Japanese car manufacturing giant Toyota Group is to begin work at an assembly plant at the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) on the outskirts of Yangon, according to an article in the Myanmar Times. An unnamed source says the company will invest “several billion yen” in the facility, which will manufacture pick-up trucks through semi-knockdown production, with an official announcement expected by the end of May. The article said that Toyota currently exports about 2000 passenger and commercial vehicles per year to Myanmar, and is building its factory because it expects strong economic growth in the future. The move comes shortly after the government said it would prioritize left-hand drive vehicles in Myanmar, due to safety concerns about the prevalent use of right-hand drives on Myanmar roads. Many of the Toyota vehicles currently imported into Myanmar are right-hand drives.