Thai Summit: Thailand's Auto Industry in Crisis as Foreign Capital Grabs Market Share, Proposes 4 Strategies to Help SMEs

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Ms. Chanapan Chuangrungruangkit, Senior Vice President of Thai Summit Group, revealed at the seminar "Thailand Transition: Changing Thailand's Future" that Thailand's automotive industry is facing a crisis, with the share of Thai private investment continuously declining, contrasting with foreign direct investment (FDI) which surged to 57% in 2025. SME promotion projects in the automotive sector dropped from 14 projects in 2024 to just 1 project in 2025, reflecting a severe contraction among Thai entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, car production in Thailand fell to 1.45 million units, compared to China's 34 million units, making it impossible for Thailand to compete on production scale. Therefore, she proposed adopting an "Economy of Scope" strategy to produce diverse products using shared resources, while not abandoning the production base for pickup trucks, internal combustion engine vehicles, and hybrids (21%), but also embracing EVs to strengthen and expand the ecosystem. She also proposed four strategies: promoting domestic demand, adjusting zoning to grant benefits to SMEs in secondary cities for setting up EV charging stations, enforcing strict local content requirements rather than merely assembling parts in Thailand, and investing in the EV battery recycling industry, which would become the country's new S-Curve.

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Thai Summit exec says Thai auto industry is in crisis as foreign FDI grabbed 57% share and Thai SME projects collapsed from 14 to 1, squeezing domestic players.

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