Toyota to make Prius hybrid in Thailand

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that it will begin production of the Prius hybrid model in Thailand as early as next month. Though the model has been assembled in China in small numbers, this new development marks the first high-volume production of the Prius outside Japan. It is part of Toyota’s efforts to popularize hybrid vehicles worldwide, something which it has been working hard at since introducing the world’s first mass-produced hybrid car in 1997.

While this development is significant, it is not the first hybrid model being made in Thailand as the Camry Hybrid is already being produced there. The existing plant will produce the Prius alongside other Toyota models but Toyota has not revealed the volume to be produced at this time.

The Prius, currently in its third generation, is the most popular hybrid vehicle in the world. Cumulative sales globally have exceeded 2 million units from 1997 till the end of September this year.

Toyota’s decision to make the Prius in Thailand would be another disappointment for Malaysia which has been trying hard to make the country the ‘ASEAN hub for hybrid vehicle production’. Incentives have been given for such vehicles to reduce their retail prices with the most recent being total exemption of import and excise duties until December 31, 2011. However, this incentive comes too late and also has a limited time-frame. Furthermore, as an industry expert explained, Toyota already has suppliers for the Camry Hybrid in Thailand and would not want to have to also establish another set of suppliers in Malaysia.

The Thai-made Prius will initially be only for the Thai market and export plans have not been mentioned. Anyway, with the current duty exemptions offered by the Malaysian government, it won’t make much difference where the car comes from as there will be not advantage even if it originates from another ASEAN country. The new retail price for the Prius in Malaysia would be around RM135,000 (UMW Toyota Motor will be announcing the price soon).
 

Talk about this hybrids in the MTM Forum                                  Share this news with friends:  

Stay updated on new articles at this website by using Twitter. No charge to register an account.

Did you know the Motor Trader website now has sections for Homes, Gadgets, Jobs and even Boats?