Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor (GWM) hosted a ceremony on November 2nd to celebrate the latest milestone in taking full ownership of Rayong Manufacturing Facility in Thailand.
The facilities belonged to General Motors (GM) and were sold to GWM following GM’s decision to withdraw from Thailand.
GWM’s move to set up its production base in Thailand kicked off in February this year when the company started negotiation with GM to acquire, under a signed binding term sheet, GM Thailand and GM Powertrain Thailand legal entities, which include the Rayong vehicle assembly and powertrain facilities.
GWM prepares to undergo renovations and system upgrades with state-of-the-art machinery and innovative technologies to set up the “Smart Factory” at the global standard. The full ownership of Rayong plant will also strengthen GWM’s international presence in Thailand and ASEAN region.
The plant in Rayong is remarked as the first full-process vehicle plant in Southeast Asia and it is set to be an important hub for right-hand driving vehicle production in the region.
Thailand has strong fundamentals as a leader in the automotive industry and GWM sees great potential in the country as it is the largest car manufacturer in Southeast Asia and ranked as the top 10 globally.
Elliot Zhang, President of Great Wall Motor ASEAN and Thailand
The Thai production hub will become operational in the first quarter of 2021 with automobile production capacity of 80,000 units per annum.
In addition to bringing job opportunities to people and growth to the automotive supply chain, the new investment by GWM will contribute to R&D progress in…
