Automotive

Thailand Now Number One Production Base Worldwide for Mitsubishi

Published

12 years ago

October 12, 2012

Bchcomber

Auto-maker to invest Bt1 billion more to raise production at third assembly plant here

BANGKOK – Japanese auto-maker Mitsubishi has announced that its Thai operations have become the company’s number one production and export hub in the world.

Looking back 20 years, Mitsubishi was the first auto company to start exporting vehicles from Thailand when shipments of the Lancer were sent to Canada in 1988. In 1996 Thailand also started to export Mitsubishi pickup trucks to 139 countries around the world following major investment in an assembly plant in Laem Chabang, Chon Buri.

Mitsubishi was the top vehicle exporter from Thailand for many years. Although auto-makers took a strong blow from the 1997 economic crisis, which saw the domestic market shrink from 600,000 vehicles in 1996 to just 144,000 in 1998, Mitsubishi turned the crisis into opportunity, by making use of its export activity.

Although today Mitsubishi is the second-largest exporter from Thailand, it is still considered the pioneer in vehicle exports for the country.

Today Mitsubishi is making another move with its new strategy for Thailand. Mitsubishi Motors Thailand president Nobuyuki Murahashi talked to The Nation about the company’s new plans.

He said the parent company has designated Thailand as the top producer and exporter of Mitsubishi vehicles.

“While Japanese production today is just enough to satisfy demand for the domestic market, and Japan may be the base for product and technology development, the export base is being relocated to other countries. Thailand is considered as the number one production base for Mitsubishi worldwide,” he said.

Mitsubishi is preparing to invest an additional Bt1 billion in 2013 to raise production at its Bt15-billion third assembly plant in Thailand. This is to cater to the expected growth in the near future.

Mitsubishi expects the Thai auto market to reach 2 million vehicles per year in the future, up from a record 1.35 million this year (an increase from the original 1.2-million forecast). In 2013 the Thai market will still be large, with sales of 1.1 million-1.2 million vehicles, thanks to the effects of the Thai government’s First Car Buyer Programme.

The auto-maker has also raised its forecast for the third time to 126,000 vehicles (up from the 120,000 prediction made during the mid-year period). Next year it also plans to sell 126,000 vehicles.

“Mitsubishi has a production capacity of as much as 335,000 vehicles per year from the three plants. During the first eight months we produced 205,000 vehicles,” Murahashi pointed out.

He said Mitsubishi plans to raise the production capacity of all three plants to 510,000 vehicles per year in 2013, making Thailand its largest producer.

“We will need to invest another Bt1 billion to raise capacity at our third plant, and Bt3 billion-4 billion for maintenance of machinery as well as changing of jigs and molds for upcoming models,” he said.

However, for now the company will be content with production of 500,000 vehicles for the next few years, he said, adding that Mitsubishi has many assembly plants around the world – such as in China, India and Russia – that are still growing.

“But Thailand has great opportunity, and exports may be in the form of CKD [Completely Knocked Down] kits to plants around the world rather than CBU [Completely Built Up] vehicles. We think that the Thai plant has great potential for this,” he said.

In August, Mitsubishi sold 11,653 vehicles in Thailand, up 77 per cent from the same month last year. Passenger car sales surged by 580 per cent to 4,131, thanks to the Mirage eco-car that has been highly popular. Meanwhile, pickup sales were 7,522 units, up 25.9 per cent.

Sales of the Triton pickup has grown from 4,000 per month to 5,000 per month, he revealed.

During the first nine months of the year, the company sold 86,595 vehicles, comprising 21,673 passenger cars, 44,545 pickup trucks and 20,377 Pickup Passenger Vehicles (PPVs).

After the launch of the Mirage in May, 21,600 orders were placed for the car, Murahashi added.

Meanwhile, the export target for 2012 is 248,000 vehicles. Mitsubishi has already shipped out 170,000.

“Mitsubishi presently has a market share of almost 10 per cent, but our plan is to have a 15-per-cent market share in the near future, and that is highly possible. Apart from pickup trucks, the eco-car is another product that will play a major role in our marketing plans,” he said.

Of the 126,000 vehicles it plans to sell in Thailand this year, 55,000 will be Tritons, 25,000 Pajero Sports and 4,000 Lancers and Lancer EXs. The Mirage eco-car will make up the rest,” he said.

Murahashi also revealed that Lancer sales are not growing, while other companies are facing the same situation in the C-segment market, unlike the fast-growing B-segment and eco-car segment that are enjoying benefits from the First Car scheme.

The third plant, which makes the Mirage, will produce 51,000 of the cars for the domestic market, 37,000 for the Japanese market and 34,000 for other overseas markets, he said.

He added that the future for the eco-car market in Thailand is bright and has more growth potential, and the Mirage could be further developed to offer more variants plus the use of alternative energy. It will be important in helping Mitsubishi increase its market share in the future.

“Apart from the 4-door Mirage that will be introduced in the near future, we also plan to introduce other new variants based on the Mirage platform, including electric cars. Although right now we have not received any further word from the Board of Investment concerning the invitation for battery companies to invest in Thailand, we are confident that there is a good future waiting. Thailand has the best capability in this region to produce electric vehicles,” Murahashi said.

Mitsubishi previously announced that its Thai operations would produce a full range of vehicles, and its alternative energy car plan in Thailand would follow the pattern of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan that wants to eventually produce electric vehicles in the future.

In 2010 Mitsubishi signed an agreement with the Thai government to study the possibility of using electric cars in the Kingdom. In mid-2011, it joined hands with the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and PEA Encom International to prepare the infrastructure for electric vehicles as well as conduct market research.

Automotive

Russell’s early departure leaves Lando Norris on pole at the Hungarian F1 GP.

Published

6 months ago

July 20, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – Lando Norris and his McLaren squad survived a tough qualifying session for the Hungarian Grand Prix, but they know they must perform on Sunday.

Lando Norris needed to win Budapest after Oscar Piastri locked off the top row in the field’s fastest McLaren. Recent races have been costly owing to wasted opportunities and little mistakes.

He matched Max Verstappen’s pole lap at the Hungaroring, who was unhappy to finish third. In a confident and aggressive approach, the 24-year-old finished more than three tenths ahead of the Dutchman, hitting the apexes.

Piastri followed Lando Norris by two hundredths of a second on the second hot run, demonstrating McLaren’s speed.

McLaren is doing well since Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix.

His potential triumphs have been cost by team and driver error, for which both parties have taken responsibility. On Sunday, he and McLaren will know they must do well.

Norris was quietly pleased with his historic first pole in Hungary and third overall. Although confident, McLaren will also be proud of their recent race progress. No one has won the pole in Budapest since Lewis Hamilton won the race and flag in 2012.

Norris and his crew recognize they must capitalize on closing gaps with 12 races left to drive Verstappen to the finish. Lando Norris understands. Behind Verstappen by 84 championship points.

“I know we missed out on some races, but we did the best we could in every one of them, and I don’t want to get back into all that stuff,” he said. I expect Oscar and Max to challenge me in the rear, not a clean weekend.

“Every location and point must be maximized; the more we can do to return to Max and Red Bull, the better.”

Hungary is a great opportunity since Lando Norris Verstappen was plainly unhappy with his car and outperformed. This disappointed him twice because the team had swiftly upgraded this race.

Verstappen had stated that the upgrades will define the second half of the season, but he admitted that he did not think they had gone far enough and could not defeat the McLarens.

“The changes are effective, but we still need more as we are not at the top,” said he. “Despite the imbalance, I liked the laps. I was pushing hard, so you had these little moments. Fast lap times are less crucial today. Simple: we need to work more because we’re moving slower. McLaren’s qualifying performance suggests a lot of ground to cover.

Lando Norris completed his best lap despite two crash-related stoppages.

Verstappen looked great in dry Q3 hot laps. He set a record with a lap time of 1 minute, 15.555 seconds and was quickest through each sector.

Lando Norris followed and pushed through the corners with fearlessness, posting a perfect 1:15.227 lap time. Piastri improved to second place on the penultimate laps while Verstappen did not, and Yuki Tsunoda’s crash halted the session.

A tardy coda didn’t matter when practice resumed because the last two minutes on old tires were worthless. McLaren has all the cards, but they must perform at the highest level to prove the legendary brand can win again.

Carlos Sainz of Ferrari was fourth and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes fifth. George Russell, Sainz’s teammate, was unexpectedly ousted in the first round.

Sergio Pérez of Red Bull struggled again in the first qualifying round. He hit the curb, lost the rear at turn eight, and crashed, interrupting the session.

Poor performance again for the Mexican, whose Red Bull berth is in risk after a succession of poor performances, especially in qualification. His contract, recently extended to 2025, may have a performance clause, and Red Bull is unlikely to tolerate him underperforming for long. He was sixteen.

Russell fell behind because Lando Norris Mercedes didn’t fuel the car until the session ended. The British driver was eliminated in 17th place after staying out when the track dried after the break.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari placed sixth, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll of Aston Martin placed seventh and eighth, Daniel Ricciardo of RB placed nine, and Tsunoda placed tenth.

Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen of Haas finished 11 and 15, Valtteri Bottas of Sauber 12 and Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant of Williams 13 and 14. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly placed ninth and twentieth for Alpine, while Guanyu Zhou placed eighth for Sauber.

SOURCE: GN

Automotive

M5 Partially Closed as Cullompton-Exeter Crash Hospitalizes Two

Published

6 months ago

July 12, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – Two people were sent to the hospital for treatment as a result of the M5 tragic vehicle accident that happened in Devon.

The accident between two vehicles was the cause of the disaster. One more consequence of the crash is that it has left the M5 partially blocked to traffic to this day.

Between junction 28 for Cullompton and junction 29 for Exeter, the highway was blocked in both directions; however, one lane on the southbound carriageway has been opened up for previously closed traffic.

In a statement issued by the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, they stated that they were notified of a traffic accident that had happened in the Exeter district at 2:29 p.m. on Friday, July 12.

M5 happened in Exeter, according to reports.

Furthermore, information was given to them by the South Western Ambulance Service.

To provide medical assistance to those injured, four land ambulances, each with two crews, an air ambulance, a critical care M5 vehicle, a doctor, an operations officer, and a responding officer were dispatched to the scene of the incident.

Furthermore, a critical care vehicle was dispatched. We also dispatched an air ambulance to the scene of the event.

Two patients were transported to their respective hospitals: one was transported by land ambulance to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, while the second patient was flown there by air ambulance.

After being moved, the two patients were sent to hospitals in Devon and Exeter, respectively. Simultaneously, both patients were transferred to their respective sites at the same time.

Here’s what Devon and Somerset M5 Fire and Rescue Service said:

“We responded to the scene of a road traffic collision on the M5 at 2.30 p.m. today, between junctions 28 and 29.” The statement cited above was part of an official declaration.

A car that had been hit by another car coming from the other direction had two persons inside that had been rescued. It had been traveling in the other direction.

We offered support as the people were being taken out of the car. These people are now receiving medical assistance from the ambulance service in order to fulfill their duties.

The event caused significant delays for the M5 and the routes that pass through Exeter during the period when traffic was being redirected. In order to accommodate the traffic, this was being done.

A southbound vehicle experienced wheel failure, causing it to cross the center reserve and merge with the northbound road approaching. The car was going the wrong way, which is why this happened. The vehicle was traveling southward at that precise moment.

National Highways indicated that based on the facts they have provided, it is expected that the police would begin their investigation into the occurrence given the magnitude of the calamity that occurred. The entity that made this information public was National Highways.

The Devon and Cornwall Police Department issued the following statement:

“We know the M5 closure is causing traffic.”

The statement that was released is located beneath you. “We will get people moving safely when we can but please bear with us while we deal with the incident and causalities at the scene.”

In order to accommodate cars and other small vehicles that were traveling on the now-closed northern route towards M5 Taunton and Bristol, the back of the line has been shifted.

This was done to create space for these cars, which were heading towards Taunton and Bristol. The purpose of this activity was to provide space for larger cars. At this point, it seems like more and more vehicles are being stopped from going forward.

Due to this incident, a second lane has been opened up for use by any and all vehicles traveling southward.

SOURCE: ITV

Automotive

Honda to Cease Production at One of its Thailand Auto Factories

Published

6 months ago

July 10, 2024

Salman

(CTN News) – The Japanese vehicle firm Honda Motor made the news in a statement that was posted on Tuesday. The statement stated that the company intends to center its production at the site that it operates in the province of Prachinburi.

As a consequence of this, the production of automobiles will be halted at the facility that it operates in the province of Ayutthaya in Thailand by the year 2025.

The more difficult circumstances that the second-largest car manufacturer in Japan is facing in the country of Thailand, which is located in Eastern Southeast Asia, are exemplified by this move. Thailand is located in Southeast Asia.

There are several reasons for this, including the fact that Chinese firms are determined to grow their market share in Thailand, and a growing number of consumers are expressing an interest in electric vehicles (EVs). They both play a role in contributing to the problem.

The combined output of automobiles produced by Honda’s two facilities has fallen throughout the course of the succeeding four years, going from 228,000 vehicles in 2019 to less than 150,000 vehicles annually. This downward trend has occurred during the course of the past four years.

The preceding four years have been the time period during which this decline has taken place. With regard to the sales that the company has made in Thailand throughout the course of the past four years, there has been a consistent range of less than 100,000 to less than 100,000 for the entirety of this time period.

This is according to Honda’s spokeswoman.

When the factory first opened its doors in 1996, the company anticipates that it would continue to manufacture vehicle components at that location. When the firm finishes manufacturing vehicles at the Ayutthaya facility in the next year, the spokesperson stated that the company intends to continue producing automobile components at the plant.

In accordance with the statement that was given by the spokesman, the Prachinburi factory, which was built in 2016, will be utilized for the purpose of integrating the facilities with which automobiles are created. This was said in the statement. There are only two factories in Thailand that are owned and operated by the vehicle manufacturer, and these two factories are the only ones in the country.

According to the statement made by a spokeswoman for Honda in Thailand, the company’s goal is to reduce the disparity between the number of automobiles it produces and the number of sales it has experienced in the nation.

According to the remark that was made by the spokesman for the company, the automobile manufacturer are already exporting their products from Thailand, particularly to other Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. According to a statement that was sent by a spokeswoman for the company.

Currently, Honda has no plans to invest in Thailand.

When it comes to mainland China, Honda and Nissan Motor, a Japanese automobile manufacturer that competes with Honda, have been hit particularly hard by competition from rising Chinese manufacturers.

Nissan Motor is a competitor of Honda. As a result of the fact that these businesses provide reasonably priced plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles that are loaded with software, a significant number of customers have been drawn to them.

Now, Japanese automobile manufacturers are at risk of losing clients in countries outside of China, such as those in Southeast Asia, to Chinese companies that are increasingly attempting to increase the quantity of automobiles they export and build up operations outside of China.

As a result, Honda Japanese automobile manufacturers are facing a potential loss of customers. They are exposed to this danger as a result of the fact that Japanese brands compete with Chinese brands in these locations.

BYD, a Chinese manufacturer of electric vehicles, recently launched a plant in Thailand that will be responsible for the production of automobiles that are powered by electronic batteries.

This plant was established last week. The Chinese electric car manufacturers are beginning to establish facilities in the country, and this factory is a component of the wave of investments that they are making in the country. These investments have a total value that is greater than 1.44 billion dollars together.

SOURCE |SCMP