GAC Aion to build EV factory in Thailand

The first construction phase is due to be completed in July 2024. However, the production capacity of the first phase is not known, nor which models will be built in the plant. GAC Aion’s investment in the Thai e-car plant amounts to 2.3 billion baht, the equivalent of around 60 million euros.

The announcement of the plant construction was made around the opening of the Thailand Auto Show. According to the CN EV Post, GAC Aion is exhibiting five different models at the show – the Aion Y Plus, the Aion ES and three models from the premium brand Hyper.

GAC Aion has currently opened 34 locations together with various dealer groups to distribute its models. By the end of the year, there should be 50 showrooms and service centres in Thailand, with 20 more to follow in 2024. GAC Aion has only been active in Thailand since the summer.

Thailand has recently developed into an eMobility hub in Southeast Asia, primarily as an expansion base for Chinese manufacturers. Neta is building a plant there, as is Changan, and the MG4 has also been in production in Thailand since November. There are also a number of battery projects, for example from Eve Energy, SVOLT and Gotion High-Tech.

Update 01 February 2024

GAC Aion, the electric car subsidiary of the Chinese GAC Group, has started construction of its production facility in Thailand, its first outside China. The plant in Rayong province (see above), which was announced at the end of November 2023, is designed for an annual capacity of 50,000 electric cars and will be built in two phases.

The first phase, for which work has now begun, is scheduled for completion in July 2024. The first model to be produced in Thailand is a right-hand drive version of the Aion Y Plus. The Aion Y Plus is already on sale in Thailand as an import vehicle from China, with prices starting from 1,069,900 baht, the equivalent of around 27,900 euros.

cnevpost.com, cnevpost.com, carnewschina.com (both update)