Automaker Suzuki will halt production of cars and trucks in Thailand by the end of next year to focus resources on producing electric and hybrid vehicles elsewhere, the company said Friday.
The company plans to continue its sales and after-sales services in Thailand by importing vehicles, including EVs and hybrids, from plants elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Japan and India.
"In the course of promoting carbon neutrality and electrification globally, Suzuki had been considering optimizing global production sites within the group,” the company said in a statement, adding it had decided to close the plant by the end of 2025.
The 12-year-old plant in Thailand’s Rayong province, southeast of Bangkok, was run by local subsidiary Suzuki Motor Thailand and has an annual production capacity of 60,000 units. It employs approximately 800 people.
The announcement comes at a time when Japanese automakers are facing intense competition from Chinese rivals in Thailand as well as pressure to produce more electric and hybrid vehicles. Suzuki aims to have a lineup of six EV models by 2030-31. It plans to launch its first EV in India by next year, which it intends to export to Japan as well as Europe.