Mitsubishi stands firm to use Thailand as regional production base

CHONBURI, THAILAND, May 8 (TNA) - Japan-based Mitsubishi has confirmed to use Thailand as its export-oriented production base in the region and opened its first overseas test drive center in the Kingdom. The management of Mitsubishi publicly made the confirmation on Friday, insisting that Thailand will remain to be its regional export-oriented production base, pointing out that the Thai economy is its second largest export-oriented base after its main production base in Japan. According to the management, Mitsubishi exported 37,062 vehicles from Thailand to 150 countries worldwide last year. Meanwhile, Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Shiro Sadoshima and Thai Industry Minister Chakramon Phasukvanich jointly presided a ceremony to open Mitsubishi's first overseas test drive facility on a 95-rai plot of land (2.5 rais=1 acre) in Si Racha District of seaside Chon Buri Province in the Thai East, aimed at guaranteeing the quality standard of Mitsubishi vehicles produced in Thailand. Chakramon said that a few other foreign auto makers have also planned to have their own test drive facilities in Thailand, which will assure that they will not withdraw their production bases from Thailand and the country is, thus, an important automobile production base in the region. The Industry Ministry also announced that his ministry plans to build its own 4-billion-baht test drive center in the country in the near future. (TNA)