BANGKOK: -- Thailand will step up from being a manufacturer of low-tech pickup trucks when it starts to assemble the Toyota Camry Hybrid in the near future, said a top Toyota engineer.

According to The Straits Times, Yasuyuki Kawamoto, chief engineer of the Thai-made Corolla Altis, said in Singapore that Toyota would be assembling its Camry Hybrid in Thailand.

The hi-tech petrol-electric model is currently available only in the United States, where the popularity of hybrid models has risen dramatically over the years due to their low fuel consumption and environmental friendliness.

Kawamoto said this would happen "within the lifetime of the current Camry model", which was launched two years ago and is due to be replaced in 2011. "In the future, we will do all our planning for Asian models in Thailand. Currently, we still do it in Japan," he said.

The Camry is one of the most popular mid-sized sedans in Thailand, competing against the Honda Accord and Nissan Teana.

The Camry Hybrid will likely be built at Toyota's Gateway plant in Chachoengsao province, which is one of Toyota's "green" plants that produces passenger cars including the Corolla Altis and Vios.

According to Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT), the final decision to assemble the Camry Hybrid lies with the parent company in Japan.

"We are still in the study phase for this project and that's why we brought in a fleet of Prius hybrid cars to test the market last year," said company spokesman Kij Mahajuntakarn.

-- The Nation 2008-03-14