GAC Group announced on 3 November that its first overseas battery plant in Thailand’s Chon Buri province is now in production.
Opening its facility
GAC Group’s subsidiary Inpow Battery began production on 29 October in its Chon Buri plant. This plant is Inpow’s first overseas plant and GAC Group’s first overseas in-house battery pack plant abroad, a significant milestone in the group’s expansion in Southeast Asia.
The Chon Buri plant is also key to two of Inpow’s goals; bolster the new energy vehicle (NEV) supply chain in Southeast Asia and strengthen its manufacturing capabilities within the region. It will produce battery packs for GAC’s Aion Y Plus model.
According to GAC, phase one of the facility will have a planned capacity of 7,000 battery packs per year. By the second phase, its capacity could be raised to 20,000 packs per year.
Apart from establishing the facility, Inpow announced that it will work with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) on EVs, energy storage, and energy equipment. Thailand aims for zero-emission vehicles to account for at least 30 per cent of domestic motor vehicle production by 2030.
Inpow and batteries
On 15 October, Inpow announced that it produced a total of 300,000 battery packs globally. These packs are used for GAC’s Aion line of models (i60, N60, and UT).
Inpow disclosed that its total investment for the facility amounted to RMB 10.9 billion (AUD $2.3 billion). This includes Inpow’s specialisation of research and development (R&D) and production for its power batteries and energy storage batteries. Currently, Inpow has secured more than 700 patents while its R&D team is composed of more than 800 people with a cumulative investment of RMB 2 billion (AUD $428 million).
GAC’s presence in Thailand
GAC is among the carmakers with a manufacturing facility in Thailand. The company marked three years in the country and reported 34,898 vehicle registrations since 2023. Add the reporting cut-off for the registrations.
GAC currently has 73 dealer and service network locations in Thailand. Its local manufacturing plant produces at a full capacity of up to 50,000 vehicles per year. The brand also built more than 300 charging stations and over 1,000 DC fast charging ports across the country.
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