GM's new diesel-only plant

According to Steve Carlisle, President for General Motors Southeast Asia Operations and Chevrolet Sales (Thailand), "The new facility will be a state-of-the-art, highly flexible and people-focused production complex that incorporates GM's leading manufacturing strategies. We are bringing the best GM has to offer to ensure that our customers receive the cleanest and most efficient diesel engine technology available. Add to this our work with CNG, cellulosic ethanol, bio-diesel and regular gasoline, and it is clear that General Motors is quickly becoming the energy diversity vehicle manufacturer in Thailand."

The Rayong diesel engine plant will be located adjacent to GM's Rayong vehicle assembly plant, opened in year 2000 and employs more than 2,000 workers who produce Colorado and four other vehicles - the Aveo, Optra, Optra Estate and Captiva. Currently, all GM diesel-powered trucks are running on powerplants sourced from Isuzu.

Thailand's Minister of Industry, H.E Mingkwan Saengsuwan who also graced the event, has this to say, "Since this facility began vehicle production eight years ago, it has served as a great example for other automakers in Thailand. With an annual value of hundreds of billion baht, the automotive industry is today one of our country's strategic industries - it has become an increasingly important source of employment and a key contributor to Thailand's economy. Hence, with continued investment and rising demand for locally built vehicles both here and in export markets, we believe Thailand will be in a position to produce 2 million vehicles annually within five years."

GM currently offers 22 diesel engine variants in 36 vehicle lines around the world. GM sells more than 1 million diesel engines annually, with products that offer a range of choices - from the 1.3-litre four-cylinder diesel in the Opel Agila and Corsa, up to the 6.6-litre V8 Duramax diesel sold in full-sized vans, heavy-duty pick-ups and medium-duty trucks in the US.

GM is also looking forward to developing hybrid-diesel technology with this new diesel-dedicated plant.

Credits: Story & pictures by Azfar Hashim reporting from Bangkok, Thailand