Chinese EV-maker starts assembly of Wuling at Thailand factory
Company sourcing 50% of parts locally, aims to increase it to 70%
The Chonburi factory of automaker EV Primus Ltd has started assembling electrical vehicles (EVs) under the brand name Wuling.
The plant has a maximum output capacity of 10,000 units per year, the company said on Wednesday.
The 200-million-baht factory in Laem Chabang Industrial Estate is a joint investment between EV Primus and SAIC-GM-Wuling, an automaker based in Liuzhou, China, the company’s chief executive, Pitaya Tanadamrongsak, said.
The factory is now assembling the Wuling Bingo model, sourcing 50% of parts locally. Pitaya said the company plans to increase local parts use to 70% by 2026. Wuling also aims to make five more models in Thailand by 2027.
Pitaya said the Bingo model has received a warm welcome in the Thai market since its launch three months ago. With over 800 units ordered, EV Primus expects sales to surpass the target of 1,000 units soon.
So far the company has delivered over 1,800 EVs of the Bingo and Air models to customers in Thailand.
Pitaya said the Thai factory would help Wuling fulfil its domestic production requirement under the government’s EV 3.0 and 3.5 policies, which exempt import tax but require foreign automakers to also manufacture vehicles in Thailand.
In the first 10 months of 2024, more than 59,000 EVs were registered in Thailand. Analysts estimated that this year’s tally would be close to the previous year at some 76,000 units.
Thailand saw a big jump in EV adoption in the previous year, from less than 10,000 units registered in 2022.
Chinese automakers have been planning to use Thailand as a production base for right-hand drive models for the domestic market and for export to applicable countries. However, as competition in the EV market is becoming fiercer, analysts predicted that Chinese automakers would also produce left-hand drive models in Thai factories for export and to fulfil the production quota.
