The largest local car-maker, Thaco, has been negotiating with Mazda for mass production of its most popular cars in Viet Nam, with an anticipated capacity of 100,000 Mazda cars per year, according to the EZA. — Fille Photo

QUANG NAM (Biz Hub) — The Truong Hai Automobile Joint-Stock Company (Thaco) will begin construction on the expansion of the Truong Hai-Chu Lai Mechanical Automobile Industrial Zone with an investment of VND794 billion (US$35.3 million) in central Quang Nam Province.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the expansion project will take place in the zone on April 23, an official from the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone Authority (EZA) confirmed to Viet Nam News.

He said the expansion project, which covers 210ha of land, would include a new Mazda plant and other supportive industries for several car models.

Thaco, the country's largest local car-maker, has been negotiating with Mazda for mass production of its most popular cars in Viet Nam, with an anticipated capacity of 100,000 Mazda cars per year, according to the EZA.

EZA said the expansion project in the Tam Hiep Industrial Zone would connect with the Tam Anh Industrial Zone and the seaport systems in the zone.

Earlier this year, Thaco began the operation of a new production line of trailers and special purpose vehicles in the Truong Hai-Chu Lai Mechanical Automobile Industrial Zone.

The Quang Nam-based car producer, which claims 44.7 per cent of the market share of the Viet Nam Automobile Manufacturers' Association (VAMA), currently manufactures and distributes models of Kia of South Korea, Mazda of Japan and France's Peugeot at the Truong Hai-Chu Lai Auto Complex in central Quang Nam Province.

The Truong Hai Automobile Company has invested US$400 million to build the Chu Lai-Truong Hai Industrial Complex – which has the first logistics centre, car production factories, a vocational training college, and a sea port and storage system, as well as a shipping service – in the zone. — VNS