“The Ranger’s toughness, capability, smart technologies, design, fuel-efficiency and comfort allow it to continue setting the industry benchmark in the region and globally for mid-size pickup trucks,” said Ford Asia Pacific vice president Mark Ovenden.

Sales in Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam represented full-year records.

Thailand was Ford’s best-selling Ranger market globally.

The Ranger also finished 2017 as the best-selling pickup in Vietnam, Taiwan, Cambodia, Myanmar and New Caledonia, and was the top-selling vehicle overall in New Zealand for the third consecutive year.

“The Ranger is integral to our business in Thailand and across Southeast Asia,” said Yukontorn “Vickie” Wisadkosin, president of Ford Asean. “The versatility and durability of this segment-defining pickup continues to attract a wide range of loyal Ford Ranger customers.”

Sudkhet Chanchalia, general manager of MMS, said the new branch, located on Vibhavadee-Rangsit road, will help raise the total customer service capacity to 70,000 vehicles per year.

He said the company also plans to establish new branches in the Thon Buri area as well as inner Bangkok, concentrating on offering one-stop automotive services.

Featuring a “Customize Your Ride” theme, the event will showcase a unique collection of bikers and their apparels, motorcycles and accessories.

“This year of festival is greater and better than ever due to celebrate the 10th anniversary and 16 world renowned motorcycle brands will join this year – Harley-Davidson, Triumph, BMW, Ural, MV Agusta, Indian, Victory, Royal Enfield, Husqvarna, Benelli, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda, BCM and Zero Engineering,” said Nattapon Trinathy managing director of organizer Cycle Culture Show Co Ltd.

He said there will be over 40 brands of motorcycle riding gear along with a large number of accessories and custom products from Thai and foreign companies. In total there will be 90 booths with clearance sales and special promotions.

Speaking in a Tuesday phone interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun during a trip to the United States, Saikawa said by fiscal 2022, about 40 per cent of its sales in these important markets would be electrically powered vehicles. Nissan, whose Leaf electric vehicle has sold well, is seeking to expand its share of the electrically powered vehicle market by accelerating the introduction of the cars.

Electrically powered vehicles would make up “30 percent of sales in China in fiscal 2022 and about 20 percent in the United States,” Saikawa said.

Nissan is planning for one-third of these sales to be electric vehicles, with the remaining two-thirds to be models with motors that run on electricity generated by the engine.

The transition to electrically powered vehicles “will not happen because of environmental regulations; it will be because customers will find value in these vehicles,” he said, citing convenience and other favorable factors.

Saikawa also revealed that almost all new vehicles for Nissan’s luxury Infiniti brand would be electrically powered starting in fiscal 2021.

On Monday night, Honda Automobile Thailand Co Ltd announced in an e-mail to Thai media that Honda has maintained the Thai No 1 position in passenger car market for the third consecutive year, with sales of 127,768 units.

However, at Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd’s (TMT) annual press conference yesterday, TMT president Michinobu Sugata said Toyota was the |passenger car champion in |2017 with sales of 86,606 |units.

The difference between the two figures lies in the inclusion of SUVs such as the CR-V, HR-V and BR-V in Honda’s passenger car tally.

Toyota executives have over the years, insisted that those vehicle be included in the commercial vehicle segment as they are not classified as passenger cars but OPVs (off-road |passenger vehicles) and included in the commercial vehicle market.

Meanwhile, in the commercial vehicle market, Isuzu, formerly the top commercial vehicle brand in the country before it was overtaken by Toyota, has regained its crown with sales of 160,550 units in 2017.

Toyota suffered a 10 per cent decline in commercial vehicles sales last year, with sales of the Hilux Revo pickup not moving as swiftly as planned; it finished |in second place with 133,458 units.

Nevertheless, Toyota is still Thailand’s largest auto maker and, in total, produced 240,137 vehicles in 2017 (down 2 per cent), followed by Isuzu with 160,550 units (up 12.1 per cent) and Honda with 127,768 units (19 per cent).

Sugata, who is also managing officer of Toyota Motor Corp, said the market growth in 2017 came from the government’s economic stimulus packages, which resulted in growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.9 per cent.

He said the Thai auto market had bottomed out last year after four years of decline.

“The outlook for the domestic auto market in 2018 has become more favourable from the 3.9 per cent increase in GDP, as well as investments from the public and private sectors compounding with confidence among consumers that will result in growth for the market and the introduction of new products from each manufacturer,” he said.

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“We foresee that the total automobile market in 2018 will reach 900,000 units, a 3.4 per cent rise from 2017,” Sugata said.

He also said Toyota will expand investment towards localising production of hybrid batteries, along with new model introduction.

“Starting with the C-HR to be introduced here soon, we will offer more options of hybrid models in the near future,” he said.

“The C-HR is a funky subcompact SUV/crossover with a 1.8-litre petrol engine or a hybrid powertrain priced from Bt979,000 to Bt1.159 million.

Toyota had received approval from the Board of Investment and concluded a memorandum of understanding with the Excise Department concerning hybrid vehicles.

Toyota is also the largest auto exporter from Thailand. Last year it shipped out 299,385 CBU vehicles worth more than Bt159 billion, along with OEM and parts worth over Bt65 billion.

Accumulated sales reached 1.424 million units, from an overall market of 1.816 million.

This represented a year-on-year increase of around 4 per cent for the company.

For the big-bike segment, Honda also achieved top position with 12,900 unit sales from a total market of 29,600 units.

The company also announced a new campaign, “What Stop You?”, covering the four challenges it will meet this year in being a sustainable organisation, and introduced two new models – the All New Honda Super Cub and the Honda CB300R.

Yoichi Mizutani, president of AP Honda, said: “This year, we expect the Thai motorcycle market to grow to 1.87 million units, while Honda should reach approximately 1.48 million unit sales. Meanwhile, the big-bike segment is expected to grow continuously to 34,500 units, while Honda projects our sales will reach 15,700 units.

“This year, Honda is planning to introduce 10 new models, including hybrid and electric models, to the Thai market.”

Vice president Suchart Arunsaengroj said: “Market leadership will only drive us forward, under the Vision 2030 statement to ‘serve people worldwide with the joy of expanding their lives’ potential’ and ‘lead the advancement of mobility and enable people everywhere in the world to improve their daily lives’.

“This year, we aim to create new Honda DNA to meet the changing environment, society and technology. Committed to improving our business in all aspects while maintaining the quality of Honda products, we initiate a new campaign – ‘What Stop You?’.

He said the first challenge is to introduce new products and new technology.

The second is to introduce a new business – Cub House, a flagship store which will provide customers with the new experiences of Honda’s unique lifestyle and values.

The first branch is expected to be opened in the Ekkamai area by the end of March, with 10 in total planned by the year’s end.

The third challenge is the creation of a new application for two-way communication and a CRM channel to enhance current service.

The final challenge is to set the new standard for Honda Wing Centre, by rearranging and zoning the current showroom to be more pleasant and convenient for visitors, Suchart said.

“It is now coming to the stage with the rapid advancement of self-driving technology that this request is now a reality,” Chao said on the sidelines of the Detroit Auto Show.

“So we will view the petition carefully and responsibly.”

GM on Friday unveiled the Cruise AV, an autonomous vehicle with no steering wheel or pedals, announcing it had asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to exempt it from a number of federal standards that cannot be met with a driverless car.

GM executives have said they planned to introduce a large-scale fleet of self-driving taxis by 2019, a timeframe some analysts consider ambitious.

GM released images of the Cruise AV and video of the interior with a strikingly spacious windshield devoid of a steering wheel.

“It’s quite a striking image when people see it for the first time,” GM president Dan Ammann told AFP on the sidelines of a GM event Saturday.

“I think people will want to engage with the technology and understand it and experience it,” Ammann said.

“But I think what’s really most powerful about what the technology can offer is an increase in safety on the road. And once people understand that and see and experience it, we think the adoption will be there.”

“Its hard to generalize” about whether the public is ready for autonomous cars, Ammann said. “Some people are more than ready. And other people will be watching and seeing how it evolves.”

AUTOMOTIVE components manufacturing company Ingress Industrial (Thailand) will invest around Bt2 billion in Malaysia, India and Vietnam to expand its operations and business base.

Wahab bin Ismail, Ingress Industrial’s executive director, said that the firm would invest around Bt1.2 billion in high tensile press technology.

The firm will also invest Bt600 million in India, with expanded manufacturing facilities, including a plant to make roll-formed moulding parts, in Gujarat on the country’s west side, and invest around Bt200 million with a Korean partner to set up assembly and manufacturing plants in Vietnam.

“The investment in India will bigger than Vietnam in the next three to five years. The firm also plans to expand its production line to support electric cars,” he said.

He said the trends in vehicles in the near future would include electric vehicle (e-vehicles) with more flexible designs and the use of new, lighter but stronger, materials.

The demand for e-vehicles will be high, he said, due to increased demand, especially from China, where the tarฌget is for 20 per cent of all new vehicles to be electric-powered by 2019.

In India, the target is for all new vehicles to be electric by 2025. At the moment, e-vehicles account for just 1 per cent of the market.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahim bin Haji Hitam, chief executive director of Ingress Industrial (Thailand), said that the firm will focus on new technologies to support its production line. For stamping processes, the firm will use high-tensile welding and pressing technology. In the toll forming areas, it will use new laser welding, heat bending, aluminium bending and aluminium stamping technology in plants in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and India.

The firm will focus on the development of vehicle parts including door sashes, glass guides, windshield moulding, roof drip moulding, beltline moulding and small brackets.

He added that Ingress Industrial would also focus on alternative lightweight materials in line with energy efficiency objectives for electric vehicles.

The company will be involved in new projects in Malaysia, where is helping develop an energy efficiency vehicle (EEV); in Thailand, with its ECO Car 2 project in 2019; and Indonesia, with its the low-cost green car (LCGC) project in the near future.

The firm also plans business expansion in India, Indonesia and Thailand. For the project in India, the firm will work with new local partners to expand its manufacturing base to other locations with a target to develop original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products to support the automotive industry.

The project in Indonesia will focus on the corporate area, with strategic partners to expand its operation into medium stamping and welding assembly.

In Thailand, the firm will install a new production line for medium-sized parts capitalising on its in-house press-die making capabilities. The firm also has a five-year project in the pipeline to develop automotive components to support the Perodua D20N in Malaysia, Honda’s new CRV in Thailand and Malaysia, Nissan’s H608 in Thailand and the Mitsubishi Xpander in Indonesia.

The project will see investment of Bt217 million that is expected to generate revenue of around Bt1.1 billion.

“Thailand serves as an automotive production hub in Asean, serving both the export and domestic market,” the chief executive director said. “Thailand’s automotive market has enjoyed significant growth, especially coming from export volume.”

He said the launch of the Thailand 4.0 initiative would also boost the automotive market.

Suzuki has been highly successful in the Thai automobile market thanks to the popularity of small and fuel-efficient cars among the nation’s motorists.

The Thai government’s Eco Car projects have also helped boost the small-car market, with major players making huge investments to produce city cars and selling them with super-low excise tax. Suzuki was among the first companies to sign up, with production of the Swift subcompact hatchback.

While the Swift is also the company’s most popular model, there are also other models from its eco car project, including the Celerio (also a 5-door hatchback) and the Ciaz sedan featured today.

The Ciaz has been in the market for several years, and gets regular improvements. For example the current model now comes with new projector headlights as well air-conditioning vents for the rear passengers, offering a higher level of comfort.

Although it is classified as an “eco car”, the Ciaz is pretty large. The Ciaz RS, priced at Bt675,000 (Bt50,000 higher than the GLX trim), comes with sporty exterior upgrades including skirts and spoilers, plus upsized 16-inch alloy wheels with sporty 195/55 tires, which looks great. However it may seem a little ironic that the 1,000-kilogram car is powered by a 1.25-litre engine (due to the eco car requirement) rather than a 1.5-litre engine like the Toyota Vios or Honda City.

The 4-cylinder engine taken from the Swift is capable of producing 91 horsepower and 118Nm, which is mated to a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission).

Weighing in at almost 1,000kgs, the Ciaz seems too heavy for its engine and doesn’t accelerate very well, a common eco-car symptom. The good part is that the powertrain is highly economical, and the Ciaz does promise a 20km/litre fuel economy.

The suspension offers higher comfort than the Swift, which allows the Ciaz to cruise comfortably on the highways. The 2,650mm wheelbase and 1,500mm track also provides for plenty of cabin space that also welcomes tall passengers thanks to decent headroom.

The brakes are front disc and rear drums, with ABS and Brake Assist, while in the cabin there are dual front airbags.

The interior features black and silver styling, with a multi-function 3-spoke steering wheel and a 7-inch touchscreen offering the Suzuki Smart Connect infotainment system with GPS navigation and Apple CarPlay.

In addition to the rear air vents, there is also an additional 12V socket for rear passengers (which should actually be upgraded to USB ports) and a total of 8 cupholders spread around the cabin. And apart from the large interior space, the trunk is capable of storing 565 litres.

After driving the CIAZ for a few days, I related to it as a 1.5-litre sedan that had gone through engine downsizing for fuel economy and emission purposes.

But while performance may not be the selling point, the Ciaz RS has many other things to offer, particularly great design and plenty of cabin space, comfortable suspension setup and good connectivity. Last but not least, its Bt675,000 price tag is pretty friendly too.

Suzuki Ciaz RS specs

Engine: 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve

Displacement: 1,242cc

Bore and stroke: 73.0×74.2mm

Compression ratio: 11.0:1

Max power: 91hp/6,000rpm

Max torque: 118Nm/4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT

Ratios: 4.006-1.001 (low), 2.200-0.550 (high)

Fuel economy: 20km/litre

Suspension (f/r): McPherson strut, coil springs/torsion beam, coil springs

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 10.8 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented discs/drums

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,490

Width: 1,730

Height: 1,475

Wheelbase: 2,650

Track (f/r): 1,495/1,505

Weight: 1,005kgs

Wheels: 16-inch alloys

Tyres: 195/55 R16

Fuel tank capacity: 42 litres

Price: Bt675,000

Distributor: Suzuki Motor Thailand

The promotions include a 25-per cent down-payment and a 72-month installment period.

They also come with free first-class insurance for the first year.

The promotion is for customers who book and receive the vehicle by February 28, 2018.