Subaru Forester production kicks off in Thailand

MANILA: Thailand has always been known to be one of the major automobile production sites. Taking advantage of the Thai resources this time around is Subaru. However, Subaru won’t be manufacturing any pickup truck in the country, as is the case with most of the automakers. Located in Lat Krabang, the new Tan Chong Subaru Automotive Thailand (TCSAT) assembly factory will use panels and parts that will be sourced from Japan, the homeland of Subaru.

Built at a cost of 5 billion Thai Baht (Php 8.1 billion), the Tan Chong Subaru Automotive Thailand (TCSAT) facility is one of the largest investment ever made by Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL). Tan Chong and Subaru hold 74.9% and 25.1% of the total shares, respectively. The company is led by Glenn Tan, who is the Deputy Chairman and Managing Director. As a matter of fact, Motor Image, the official distributor of Subaru vehicles in numerous markets, is TCIL’s child company.

After Japan and the United States, the TCSAT will be the first major Subaru plant in South East Asia. In Malaysia, Tan Chong also produces the Subaru XV, however, in very small numbers, around 500 to 600 units every month. The new facility in Thailand will produce around 10,000 units every year with the assembly plant, including training, and quality control all managed by Subaru itself.

While the Subaru Forester will now be assembled in Thailand, the Philippine market will continue to receive its allotment from Japan as CBU (Completely Built Up) units. Subaru recently launched the SV GT edition in the Philippines at the 2019 Manila International Auto Show, why not check it out?