BANGKOK, May 25 : Car production in Thailand dropped to its lowest level in five years in April, the Federation of Thai Industries said on Monday, due to export disruptions from the war in the Middle East and higher energy prices. • Auto production dropped 0.44 per cent in April from a year earlier to 103,794 units, following a 2.69 per cent rise in March.• Domestic sales rose 2.54 per cent, partly from bookings at the Bangkok Motor Show, coming in at 48,394 vehicles, said Surapong Paisitpatanapong, president of the FTI auto club, at a press conference.• Thailand auto exports dropped 8.43 per cent to 60,190 units.• Thailand is Southeast Asia's biggest auto production centre. It is an export base for some of the world's top carmakers, including Toyota, Honda and Chinese brands like BYD and Great Wall Motors, who have invested in recent years to supply locally and to export markets.• The FTI maintained its forecast that car production will rise by 3 per cent to 1.5 million units in 2026, after a 0.9 per cent dip to 1.455 million last year.