AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) is the name of a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

automobile assembly firm co-owned by Ford and

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one ...

Rayong province Rayong province ( th, ระยอง, ) is one of seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in eastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from west clockwise) Chonburi, and Chanthaburi. To the south is the Gulf of Thailand. , per capita ea ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

. Modeled after the Ford-Mazda AutoAlliance International joint venture in the United States, AAT builds compact

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a light-duty truck that has an enclosed cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (this cargo bed back end sometimes consists of a tailgate and removable covering) ...

s and SUVs primarily for the Southeast Asian market, with exports to Australia and other developing markets as well. The factory in Thailand is designed to be similar to old Hofu plant, and is arranged as four squares.

History

Ford's sales in Thailand began in 1913 with the

Model T The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. The relati ...

, but it was only in 1961 that Ford began construction there. Anglo-Thai Motors Company, Ford’s distributor (which sold Ford Europe and

Ford Australia Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of United States-based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in Geelong, Victoria, in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor C ...

products), announced in 1960 that it would build a factory in the country, with Thai Motor Company the result. This was the first time automobiles had been built in Thailand -

Ford Cortina The Ford Cortina is a medium-sized family car that was built initially by Ford of Britain, and then Ford of Europe in various guises from 1962 to 1982, and was the United Kingdom's best-selling car of the 1970s. The Cortina was produced in fiv ...

s were assembled locally using components shipped in from the UK. Mazda first began exporting utility vehicles to Thailand in 1950. In 1974 Sukosol & Mazda Motor Industry was founded, opening Mazda's first knock-down assembly plant in 1975. Ford brought Thai Motor under the corporate umbrella in 1973, but closed the factory just three years later. Company presence returned in 1985 with the formation of New Era Company to push cars and trucks in the country. Construction on the new AutoAlliance plant began on November 28, 1995, and the plant began mass production on May 29, 1998. The grand opening ceremony on July 1, 1998, was attended by

Chuan Leekpai Chuan Leekpai ( th, ชวน หลีกภัย, , ; ; born 28 July 1938) is a Thai politician who is the current President of the National Assembly of Thailand as well as the incumbent Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives. Previou ...

, the then-prime minister of Thailand.

Ford Thailand Manufacturing

A separate second plant for Ford, Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM) was opened in 2012. Located 14 km from AAT, the new plant has a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year, boosting the annual Ford Thailand production capacity to 445,000 vehicles. The US$450 million (THB 15 billion) 750,000-square-meter assembly plant in Thailand is fully integrated to support body assembly, paint, trim and final assembly. Up to 85 percent of the plant’s production will be for markets outside Thailand. Initially, it produces passenger cars including Fiesta, Focus and EcoSport. The plant started manufacturing the Ranger in 2016, and ended the production of passenger cars in 2018. In December 2021, Ford announced it had invested $900 million to modernise both the Ford Thailand Manufacturing and AutoAlliance Thailand plants.

Products

Current production

AutoAlliance Thailand

Ford Ranger Ford Ranger is a nameplate that has been used on multiple model lines of pickup trucks sold by Ford worldwide. The nameplate has been used for distinct model lines of vehicles worldwide since 1982 from the compact and mid-size pickup category. ...

(1998–present) *

Ford Everest The Ford Everest is a mid-size SUV produced by Ford Motor Company since 2003. Developed and destined mainly for the Asia-Pacific region with production centered in Thailand, the first-generation Everest is based on the Mazda-based Ford Ranger ...

(March 2003–present) *

Ford Focus The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company since 1998. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worldwide. The ...

(2012–present) * Mazda2 (2009–present) *

Mazda3 The Mazda3 (known as the Mazda Axela in Japan (first three generations), a combination of "accelerate" and "excellent") is a compact car manufactured by Mazda. It was first introduced in 2003 as a 2004 model, replacing the Familia/323/Protegé ...

(2010–present) *

Mazda CX-3 The Mazda CX-3 is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured by Mazda. Based on the same platform as the Mazda2 (DJ/DL), it was revealed to the public with a full photo gallery on November 19, 2014, and first put on display two days later at the ...

(2015–present) * Mazda CX-30 (2019–present)

Ford Thailand Manufacturing

(2016–present)

Former production

AutoAlliance Thailand

Mazda B-Series The Mazda B series is a series of pickup trucks that was manufactured by Mazda. Produced across five generations from 1961 to 2006, the model line began life primarily as a commercial vehicle, slotted above a kei truck in size. Through its ...

(1998–2006) *

Ford Laser The Ford Laser is a compact car, originally a subcompact car in the first three generations, which was sold by Ford in Asia, Oceania, and parts of South America and Africa. It has generally been available as a sedan or hatchback, although con ...

(2000–2002) * Mazda 323 Protégé (2000–2002) * Ford Fiesta (2010–2012) *

Mazda BT-50 The Mazda BT-50 is a compact/mid-size pickup truck produced by the Japanese manufacturer Mazda since 2006. It is a larger version of the predecessor B-Series pickup and is not sold in the Japanese and North American markets. The second-generat ...

(2006–2020)

Ford Thailand Manufacturing

* Ford Fiesta (2012–2018) *

Ford EcoSport The Ford EcoSport (pronounced ) is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) manufactured by Ford. The first-generation model was developed and built in Brazil by Ford Brazil since 2003, at the Camaçari plant. The second-generation model was laun ...

(2014–2018)

References

External links

* {{Mazda vehicles Ford factories Mazda factories Motor vehicle manufacturers of Thailand Ford Motor Company Joint ventures Motor vehicle assembly plants in Thailand 1998 establishments in Thailand Companies established in 1998 Car manufacturers of Thailand Manufacturing companies based in Bangkok