BMW has officially started production of their motorcycles in Thailand. Initially, the BMW F800R will be manufactured and sold in Thailand only.
BMW Motorrad will produce the F800R at the Rayong Assembly Plant in Thailand. This facility is spread over 75,000sq.ft. and is situated 115kms from Bangkok. Initially, the naked motorcycle will be manufactured here and sold for the Thailand market. The first F800R motorcycles will roll off the production line and be sold there in the first quarter of next year.
For sale of the new products, BMW might consider the neighbouring countries of Thailand as good markets taking into account the low transportation charges thus bringing down vehicle costs. The sales of the BMW F800R might eventually spread to the emerging Asian markets. We can expect BMW to bring the same products to India soon. In fact, BMW has tied up with TVS India to produce sub-500cc motorcycles for India and also sell it globally.
Harald Kruger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG revealed that the BMW Group plant in Rayong is the only plant in their global production network with 28 locations in 13 countries, in which the three brands- BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad are finished together.
Stephan Schaller, Head of BMW Motorrad commenting on the development said, “The motorcycle assembly in Rayong is another important step in the implementation of the global growth strategy of BMW Motorrad. Local production of the BMW F800R increases our market presence in Thailand. We expect to be able to significantly increase sales in this growing market in the coming years. The mid-range model now marks the beginning of a model initiative at the new location.”
