Kia Mulls Starting Its First ASEAN Production Facility In Thailand
South Korean automaker Kia Corp. is reviewing the plan to build a production facility in Thailand with an annual capacity of 250,000 cars, according to sources.
Source: Pulse
The move is seen as part of an effort to advance aggressively into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), following India, while its Chinese business remains sluggish. It is also seen as a strategy by its parent Hyundai Motor Group to diversify its global production base.
According to multiple sources from the automobile industry, Kia is discussing details on building a factory in Thailand. It is the first venture into building a new overseas plant in four years after the construction of the Indian factory in 2019.
Kia and the Thai government are expected to sign an investment deal on the factory construction later this year. Construction is expected to begin in H1 2024 for the plant with an annual production capacity of up to 250,000 units.
Kia currently operates overseas production facilities in the U.S., China, India, Slovakia, and Mexico. The Thailand factory will be its sixth global production base. As for Hyundai Motor Group, it will be the second production base in ASEAN.
Kia’s bigger sibling Hyundai Motor Company. began operations of a production facility in Indonesia last year. Hyundai Motor Group’s entry into Indonesia and Thailand comes as the two countries are the largest automobile markets with potential for growth.
According to the ASEAN Automotive Federation, Indonesia had the largest sales in the first half of this year with 505,985 units, followed by Thailand with 406,131 units, and Malaysia with 366,037 units.
Thailand has emerged as a market that will offer new business opportunities to Kia, as its government pledges to expand the production of electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030 with supportive initiatives. Kia will promote its flagship EVs, such as EV6, in Thailand.
Related Stories:
ASML Started Limiting Chip Gear Exports To China
TD Holdings In Strategic Agreement to Develop Energy Storage Battery Project In Southeast Asia
Ayala Joins Forces With BYD On Charging Stations In Philippines
Indonesia To Rule The Oil Refinery Arena
Hyundai To Launch More EVs In India — Betting Big On Its Market
Pressure Vessels And High-Tech Rolling Solutions For Oil & Gas Industry
Battery Recycling Firms To Build New Plants To Cope With EV Population Growth
Tesla Leverages Malaysia Tariff Liftings For A Later Grand Entrance
A*STAR Leads R&D Programme With 10 Industry Partners To Develop High-Performance EV Components
WANT MORE INSIDER NEWS? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DIGITAL MAGAZINE NOW!
CONNECT WITH US: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter
Letter to the Editor
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? APMEN News would love to hear from you!
Email your letter to the Editorial Team at [email protected]
