ts make up less than two percent of the total. American automotive products are viewed positively in terms of both design and quality, but American companies have such a small market share because there are few American automobiles in Thailand. However, both Ford and General Motors are establishing regional assembly plants in Thailand, as Chrysler has already done, so the market for American parts will increase.
The market in Thailand is changing rapidly enough to create new opportunities for new assemblers to compete throughout the ASEAN region. A sixteen-year ban on investment in assembling operations was lifted in 1994, and investment in new operations is now encouraged. Ford is joining with Mazda for the production of one-ton pickup trucks beginning in 1998. This plant will have an annual capacity of 135,000 units and will serve as a regional manufacturing center for trucks for both the domestic and the export markets. General Motors will assemble the German-designed Opel Astra beginning in 1999, and this plant will
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