- GAC opened a fully funded battery pack assembly plant in Si Racha, Thailand, extending localization from vehicle assembly into component production to protect margins and gain regional share.
- The 13,000+ sqm plant cost over RMB 50 million ($7.51 million), uses fully automated lines with CCD vision and welding robots, follows ISO 9001/IATF 16949, and mandates 1,500V and IP68 tests.
- The plant targets supplying GAC’s Thailand manufacturing and charging ecosystem, but faces execution risks around local scaling, supply continuity, quality control and converting installations into meaningful market share.
GAC Group officially opened its GAC INPOW battery plant in Si Racha, Chon Buri, Thailand, on October 29.
The facility is GAC’s first overseas battery pack assembly plant that it has fully funded and operates independently. Its launch extends the automaker’s localization efforts in Thailand beyond vehicle imports and assembly into the production of key components.
Located in Sihaitong Industrial Park, the plant covers more than 13,000 square meters and represents an investment of over RMB 50 million ($7.51 million). It features fully automated assembly lines and a CCD-based intelligent vision inspection system to ensure precision in laser welding. Automated welding robots also help improve production efficiency.
The plant follows ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 quality management standards. Every battery pack must pass 1,500V insulation withstand-voltage testing and IP68 dust and water resistance tests.
Local sourcing already accounts for 78.85% of the plant’s procurement. Its battery packs will primarily supply GAC’s vehicle manufacturing facilities in Thailand, supporting the company’s “In Thailand, For Thailand” strategy.
At the opening ceremony, Xu Junhai, general manager of GAC INPOW, said the plant represents a concrete step in implementing GAC Group’s “ONE GAC 2.0” and “Thailand Action 2.0” strategies.
GAC has also established an initial ecosystem in Thailand spanning battery production, vehicle manufacturing and charging infrastructure. The company has installed 293 charging stations with a total of 1,388 DC fast-charging connectors and plans to roll out its “1,000 Chargers in 100 Cities” initiative.
The launch of GAC’s Thailand battery plant comes as its in-house battery business in China reaches another milestone.
On October 15, GAC’s Inpow Battery rolled off its 300,000th battery pack from the production line. The company’s core platform for in-house battery development, Inpow’s factory was previously named among the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s first batch of “Excellence-Level Smart Factories.” It has also achieved defect control at the parts-per-billion (PPB) level.
Inpow batteries now power more than 20 popular vehicle models in China and overseas markets. Within GAC’s Aion and Hyptec lineups, models including the Aion i60, Aion N60 and Aion UT use the technology. The 2027 Aion i60 offers a driving range of 700 km.
In terms of battery installations, Inpow ranked 12th among Chinese power battery manufacturers from January to September 2026, with 6.02 GWh installed, according to the latest data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).
Inpow accounted for 1.05% of the market over the nine-month period, up 0.08 percentage points from a year earlier. September installations totaled 0.67 GWh, giving the company a 0.78% market share and 12th place in the monthly ranking.
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