New Suzuki Swift could come from Thailand

It's made in Japan for now but a new factory could see a shift for Swift
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All new Suzuki Swifts sold in Australia will be made in Japan for at least the next two years, but beyond that they could be sourced from Thailand.

The Japanese small-car specialist has announced that it is joining the wave of car makers setting up a production facility in the developing country.

The Suzuki factory in Thailand is expected to come online in 2013. While the car maker is yet to announce which models will be made there, the Carsales Network understands that Swift is at the top of the list.

At the launch of the new Swift in Melbourne, the general manager of Suzuki Australia, Tony Devers, told the Carsales Network: "If that happens, that would not be a problem for us. Suzuki quality is very good no matter where the factory is in the world. We have factories in India, Hungary and the vehicles made there are all made to the same standards. Suzuki is obsessive about quality."

The next generation Splash small car could also come from the Thailand plant, although given that the model was a joint venture with General Motors, it is unclear what its future plans are.

Ford and Mazda recently began sourcing small cars from Thailand -- the Fiesta and Mazda2. But less than six months later, Mazda reversed its decision and now sources the Mazda2 from Japan again. The company says it was not due to quality concerns but to free-up capacity for other markets that sourced cars from the Thailand facility.

Meanwhile Honda has been sourcing cars from Thailand for more than a decade -- indeed, most Hondas sold in Australia come from Thailand (only the Accord Euro sedan, Odyssey people mover, Insight hybrid and Legend luxury car come from Japan).

However in Australia Thailand is most notable for being a source of utility vehicles. The Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara, Mitsubishi Triton, Holden Colorado, Isuzu D-Max, Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50 all come from Thailand (selected Navara models also come from Spain).

Thailand is the second biggest source of cars sold in Australia behind Japan and ahead of Korea. Last year Australians bought 164,866 Thai-made cars compared to 356,968 from Japan, 163,338 from Korea and 146,314 made in Australia.

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