Mazda Motor Corporation announced it held a ceremony today to celebrate the start of engine production at its powertrain plant in Thailand, Mazda Powertrain Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (MPMT). The engine plant at MPMT was established in response to the second phase of the Thai government’s Eco-Car program which applies preferential taxation to fuel efficient, low-emission vehicles.
The Thai government’s tax incentive program for fuel-efficient, low-emission compact cars (with engine displacement of 1.3 liters or less for gasoline, and 1.5 liters of less for diesel). Requirements for the program include meeting Euro5 emission standards, fuel economy of 4.3 liters per 100km or better, and CO2 emissions of 100g per km or less. Models approved for the program receive preferential taxation in terms of corporate income tax, equipment import duties.
MPMT is the fourth production base for SKYACTIV engines, following the Hiroshima Plant in Japan, Changan Ford Mazda Engine Co., Ltd., in China and Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation in Mexico. The plant can produce approximately 30,000 units per year. Currently, SKYACTIV-D 1.5 diesel engines produced at MPMT are supplied to Mazda’s vehicle production facility in Thailand, Auto Alliance (Thailand) Co., Ltd., for use in the Mazda2 for the Thai market.
