South Korean media: Chinese automobiles enter Southeast Asia, Japanese Suzuki sells its Thai factory!
On February 21, the South Korean media "Today Digital" published an article stating that as Chinese automobile manufacturers increase their investment in electric vehicles, Japanese Suzuki is completely withdrawing from its整车 production in Thailand. With the local factory sold to American Ford Motor, the position of Japanese companies in the so-called "Japanese automotive fortress" market of Thailand has further shrunk.
According to "Nikkei News," Suzuki has signed a contract to sell its整车 factory located in Rayong Province, eastern Thailand, to Ford. The transaction price was not disclosed, and it is expected that land and equipment assets will be transferred to Ford within a few months.
Suzuki's policy is to focus its operating resources on more profitable main markets such as India and Indonesia while cleaning up its production base in Thailand. Suzuki stated, "This decision was made considering that the growth of small car sales did not meet expectations, as well as changes in the business environment including the strengthening of the Thai baht."
Previously, Suzuki had also negotiated with Chinese electric vehicle company BYD to sell its factory, but the two sides failed to reach an agreement, ultimately leading to the final deal with Ford.
Suzuki invested about 2 billion yen in Rayong Province and started production in 2012, with an annual capacity of 80,000 units, producing various models including the Swift compact car. The plant's annual output once reached 60,000 units, but due to competition from Chinese manufacturers and changes in the market environment, by 2024, the output had dropped sharply to about 4,400 units.
From January to November 2025, Suzuki's sales in Thailand fell by 14%, reaching only 4,600 units, with a market share of about 1%.
The position of Japanese companies in the Thai automobile market is rapidly weakening. The market share of Japanese cars reached 90% in 2020, but by January to November 2025, it had dropped to 69%, while Chinese companies led by BYD increased to 21%.
Under this trend, Honda has significantly reduced its capacity by merging two整车 factories into one, while Nissan and Mitsubishi are either currently or plan to suspend part of their factory operations and lay off employees.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1857736680222728/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.