Guangzhou Automobile Corp (GAC), one of the top three EV producers in China, announced ambitions to turn Thailand into a hub for right-hand drive EV production on a global scale.
On Saturday evening, the company’s newest SUV, the Aion Y Plus EV, was unveiled in Thailand, and the announcement was made at a press conference timed with that event.
Thailand was selected as the company’s first overseas production location due to the readiness of its automotive infrastructure, according to Gu Hui Nan, managing director of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile. The nation is among the finest in Asia with a capacity of about 2 million cars.
With dealers, distributors, services, and a workforce prepared to launch operations, the Thai EV business is exhibiting signs of expansion, he continued.
GAC plans to construct an auto assembly facility in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), but it has not disclosed the amount of investment it will make. According to the proposal, the factory will be finished in the first half of 2024 and prepared to start making automobiles in June 2025.
Gu Hui Nan declared that this factory would serve as the world’s primary producer of right-hand drive electric vehicles and export them to those nations.
He said that GAC has created an operational strategy for Thailand but provided no further details. He did clarify, though, that the company had no immediate intentions to start producing batteries in Thailand.
According to him, GAC would look into partnering with Thai clean energy businesses to construct its charging stations all around the country.
The Aion Y Plus costs between 1,069,900 and 1,299,990 baht.
Gu Hui Nan said, “This launch event not only highlights GAC’s remarkable achievements as a significant player in the Chinese automotive industry, but it also introduces exciting new products to the Thai market. GAC hopes to work with Thailand to create a world-class new energy automotive industry ecosystem.
According to him, Thailand’s progress toward becoming Southeast Asia’s electric vehicle hub will be accelerated by 2025 after we gradually accomplish local production and localized research and development in that country.
AION Automobile Manufacturing (Thailand), a subsidiary of GAC, wants to quickly expand its network of sales shops throughout Thailand’s major cities, including well-known tourist hotspots, said Ocean Ma, managing director of AION.
Aion has already established 30 retail locations, 25 of which are located in or near Bangkok. The company plans to have built 50 retail locations and service facilities by the end of the year.
By the end of the year, Ma anticipates selling 3,000 Aion Y Plus vehicles in Thailand. He claims that the vehicle sold over 26,000 units in China in August alone, securing its status as the nation’s top-selling electric SUV.
The largest ecosystem in the nation belongs to the giant Chinese automaker GAC Group. It ranks 165th in the Fortune Global 500 with annual production and sales of more than 2.4 million vehicles and operational revenue of more than 500 billion yuan.
Government agencies threw out a red carpet of incentives to entice foreign investment in the EV sector before the business announced it would build a facility in Thailand. One of Thailand’s five leading sectors is the auto industry.
