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Asia Minute: Bangkok's Motor Show driving a rapidly electrifying future

Visitors look at XPENG's electric vehicles during the 45th Bangkok Motor Show in Nonthaburi, Thailand, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Sakchai Lalit/AP
/
AP
Visitors look at XPENG's electric vehicles during the 45th Bangkok Motor Show in Nonthaburi, Thailand, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

Every year, global motor shows have an increasing focus on electric vehicles.

Something Thailand and the United States have in common is that the market share for electric vehicles is running at about 9% in both countries.

But the difference is that the Federation of Thai Industries predicts EV's market share will double in Thailand by the end of this year.

JD Power and Associates says the U.S. may reach that level by 2025 — as long as public charging stations expand to support that growth.

For a little perspective, the market share for electric vehicles in China is already nearly a third — the highest in the world.

And on the production side, there may be no better place in Asia to show off new Chinese electric models than in Thailand.

That's because Thailand is the auto production hub of Southeast Asia — and has been for years — mostly with internal combustion engines of course.

Japanese, American and Chinese automakers have been producing cars and trucks in Thailand for decades.

The Japanese have long dominated the local market, but the Chinese have been quicker to ramp up electric vehicle sales in Thailand and start some local production.

This week's Bangkok International Motor Show will feature familiar and new Chinese models, and automakers, when it gets underway on Wednesday.

Bill Dorman has been the news director at Hawaiʻi Public Radio since 2011.
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