EU brand but they all made in Thailand!! Malaysia should set up its Preve production line there too. it wouldnt be wrong
It clearly stated in the article about “cost”…in term of cost malaysia already lost.
P1, please ‘facelift’ Satria Neo to look like MG5!
oblong, u r right, the NEO is already long over due. others car maker already has it replaced by all new model, P1 still selling, and ppl still buying!
Roewe badge could be a bit difficult to attract the discerning buyers in Malaysia, but MG could be a different story (provided it still British engineered and designed)..
Wow, our NAP works really well… for Thailand dan Indonesia.
Article said bout cost..for sure malaysia already loss..now gov already enforce RM900 minimum wage make cost even higher…some said RM900 is too little…we can only compete in term of product quality n high skill educated workforce
kzm, it is not marely cost issue. the root cause is our gov automotive policy. this is the price rakyat need to pay for having national car!
one of the answer for this is the gov must doesnt tax Proton n perodua, and then the tax on foreign brand cars can also be reduced to about just 25%, then we will see a Proton Saga for rm25k-30k and toyota vios for rm50k something like that. it would be greatly cheaper and our people wont had to be burden by the current loans that takes 7-9 years to settle.
Of course, if you are an investor, NAP will definitely scare you away.
Hopefully we are able to maintain others like Panasonic, etc. Or you may have option for Pensonic as pet.
All because of Dr M pet project Proton.
mmg jahil pergi siam …malaysia lebih cantik
BMW 5-series butt! haha…
wow, every brand in thailand d? its really quite fast, aduh.. malaysia keep moving forward pls..
aside from the policies and such, would any of you buy an MG? if it were to be made available over here?
I’d love to see some MGs roll on the streets of the Philippines..