AutoAlliance Thailand

AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) is the name of a joint venture automobile assembly firm co-owned by Ford Motor Company 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 South-East Asian market, with exports to other developing markets, and Europe as well.

For other uses, see AutoAlliance.
AutoAlliance Thailand
TypeJoint venture
IndustryAutomotive
Headquarters
Bangkok
,
Thailand
Area served
Southeast Asia
Europe
United States
Owners

The factory in Thailand is designed to be similar to Mazda's Hofu plant, and is arranged as four squares.

History

Ford's sales in Thailand began in 1913[1] with the Model T, but it was only in 1961 that Ford began construction there. Anglo-Thai Motors Company, Ford’s distributor (which sold Ford of Europe and Ford of 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 the corporate umbrella in 1973, but closed the factory just three years later. Company presence returned in 1985 with the formation of New Era Company to push cars and trucks in the country.

Construction on the new 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-square-meter assembly plant in Thailand 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 produces passenger cars including Fiesta, Focus and EcoSport.[6] The plant started manufacturing the Ranger in 2016,[7] and ended the production of passenger cars in 2018.[8]

Products

Current production
1998 Ford Ranger

AutoAlliance Thailand

Ford Thailand Manufacturing

AutoAlliance Thailand

Ford Thailand Manufacturing

References
  1. "Highlights of Ford Thailand". Ford Motor Company Newsroom. Media.ford.com. 1998-07-01. Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  2. Minagawa, Yasuhisa, ed. (April 1975), Mazda News No. 33, Hiroshima, Japan: Toyo Kogyo Co., p. 5
  3. "Ford invests $450 million for new vehicle plant in Thailand". www.reliableplant.com. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  4. "Ford Opens New Thailand Plant". WardsAuto. 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  5. Corness, Dr Iain (2012-05-17). "Ford's Rayong plant open". Pattaya Mail. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  6. "Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM)". Ford Corporate. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  7. Limited. "Ford sees higher Asean sales". Bangkok Post Public Company. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  8. "New Ford Focus Mk4 won't be made, sold in Thailand". Paul Tan's Automotive News. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  9. "Facilities | Ford Motor Company Newsroom". Media.ford.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-17. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  10. "Mazda to begin producing CX-30 in Thailand, arriving in PH soon?". AutoIndustriya.com. 2019-07-26. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  11. "Ford Thailand Manufacturing starts Ranger production". Paul Tan's Automotive News. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
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