The $490 million factory is located in the Rayong industrial zone on the outskirts of the capital Bangkok. The production capacity is 150,000 cars per year. According to BYD, the factory will employ 10,000 workers. In addition to fully electric cars, hybrid and battery models will also be manufactured here in the future.
Chinese electric car makers are investing heavily in Thailand, helped by government subsidies and tax breaks. In the European Union and the United States, import duties on Chinese electric cars are rising significantly. According to the EU and the US, these vehicles are marketed cheaply thanks to state aid, to the detriment of their own car industry. The provisional additional EU import duties will come into force on Thursday.