Floods Hit Thailand's Auto Supply Chain: About 10 Parts Makers Halted, Five Carmakers Affected, Toyota Eyes October 11 Restart
BANGKOK — Floods are disrupting the supply chain of Thailand's auto industry, executives said on October 8, with about 10 parts manufacturers having halted production in Southeast Asia's car-making hub and Toyota, Isuzu, Ford, Nissan and Honda among the affected carmakers. 'Some major automakers are considering having to halt production for weeks because many major parts suppliers are in trouble,' said Surapong Paisitpattanapong, spokesman of the Federation of Thai Industries' (FTI) automotive club.
Sompol Tanadumrongsak, president of the Thai Auto Parts Manufacturers Association, said two of the roughly 10 affected parts makers were badly hit, with floodwaters damaging their production machinery — though some suppliers are still managing to keep delivering. Toyota Thailand, shut from October 5 to 10, said it plans to resume operations on October 11 but the exact timing is still to be confirmed. 'We are coordinating with suppliers to minimise the impact on deliveries to customers,' a Toyota executive said.
The blow to Thailand's economy is widening. The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) said on October 8 that the consumer confidence index fell to 52.1 in September, from 52.8 in August and 53.4 in July, as floods pushed up living costs. The FTI had put industrial flood damage at 6 billion baht the day before.
Thailand's auto industry is bound tightly into regional supply chains: many parts plants are joint ventures between Japanese capital and local ethnic Chinese businesses, clustered in Ayutthaya, Samut Prakan and Chon Buri — precisely the industrial belt that this year's floods have soaked longest. How fast the parts makers restart will decide whether carmakers count their stoppages in days or in weeks.
Source: Compiled from Reuters (October 8, 2026), on the auto supply-chain disruption and the consumer confidence index.
Source: 路透社关于泰国汽车供应链受冲击及消费者信心指数的
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 汽车工厂总装生产线（资料图），Marek Ślusarczyk (Tupungato) Photo portfolio 摄，CC BY 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）
