Thai Government Hopes to Export Three-Wheeled Vehicles.

Byline: Santan Santivimolnat

Nov. 3--Makers of motorised three-wheelers, better known as tuk-tuks or samlor kruang, will be asked to pool their resources to produce engines and other key parts as part of the government's drive to boost vehicle exports.

Pooling will make the vehicles more cost effective by standardising the products and ensuring steady supplies of parts, according to Vallop Tiasiri, executive director of the Thailand Automotive Institute.

The move came after Deputy Industry Minister Pichet Sathirachawal supported efforts to expand the export market for tuk-tuks, noting that increased production would create more jobs.

Moreover, tuk-tuk exports will offset low sales on the domestic market where the Land Transport Department has declined to register the vehicles on grounds that they are unsafe and cause noise and air pollution.

To open up more export markets, tuk-tuk standards, especially emission requirements, will be set by a panel headed by Mr Vallop.

Today, Thai-made tuk-tuks are shipped mainly to Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka where standards are not stringent, but it is difficult to export them elsewhere, especially Europe.