Report: Geely Scraps Thailand EV Production Plans, Will Focus On Malaysia Instead

Previously, we reported that Chinese automaking giant Geely was poised to enter Thailand and set up an EV production hub. Said plan follow up from initial talks reportedly held between the carmaker and the Thai government, though it’s worth noting that the latter party were also in talk with other brands too. 

Since said initial report, the matter has gone quiet. However, a source in Thailand has recently gone online to indicate that Geely has scrapped any and all plans to set up EV production in said Kingdom completely. Said source alleges that the cancellation stemmed from various “unnamed situations”.

The rumoured Geely EV production hub in Thailand could've seen the Radar RD6 EV pick-up truck - amongst a few others - being produced en masse there.

Had this plan supposedly gotten the green light, it was reported that Geely could see its Radar brand and its RD6 electric pick-up truck, as well as an unnamed small urban EV offering, both being manufactured en masse in said kingdom. Said initial report even notes the plan’s THB10 billion (RM1.31 billion) investment sum plus an annual output target of 100,000 vehicles.

What’s uncertain is if one of these “unnamed situations” could refer to Geely’s recent RM45.6 Billion investment into Tanjung Malim, Perak, which is where the main manufacturing facility for Proton is located. Together with Proton, in which Geely controls a 49% stake, said investment seeks to turn Tanjung Malim into the region’s largest and most advanced automotive city – or ‘Automotive High Tech Valley’ (AHTV).

To clarify, said investment is expected to centre around the development of Proton-related models. However, the possibility of said national carmaker providing partners Geely – and its wide array of brands under its fold – with contrast assembly in the future shouldn’t be discounted just yet.

The latter possibility stems from the fact that Proton holds excess capacity at both its car assembly and engine manufacturing plants located in Tanjung Malim. Both Geely and DRB-HICOM – Proton’s parent company – seek to transform said Tanjung Malim AHTV into a future hub for Next Generation Vehicles (NxGV) as outlined by the National Automotive Policy 2020 (NAP 2020).

With the focus seemingly shifted to Malaysia now, perhaps we might see Proton making its long awaited re-entry into the Thai market happening first instead. The national marque exited the kingdom’s market in 2015 Though camouflaged Proton X50 units were reportedly sighted testing there as recent as 2021, there has been little to no progress on this front since.