Over the next five years, the BOI anticipates an investment volume of more than USD 5.5 billion for electric vehicles (EV) and EV-related investments in Thailand. Import duties and excise taxes will also be significantly reduced. The automotive industry in Thailand will thus further expand its leading role in the Asia-Pacific region. There are great opportunities for vehicle manufacturers, but especially for suppliers, in a flourishing production market.
Watch out investors in the automotive industry: The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) is promoting Joint Ventures manufacturing automotive parts until 31.12.2025. Anyone investing in Thailand’s automotive industry has the option of extending the general exemption from corporation tax by 2 and up to 8 years. The regulation applies to both newly established Joint Ventures in Thailand as well as to existing companies that take on Thai partners.
In addition, access to the Japanese automotive industry beckons with the addition of a Thai partner.
As a consultant and “cultural ambassador”, Sanet helps a German machine builder with its Joint Venture in Thailand.
The German machine manufacturer held 75% of a sales and service Joint Venture in Thailand. A Thai partner owned 25% of the shares and managed the business single-handedly and largely without any direct intervention by the German majority partner. Little attention was paid to the Thai subsidiary.
The earnings were okay, but the sales figures were not impressive enough to make the Thai company the focus of the group management. After the company was established in Thailand, the German Controller came once a year for the annual accounts and soon returned home without any major problems. Market shares, market policy and the local company management were largely unaware of the situation at headquarters.
The surprise came as soon as the Thai partner wanted to introduce a successor.
Thailand is striving for electromobility! The new BOI subsidy package, marketed as “EV 3.5”, is intended to help Thailand produce at least 30 percent of all vehicles produced as “zero-emission” e-models by 2030. With the new subsidies for e-cars, up to 100,000 baht grant, lower consumption tax and reduced import duties, the country will become the center of electromobility in Southeast Asia. Yet the promotion of electromobility in Thailand is not only an opportunity for growth, but it also comes with challenges.
If you want to service the Asian markets from an environment characterized by a secure legal system, a top infrastructure and state-of-the-art industrial parks, the only question is whether you can afford in the long term to forego an investment in Thailand.
Investing in Thailand offers investors benefits that investors in other countries can only be envious of. The economic and political environment of this country in the heart of Asia is stable and characterized by thousands of modern manufacturers and suppliers in the electrical and automotive industries. Government incentives are generous, based on sound legal regulations and have been providing support for many years.
A labor market with technically outstanding engineers and skilled workers awaits investors. And an infrastructure with highways throughout the country, three deep-sea ports, punctual elevated express trains, whose network is growing rapidly every year, eases economic activity. An excellent healthcare system and a high quality of leisure time also make life worth living for investors in Thailand.
In addition, the Sanet Group has been offering a full service for investors in Thailand for 20 years, from strategy consultancy to legal implementation, the entire project organization with site evaluation and tendering, right through to applications for incentives or recruitment.
