TOKYO, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp said on Friday it would invest 9.5 billion baht ($280 million) to build a 100,000 vehicles-a-year "eco" car factory in Thailand that will start production in the summer of 2010.
The factory, to be located in the eastern province of Rayong, will build fuel-efficient cars being promoted by the Thai government to attract investment in export-oriented factories for small cars.
Bangkok this year revived the so-called eco car project, offering tax breaks, duty exemptions and other incentives if manufacturers invested a minimum 5 billion baht and produce 100,000 vehicles annually by the fifth year of operations.
At full capacity, Suzuki's new factory would have about 1,200 employees, it said in a statement. It plans to produce 5,000 cars in the first year, a spokesman said.
Suzuki has virtually no presence in Thailand, the world's biggest maker of one-tonne trucks, selling just 1,000 cars last year.
Most other Japanese automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp and Honda Motor Co have also announced plans to build eco cars in Thailand.