There are things such as industrial zones for car manufacturers,...

There are things such as industrial zones for car manufacturers, and high import duties to protect local manufacturing (except China may have a free trade agreement, so Chinese electric cars are still cheap). Then the car manufacturers can use a lot of automation to protect against some fraud or educational deficiencies. Thailand seems ok for car manufacturers. Cost of staff is low, if you can get around the challenges. Being a protected industry, if you want to sell in Thailand at a reasonable price, you have to manufacture there. There's a big market for pick-ups and motorbikes in Thailand, and increasingly for regular cars.

But ask 99% of foreign business people in Thailand whether Thailand is easy to do business. It's easy to start up for locals, yes (see lack of food standards / licenses keeping street food costs down). But see truck drivers or market sellers who have to display cartoon logos on their stall/truck to prove that they've paid their bribes to the police.

Or see the foreign business people in Thai tourist cities who literally end up dead, with their assets magically moved to mafia hands (5 star resorts etc).