Tata eyes exports to Asean: Thai autos to ship to Malaysia, Indonesia

(chinatrucks.com, Nov. 26, 2009)Thai-built Tata light trucks will be exported to Asean next year to take advantage of tariffs on automotive products being reduced to zero from January, said Tata Motors Thailand's chief executive Ajit Venkataraman.

Mostly owned by India's Tata Motors, the company plans to ship the pickup trucks to neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, which both have vast automotive markets.

"We are committed to using Thailand as the manufacturing base to enter this regional market," he said.

Tata Motors has made preparations to make inroads into Asean -- and is unconcerned by the expected intensification of competition in Asean's automotive market when the region becomes a single market, he said.

A senior executive at Tata Motors said the company expected to ship Thai-made pickup trucks first to Malaysia and then to Indonesia.

Passenger cars are very popular in Malaysia while multi-purpose vehicles are preferred in Indonesia -- but both markets still have demand for various designs of light truck, the source said.

Views:0