Toyota pilots EV pickup trucks in key Thai market

Isuzu Motors

25/04/2024 10:00

By Chayut Setboonsarng
       PATTAYA, Thailand, April 25 (Reuters) - Toyota launched
a public transport pilot on Thursday with nine fully electric
Hilux Revo pickup trucks in Thailand, a key Southeast Asian
battleground for electric vehicles where Chinese players are
challenging the dominance of Japanese automakers. 
    "The battery EV Revo have been modified into song-taews for
public transportation," Toyota Motor Thailand Executive Vice
President Surapoom Udomwong said Thursday, referring to the
pickup trucks that have been re-purposed for public transit.
    A motorcade of Toyota electric pickup trucks drove through
the Thai seaside city of Pattaya some 100 km (62 miles) east of
Bangkok, where the vehicles were deployed for fixed-route
transit. 
    The world's top-selling automaker's move in Thailand comes
as Chinese EV brands make inroads into the region's main auto
assembly and export hub.
    Japanese carmakers, such as Toyota Motors  7203.T , Honda
Motors  7267.T  and Isuzu Motors  7202.T  have for decades
dominated the Thai auto sector. 
    But government subsidies and tax incentives have brought a
wave of investment from China, with its EV automakers committing
more than $1.44 billion worth of investments in Thailand. 
    Chery Automobile would be the eighth Chinese brand to invest
in the country, following BYD  002594.SZ , state-owned Changan
Automobile  000625.SZ  and Great Wall Motors  601633.SS , the
government said this week.   
    Toyota, which controls about a third of the Thai market,
will deliver a dozen electric pickup trucks to Pattaya.
    "This is a memorable day," said the city's mayor Poramet
Ngampichet. "Pattaya is a major tourist city for Thailand and so
lowering pollution is important." 
    Poramet said he hoped to convert Pattaya's total fleet of
700 song-taews into EVs. 
    Toyota has previously announced plans to mass produce the
battery Hilux pickup truck by 2025, but did not specify where
they would be made. 
    Pickup trucks are popular in Thailand, accounting for about
half of vehicle sales. 
    Isuzu plans set up a plant in Thailand to make the electric
version of its D-MAX pickup truck, with plans for domestic sales
and exports, according to the Thai government.

    <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
FOCUS-China-led EV boom in Thailand threatens Japan's grip on
key market     ID:nL4N38M0Z9 
Siblings help China's BYD grab early lead in Thai EV market   
 ID:nL4N3EU20Q 
FOCUS-China's BYD rides on partnerships to expand EV sales in
Southeast Asia     ID:nL4N3AN0SB 
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>
 (Additional reporting Artorn Pooksasook
Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
 ((chayut.setboonsarng@tr.com; +66854849033;))