Last week we told you how Toyota would take production of its Prius hybrid car to Thailand (see article) and now we have news of further expansions in the country.
According to the Nikkei, Toyota will increase production capacity to 600,000 vehicles a year by the middle of 2011 – that’s up 20 per cent compared to present levels.
Sales are expected to be focused on Southeast Asia, with one of the automaker’s three assembly plants, the Ban Pho facility, to see annual capacity of 120,000 units rise to around 200,000 units. The plant is southeast of Bangkok and makes the Hilux Vigo pick-up truck and the Fortuner sport utility vehicle.
New car sales in six major Southeast Asian markets totalled 1.8million units for the first nine months of 2010 – that’s up 36 per cent compared to 2009, and with a share of 40 per cent, Toyota is in the top market share position. It now hopes to see demand grow across the region as well as in the Middle East and other export destinations.
So far, Toyota has produced a cumulative five million vehicles in the country.
