BYD signs agreement with Thai distributor to set up electric truck/bus CKD assembly plant

BYD’s Thailand distributor, Rever Automotive Co Ltd, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BYD Co Ltd to set up a plant to build BYD commercial vehicles in the Kingdom. The timeframe for the new facility was not announced but the plant will produce internal and external parts for battery electric vehicles along with electric buses and trucks.

The two partners stated that the factory would utilise BYD’s advanced technologies including iron-phosphate battery and six-in-one motor controllers.

BYD’s commercial vehicles are distributed by Rever under Rever Bus and Truck which took over from the previous distributor, Siam ATR. While this upcoming plant will be the first BYD commercial vehicle assembly facility in the ASEAN region, the Chinese BEV maker has factories in the United States, India, and Brazil.

Rever has not announced the location of this new commercial vehicle plant. Separately, BYD is preparing its Rayong plant which will assemble passenger vehicles with the Atto 3 likely to be the first model to roll off the facility. The company is the best-selling BEV brand in the Kingdom in 2023 as sales of electric vehicles spiked last year.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, CSH Alliance Bhd was reportedly planning to set up local assembly (CKD) of the BYD T3 electric van in Tanjung Malim. The company announced that it acquired three adjoining plots of industrial land totalling 55 acres back in 2022 but nothing substantial has come up since then.

Also read: BYD begins trial production in Thai plant - CKD Atto 3 to be launched next month?