Company:AutoAlliance Thailand
 | |
| Type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive industry |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | , Thailand |
| Products | Automobile |
| Brands |
|
| Owners | |
| Website | autoalliance.co.th |
Auto Alliance Co., Ltd. or AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) is the name of a joint venture automobile assembly firm co-owned by Ford and Mazda in Rayong province, Thailand. Modeled after the Ford-Mazda AutoAlliance International joint venture in the United States, AAT builds compact pickup trucks and SUVs primarily for the Southeast Asian market, with exports to Australia and other developing markets as well.
The factory in Thailand is designed to be similar to Mazda's Hofu plant, and is arranged as four squares.[citation needed]
History
Ford's sales in Thailand began in 1913[1] with the Model T, and in 1961 Ford began assembling vehicles there. "Anglo-Thai Motors Company", Ford's distributor (which sold Ford Europe and Ford Australia products), announced in 1960 that it would build a factory in the country, with "Thai Motor Company" the result. This was the first time automobiles had been built in Thailand - Ford Cortinas were assembled locally using components shipped in from the UK. Mazda first began exporting utility vehicles to Thailand in 1950. In 1974 "Sukosol & Mazda Motor Industry" was founded, opening Mazda's first knock-down assembly plant in 1975.[2]
Ford brought Thai Motor under its corporate umbrella in 1973, but closed the factory just three years later. Ford's presence returned in 1985 with the formation of the "New Era Company" to sell cars and trucks in the country.
Construction on the AutoAlliance plant began on November 28, 1995, and the plant began mass production on May 29, 1998. The grand opening ceremony on July 1, 1998, was attended by Chuan Leekpai, the then-prime minister of Thailand.
Ford Thailand Manufacturing
A separate second plant for Ford, "Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM)" was opened in 2012.[3][4] Located 14 km from AAT, the new plant has a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year, boosting the annual Ford Thailand production capacity to 445,000 vehicles.[5] The US$450 million (THB 15 billion) 750,000 m2 (75 ha) assembly plant is fully integrated to support body assembly, paint, trim, and final assembly. Up to 85 percent of the plant's production will be for markets outside Thailand. Initially, it produced passenger cars including the Fiesta, Focus, and EcoSport.[6] The plant started manufacturing the Ranger pickup truck in 2016,[7] and ended the production of passenger cars in 2018.[8] In December 2021, Ford announced it had invested $900 million to modernise both the Ford Thailand Manufacturing and AutoAlliance Thailand plants.[9][10][11]
Products
Current production
AutoAlliance Thailand
- Ford Ranger (1998–present)[12]
- Ford Everest (March 2003–present)[12]
- Mazda2 (2009–present)
- Mazda3 (2010–present)
- Mazda CX-3 (2015–present)
- Mazda CX-30 (2019–present)[13]
Ford Thailand Manufacturing
- Ford Ranger (2016–present)[14]
Former production
AutoAlliance Thailand
- Mazda B-Series (1998–2006)[12]
- Ford Laser (1999–2002)
- Mazda 323 Protégé (1999–2002)
- Ford Fiesta (2010–2012)
- Mazda BT-50 (2006–2020)
Ford Thailand Manufacturing
- Ford Fiesta (2012–2018)
- Ford EcoSport (2014–2018)
- Ford Focus (2012–2018)[15]
References
- ↑ "Highlights of Ford Thailand". Ford Motor Company Newsroom. Media.ford.com. 1998-07-01. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=9729.
- ↑ Minagawa, Yasuhisa, ed. (April 1975), Mazda News No. 33, Hiroshima, Japan: Toyo Kogyo Co., p. 5
- ↑ "Ford invests $450 million for new vehicle plant in Thailand" (in en). https://www.reliableplant.com/Read/25245/Ford-invests-plant-Thailand.
- ↑ "Ford Opens New Thailand Plant" (in en). 2012-05-03. https://www.wardsauto.com/industry/ford-opens-new-thailand-plant.
- ↑ Corness, Dr Iain (2012-05-17). "Ford's Rayong plant open" (in en-US). https://www.pattayamail.com/automania/fords-rayong-plant-open-12797.
- ↑ "Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM)". http://corporate.ford.com/company/plant-detail-pages/ford-thailand-manufacturing--ftm-.html.
- ↑ Limited. "Ford sees higher Asean sales". Bangkok Post. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1152521/ford-sees-higher-asean-sales.
- ↑ "New Ford Focus Mk4 won't be made, sold in Thailand" (in en-US). 2018-04-12. https://paultan.org/2018/04/12/new-ford-focus-mk4-wont-be-made-sold-in-thailand/.
- ↑ "Ford invests $900 mln to modernise Thai auto plants". 8 December 2021. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ford-invest-900-mln-thailand-plants-2021-12-08/#:~:text=BANGKOK%2C%20Dec%208%20(Reuters),ever%20investment%20in%20the%20country..
- ↑ "Ford to invest $900m in Thailand plants". 8 December 2021. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2228523/ford-to-invest-900m-in-thailand-plants.
- ↑ "Ford invests $900 million in Thailand manufacturing operations". 8 December 2021. https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2021/12/08/ford-invests-900-million-thailand-manufacturing-operations/6432062001/.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Facilities | Ford Motor Company Newsroom". Media.ford.com. http://media.ford.com/plant_display.cfm?plant_id=49.
- ↑ "Mazda to begin producing CX-30 in Thailand, arriving in PH soon?". 2019-07-26. https://www.autoindustriya.com/auto-industry-news/mazda-to-begin-producing-cx-30-in-thailand-arriving-in-ph-soon.html.
- ↑ "Ford Thailand Manufacturing starts Ranger production" (in en-US). 2016-10-07. https://paultan.org/2016/10/07/ford-thailand-manufacturing-begins-ranger-production/.
- ↑ "Thai production of new Ford Focus to start in mid 2012". 13 January 2012. https://paultan.org/2012/01/13/thai-production-of-new-ford-focus-to-start-in-mid-2012/.
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