Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest carmaker, may move production of some cars to Thailand, reducing its reliance on Japanese factories.
"We are starting consulting with Toyota Motor Japan, but things are not finalized yet," about moving some production to Thailand, said Kyoichi Tanada, president of Toyota Motor Thailand Co., in an interview in Bangkok. He declined to say which models are being considered and said a final decision may take as long as two years.
Automakers including Nissan Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. are moving production to Thailand as manufacturing costs rise in other regions. Nissan plans to produce 90,000 March compacts in the country this year, the company said Wednesday. Ford, which has cut its U.S. workforce 47 percent since 2006, plans to make its Focus model at a new $450 million factory in Thailand by 2012.