Bangkok - Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group, plans to be in Bangkok March 28 for the launch of the Tata Xenon 1-ton pickup at the Bangkok International Motor Show, news reports said Thursday. The launch of the Thailand-made Tata Xenon is to be the chairman's second launch this year after he personally launched the Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, at the Delhi Auto Show in January.
Tata Motor (Thailand) Co last year set up a factory in Samut Prakan province, which borders Bangkok, to manufacture 1-ton trucks for the domestic and export market. Production of the Tata Xenon with a Dicor engine using common-rail diesel technology began earlier this year.
Thailand is the world's second-largest market for pickups after the United States and has become a leading exporter of the vehicle over the past decade.
During the first two months of 2008, Thailand's produced 231,680 units, up 27.28 per cent from the same period last year.
About 57 per cent of the total production, or 132,674 vehicles, were exported in the January-February period, a 39.5-per-cent jump on last year's vehicle exports during the same two months.
In 2007, Thailand's total vehicle production reached 1.25 million units.
