Major multinational auto producer expands investment in Thailand

BANGKOK, February 25 (TNA) - A Sweden-based major multinational automobile manufacturer, Scania AB, has injected a huge investment fund of about 72 billion baht to open its new manufacturing plant in Thailand, its third largest plant in the world but its largest in Asia. The new Scania automobile manufacturing plant in the Thai economy has also been inaugurated by Deputy Industry Minister Somchai Harnhiran. Somchai told journalists that the newly-opened auto manufacturing plant of the major Swedish multinational firm is producing gas-driven large trucks of the Euro 6 standard, in which almost 100 per cent of air pollutant emissions are reduced, including the hazardous dust or the particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers in diameter per cubic meter (PM2.5), the first model of its kind in Thailand. The deputy minister said there are now nine international automobile manufacturers that have agreed to cooperate with his ministry to upgrade their auto production to meet the Euro 5 standard within 1-2 years and the Euro 6 standard within three years. The deputy minister also urged drivers of vehicles of the Euro 4 standards in Thailand to turn to use the fuel produced for vehicles of the Euro 5 standard to help reduce the hazardous PM2.5 dust in their areas by 20-25 per cent, noting that they will pay more only 2-3 baht per liter for filling their tanks with the Euro 5-standard fuel. Meanwhile, Stefan Dorski, Managing Director of Scania Siam Co., Ltd., acknowledged that the expanded investment project, his firm's historic largest in 128 years, shows his company's confidence in Thailand, where his company plans to rely on as its central manufacturing location of commercial vehicles in Asia. Besides, more advanced technologies are adopted to his company's new auto manufacturing plant in Thailand to help save fuel, by about 5 per cent, of its newly-produced trucks in the Thai economy. (TNA)