AYUTTHAYA, Thailand — Empty of machinery, the new high-ceilinged, white-walled Honda assembly plant here is cavernous. By late October, though, the building will be humming with life when production begins. It's all part of the carmaker's plan for Thailand to play a bigger role in its global strategy.
Once the plant — its second at the Ayutthaya site — is in full swing, Honda Motor Co. expects to double its production capacity in Thailand to 240,000 units a year.
For many global carmakers, Thailand has emerged as an increasingly important production center. In 2003, the government announced it wanted to make the country the "Detroit of Asia." Aiming to boost vehicle production to 2 million units a year by 2010, Thailand is doing all it can to attract foreign carmakers. It is improving infrastructure — highways, ports, giant housing complexes — and promoting free-trade agreements with its neighbors.