Toyota lobbies Thailand to boost hybrids as EV demand flags

Japan, China players compete for incentives in Southeast Asian auto hub

20250108N toyoda waves thai flag

Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda sees Thailand as a key market, calling it his "second home." (Photo by Kenya Akama)

KENYA AKAMA, Nikkei staff writer

BANGKOK -- Japanese and Chinese automakers are courting Thai lawmakers with competing wish lists, seeking to seize an opportunity in what is known as Asia's Detroit as sales of Chinese electric vehicles decline.

Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda met Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra last month in Bangkok to discuss ways to lift Thailand's auto industry as a whole, from parts suppliers to automakers. Toyoda stressed the country's importance as a production and development hub, while Paetongtarn signaled an openness to government measures to promote hybrid vehicles.

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