BANGKOK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's auto production expanded in January, driven by a rise in pickup truck output for the domestic market and export-oriented passenger cars, data from the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) showed on Tuesday.
Automakers produced 118,386 vehicles in Thailand last month, up 10.53 percent from a year earlier, according to the FTI.
The uptrend was also attributed to a notable increase in pure electric vehicles (EVs) as manufacturers began producing locally to compensate for earlier imports under the government's EV 3.5 incentive package, the FTI said in a statement.
Domestic auto sales surged 53.77 percent year-on-year to 73,936 units in January, partly owing to accelerated deliveries of EVs under the previous incentive program, which ended in 2025, said FTI Automotive Industry Club spokesperson Surapong Paisitpattanapong.
The Southeast Asian country's finished car exports fell 6.28 percent from a year earlier to 58,405 units in January, marking the lowest number in 45 months, Surapong told a news conference.
The decline was due to the discontinuation of certain fuel-powered passenger car models for export, stricter import regulations on vehicles lacking safety-assist features, and tighter carbon emission controls, he said. ■