Changan completed its first year in the Thai market with over 8,000 units sales with 6,000 vehicles delivered to customers.
Changan vehicles sold in Thailand are still imported from China, with construction of its Bt10-billion assembly plant in Rayong province to be completed and start producing vehicles in Q1 of next year.
The Chinese automaker also plans to introduce two new models later this year while expanding its service network from the current 30 in 25 provinces to 100 locations in 2025, according to a release from Changan Auto Thailand.
While Changan models sold in Thailand include the Deepal S07 and L07, as well as the Lumin DC, new models for 2025 include a model from the AVATR sub-brand and Deepal E07. The S07 makes up the majority of Changan deliveries in Thailand – the company has a market share of 2.6 per cent in the Thai SUV market (21 per cent in the C-SUV segment).
It plans to launch the AVATR sub-brand in September and launch the Deepal E07 at the Motor Expo in November. The company also plans to unveil domestically-produced models from the Rayong plant in the first quarter of 2025, including BEV and REEV models, featuring Deepal Super REEV technology with a driving range of up to 1,000 kilometers on a full charge battery and full tank fuel.
Shen Xinghua, Managing Director of CHANGAN Auto Southeast Asia Co Ltd, said, “Changan Thailand has developed a spare parts warehouse of over 3,000 square meters, storing over 2,000 types of parts and more than 40,000 items, enabling the delivery of parts across the country within 24 hours. Additionally, a new digital call center system was launched on August 1st, enhancing convenience and service quality for customers nationwide.”
“We have connected over 300 local suppliers and plans to achieve the localization rate in domestically produced models to 50 per cent by early next year,” he added. “Locally, nearly 300 employees have been hired in Bangkok and Rayong, accounting for 70 per cent of our total staff, with plans to send approximately 100 skilled employees for training in Chongqing in September.”
“Despite economic downturns, stricter bank loan approvals and reduced vehicle demand in Thailand, the BEV market penetration rate exceeds 15 per cent in the passenger car segment. Therefore, with government policy support and demand from new energy vehicle customers, the Thai EV market is expected to grow rapidly and steadily,” he stated.
