is preparing to enter the electric vehicle market.

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Changan Automobile plans to start selling electric vehicles from its Rayong factory in 2025, increasing its annual production capacity to 200,000 units to meet the rapidly growing demand for electric vehicles. The company has signed a deal to purchase 250 rai of land from the WHA group, the parent company of WHA Industrial Development Plc, which is involved in industrial zone development. Changan also plans to acquire an additional 300 rai of land from the WHA group for the development of the second phase of electric vehicle production.

Changan Automobile spent 8.86 billion baht on the construction of an electric vehicle assembly plant in the first phase, with a capacity of 100,000 units, as well as a battery manufacturing facility for domestic and international markets. The plant is scheduled to be operational in 2025.

“We want Thailand to become our hub for exporting right-hand drive electric vehicles in three categories: battery electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and extended-range electric vehicles, also known as REEV,” said Sheng Xinghua, CEO of Changan Auto Southeast Asia and CEO and President of Changan Auto Sales (Thailand), a subsidiary of Changan Automobile.

It is planned to export electric vehicles to major markets such as Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.

According to information from the Board of Investment (BoI), Changan Automobile is the fifth largest electric vehicle manufacturer in China. The company continues to expand its business in Thailand after receiving a package of incentives from the BoI.

Initially, Changan Automobile plans to produce 58,000 battery electric vehicles and 36,500 hybrid electric vehicles per year. The Chinese company, based in Chongqing, plans to launch two electric vehicle models in 2023 and another one next year.

The Chairwoman and CEO of the WHA Group, Yariporn Jarukornsakul, stated that Changan Automobile will build its electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plants in the WHA Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate 4 (WHA ESIE4). The second phase of the factory's construction will also be developed in this industrial zone.

"The WHA ESIE4 Park is our ninth industrial zone in Thailand, covering an area of 2,443 rai. It is located in a strategic position on the Eastern Economic Corridor," she said.

According to the WHA group, Chinese investors hold the top position in terms of investment volume in Thailand. Their investment amounts to 61 billion baht, primarily in the electric vehicle sector.

Last year, WHA Group signed a deal to sell 600 rai of land in its newly built WHA Rayong 36 industrial zone to the Chinese automaker BYD. As part of an investment of 17.8 billion baht, the Shenzhen-based company plans to build an electric vehicle manufacturing plant with an annual capacity of 150,000 units.