Southeast Asia is positioning itself as a serious player in the electric-vehicle era, drawing on raw materials, manufacturing know-how and a large domestic market. Here is how the pieces fit together.
Raw materials
Indonesia holds some of the world’s largest reserves of nickel, a key battery metal, and has pushed to process it domestically rather than simply export ore. That has attracted investment in smelting and battery-material plants.
Manufacturing
Thailand has long been a regional car-making hub — sometimes called the ‘Detroit of Asia’ — and is courting EV makers to build there. Vietnam has its own ambitions, including a homegrown carmaker, while Malaysia and the Philippines supply parts and assembly.
- Indonesia: nickel and battery materials.
- Thailand: vehicle assembly and an established supply base.
- Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines: components and new capacity.
The opportunity and the test
The prize is a bigger slice of a fast-growing global industry and the jobs that come with it. The challenge is competing on cost and technology with established giants. How the region navigates that will shape its industrial future for decades.