Japanese automaker Honda Motor has started producing its electric vehicles (EVs) in Thailand and will begin selling them in the Southeast Asian country in the first quarter of 2024.
Honda has thus become the first Japanese manufacturer to produce passenger EVs in Thailand, while Toyota already produces commercial EVs, specifically pickup trucks. In effect, competition in Southeast Asia’s EV market is growing as international companies invest in the region’s manufacturing capabilities.
Honda’s e:N1 SUV production commenced on a line set up at a plant in Prachinburi province in eastern Thailand. The line’s capacity has not been disclosed. A prototype of the e:N1 was displayed at the Thailand International Motor Expo in 2022.
Honda’s SUV follows Nissan’s Leaf and Toyota’s bZ4X, which are already on sale in Thailand, though neither passenger vehicle is produced in the Southeast Asian country.
EV sales are growing strongly in Thailand, where Japanese companies hold about 80% of the automobile market. A record 13% of all new vehicles sold in Thailand in October 2023 were EVs, as reported by the Autolife Thailand media outlet. Importantly, attracted by the Thai government’s subsidies and other support measures, EV makers have been racing into the country, resulting in significantly more sales.
(Sources: Nikkei Asia; The Nation)
