SAIC Motor-CP and MG Sales (Thailand), manufacturer and distributor of MG cars in Thailand, announce the opening of its first battery production plant in ASEAN. Located in the NEW ENERGY INDUSTRIAL PARK, the factory’s manufacturing capacity is expected to hit 50,000 units of batteries annually, making the company ready to become the leader in Thailand’s EV manufacture and for Thailand to serve as the production hub of electric vehicles in ASEAN.
SAIC Motor-CP has inaugurated its new EV battery manufacturing plant in ASEAN under the name of HASCO-CP BATTERY SHOP, located in the NEW ENERGY INDUSTRIAL PARK and spanning across the area of approximately 75 rais. With the foundation stone laying ceremony being organized in April, the battery manufacturing plant is divided into two major areas. The first one is the battery assembly area which is fully automated through cutting-edge robotic technology, Laser Welding for accuracy and Charge Coupled Device (CCD) to cross-check the quality of battery with its prototype prior to its installation in a 100% electric vehicle.
The second area is designated for battery standard testing which involves over 60 processes including Charge & Discharge, Air Leak Test, Insulation Test and Static Test. The production line is capable of manufacturing up to 50,000 Cell-To-Pack battery units per year, with the quality equivalent to those produced on a global scale. Batteries produced from this manufacturing plant will be first installed in MG4 ELECTRIC as well as other models in the future. Currently, the factory is in its production preparation process and is expected to officially open in 2024.
Mr. Zhao Feng, President of SAIC Motor-CP, said “The EV battery shop is part of the development plan for the NEW ENERGY INDUSTRIAL PARK located within the WHA Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate 2 (WHA ESIE 2) in Chonburi province designated for the domestic production of electric vehicles. With the additional investment budget of 500 million baht, the factory is designed for the manufacture of Cell-To-Pack (CTP) EV batteries which utilizes the new RUBIK’s CUBE BATTERY technology. With the strength and growing opportunity for Thailand’s EV market, SAIC MOTOR CORPORATION and HASCO-CP realize the potential to become the production hub for electric vehicles for both domestic and international distribution especially among ASEAN countries.”
“Since 2019, MG has penetrated Thailand’s electric vehicle market and today electric vehicles have become highly popular and seen exponential growth as seen from an accumulative EV sale volume of 18,000 units. Not only does MG introduce a wide range of EV models in response to different lifestyles and requirements of all Thais, another significant contributing factor towards the company’s success is that it also pays attention to creating and strengthening EV Ecosystem which caters to long-term use of electric vehicles especially through the investment for the installation of MG SUPER CHARGE which is now available countrywide.
Moving forward with its EV roadmap, MG has recently taken its EV Ecosystem to the next level through the opening of EV battery assembly plant — a reflection of the company’s commitment. MG will also continue the next phase of the development for the NEW ENERGY INDUSTRIAL PARK in order to fulfill the EV Ecosystem from the upstream to downstream operations. The battery production plant is scheduled to complete by the end of 2024.”
