The plan is to start mass production of a battery-powered version of the Hilux pickup truck for Thailand and for export.

The tests are being carried out using BYD’s B70 bus by the company’s local distributor, Rever Automotive Thailand Company Ltd, picking up and dropping off passengers at shopping malls and tourist attractions across Bangkok.

Rêver Automotive Thailand Company Ltd is the name of the Thai importer and distributor BYD vehicles, which will now be responsible for assembling the vehicles through a subsidiary at a facitlity near Bangkok.

Isuzu Motors Ltd, headquartered in Yokohama in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, unveiled its first battery-powered D-Max one-ton pickup truck at the Bangkok International Motor Show in April

The Thai commercial vehicle market over 2 tons gvw plunged by 37% to 68,295 units in the fourth-quarter of 2023 from 108,498 units a year earlier.

Sales of commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw in East Asia’s seven main markets, excluding China, continued to deteriorate in the fourth quarter of 2023, with sales falling by more than 14%.

Isuzu to invest THB32bn (USD900m) in its Thai operations over the next five years as it looks to step up its transition to zero-emission vehicles.

The Thai market for commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw fell by 22% to 82,386 units in the third quarter of 2023.

The new Hilux Champ was first unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo during October and went on sale in Thailand, the truck’s largest single market, at the Bangkok International Motor Expo at the end of November.

Sales of commercial vehicles over 2 tons gvw in East Asia’s seven main markets, excluding China, declined by over 8% to 326,720 units in the third quarter of 2023.

The factory employed 1,070 staff and produced 2,100 TBR tyres a day. Further reasons for closure included the impact on local communities, issues with the rubber supply chain and the overall profitability of the factory.

The D-Max’ main production base is in Thailand, from where it is made available in over 100 countries and regions worldwide.