Chinese automaker SAIC on April 30 broke ground on a 500 million baht ($14.65 million) component factory in Thailand, which will help the producer target consumers across Southeast Asia, according to an announcement on Tuesday. The huge facility located in the Bay of Bangkok is expected to open in 2025, supplying battery modules and parts for MG-branded EVs. The state-owned carmaker, a manufacturing partner of Volkswagen and General Motors in China, has been making MG cars with Thai conglomerate CP Group since 2014, selling around 32,000 units in the country last year. [SAIC statement, in Chinese]