JIRAN YANG SEMAKIN MAJU

Odyman

Mazda to invest Bt10 bn for transmission plant, 500 jobs to be created
Kingsley WijayasinhaThe Nation February 1, 2013 1:00 am
After spending Bt837 million to expand the AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT) plant in Rayong for 1-tonne pickup trucks by 20,000 units per year to 195,000, Mazda has decided to invest almost Bt10 billion to open a transmission plant in Chon Buri.

Mazda Motor Corporation said yesterday that the ￥26-billion (Bt8.5 billion) plant would be able to produce about 400,000 units a year.

"Mazda has decided to establish the plant in order to respond to increasing demand for models featuring SkyActiv technology and to strengthen its global production footprint. Operations at the new plant will commence in the first half of the fiscal year ending March 2016," the Japanese auto-maker's statement said.

Up to 500 jobs are expected to be created.

The new plant will be about 5 kilometres north of the AAT plant, which is a joint venture with Ford Motor Co, and will supply automatic transmissions for SkyActiv models produced at AAT and other Mazda vehicle production facilities around the world.

Mazda is scheduled to launch the award-winning CX-5 crossover in Thailand during the third quarter of this year. The CX-5 will come with many SkyActiv features designed to enhance fuel economy and performance, including the gearbox.

Odyman

Nissan reaches 2-million-vehicle milestone


The Nation February 1, 2013 1:00 am
Japanese auto-maker Nissan recently celebrated cumulative production of 2 million vehicles in Thailand at its plant in Samut Prakarn.



The new milestone was achieved in January.

"Thanks to the growing demand from satisfied customers, Nissan Motor Thailand has reached a new milestone," said NMT president Takayuki Kimura. "Business in Thailand has been growing at a steady yet astonishing pace - especially last year - making it the best year for the automotive industry. Nissan is one of the key brands contributing to this success. In reaching this milestone it truly shows the great results we have achieved.

"Making a further commitment to Thailand, Nissan announced last year that it's investing Bt11 billion more for our second plant on Bang Na Trad Road, Km 22, Samut Prakarn. It will initially produce 75,000 vehicles per year starting in August 2014, and this number will increase to 150,000 per year after full production is achieved," he said.

Nissan presently has a combined production capacity of 220,000 vehicles per year, he said. "But within a few years we plan to raise our capacity to 370,000 vehicles per year, thanks to the second plant."

Nissan has been producing vehicles since 1963 and presently offers seven key models. The auto-maker is the best-selling brand in the Thai eco-car segment with two models, the March and the Almera.

Odyman

Toyota investing on big things in Thailand


Kanittha Pantong
The Nation January 25, 2013 1:00 am

Toyota Banpho Plant
Auto giant's big year in 2012 follows a string of record performances in the Kingdom



The year 2012 was a historic year for the Thai automobile industry - with total production of over 2 million units and domestic sales of over 1.4 million units.

Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT)'s record sales of 516,086 units is considered a new marker in the Kingdom's auto history as well.

This is the first time that auto giant Toyota has been able to break the 500,000-unit mark, after the previous high of over 300,000 units in 2010. That year the Thai auto industry, which had gone through lots of ups and downs in the past, also achieved record sales of 750,000 units.

This may not sound like an important issue at first, but it is important to understand how Toyota became the first (and probably the only) company that has been able to reach this point.

TMT president Kyoichi Tanada said Toyota has set a sales target of 500,000 units for 2013 - down by a small 3.1 per cent compared to last year. Market share is expected to rise to 40 per cent, up from last year's 35.9 per cent. The company plans to sell 200,000 passenger cars, down 11 per cent from 2012 but expects its market share will rise to 36.9 per cent from last year's 33.4 per cent. It also plans to sell 285,000 pickup trucks, increasing by 5.6 per cent and with market share rising from 40.5 per cent to 45.1 per cent.

"The total auto market should reach 1.2 million units this year, down 10 per cent from 2012. There are still approximately 300,000 back orders from the First Car Buyer program, which means that the true sales figure for this year is no more than 1 million units. This is according to the market mechanism and the direction of the Thai economy, which continues to grow from last year. Sales (for this year) will be divided into 542,300 passenger cars, down 19.4 per cent, and 631,900 pickup trucks, down 5.1 per cent," he said, adding that Toyota's highlight for 2013 will be its Eco Car.

Toyota plans to build its second assembly plant at the Gateway Industrial Estate in Chachoengsao with an investment of Bt12 billion in order to raise capacity for passenger cars including the Eco Car, which will be launched during the third quarter of the year. This will raise production at the Gateway complex from 220,000 to 300,000 units per year. Production at the new plant is expected to commence during mid-year. Meanwhile, Toyota is also investing in Indonesia, but will not spend anymore during the next 2-3 years.

Another Bt20 billion on its way