Japan-based Toyota Motor Corporation has urged Thailand to proceed on making the country a production base for electric vehicles (EVs).
Susumu Matsuda, chairman of Toyota Motor Asia Pacific, told Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak that with EVs expected to grow rapidly over the next five years, Thailand should rev up support to promote Thailand as the EV production base in the region.
“The company may be left behind if competitors who can produce EVs supply the region instead,” said Mr Matsuda, in reference to Chinese companies who are working to capture the market.
He also informed Mr Somkid that Toyota still uses Thailand as a production base for hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and traditional cars.
Mr Somkid solicited Toyota to team up with Thai universities to invest in human resource development in high technology as the country's labour force is inadequate.
He told Toyota the Board of Investment (BoI) is improving promotional privileges to promote human resource development.
“Many companies already use Thailand as a human resource development academy, especially in the Eastern Economic Corridor [EEC], such as Huawei Technologies Co and Google,” said Mr Somkid.
Mr Somkid said five major Turkish companies have expressed interest in investing in the EEC.
He already ordered the BoI and the EEC Office to accommodate the companies seeking partners in Thailand.
The five companies are Roketsan, a major Turkish weapons manufacturer and defence contractor; Roenesans Holding, one of Turkey’s largest conglomerates; Kareks Energy, a trading company and manufacturer of plastics and chemicals; Akfen Holding, with interests in renewable energy, property, mining and construction; and Bozankaya, a manufacturer of EVs.