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.
