Nissan early with new plant

Via Bangkok Post: Operations at Nissan's second Thai factory will begin next month, ahead of schedule despite the unfavourable economy and political troubles. The plant will produce the 12th generation of pickup trucks, an all-new Nissan NP300 Navara.
"Despite Thailand's political turmoil, we are not putting off operation of the second plant," said Hiroyuki Yoshimoto, president of Nissan Motor (Thailand). "In fact, operations will start one month earlier than scheduled."
Nissan announced in late 2012 its ambitious plan to invest 11 billion baht in a Thai facility, and nearly 10 billion baht was spent on its second factory. The rest was spent on the Nissan Technical Center South East Asia (NTCSEA), the third testing centre outside Japan and an R&D hub for Asean that opened last August.
Nissan acquired 150 rai next to its existing factory on Bang Na-Trat Road in Samut Prakan province to build the second plant, focusing on pickup truck production with an initial output of 75,000 vehicles a year. The new factory is set to open on July 3, and the company plans to double production there to 150,000 units over the next few years.
Nissan's existing plant makes 220,000 pickup trucks and passenger cars a year, and once the second plant is running at full capacity annual production capacity will reach 370,000 vehicles excluding the 60,000 Navara pickup trucks now built at Mitsubishi's factory at Laem Chabang in Chon Buri.
Mr Yoshimoto said Nissan will continue producing the Navara for export only at the Mitsubishi plant to cope with strong global demand. But he added that the company was poised to stop operations at the Mitsubishi plant and move production to the new plant once global demand shrinks.
The company is due to deliver the new NP300 Navara to Thai customers in August, with retail prices and export plans announced on July 3.
Nissan expects sales for the NP300 Navara in the Thai market will number 3,000 units per month.
For this fiscal year starting April 1, Nissan aims at local sales of 100,000 units, up from 74,000 units in fiscal 2013.
Nissan forecast Thailand's overall domestic sales to reach 900,000 to 1 million vehicles this year compared with 1.33 million vehicles in 2013.

Thailand emerging threat to car exports from India

Via dna:

India, a hub for car exports to developed markets, is seeing serious competition from Thailand as production constraints and quality issues force manufacturers to consider production of critical models in the Southeast Asian nation.

Ford India is looking at shifting production of Fiesta, and Japanese manufacturer Suzuki is planning to move production of its newly launched Celerio from India to Thailand for exporting to developed markets, according to sources.

Ford's India unit is unlikely to export company's new compact sports utility vehicle EcoSport to North American markets, whose production will be moved to unit to the US automaker's Thai plant by 2016, according to recent reports.

Experts said EcoSport and Fiesta will mainly be exported to North American markets while Celerio will be exported to Europe.

Mayuree Chaiyuthanaporn, senior analyst, IHS Automotive Asean, who tracks Thailand automotive market, said, "Manufacturers are looking at Thai plants mainly because of India production constraint coupled with the better quality production in Thailand. Reportedly, Ford EcoSport produced in Thailand provide better noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels. Meanwhile, export orders are likely to utilise Thailand's capacity to its maximum."

Thailand is a production base for pickups and small cars, with total capacity expected to reach three million units by 2019, highest in Southeast Asia. The production cost in Thailand can be reduced because of economies of scale. Completely built units (CBUs) export account for around 60% (2013) of total production output, according to IHS Automotive.

Atul Shahane, general manager, vehicle exports, Nissan Motor India, who has worked in Thailand said, "Manufacturing of pickups and small car segments get supported by the government in a big way. Thailand has better infrastructure and technology, while it also has some challenges in terms of political instability and natural calamities. However, quality of production is definitely better there compared with India."

The country also has the highest number of suppliers among Asean countries. The Thai Board Of Investment offers both fiscal and non-tax incentives for investments. Tax sops include exemption or reduction of import duties on machinery and raw materials, and corporate income tax exemptions and reductions.

AAPICO Hitech lowers performance expectations

Via THE NATION:

AAPICO Hitech, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of automotive parts, which previously forecast revenue growth of 5 per cent this year, now expects it to decline by 10-15 per cent, while profit will also be lower because of the sluggish economy.

However, it says it hopes the economy will improve in the second half of this year under the administration of the military-run National Council for Peace and Order.

The Thai automotive industry this year was adversely affected by various factors such as the weak domestic economy and political instability, which hurt the confidence of foreign carmakers that rely on Thailand as a manufacturing base. Hence many local parts manufacturers expect production outputs this year to fall short of targets. 

Chevrolet Launches Production of New 2014 Captiva in Rayong, Thailand

The first 2014 Chevrolet Captiva drives off the assembly line at GM’s Rayong Assembly Plant in Thailand. Marcos Purty, managing director of GM Thailand (first on right of Captiva) and Michael O. Perez, Vice President, Manufacturing GM Thailand/ASEAN (first on left of Captiva) celebrate with employees at the launch ceremony. 

The Captiva is one of the most successful SUV’s in the market, having sold more than 35,000 units since its introduction in Thailand.

Thailand Auto Makers Bet on Pickup Trucks

Via Kathy Chu, WSJ

Thai auto makers have a secret weapon to combat slumping domestic car sales: Farmers.

Farmers are reliable customers for pickup trucks, which they use to transport crops and machines. Pickup trucks are also popular with miners and construction workers. These groups are boosting sales of pickup trucks in parts of Southeast Asia at a faster rate than passenger-car sales, according to data provider LMC Automotive.

That’s why, with car sales expected to fall in Thailand by nearly a quarter to about 1 million vehicles this year, some auto makers are focusing on selling pickup trucks. Sales of pickup trucks in Thailand are falling too, but less rapidly than passenger cars—by about 20% to 421,574 vehicles this year, LMC Automotive estimates. And demand for pickups in other parts of Southeast Asia still is growing.

[...]

Thai auto sector slams on brakes as political crisis rumbles on

Via Chicago Tribune:

Thailand's auto sector, Southeast Asia's biggest, has fired more than 30,000 subcontracted workers this year and slashed production, as sales plunge after months of political unrest that threatens to drive some manufacturers offshore.

The lay-offs are the latest sign that the auto industry, accounting for about 11 percent of Thai economic output, is being hit hard by the prolonged power-struggle between the Bangkok-based royalist establishment and the mainly rural supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The crisis deepened on Wednesday, when a court ordered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin's sister, to step down after finding her guilty of abuse of power, leaving a caretaker government to press ahead with plans for a July election.

As a regional production and export base, Thailand's troubles have major implications for top manufacturers such as Toyota Motor Corp, Nissan Motor Co and Ford Motor Co, which may be forced to shift some production to cheaper bases such as Indonesia, the region's second-biggest auto market.

"As political instability continues, we are concerned that automakers may reduce their exposure to Thailand to diversify their risk," said Kovit Wongkolkitsilp, chairman of the auto parts group of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).

Honda Motor Co said it was considering delaying the start-up of a new $530 million manufacturing plant in Thailand by six months to a year, as the economy teeters on the brink of recession and political turmoil prompts automakers to rethink their investments.

"It's critical especially in the auto sector. We have seen a big lot of layoffs, about 500 to 700 staff, several times in recent months," National Congress of Thai Labor President Panus Thailuan said.

Toru Hasegawa, Nissan's Indonesia chief, said that "because of the political uncertainty, total industry volume is a bit affected", but he added that Thailand remained a key market for the company.

"They are also a big market and still growing. For Nissan, Southeast Asia is very much important," Hasegawa said.

Rival Toyota said at the start of the year it planned to sell 400,000 vehicles in Thailand this year, but in the three months to March saw sales there drop 33 percent to 84,000.

Toyota Executive Vice President Nobuyori Kodaira told reporters in Tokyo on Thursday that the car maker might have to consider cutting its sales outlook for Thailand as a result.

"Thailand is one of our very important strongholds globally and we have no change in our stance to make vehicles and conduct business there," he said.

[...]

Thai Auto Parts Makers Meet Volkswagen

Via THAI EUROPEAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (TEBA):

With Volkswagen, Europe’s largest manufacturer, expanding its presence in Southeast Asia, the company is keen to find the best of Thailand’s automotive suppliers to source parts from. With this in mind, this year’s IZB – International Suppliers Fair is focusing on ASEAN as the exhibition’s partner region. IZB started as an internal suppliers event for Volkswagen but has developed into Europe’s largest automotive suppliers exhibition. TEBA has made special arrangement’s with the organizer to participate with a booth to showcase Thailand automotive suppliers sector.

To present more about the IZB and Volkswagen’s plans in the region, TEBA invited Mr. Kelvinder Singh from VW Group Malaysia to meet with some of Thailand’s top automotive supplier companies recently during the Thailand Auto Parts and Accessories (TAPA) exhibition.

Mr. Singh played a video that presented the Volkswagen Group and its various brands. He then went on to talk about the company’s global presence and sales activities. He also educated the assembled automotive suppliers on Volkswagen’s sourcing and supplier registration process. Other interesting topics discussed were Volkwagen’s future plans in Southeast Asia and especially the company’s plans for Thailand. Volkswagen has now signed up to Phase II of Thailand’s eco car program. The program requires a minimum annual capacity of 100,000 units.