August 15, 2008

A leading U.S. automaker has announced plans to build a new diesel engine plant and to upgrade an existing assembly plant in Thailand, part of its larger strategy to invest in emerging markets.

The new plant in the industrial coastal town of Rayong will start production in 2010, with a capacity to produce more than 100,000 engines per year. The facility will also employ about 340 workers.

Thailand ranks as the world’s top producer of one-ton pickups. The country has positioned itself as a key regional production base for foreign automakers, which make vehicles in that country for export around the region.

Meanwhile, the U.S. automaker also stated that it is preparing to open a new Indian assembly plant outside Mumbai next month.