On November 30, NETA V-II, the first model put into production at Thailand's first overseas electric vehicle factory, further expanded its local business.。

Thailand decarbonization start: Nezha first sea

In May 2022, Zhang Yong, CEO of Nezha Automobile, said in an interview with the media that the Southeast Asian market is highly compatible with the company's existing products, and NETA V, as a product of less than 100,000 yuan, will have strong vitality in the Southeast Asian market.。Moreover, Southeast Asia is closer to China, and future localized production and personnel management will be easier.。

In August 2022, the economical NETA V pure electric ultra-small crossover was launched in Thailand in the form of a complete vehicle, and the product was assembled in China, marking its official entry into the Thai market. This is also Nezha Automobile's first attempt to expand overseas.。

According to Thai local car website Autolife Thailand, in the first three quarters of 2023, NETA V became Thailand's second best-selling electric car model with 9,294 sales, second only to BYD's Atto 3。

The NETA V-II is an electric subcompact crossover that the company says is a "significant step" in its global expansion strategy, which aims to produce more pure electric vehicles to meet growing demand in Thailand and other ASEAN countries.。

On the other side, the Thai government also wants to increase the use of battery-powered vehicles as part of the country's decarbonization process.。

Last year, Thailand launched the EV 3.0 "plan to provide cash subsidies for imported passenger electric vehicles according to battery specifications。As part of the policy, imported passenger car models are exempt from some import duties and excise taxes until the end of 2023, but automakers who want to benefit from the subsidy must match imported products at a 1: 1 ratio by the end of 2024.。

Last month, Thailand announced the latest EV 3.5 "plan to further boost local investment。Under the plan, the size of the cash subsidy would be reduced, and automakers wanting to receive the subsidy would have to produce two homegrown electric cars for every electric car imported by 2026 and three homegrown electric cars for every electric car imported by the end of 2027.。

Bao Zhuangfei, general manager of Nezha Automobile Thailand, said that Nezha Automobile is participating in EV 3.0 One of the four Chinese automakers planned, the other three being SAIC, Great Wall Motor and BYD。It was also revealed that the plant plans to start mass production in the first quarter of 2024, when the annual production capacity will reach 20,000 vehicles.。

Good policies are blooming everywhere. Chinese manufacturers have entered Thailand one after another.

Thailand has become a popular destination for Chinese electric car manufacturers。The government wants 30 percent of the cars produced in the country to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030, and has pledged to be "carbon neutral by 2050 and net-zero by 2065."。

In September last year, BYD signed an agreement to build its first overseas plant in Thailand, with a planned annual capacity of 150,000 electric vehicles.。The electric car giant said at the time that the plant would mainly supply the Southeast Asian market.。

In early November, the first fully electric MG4 rolled off the assembly line at a joint venture between SAIC and Charoen Pokphand in Bangkok.。According to SAIC's statement, these cars are the first pure electric cars to be assembled in Thailand。

According to sources, Great Wall Motors has recently begun trial production of its Ora Good Cat (Ora Good Cat) pure electric mini car in Thailand, and is expected to start formal production by the end of this year.。

GAC Group's electric car brand Ean Automobile (AION) and state-owned Changan Automobile also announced plans to establish a production base in Thailand。

It is reported that Ean has recently exported electric cars like Thailand。Currently, EAN is preparing to build a factory in the country with an expected annual production capacity of 50,000 vehicles.。Construction will be divided into two phases, with the first phase expected to be completed by July 2024.。

On November 27, Changan Automobile Chairman Zhu Huarong said at a company event that its production base in Thailand will be put into operation in the first quarter of 2025.。In addition, Changan plans to introduce its new energy vehicle brands Avatr, Deepal and Nevo to the Thai market.。

According to Thailand's Autolife, in the first three quarters of this year, Thailand registered a total of 50,347 pure electric vehicles, of which more than 80% are Chinese brands。The choice of Chinese manufacturers to enter Thailand is catering to the current opportunity of Thailand's desire to achieve "net zero," and it is expected that in the coming period of time, the development of state-owned brand electric vehicles may be able to take advantage of the situation.。