Thailand To Become Detroit Of Asia: Thaksin

[elkangorito]

Off the subject a bit...I've just gone back (come back) to Australia, mainly because I needed some fast money so that I can return to Thailand in about a year & start my business. I intend to remain in Thailand as long as possible.

Anyway, all I can say is that I would like Thailand to remain as it is...faults & all. I would not like to see it become like Australia is now...over-worked people, high prices, too many rules & regs & generally full of stressed out people who have nothing better to do than to beat the shit out of each other. My fear is that if I push my farang "efficient & sensible" ideas upon Thais, it will turn the place into another horrible little farang country, from which most of us have escaped.

I say let Toxin waffle on with the crap he always waffles on with. Let the Thai people be consistently slower & somewhat "less efficient" than us "smart" farangs (no offense intended). We all know that he's full of it. We all know that at least half of what he says is rhetoric.

I've been back in Australia now for about 6 weeks & already I'm busting my bum to get away from all the clock-watching stress. I'll be so glad when I get back to Thailand & hear Toxins waffle. Ahhhhhhh....I can then relax again.

[astral]

PM SAID THAILAND HAS MET CRITERIONS TO BECOME 'DETROIT OF ASIA'

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is a very back handed complement.

Clearly the Prime Minister has never been to Detroit.

[OZONE]

Why would you ever want yourself to be associated with Detroit?.

This city and suburbs are Dirty, the Automotive workers are lazy and never take pride in their work. All they can say is "give me.. give me... give me more, for less work" NOT TO MENTIONED, The constant whining sound of black people and their "poor us black folks, we're being discriminated attitudes"

[taxexile]

expensive euro cars need expensive euro maintenance and expensive euro spare parts. even if those cars were more competitively priced , servicing and spares would still make them very expensive to maintain.

pick ups are the perfect vehicle for this country at this stage of its development , given the road conditions and the budgets here.

small city cars will get more popular in bangkok given the state of the traffic and lack of road space.

i am surprised that thailand has not yet designed and produced its own car , surely thai rung must be working on one by now.

given the patriotism of thais , a small locally designed and produced machine would take the market by storm , just as proton did in malasia , and they started off 20 years ago by selling a rebadged japanese car.

i believe thailand has great potential to expand its production of cars here.

the hub cap hub of asia ? why not.

[sierra01]

given the patriotism of thais , a small locally designed and produced machine would take the market by storm , just as proton did in malasia , and they started off 20 years ago by selling a rebadged japanese car.

You mean like the Tiger motor cycle has?

[taxexile]

no , i mean like proton of malaysia.

taking the market by storm..... maybe a bit of hyperbole there , but proton started by producing a cheap and reliable car based on japanese technology and gradually expanded to the point where they now design and produce their own range , and export them too.

bmw started off by building uk austins under licence if i'm not mistaken , and look at bmw now. austin have long gone.

proton are not the most exciting cars in the world , but they are a newish company gradually expanding and building a reputation for themselves.

no reason why a thai concern could not do the same thing succesfully.

[sierra01]

Is it Proton or Perudua that are struggling? Proton in the UK are seen as cheapo wheels that depreciate badly, I don't think Perudua have a presense in the UK.

BMW proper came into being in 1917, making aircraft engines, and begun making cars in 1928, I can't find a mention of Austin.

No doubt Thailand could manufacture it's own line of cars, but can you honestly see it becoming a serious player?. Customising an established product isn't the same as building a car from scratch.

[taxexile]

i think its perudua who are struggling .

like you say customising an existing car is not the same as building your own , but many car companies have started out that way and gone on to be big names.

about bmw

In 1917, BMW's first aircraft engine went into production, ......................prohibiting BMW from building aircraft engines, production switched to air brakes for railway cars. When BMW started once again to build aircraft engines in 1922, no fewer than 29 world records in aviation were set with them. The current BMW logo, introduced in 1920, was based on the circular design of an aircraft propeller.

The first BMW motorcycle, the R 32, went into production in 1923 at the newly constructed Eisenach factory next to the Munich airport of the day. ...........

It was 1928 that made history in terms of the BMW car. Produced at the Eisenbach factory, the Dixi 3/15 PS marked the beginning of BMW automobile production. It was built under license from Austin and was essentially the same model as the US Bantam and the Japanese Datsun. The first Dixis used an open roof and were powered by a 743cc 4 cylinder engine producing 15 horsepower. Top speed was in the neighbourhood of 50 mph (80 km/h). In 1929 a new improved version was launched, the DA2, which employed an all-steel body and 4-wheel brakes, and in 1930 the Dixi scored its first wins in motor racing. Total production: 18,976 units.

1932 was the year the BMW AM 4 (Ausfuhrung Munchen 4 Gange - Munich Version 4 Speeds) - a.k.a. BMW's first "real" car - went into production. The AM 4, also called the 3/20 PS, was the successor to the Dixi and the first production car to be built entirely in-house by BMW. The powerplant was a 782cc 4 cylinder unit which featured suspended valves and a double chain driving the camshafts, producing 20 horsepower at 3500 rpm and providing the saloon with a 50 mph top speed.

the rest is history as they say , and illustrates my point perfectly about starting by building under licence.

Edited December 24, 2005 by taxexile

[sierra01]

It looks like we were looking at the same website!

[taxexile]

the wonder of google !!

[Plus+]

It's a very long shot for Thailand to build its own car brand. They would have done it long ago if they could. Even recently they could have tried to build their own small city car for the "Ecocar" project or what it was called but no one came forward, even Taksin didn't ask for Thailand's own car. Eventually the project was scrapped because not even Japanese wanted to invest in a special, Thailand only car, and they didn't have any existing models to fit government specs.

Thailand doesn't have human resources to design anything complex on their own. I remember there was and idea to develop its own jeans brand for international markets and call them "Taksins". Even that didn't get off the ground. Then they would have to market their car competing with Toyota and Honda. I don't see that happening - that would piss Japanese right off and the consequences would be dire.

They might have a shot with pickups but local market, after Isuzu and Toyota take their share, is too small.

Proton is in BIG trouble. It managed to survive only because of Malaysian government protection, but not anymore. I don't follow Malaysian news but they were talking about Volkswagen buying in up but changing its mind later. What will happen to it? Who knows. Someone WILL buy it eventually, it won't survive on its own.

Thailand played a very smart game with pickups and it paid off - now they export them everywhere. If not for special tax privleges pickups wouldn't sell so well and Japanese wouldn't have invested in huge plants and local R&D centers.

Where Thailand wants to go from there is the question. No one wants it to really become "Detroit of Asia" with sales dropping, Car makers looking at bancrupcies, brands discontinuing, plants closing, people laid off, and so on.

[Gumballl]

taxexile - how do you expect me to read your informative posts if you are going to distract me with that avatar? Sometimes I wish I were a anime myself!

Anyhow, Thailand the next Detroit?... I hope not... 25% unemployment, high rates of crime, and zero innovation.

It would be nice if the Thai gov't would just teach their drivers how to drive, and enforce the driving laws equitably. Then worry about vehicles later.

[sierra01]

It's a very long shot for Thailand to build its own car brand. They would have done it long ago if they could. Even recently they could have tried to  build their own small city car for the "Ecocar" project or what it was called but no one came forward, even Taksin didn't ask for Thailand's own car. Eventually the project was scrapped because not even Japanese wanted to invest in a special, Thailand only car, and they didn't have any existing models to fit government specs.

Thailand doesn't have human resources to design anything complex on their own. I remember there was and idea to develop its own jeans brand for international markets and call them "Taksins". Even that didn't get off the ground. Then they would have to market their car competing with Toyota and Honda. I don't see that happening - that would piss Japanese right off and the consequences would be dire.

They might have a shot with pickups but local market, after Isuzu and Toyota take their share, is too small.

Proton is in BIG trouble. It managed to survive only because of Malaysian government protection, but not anymore. I don't follow Malaysian news but they were talking about Volkswagen buying in up but changing its mind later. What will happen to it? Who knows. Someone WILL buy it eventually, it won't survive on its own.

Thailand played a very smart game with pickups and it paid off - now they export them everywhere. If not for special tax privleges pickups wouldn't sell so well and Japanese wouldn't have invested in huge plants and local R&D centers.

Where Thailand wants to go from there is the question. No one wants it to really become "Detroit of Asia" with sales dropping, Car makers looking at bancrupcies, brands discontinuing, plants closing, people laid off, and so on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is going off topic I know but part of your post has it's beginnings in the Thai education system, it's just not producing enough of the skills the country needs for projects like that.

Back on topic. I can't see Thailand becoming anything other than an assembly place, with local R&D led by company foreigners.

I can't see Honda and Toyota shaking in their boots if Thailand ever did manage to get a project off the ground, can you?

Thailand is going the right way, sticking to what it does best, supplying the labour. It makes a lot of money for them, and some of the kudos rubs off too.

Any reduction in tax perks and whatever benefits the car companies get could well result in an exodus to more 'friendly' countries, I hope the Govt of the day doesn't get too greedy in the future.

[charles]

given the patriotism of thais , a small locally designed and produced machine would take the market by storm ,

Personally I disagree, in my opinion "Thai patriotism" is largely shallow and one might even say hypocritical. Don't think there is any evidence that Thais will favor local brands against well known foreign ones, more like the reverse in fact. If they do favor a local brand, it is almost certainly not due to patriotism but because it is cheaper and they can't afford the foreign alternative.

[markg]

given the patriotism of thais , a small locally designed and produced machine would take the market by storm , just as proton did in malasia , and they started off 20 years ago by selling a rebadged japanese car.

You mean like the Tiger motor cycle has?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well i ve been wondering for a couple of years why they dont design their own cars.

Check out Tata of India. They bought the plans of some companies old car, reworked it a little, evolved it over the years and the patriotic Indians buy it.

Daewoo did the same with an old GM car. (The mark 1 Astra in England was rebadged as a Daewoo Nexia i think)

I am pretty sure Kia of Korea did the same.

Mazda brought out a car based on an old Ford Fiesta

The list goes on.

I am amazed that Thailand doesnt have its own car brand.

It really should have. Maybe an electric one that fires ping pong balls out the exhaust?

[Plus]

Tata was practically the only car/truck Indians had for ages - it isn't exactly a rocket science to build a car, and with 1 bil people market and no competition it was a sure success. Can they export their Tata like Thailand exports pickups? I doubt that. I think Thailand did a smart thing and played its strengths instead of trying to outdo Japanese and Korean carmakers.

expensive euro cars need expensive euro maintenance and expensive euro spare parts. even if those cars were more competitively priced , servicing and spares would still make them very expensive to maintain.

In the UK top of the range Camry costs more that BMW 320. Here Bimmer is nearly 1 million more than Camry, 20,000 USD more. How's that?

Afterall BMW assembles their cars here, there must be some local content, there's no import tax, excise tax is the same as Civic/Camry - 35%. Why so expensive? Consider this - Benz introduced fully imported a-class and priced it under locally made c-class. They say the company absorbed the tax difference to penetrate the market. Just what their margins are if they can absorb 50% tax difference? BMW's imported 1 series cost more than 3 series.

Back to my original question - what makes BMW 2.5 times more expensive than Civic when the specs are nearly identical?

[Heng]

Back to my original question - what makes BMW 2.5 times more expensive than Civic when the specs are nearly identical?

Probably the same thing that makes a pair of plain black socks at Nieman Marcus $50 while you can buy a very similar pair at Walmart for $2.

Edited December 27, 2005 by Heng

[Guest endure]

Thailand the Detroit of Asia? What a fabulous idea!