Mercedes-Benz will be the first car manufacturer in Thailand to produce hybrid batteries locally. The German premium brand will lay the foundation stone for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) battery plant this month, and the facility will start production later this year, the Bangkok Post reports.
The new battery plant will be located where Mercedes’ existing vehicle assembly site is in Samut Prakan. The lithium-ion batteries will be for Thai-assembled PHEV models such as the C 350e, E 350e, S 500e and GLE 500e SUV. In the future, the plant will make batteries for full electric vehicles, the report says. The Post‘s source mentions a production capacity of 5,000 units, which can easily be doubled according to demand.
In January, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Thailand Michael Grewe announced that the company had applied for Thailand Board of Investment (BoI) privileges for both PHEV and full EV categories.
Fellow German premium brand BMW, which also assembles and sells PHEVs in Thailand, has similar plans to localise hybrid battery production. BMW’s battery plant is scheduled to come online next year.
Thailand has of late put in efforts to attract carmakers to build green cars such as hybrids, PHEVs and EVs in the country. Last year, the BoI approved promotional privileges for carmakers. Market leader Toyota was the first to apply for and receive the BoI privileges under the hybrid category, and it will be the first to roll out a new model under the scheme with the Toyota C-HR Hybrid this month.
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Again, we have lost few billion dollars USD to Thailand.
Untung betul Thailand. All car and bike companies want to invest in Thailand.
Even Tesla also have opened big factory in Thailand.
We need to learn from Thailand how to attract investments.
They can keep it. Battery manufacturing is one most hazardous and dangerous production there is. And with Li-ion, there is high risk of explosion. So thanks but no tenkiu, tomyam can keep it alrite.
Anywhere but Malaysia. Syukur MAI & GST..
The past 30 years, Malaysia has lost about few hundred billion USD in investments (Trillions RM) and about 500,000 jobs to Thailand.
I wonder why. Cause Malaysians speak English and country is supposedly more stabil
Tomyam can keep the low level/ paying n high risk jobs outsourced to them. My people are better educated, aiming for higher value careers.
Deswaii local grads prefer to pick apple & laici in china…
Sapott blue powerr
Boring.. Automotive site also hijacked by politics.
Why stop at us only? Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines also lost out. By your logic these countries also very bad lah? Or does that apply only to Malaysia?
So many car manufacturers are going to or expanding in Thailand. Our loss is Thailand’s gain.
Malaysia was the CKD hub and Detroit of Asia in the 80s and 90s. But now, all lari to Thailand
Infact, it is a matter of time before current CKD guys like Nissan, Honda, Toyota, BMW and Mercedes lari from Malaysia to Thailand.
Better they go. We dun need foreign companies here staffed by more foreign workers.
Then all proits and salary gets repatriated out of MY and we left with foreign workers problems.
So tomyam can keep it. No problem.
Fu chin
https://paultan.org/2018/01/30/bmw-to-produce-phev-batteries-in-thailand-in-2019/
Bravo! ASEAN capturing all German Big3 FDI
Action speaks louder than words. Rich vs poor has become so apparent. Those in the middle are in no mans land. Reforms are a must but I don’t see it happening at all, either side of the divide.
This is a clear example of what MB is thinking. The economy is in a state in limbo. There’s no clear evidence people’s salary are coming up with times. Just look at Perodua sales and read in between lines. But the rich continues to buy luxury products at an elevated price. So, Malaysia market is just by the way issue now.
Work smartly my Malaysian folks. Change happens at home! Do something everyday that your future self will thank you for.
We are the change that we seek. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. Change