GAC starts battery production in Thailand as Southeast Asia push deepens

Inpow Battery Technology started production at its new battery plant in Si Racha, Chonburi Province, east of Bangkok, on 29 October. Inpow is the battery production arm of Chinese conglomerate GAC Group. The plant anchors GAC's push to localise supply chains in Southeast Asia.

The timing carries a second number. Inpow said its cumulative global production has reached 300,000 battery packs. Those packs already power GAC Aion electric models including the i60, N60 and UT.

What does local production change?

The Si Racha site puts battery output next to GAC's vehicle manufacturing footprint in Thailand. Shorter transport routes follow. Dependence on shipments from China drops. Local production can shorten supply lines and reduce exposure to cross-border logistics, though GAC has not disclosed the plant's annual capacity, investment size or workforce figures.

That gap matters. A production start is a fact. Capacity claims would be the next test of whether this site is a strategic hub or a modest assembly operation.

Where does this fit GAC's Thai footprint?

GAC Aion opened its own vehicle plant in Thailand in July 2024. The group treats the country as a production and distribution base for the wider region, according to its stated strategy. The battery plant extends that logic upstream into the value chain.

The competitive context is crowded. Other Chinese manufacturers are also investing heavily in Southeast Asia, and GAC is betting that pairing vehicle and battery output under one national roof strengthens its position. The claim is plausible. It is not yet proven by sales or output data from either site.

Why Thailand?

Thailand ranks among Southeast Asia's most important automotive hubs. The government has spent several years steering its industry toward electric vehicles. It subsidises the establishment of EV production capacity and wants the country positioned as a regional electromobility hub.

GAC's move aligns with that policy. Inpow's start of production gives the policy a concrete data point on 29 October: one more battery plant, one more localised Chinese supply chain.

What to watch next

Three markers will show whether the Si Racha site matters at scale:

• Disclosed annual capacity and investment figures from Inpow, neither of which the company has published
• Volume at the GAC Aion vehicle plant opened in July 2024, which would justify local battery demand
• Further Thai policy decisions on EV incentives, which shape the economics of every plant built to catch them

Until Inpow publishes numbers, the 300,000 cumulative global packs figure remains the hardest data in the story — and it predates the Thai plant's contribution.