The Thailand Automotive Institute on Monday said that it expects the country to produce up to 2.5 million vehicles by 2030.
The institute said that 200,000 of the vehicles would be Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).
At a seminar in Bangkok, acting President of the Institute Adisak Rohitasune said that Thailand was already producing about two million vehicles annually, most of them run on petrol engines.
“In 2030, the country would become an important production base of modern vehicles in the region,” said Adisak.
“It would produce 2.5 million vehicles a year and of them, 1.5 million would be for domestic markets.”
He also said that of the domestic vehicles, 15 per cent or 225,000 would be BEVs and 60 per cent be vehicles with petrol engines and autonomous vehicles.
Public transport vehicles such as buses, Tuk Tuk rickshaws and motorcycle taxis would be electric vehicles, Adisak said.
There are about 15 million vehicles in Thailand and the Energy Ministry expects to see 1.2 million BEVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2036, he said.
Adisak said that in 2030 the value of automobile production and services would reach one trillion dollars in the world, and Thailand find ways to upgrade itself to cash in on the trend.
The Thailand Automotive Institute also proposed several measures, including vehicular tax restructuring and incentives in favour of clean vehicles. (Xinhua/NAN)