SIX DECADES ago, when Japan’s carmakers were minnows outside their home market, the future giants of global car manufacturing—Toyota, Nissan and Honda among them—began to expand production in Thailand. The South-East-Asian country’s early presence in the automotive supply chains means it is the tenth-largest producer of cars in the world, surpassing countries like France and Britain.
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Today Thailand is once again a waypoint for the international ambitions of carmakers—this time from China. Chinese companies have been announcing investments in Thai factories left and right. In March BYD, which in the first quarter overtook Volkswagen as the best-selling car firm in China, broke ground on an EV factory in Rayong, already a carmaking hub. In April Changan unveiled a $285m investment to make its first right-hand-drive vehicles outside China. And on May 6th Thai…
This article was written by and originally published on www.economist.com