More than two and a half years after it first announced its local assembly plans in Thailand, BYD has now reportedly begun trial production of its EV models in the Kingdom.
According to the Chinese automotive insider who broke the news, EV mass production at the Rayong plant will begin next month. This is however in direct disagreement with BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division’s General Manager, Liu Xueliang’s comments at the recent Bangkok International Motor Show, stating that production at the plant will officially commence in the third quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, the Chinese EV company has also signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with its local partner Rever Automotive Thailand to produce its commercial vehicles including buses and trucks in the country.
Based on an image shared by the aforementioned insider, BYD will be kick-starting its local assembly (CKD) works in Thailand with the Atto 3. The body-in-white right-hand-drive model is seen on a production line surrounded by production personnel, with several parts already installed.
The BYD Atto 3 being the first CKD model in Thailand shouldn’t come as a surprise, given that it was the best-selling EV model in the country last year with over 19,200 units delivered. Once the production facility is running at full scale, though, we will most likely see other models in its stable too being assembled in Rayong, as the company targets to produce over 150,000 EVs annually in Thailand.
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The BYD Atto 3 was recently updated in Thailand at the 2024 Bangkok International Motor Show, with the compact EV crossover model receiving a larger battery, a lower price point (up to 18% cheaper), and has also ditched the “Build Your Dreams” emblem on the tailgate.
Aside from Thailand, BYD has also announced its CKD plans in neighbouring Indonesia, with production slated to begin in 2026.
[H/T: CarNewsChina]
