Thailand’s transition to electric vehicle manufacturing received a turbocharge last month when Japanese automaker Isuzu said it will invest $900 million to manufacture electric vehicle (EV) pickup trucks in the Kingdom.

Thailand is one of the world’s largest markets for pickup trucks, often finishing second in the rankings behind the United States. Isuzu has been the leading pickup truck manufacturer in Thailand for several decades, although much of its output is exported.

Thailand is Isuzu’s main global production center for its D-Max pickup truck, churning out more than 300,000 units in 2023, including MU-X SUV derivatives. The Japanese truckmaker is planning to build a production line for battery-powered versions of its D-Max pickup truck. The assembly line is scheduled to be up and running in 2025.

The company had considered building a new assembly line in Europe to target that market. However, it said that sales of battery electric vehicles in Thailand and Indonesia have been so robust that it chose to build the new production facility in Thailand.

Isuzu is Thailand’s second largest vehicle manufacturer after Toyota. The Big Three American automakers also build cars in the Kingdom, and Tesla executives have been inspecting potential locations for an assembly plant in Thailand.

The Kingdom has earned the nickname “the Detroit of Southeast Asia” because of its vehicle manufacturing sector.

Isuzu’s EV investment will also help the Thai government achieve its goal of having 30 percent of all vehicles on its roads powered by electricity by 2030. It should also help meet net zero and greenhouse gas emission targets the Kingdom has made as part of the Paris Agreement.

Photo courtesy of https://www.isuzu.co.jp/world/newsroom/details/20231006_1.html