A Subaru plant built jointly with Hong Kong's Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL) has opened in Thailand. The new site was Subaru's first Asian production outside of Japan.
The area of the plant built in the industrial district of Bangkok, Lat Krabang, is 100,000 square meters. Investments in the project are estimated at $212 million.
The first model to roll off the assembly line was the Subaru Forester. It is assembled according to the full cycle CKD (Complete Knock Down) method - with welding and body painting. In total, in 2019 it is planned to release about 6,000 crossovers, which will be sent to the countries of Southeast Asia. The cars will be sold in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia. The first 100 vehicles have already been delivered to Thai customers.
In the future, the capacity of the enterprise is planned to be increased to 100,000 vehicles per year. At the same time, it will be possible to produce up to four different models in parallel on the new site.
The plant is 74.9% owned by a joint venture between Subaru and TCIL. Currently, the company employs 400 employees, who are still being helped by more experienced mentors from Japan and Singapore.
Until now, Subaru plants were only in Japan and the USA, and 75% of all Subaru sold on the international market are produced in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Subaru launches its first Asian plant outside of Japan
