"Thai Auto"

Thai automotive production last month rose to 172,455 units, up 11.92 per cent year on year and up 15.46 per cent from October, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) said on Thursday.

LIKE IT OR NOT, EVs (electric Vehicles) are starting to make their presence felt in the Thai auto market, with a good number of brands offering practical electric cars and SUVs, while other automakers are speeding up development in order to catch a slice of the market as well.

Thai auto sales in April reached 86,076 units, up 8.7 per cent compared to the corresponding month last year, according to figures from Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT).

The recent news that Vietnam aims to produce its national car brand, VinFast, by the middle of next year – just over two years since the idea of a national car was conceived last year – should prompt a thorough re-evaluation of Thailand’s automotive industry policy and industrial policies in general.

BUOYED by expansion of 19.3 per cent in the Thai auto market in the first six months of this year, top producer Toyota has raised its full-year projection to 12 per cent growth in sales from the previous year.

Thai auto parts manufacturer AAPICO Hitech has formed a joint venture with Vinfast to manufacture Body in White (BIW) in Vietnam.

Thailand's auto sales surged by 25.2 per cent in April, with 79,206 vehicles sold.

Thai Auto Parts Manufacturers Association (Tapma) has reported that the Thai auto parts export market in 2017 was valued up to $19.84 billion (Bt617 billion) with 15.5 per cent growth compared to 2016.