limguanengmymasterhero

Good news from Stockholm: To support the rapid growth in vehicle production and airbag fitment rates in Asia, Autoliv Inc. – the global leader in automotive safety systems – has begun the construction of an airbag cushion manufacturing plant in Chonburi, near Bangkok. Autoliv’s existing airbag cushion plant in Thailand opened just two years ago.

BANGKOK POST: Auto slump takes toll on economy in April Disruption in the automobile and electronics supply chains as a result of the March tsunami in Japan resulted in a slowdown in the Thai economy in April, according to the Bank of Thailand. But economic trends are expected to improve over the next few months.

Too Cool

Bangkok Post: After struggling for more than two months, Honda's Thailand plant will be back to normal by September, a few months behind its rivals. Production of the Honda Brio, Thailand's second eco-car after the Nissan March, will start next month and will gradually increase to full capacity by September.

NY TIMES makes you think….. Maybe Japan is not as crucial to the global supply chain as those first weeks after the earthquake made it seem.

THAI ASIAN NEWS NETWORK: The Thailand Automotive Institute expects 30,000 motorcycles to be purchased by political parties for use in their election campaigns, especially in the provinces. Director of the Thailand Automotive Institute, Wanlop Tiasiri expects at least 30,000 motorcycles to be purchased by political parties during this election season, as canvassers will use them in their campaign activities, particularly in the provinces.

BANGKOK POST REPORT Thailand's efforts to build a creative economy will continue no matter who forms the government after the July election, say officials in charge of the programme. Strategic plans for the creative economy are now on the national agenda contained in the 11th National Economic and Social Development (NESDB) plan and will be financed from the central budget, said Pajchima Tanasanti, director-general of the Intellectual Property Department.

Thanks to George Strampp for this link! PUNE, India — Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is opening its first assembly plant in India where parts manufactured at its plant in Liverpool, England, will be used to build vehicles. The company, now part of India’s Tata Motors, will assemble Land Rover Freelander 2 vehicles in the western Indian city of Pune.

Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI) expects the industry to enhance its global competitiveness with the projected total industry volume (TIV) of one million units by 2020, positioning the country to be a regional automotive hub.

High-flying Hyundai-Kia Automotive will outsell Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and American Honda Motor Co. in May, according to industry analyst TrueCar.com. Read more: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110525/RETAIL01/110529929/1448#ixzz1NPxOsgMc

The SET-listed automotive parts maker Aapico Hitech Plc (AH) forecast its revenue this year will fall short of the original target of 13 billion baht as second-quarter financial results will be seriously hit by the recent disaster in Japan. Chairman and chief executive Yeap Swee Chuan said that in the worst-case scenario, AH's revenue this year would be on par with last year's 11.89 billion baht. If the situation improves in the second half, this year's turnover should increase in a range of 5-10% from the level in 2010, he said.

The Thai government should put more emphasis on increasing the size of the workforce, particularly engineers and mechanics, and cutting tax to attract investment from Japanese small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs).

A great idea from the TRW Safety team…. TRW Automotive Holdings Corp unveiled its new “bag in roof” airbag system recently that replaces passenger airbags mounted in the instrument panel. The new airbag helps to alleviate injuries to passengers and allows for improved interior appearance, ergonomics and performance while saving space in the instrument panel.

Good news for the weekend! New vehicle sales in Thailand rose to a record 67,283 units in April 2011, up 17.8% compared with the levels reported in the corresponding month a year earlier. With this increase, vehicle sales in the first four months of this year increased 36.6% year-on-year to a record 305,902 units. Bangkok Post, citing figures compiled by Toyota Motor Thailand, said the passenger car segment accounted for 30,953 units out of total sales last month, an improvement of 17.8% from a year ago. Sales were driven by the continued demand for small and fuel-efficient cars.

BORNEO POST! YOKOHAMA: The national car maker, Proton, has not decided when to start marketing the Emas concept car, a well informed Proton source said here yesterday. He said should any decision be made to produce or launch Emas (an acronym for Eco Mobility Advance Solution), a proper announcement would be made to the public at the right time. “It is Proton’s first concept car that is based on a hybrid propulsion system,” he told Bernama at the Malaysia Automotive Industry Exhibition (MAIE) which was being held concurrently with the Automotive Engineering Exposition (AEE) here. He said the specially designed chassis of Emas features a raised floor that could accommodate the hybrid system’s batteries under the floor and leveraging on maximising space, while maintaining the overall dimensions of a compact car.

CYBERJAYA: The Malaysian automotive total industry volume (TIV) is projected to hit one million units by 2020, according to the Malaysia Automotive Institute (MAI). “By 2020, I think we can hit a TIV of one million,” said chief executive officer Madani Sahari, adding that the forecast was in fact a conservative one, underpinned by inevitable factors that would spur the demand for vehicles in Malaysia over the next eight to nine years.

(Bernama) - KLANG -- There is no truth in claims by certain quarters that car prices are expensive in Malysia because of the existence of the national car, Proton, says former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "This is not true. The government has been imposing high tax for imported cars even from before so that the country does not lose out substantially in the outflow of the ringgit to foreign countries," he said at the joint launching of the Proton's Logistics Centres in Sijangkang and Tanjung Malim in Sijangkang here yesterday.

2,000 Horsepower armored car …. very impressive. Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi Airport in 20 minutes. One of the wildest car companies on the planet at the moment has got to be Dartz Prombron. This Russian automaker has made quite a few headlines with their over-the-top SUV’s featuring such optional extras such as diamonds and whale penis upholstery (how did they even find a supplier for that!).

Thanks to Doc Iain for his fabulously entertaining presentation about his 40 years passion for car racing! The presentation, held on 29th of April 2011 at the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya and sponsored by C romwell Tools , Shaun Burke, is available for download here …

Have you seen this one? Paul Tan takes a look at Perodua's new prototype for the 21st century. In case you don't know what a "Bezza" is: The 'Urban Dictionary' defines it as "A best friend of either sex. A friend who you can depend on unconditionally." Best Friend: The Perodua Bezza

Perodua, Malaysia’s second national car company, plans to begin construction of a new electronic automatic transmission (EAT) plant in Malaysia in the fourth quarter of 2011. The new facility will likely be located near its existing car assembly facility in Sungai Choh, Selangor, and is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2012. The technology will be licensed from Daihatsu Motor, one of Perodua's main shareholders.

New jobs for US car industry….my prediction: for every job added in the US there will be (roughly) 50 jobs added in Asia…. German auto supplier Bosch said today that it plans to add about 1,000 employees in North America this year as its automotive business continues to grow. The auto supplier, whose headquarters for North and South America is in Farmington Hills, expects to employ about 23,000 in North America by the end of this year. Last year, Bosch's North American workforce increased 8% to 22,000 as the company recovered from the Great Recession, said Peter Marks, Bosch’s chairman, president and CEO for Bosch’s North and South American operations.

BANGKOK, 4 May 2011 (NNT) – Negative impacts on the Thai automotive industry caused by the twin deadly disasters in Japan are likely to ease off in October 2011, according to the Automobile Workers Union (TAW). TAW Chairperson Yongyut Mentapao stated that the production volume in the domestic automotive industry has decreased by more than half of the original figure as a consequence of the catastrophe in Japan.

Chinglish news about Thai Auto Industry... The beginning of 2011, Thailand's automotive market is still maintained rapid growth momentum, although the previous car market had expected because of the higher base of comparison in 2010 because, this year will show Jianhuan car market trends, but the latest figures show that the first quarter of 2011, Thailand's automotive market remains relatively rapid growth rate of 43.1% year on year. But this year, Thailand auto market risks in addition to market demand, and oil prices along with tensions in the Middle East and North African countries climbed upgrade increasing pressure, the will face the greatest risk, will be the supply-side risks. The market caused by the earthquake in Japan automobile assembly parts supply shortage is growing concern that the problem of lack parts over time become more serious and may lead to slower growth or even car market shrinking, especially in the second coming quarter.

The recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan have impacted over 60,000 Thai workers in Thailand, with another 80,000 are at risk. According to Amporn Nitisiri, Director-General of Thailand’s Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, nearly 61,000 workers -- 60,704 exactly -- working in Japanese owned companies cut working hours, with 140,000 overall at risk.

The triple disaster that hit Japan in March has severely affected the automotive industry, as carmakers and their various levels of vendors saw production disrupted or stopped completely in the aftermath. Overseas CKD operations aren’t spared, as vital parts still come from Japan.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Bernama) -- Japanese manufacturers must seriously consider Malaysia as an alternative source for their auto parts and components looking at the shortages that followed after Japan's recent earthquake and tsunami disaster that affected supplies to some of these major manufacturers. On the other hand, Malaysian manufacturers need to respond by ramping up efforts to attract Japanese automakers and investors through high quality auto products and a consistent supply, said the President of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, Tan Sri Mustafa Mansur.

Situated at Long Thanh Industrial Zone, Dong Nai Province, the plant is part of the Bosch Group’s Gasoline Systems division and spans over a land area of 160,000 square meters. It will produce up to 1.6 million push belts in its first year, which can be fitted into vehicles ranging from sub-compact cars to sports utility vehicles with diesel, gasoline or hybrid engines.

Really interesting….running a Proton Gen2 is more expensive in China than in Singapore….? THE cost of cars is always a hot topic. Last month, International Trade and Industry (MITI) Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed again publicly reiterated that the number of Approved Permits (AP) for imported cars was still being kept at 10% of car sales, with 4% for franchise holders.

Interesting position at AISIN/ATAC, 24,000 Baht/month.