Maxus shifts to serve rental van demand

Maxus Motor (Thailand), the authorised importer and distributor of Britain’s Maxus commercial van, is eyeing fleet sales to car rental companies to meet strong demand from that segment.

President Abhichet Sitakalin said rental van fleets must be changed every five years.

Commercial vans in the Thai market are controlled mainly by Japanese car giant Toyota, which deals in retail, wholesale and fleet vans.

Maxus Motor forecasts new sales in Thailand’s overall commercial van market of 20,000 units a year excluding public vans.

The market is expected to grow by 5-8% this year as the economy recovers, after falling by 40% last year.

Maxus Motor (Thailand) was set up with registered capital of 203 million baht by SAIC Motor-CP a few years ago to run t he commercial vehicle business domestically.

Founded in 2012, SAIC Motor-CP is a joint venture between Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and Thai agribusiness conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group.

SAIC owns 51% and CP Group 49%. The initial 9-billion-baht factory was built at Rayong’s Hemaraj Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate and commenced operations last June.

SAIC Motor-CP is one of 10 car companies that applied for the second phase of the government’s eco-car scheme.

Its investment application to make 110,000 eco-cars a year worth 7.6 billion baht won Board of Investment approval last November.

SAIC Motor-CP earlier said it would make eco-cars at its second factory, which is scheduled to begin construction later this year.

The eco-cars will be under the MG brand, the well-known British marque that Shanghai-based SAIC Motor Corporation bought in 2005.

The British commercial van Maxus was introduced to the Thai market last August.

It secured 50 bookings but reported no single delivery, as its vehicles imported from China’s manufacturing plant need time to pass through the inspection and certification process of the Thailand Automotive Institute.

The company expects to sell 600 vehicles this year including 50 booked last year.

Maxus hopes to sell 1,000 vans by 2017.