BANGKOK, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's auto production increased in August, mainly due to higher output of electric vehicles (EVs) and export-oriented pickup trucks, data from the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) showed on Monday.
Automakers produced 124,646 vehicles in Thailand last month, up 10.93 percent from a year earlier, accelerating from a 6.12 percent gain in July, according to the FTI.
The surge was attributed to notable growth in battery EV passenger car output and export-oriented pickup trucks, while combustion-engine passenger car output fell 20.51 percent, the FTI said in a statement.
For the first eight months of 2026, auto production rose 1.27 percent over the same period last year to 959,711 units, even as fuel-powered passenger cars sank 32.62 percent on lower export-oriented output, said FTI Automotive Industry Club spokesperson Surapong Paisitpattanapong.
Domestic auto sales jumped 25.59 percent year-on-year to 59,809 units in August, driven by higher deliveries of passenger battery EVs, which rose 113.29 percent and accounted for 32.97 percent of total sales, Surapong told a news conference.
Meanwhile, passenger cars with internal combustion engines dropped 17.04 percent, making up 13.33 percent of total sales, he said.
The Southeast Asian nation's finished car exports fell 2.04 percent from the year before to 69,724 units in August, as shipments to the Middle East fell 40.24 percent owing to the ongoing geopolitical conflict, he noted. ■