news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

Xinhua News Agency, Bangkok, July 22, Reporter's Notes | Chinese electric vehicles "bring surprises to Thai consumers"

Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Bo

In Thailand, billboards for Chinese electric vehicles can be seen everywhere. After landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, passengers can see huge billboards of Chinese car companies such as SAIC MG, BYD, and GAC Aion on the highway.

During a recent visit to Thailand, the reporter felt that Chinese electric vehicles are gaining favor with more and more Thai consumers due to their high-quality products, innovative designs and competitive prices. Chinese car companies' investment and factory building in Thailand are also helping the transformation and upgrading of Thailand's automobile industry.

On July 17, GAC Aion's smart factory in Thailand was officially completed and put into production. This is another overseas factory put into production by a Chinese automaker in Thailand after the completion of BYD's factory in Thailand on July 4. The completion and production of two factories in Thailand by Chinese automakers within a month shows the enthusiasm of Chinese automakers to expand overseas to Thailand.

Sales data also illustrate this popularity. According to statistics from the Thai Automobile Association, the total number of electric vehicle registrations in Thailand in 2023 is about 76,000, accounting for 12% of the total number of car registrations. The top four are all Chinese brands, and Chinese brands occupy 8 seats in the top ten.

At the completion ceremony of BYD's Thailand factory, Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD Co., Ltd., said that the penetration rate of pure electric vehicles in Thailand has increased significantly from less than 1% at the beginning of 2021 to 12% today. Referring to the development experience of the Chinese market, when the penetration rate of new energy vehicles exceeds the critical point of 10%, it will usher in a leapfrog development. "We firmly believe that Thailand is ushering in the golden development period of new energy vehicles."

The entry of Chinese electric vehicles into the Thai market has brought more choices to Thai consumers. At the Bangkok International Motor Show in April this year, 68-year-old Thai customer Ken Ruo told reporters that his family already owns a BYD car, and he also plans to buy another Chinese brand electric car for his son at the auto show. "The creative design and intelligent driving technology of Chinese electric vehicles are eye-opening and continue to bring surprises to Thai consumers."

Chinese automakers investing in and building factories in Thailand not only accelerate their overseas layout, but also promote the transformation and upgrading of Thailand's automobile industry. In an interview with reporters, Suro Sanni, vice president of the Thai Electric Vehicle Association, said that Chinese automakers have used their advanced technology advantages to set up factories and form joint ventures in Thailand, and the biggest beneficiaries are the Thai people and the Thai automobile industry.

At the completion and commissioning ceremony of the smart factory in Thailand, GAC Aion chose to roll off the production line of its first global strategic model in the Thai factory, which fully reflects its emphasis on the Thai market. Zeng Qinghong, chairman of GAC Group, said that with the completion of the Thai factory, GAC Aion will not only introduce the most advanced technology and products in Thailand, but will also help Thailand increase its local new energy vehicle production capacity and upgrade its industrial ecology by building a "lighthouse factory" smart manufacturing system.

Suruo believes that the layout of Chinese electric vehicles in the Thai market will, on the one hand, give Thai consumers more choices, and on the other hand, it will also bring advanced technologies, which will help Thailand form a complete electric vehicle industry chain and promote local employment.

Rachanida, director of the strategic department of the Thai Automotive Institute, pointed out that China's electric vehicles are leading the market, which not only promotes the capacity cooperation between Thailand's original automobile supporting enterprises and Chinese automobile enterprises that have set up factories in Thailand, but also accelerates the development of supply chain enterprises such as batteries and charging piles, helping Thailand to form a complete electric vehicle industry chain. (End)