Changan Automobile’s first Southeast Asia electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing plant in Thailand is on track for completion in the first quarter of next year, with production of battery EVs expected to begin in March 2025, the Bangkok Post reports.
Construction of the assembly plant, which began last year, is now 80% complete, according to Changan Auto Southeast Asia MD Shen Xinghua. The facility, housed on a 600 acre site located in the eastern economic corridor special zone in Rayong, will include painting, assembly, engine assembly and battery assembly lines as well as supporting infrastructure.
The facility is set to produce right-hand drive EVs for sale in the domestic market, but will also build left-hand drive vehicles for overseas markets. He added the company is also planning to export RHD units built in Thailand to customers in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK.
The Thailand plant will initially have the capacity to produce up to 100,000 units a year in its first phase of operations, with total build capacity reaching 200,000 units per year in its second phase, which is scheduled for 2026, Shen said. At this point, production will cover the entire ASEAN and global right-hand drive market.
The automaker is investing 10 billion baht (RM1.28 billion) to build the production plant as well as develop showrooms and a parts warehouse in the country. Meanwhile, it has reduced its sales target in Thailand to between 15,000 and 18,000 units for 2024 because of the sluggish economy, weak purchasing power and banks’ stricter loan criteria, which has led to a sharp drop in auto sales. It introduced its all-electric Deepal S07 SUV, L07 sedan and two-door Lumin city EV in the Kingdom earlier this year.
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