Throughout 2004 and 2005, the United States has been working with Thailand on a free-trade agreement (FTA), which the two countries hope to finalize in 2006. The U.S.-Thailand FTA talks encompass a variety of issues including agriculture, copyrights and finance. But what should be of concern to auto-industry OEMs and suppliers centers around that all-American icon, the pickup truck, and the issue has some folks crying 'fowl.' An April 2005 report to Congress from the Congressional Research Service summarizes the problem: "Inauguration of free trade talks between the United States and Thailand has led to concerns in Congress that one result could be duty-free entry into the U.S. market of pickup trucks made in that country, the world's second-largest producer. Since 1963, the United States has maintained a high tariff on imported pickups. Many in Congress are concerned that Japanese and Korean manufacturers could evade this duty by import-ins trucks made at their Thai facilities."
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