Japanese automaker Suzuki has decided to shut down its Thai assembly plant by the end of 2025 as a part of its global production restructuring plan.
Suzuki is the second Japanese automaker to end local production within a month – Subaru earlier announced it will shut down its Thai plant by the end of 2024 and rely solely on imports.
According to an announcement from Suzuki Motor (Thailand) Co Ltd, the distributor of Suzuki automobiles in the Kingdom, production at its Rayong plant will stop by the end of 2025.
“Following the announcement of the eco-car project by the Thai government in 2007, Suzuki applied for the project and established SMT in 2011, after receiving approval of the project. The automobile plant started its production in 2012, and produced as much as 60,000 units annually including exports,” the company stated.
“Meanwhile, in the course of promoting carbon neutrality and electrification globally, Suzuki had been considering optimizing global production sites within the group. Consequently, we came to a decision to close the SMT plant by the end of 2025,” it added.
Similarly to Subaru, Suzuki Motor (Thailand) stated that it will maintain sales and after-sales operations in Thailand by importing products, including hybrid electric vehicles, from other Suzuki facilities in ASEAN, Japan and India.
Suzuki’s Rayong plant currently produces the Swift, Ciaz and Celerio, with production reaching 7,579 units in FY 2023.
The company also stated it will introduce “electrified models including HEVs” to its product lineup in order to “contribute to achieving carbon neutrality goals promoted by the Thai government”.
In FY2023, Suzuki sold over 12,000 vehicles in Thailand comprising of the following: Swift (5,570 units), Celerio (2,497), Ciaz (444), Carry (2,433), Ertiga (388) and XL7 (769).
Overview of SMT Assembly Plant
Establishment: August 2011
Start of production: March 2012
Location: Pluakdaeng, Rayong Province
Production models: Swift, Ciaz, Celerio
Production result (FY2023): 7,579 units
Sales result (FY2023): 10,807 units (domestic) and 1,272 units (export)
