Suzuki Motor Corp., Japan’s second- largest minicar maker, will build a 31.4 billion yen ($282 million) plant in Thailand as the government offers tax breaks to boost production of fuel-efficient cars. The factory, due to begin operations in 2010, will make more than 100,000 cars a year by 2015, Hamamatsu, Japan-based Suzuki said in a statement on its Web site today.

Thailand has won more than $1.1 billion of investment from automakers including Suzuki, Nissan Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. since it pledged to cut taxes on small cars from 2009. Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy wants to make more fuel-efficient vehicles to limit oil imports and boost exports.

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Tata Motors, India’s largest and most fully integrated automobile company, is confident it can succeed in Thailand’s pickup truck market, the world’s second largest after the United States, despite tough competition from Japanese and American brands and the slow automotive market.The company also pledged to make Thailand its manufacturing hub to serve the Asean market as many projects are in the pipeline, including an eco-car.

Tata Motors (Thailand) Co, a 70:30 joint venture between Tata Motors and Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Co, would introduce a range of one-ton pickup trucks carrying the Tata name in the Thai market next March.

The Tata pickup trucks would be produced at Thonburi’s assembly plant in Samut Prakan at full capacity of 35,000 units per year and generate at least 500 jobs.

The project represents about 1.3 billion baht in investment.

Tata Motors may expand into local production of other vehicles in the future.

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 Tata Motors, India’s largest and most fully integrated automobile company, is confident it can succeed in Thailand’s pickup truck market, the world’s second largest after the United States, despite tough competition from Japanese and American brands and the slow automotive market.The company also pledged to make Thailand its manufacturing hub to serve the Asean market as many projects are in the pipeline, including an eco-car.

Tata Motors (Thailand) Co, a 70:30 joint venture between Tata Motors and Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant Co, would introduce a range of one-ton pickup trucks carrying the Tata name in the Thai market next March.

The Tata pickup trucks would be produced at Thonburi’s assembly plant in Samut Prakan at full capacity of 35,000 units per year and generate at least 500 jobs.

The project represents about 1.3 billion baht in investment.

Tata Motors may expand into local production of other vehicles in the future.

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The Board of Investment (BoI) today will consider eco-car projects proposed by the Japanese automotive giants Suzuki Motors Corporation and Nissan, according to a senior BoI official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Suzuki has proposed spending 9.5 billion baht to build a new plant in Rayong province for eco-cars with completely knocked-down (CKD) kit parts. It will have an annual capacity of 138,000 units and begin operations in 2010.

Nissan would invest 5.5 billion baht through subsidiary Siam Nissan Automobile to build more facilities and equipment for eco-car production at its assembly plant in Samut Prakan, as well as a CKD production unit. The plant, which would open in 2010, would have an annual capacity of 120,000 units.

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