BMW plug-in hybrid vehicles assembled in Thailand will soon get PHEV batteries from a local source. The premium carmaker’s supplier Draexlmaier will start high-voltage battery production in July, in a Rayong factory that’s just 14 km away from BMW’s Amata City Industrial Estate plant, the Bangkok Post reports.
Draexlmaier won Thailand Board of Investment (BoI) privileges in November 2018 with a 540 million baht investment application, including land purchase. According to BMW Group Thailand president Christian Wiedmann, the DTS Draexlmaier Automotive System Thailand plant will run two final processes of lithium-ion battery production – module production and pack assembly.
“This plant will bring two processes under one roof while other local facilities make just the last process, packing all battery modules before being equipped in plug-in hybrid and battery EVs,” he said, adding that the first two processes – component and cell production – cannot be done locally
Wiedmann said that finished batteries will power the G30 530e and facelifted G12 740Le LCI plug-in hybrid sedans from 2019 onwards. BMW’s PHEV sales in Thailand is strong and growing – last year, plug-in hybrid sales grew 122% in the kingdom, representing 24% of the brand’s total sales.
BMW Thailand is also providing charging stations in Thailand under the ChargeNow brand. At present, there are 121 chargers across the country, with the total set to reach 150 units by the end of the year.
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Meanwhile here is still talking about removing more subsidies for local assembled hybrids & EVs, and increasing the charging rates for PHEVs. Thailand is moving in the right direction, our clueless government is going down the drain.
Keep going BMW.
Support Proton, Geely, BMW, Mercedes, Kia, Volvo, Peugeot, Renault, MINI, Haval and Borgward, Volkswagen > all
Tesla and BMW and many other manufacturers have chosen Thailand to make their batteries.
Just like how they have chosen to CKD all their cars in Thailand. Everybody likes Thailand because it is stable and a merit based country.
Recently even Dyson chosed Singapore to make their EV cars despite Singapore labour being so expensive. They believe in stability and a clean way of doing business.
Pity Malaysia, in the 90s, we were the CKD capital of the world but all lari to Thailand since then.
Thailand has benefited with RM Trillions in investments and about 1 million jobs created just in the automotive sector alone.
Dr M, Najib, PH, BN, are you reading this? Happy with this outcome?
BMW has not announced when the facelifted 740Le will be in Malaysia. They should hurry. Mercedes has launched their 560e.
I thought by giving PH the chance to manage the country, we will not be losing foreign investors like BMW in this case. In reality, investors are taking out their investment in this country in droves.
It is so painful to see this happening. I’m really sad.
U made the wrong choice lor. Now see and suffer.