Four major Japanese automotive companies to use Thailand as car manufacturing base

[ericthai]

Thailand signed a Free Trade Agreement with Australia a few years back.

They outsmarted the Aussies big time. Clever people these Thais.

Now more than one in five of all vehicles sold in Australia is Thai made. And I don't think any Aussie cars are being sold here anymore. The Thais have an extra tax on engines over 2.5 or 3.0. Nearly all Aussie cars have bigger engines than this so the taxes placed on these cars make them too expensive in Thailand.

I think the last Aussie cars sold in any numbers here was the Vz commodore, only the 3.6 liter, none of the v8s, badged as a chev lumina. And they didn't sell many.

The Thais must have known this is what would happen and must have been laughing at the Aussies signing the FTA.

The Aussies also rushed into signing an FTA with China under the last PM Tony "Sir Pository" Abbott. I reckon it will be even more flawed.

Now the Thai car manufacturing is booming and the Australians will close all their car manufacturing factories next year and rely on exports only. Many of which will come from Thailand.

Clever people these Thais.

Australia going down the same path as the USA.

[arrowsdawdle]

What are the odds the little general offered them slave labor as an inducement?

[Jdiddy]

HOW about another go on 3G. 4G....might as well bid on the 2G...so everybody gets some more cash in their pockets..

I got 4G with True back in 2014 and last year but i keep seeing articles like "thailand is launching 4G and auctioning spectrum for it"

[starky]

My Aussie v8 in thailand. I can live without my big bogan sheilas, but couldn't live without a big bogan V8.

We don't have much culture in Oz but V8's

are a part of it.

I really wish the Australian government had of been tougher with the Thais signing the FTA. I would love to get one of the last V8 Falcons or Commodores over here. image.jpg image.jpg

How'd dya even get it over here mate? I looked at bringing my beloved SS Ute over but the import duty was like 220% of their estimated value of the car. I love a Holden but not that much you must have plenty of cash to burn old son. I like the P plate nice touch. Hahaha

[mikiea]

I was getting HUB Withdrawal, not been a decent Hub announcement for at least a week

bad boy's .....bad boy's ..... where ya gunna go wen dey come for you ? bad boy's .....bad boy's ..... where ya gunna go whe...... huh ? da hub . hub of what ?

[Caveat Emptor]

Have any of the companies confirmed any of this ?

[osiboy]

My Aussie v8 in thailand. I can live without my big bogan sheilas, but couldn't live without a big bogan V8.

We don't have much culture in Oz but V8's are a part of it.

I really wish the Australian government had of been tougher with the Thais signing the FTA. I would love to get one of the last V8 Falcons or Commodores over here. image.jpgimage.jpg

what an ugly car , looks like it was designed in russia or north korea

[Roomuck]

My Aussie v8 in thailand. I can live without my big bogan sheilas, but couldn't live without a big bogan V8.

We don't have much culture in Oz but V8's

are a part of it.

I really wish the Australian government had of been tougher with the Thais signing the FTA. I would love to get one of the last V8 Falcons or Commodores over here. image.jpg image.jpg

How'd dya even get it over here mate? I looked at bringing my beloved SS Ute over but the import duty was like 220% of their estimated value of the car. I love a Holden but not that much you must have plenty of cash to burn old son. I like the P plate nice touch. Hahaha

You are right about the tax, that 220% is minimum, once you pay for the "extras" it can be a lot more.

They sold VN's VP's as Holden Calais, Vy's ans Vz as Chev Lumina.

They used to assemble CKD kingswood and belmonts, and they sold Holden's for years before that. I have a photo of the king getting around in an old Holden, there are a couple of two door monaros I have also seen.

Falcons from XR's through to Xbs, and a few xd's. I have never seen an XB coupe though, and I have been searching for years. Probably buy a Statesmen if I see a good one.

Before the Thais started making there own there were heaps of Aussie cars imported here as the steering wheel is on the same size.

I have also seen some falcon and Holden Utes, and even a panelvan. Heaps of old Valiants around also.

The VN of mine had its V8 put in already, it goes hard, and I picked up that car for 130,000 baht off a Thai mechanic. It was his baby but the wife made him get rid of it, he spent over 400,000 on it. The wife despised it like a Mia noi. He had a turbo in it with the v8 at one stage, but reckons he took it out because it was dangerously fast.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Roomuck

[Anon999]

If he wants to see cars for the future he should go to Japan or Europe where the range of current and future models is far superior to the boring range produced here. With most Thai's wanting huge engined Pick-Ups just to go to work or shopping in (85% are running around empty) and never ending production lines of Minibuses for the use of Psychotic drivers hell bent on killing as many folks as possible, i can only presume that he wants these to be produced with electric motors !

Where I live in Isaan there has been a big change in the balance of trucks v cars over the past ten years. The majority back then was certainly trucks by a large margin with cars being only a small part. However, now it's approaching a 50/50 balance and within a few years trucks will be in the minority.

[zyn]

Thailand signed a Free Trade Agreement with Australia a few years back.

They outsmarted the Aussies big time. Clever people these Thais.

Now more than one in five of all vehicles sold in Australia is Thai made. And I don't think any Aussie cars are being sold here anymore. The Thais have an extra tax on engines over 2.5 or 3.0. Nearly all Aussie cars have bigger engines than this so the taxes placed on these cars make them too expensive in Thailand.

I think the last Aussie cars sold in any numbers here was the Vz commodore, only the 3.6 liter, none of the v8s, badged as a chev lumina. And they didn't sell many.

The Thais must have known this is what would happen and must have been laughing at the Aussies signing the FTA.

The Aussies also rushed into signing an FTA with China under the last PM Tony "Sir Pository" Abbott. I reckon it will be even more flawed.

Now the Thai car manufacturing is booming and the Australians will close all their car manufacturing factories next year and rely on exports only. Many of which will come from Thailand.

Clever people these Thais.

Why do all aussie cars have those big engines? That's so old. And an Opel commodore is from when i was a kid, my neighbours had one.

I thought Australia wanted to be a green climatesaving continent like Europe. Then they better build green cars as well.

Australia retains an American attitude to cars with every kid wanting a V8 and they are available to young people, even up to 6 litre engines.

Yes we have all the clean green alternatives but V8's rock and until the insurance, prices kids out of the market it will continue to be attractive to burn all that petrol and to wipe themselves out at high speed. Now don't get me started on 4WD'S that have never seen a dirt track.

I do believe that is a stereotype, sir. While every American kid 'may want' a V8, not every American kid gets one. You may be thinking of a time in the 1970s. I assure you, growing up in the 80s and 90s, I saw less and less kids driving V8s as I got older. Nowadays, it's even more rare. Kids these days prefer the gas sippers. But even in the past (80s to present) and especially today, most people who drive V8s are adults. And the majority of V8s are in American trucks, not cars. Work trucks more specifically. Loggers, farmers, contractors, carpenters, and people that actually use it to do things a car just can't do. And trying to drive a loaded down truck with a 4 cylinder up a steep hill (or even a mountain.... where i'm from at least) is near impossible. I struggled to get up one particular hill when I was empty in the only 4cyl truck I ever owned in America. I'm just glad the 4 cyl turbo diesels here aren't completely gutless.

So is the reason the engines here are so small solely because of taxes? Is there a specific engine size that this goes into effect? I read somewhere it was 300% for anything above a 3.0 ltr but if thats the case, how is Ford selling all these new 3.2 ltrs with no problem? And I heard the Pajero 3.5 was coming to town but then it apparently decided to go everywhere but here. So 3.2 is ok here but 3.5 isn't? Anybody actually know whats going on?

[Freakin Musashi]

Personally, I am reading this as Japan is trying to keep its overseas manufacturing commitments in China down to a minimum. They want to send a message to China that they can pull out at a moment's notice. They're certainly planning to move business from China to the P.I.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Freakin Musashi

[jerojero]

Thailand signed a Free Trade Agreement with Australia a few years back.

They outsmarted the Aussies big time. Clever people these Thais.

Now more than one in five of all vehicles sold in Australia is Thai made. And I don't think any Aussie cars are being sold here anymore. The Thais have an extra tax on engines over 2.5 or 3.0. Nearly all Aussie cars have bigger engines than this so the taxes placed on these cars make them too expensive in Thailand.

I think the last Aussie cars sold in any numbers here was the Vz commodore, only the 3.6 liter, none of the v8s, badged as a chev lumina. And they didn't sell many.

The Thais must have known this is what would happen and must have been laughing at the Aussies signing the FTA.

The Aussies also rushed into signing an FTA with China under the last PM Tony "Sir Pository" Abbott. I reckon it will be even more flawed.

Now the Thai car manufacturing is booming and the Australians will close all their car manufacturing factories next year and rely on exports only. Many of which will come from Thailand.

Clever people these Thais.

.... Or dumb-ass Negotiators on the Aussie side and the Government Officials who ratified such a deal.

[elephant45]

you can buy a nice new small Japanese car here, but good luck with the warranty. They will laugh you out of the dealership, den, send you somewhere else, "I don't feel any vibration, that torn seat looks fine to me, wnat ripped carpet, what engine noise"

[lanista]

Brown envelopes issued annually to Prayuth and his cronnies in exchange for great deals on taxation(none) , golf club deals incl hospitality  'caddies'   and slave wages might sway the Japs and Euros into consolidating here instead of Vietnam or Indonesia

[overherebc]

On 3/8/2016 at 9:46 AM, Thian said:

Why do all aussie cars have those big engines? That's so old. And an Opel commodore is from when i was a kid, my neighbours had one.

I thought Australia wanted to be a green climatesaving continent like Europe. Then they better build green cars as well.

I put it down to the distances travelled bycar in Oz compared to other countries. Long overland trips are more relaxed with a bigger engine that's not working as hard as a 1500 cc 4 buzzing under the hood for 3/4/5 hours. Also they tend to be easier to patch/repair in the outback, can pull a bigger payload etc. In the city a 1500 is fine, crossing the big red you want a big lump under the bonnet.