Aiways to set up car and battery assembly plant in Thailand
After receiving an order for up to 150,000 electric cars from Thai eMobility service provider Phoenix EV a few days ago, the Chinese electric car manufacturer has now announced plans for an assembly plant in Thailand.
The vehicle and battery assembly plant is to be built on 400 hectares of land in Chachoengsao province. The completion of the first construction phase, which will enable the first vehicle to be assembled, is planned for 2023, according to an official statement by the company. In line with this, Phoenix EV initially calculates with a pilot series of 600 vehicles in the coming year. According to the partners, the investment in the plant amounts to a good 40 million euros. Aiway’s announcement reads like Phoenix EV is shouldering this investment.
On the occasion of the signed letter of intent for the assembly plant in Thailand, Aiways is now also presenting the first drivable prototypes of the right-hand drive version of the U5, which is to come off the production line in the new plant, among other things. The RHD version is not limited to the Thai market. Aiways U5 and, a little later, the Aiways U6 will also be rolled out in other markets with left-hand drive from 2023.
Incidentally, the deal between Aiways and Phoenix EV that was made public a few days ago not only refers to the order of at least 100,000 Aiways vehicles in the next five years, but also to the establishment of a joint venture called Aiways Thailand, which is to manage further joint ventures as an umbrella company. The plan is for Aiways Thailand to take over the distribution and servicing of the vehicles, but also to create its own charging and battery exchange infrastructure. Another activity planned by the duo is “local development for special market requirements”. These are to be handled directly on site via Aiways Thailand.
At the same time, Aiways is pushing ahead with its expansion into Europe. For example, the Aiways U5 has been available for order since 2020 and the Aiways U6 since recently.
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