Thailand becoming hub of automotive R&D within ASEAN
By Digital Content

BANGKOK, July 12 -- Thailand was gearing up to become the hub for research and development (R&D) within the ASEAN region for the automotive industry.

Piengjai Kaewsuwan, president of the Thai Automobile Industry Association and chairwoman of the ASEAN Automotive Federation, said the automotive industry in ASEAN would continue to grow in line with the region's continuous growth over the next 1-2 years.

Investment in the automotive industry among each of ASEAN member counties was also increasing, she said.

In the meantime, Ms Piengjai noted that Thailand was on the verge to becoming the hub for the R&D in the automotive industry in ASEAN, as many major automobile producers, including Nissan and Honda, have already launched R&D investment projects in the country.

Besides, Thailand has remained the number one automotive producer within the ASEAN region, with the capacity to produce around 2.4-2.5 million units annually. On top of that, the country was also seeing further investments to expand production capacity, including the second phase of eco-car productions.

According to Ms Piengjai the increased investments in other ASEAN states, such as Indonesia, which now has the capability to produce around 1.2 million cars per year, was aimed at expanding production to cater to higher demands domestically and not to move production bases away from Thailand into other countries. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2014-07-12

Hubba Hubba

Of all the hubs announced, how has actually come thru?:-(

Sent from my C6833 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

These headlines make it sound like Thailand somehow is involved or contributing to this beyond providing a mass workforce of cheap labour and cheap facilities to manufacture other countries goods and designs - it's a grand way of thinking but nothing beyond that, without Toyota they would not be making Toyota cars

I met a bloke who was talking about Toyota opening a centre for engine R+D in Thailand. They had offered his thai brother who lived and worked for GM in the USA on engine development a job.

This guy had been in the USA from Thailand since graduating in engineering in the USA 20,years previously. Head hunter called, bloke got very excited that he might get home to live near family .

He asks head hunter , so what is the package.

89 thousand says head hunter. Well thats a little less than I get from GM but it will be in thaikand.

I guess you can imagine what happened when it was explained obviously that this was 89,000baht per month. He didn't take the job.

All these self-pronounced hub achievements are becoming excruciating to read, like every nation outside Thailand are useless wastes of space and Thailand is god's own nirvana for everything on the planet.

It is really embarrassing.

Perhaps the "hub of hubs" or the "hub of hub caps".

Ohhhhh, God, yet ANOTHER "hub". Someone put some caps on all the naked hubs.

"Thailand was gearing up to become the hub for research and development (R&D) within the ASEAN region for the automotive industry."

Now, if they could only teach the hubba hubbas how to drive what they research and develop .

I bet any Catia prog used in this country is a forged copy, as for ICEM-surf - forget it!

At first I was disgusted, but over the years I've come to find myself rather impressed with Thais unwavering ability to promote themselves as being on par or indeed better than many where nearly ALL indications would suggest otherwise.

They truly are masters at fantasy and fiction. You'd think the movies and music would be better as such, but ...

I met a bloke who was talking about Toyota opening a centre for engine R+D in Thailand. They had offered his thai brother who lived and worked for GM in the USA on engine development a job.

This guy had been in the USA from Thailand since graduating in engineering in the USA 20,years previously. Head hunter called, bloke got very excited that he might get home to live near family .

He asks head hunter , so what is the package.

89 thousand says head hunter. Well thats a little less than I get from GM but it will be in thaikand.

I guess you can imagine what happened when it was explained obviously that this was 89,000baht per month. He didn't take the job.

China used to pay over 1m baht a month. Now it still pays upwards of 600,000. Any tube operator can pull in excess of 500,000 baht a month, on lazy days at 8 hours a day.

Thailand will never match the R&D of any country - pertaining to the auto industry.. and, for that matter, in any other on second thoughts.....

At first I was disgusted, but over the years I've come to find myself rather impressed with Thais unwavering ability to promote themselves as being on par or indeed better than many where nearly ALL indications would suggest otherwise.

They truly are masters at fantasy and fiction. You'd think the movies and music would be better as such, but ...

It's called selective deafness. Thailand is a world leader in this hub.

Off the top of my head, I would have thought that Proton is the only major car brand designed, developed, produced and owned in any of the ASEAN nations (please correct me if I am wrong), so I'd guess Malaysia would have a head start over Thailand.

What I want to know is WHERE does this sense of false pride come from????

"We've never been occupied!" Oh, really? I guess the Burmese that conquered and OCCUPIED most of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for 200 years were just tourists? And the Japanese during WWII were just here for the scenery and Thai food they couldn't get back home?

"We've never lost a war!" Again, check with Burmese about that. And little Lao, whose total population is less than BKK, kicked your Thai butts during the Thai-Lao war.

And it was the French who FORCED you to concede parts of Thailand to Cambodia.

"We've never been colonized!" Well, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam were, and you don't stack up well against any of them, so, so much for that "boast"

"We're Thai, we're superior!" To WHAT may I ask?

"It's a Thai thing. Foreigners wouldn't understand." You mean foreigners don't understand Thai stubborn stupidity? Yeah, you might be right on that one.

"We're going to be the hub of.....(fill in the blank)." The real world reality is that you are the hub of nothing.

Off the top of my head, I would have thought that Proton is the only major car brand designed, developed, produced and owned in any of the ASEAN nations (please correct me if I am wrong), so I'd guess Malaysia would have a head start over Thailand.

And they rely heavily upon Mitsubishi Motors technology as well as their UK subsidiary, Lotus

What I want to know is WHERE does this sense of false pride come from????

"We've never been occupied!" Oh, really? I guess the Burmese that conquered and OCCUPIED most of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for 200 years were just tourists? And the Japanese during WWII were just here for the scenery and Thai food they couldn't get back home?

"We've never lost a war!" Again, check with Burmese about that. And little Lao, whose total population is less than BKK, kicked your Thai butts during the Thai-Lao war.

And it was the French who FORCED you to concede parts of Thailand to Cambodia.

"We've never been colonized!" Well, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam were, and you don't stack up well against any of them, so, so much for that "boast"

"We're Thai, we're superior!" To WHAT may I ask?

"It's a Thai thing. Foreigners wouldn't understand." You mean foreigners don't understand Thai stubborn stupidity? Yeah, you might be right on that one.

"We're going to be the hub of.....(fill in the blank)." The real world reality is that you are the hub of nothing.

We're going to be the hub of.....(fill in the blank)." The real world reality is that you are the hub of nothing.

not quiet true: Thailand is world wide known as a hub of the sex industry...

My recommendation to local media and press organizations:

Include a paragraph in the work contracts that explicitly stipulates that the respective journalists are to be fired when they use the word "hub" in more than 3 headlines relating to Thailand over any given calendar year.

Because frankly, folks, this is getting stale and highly annoying.

I bet any Catia prog used in this country is a forged copy, as for ICEM-surf - forget it!

How much do you want to wager on that ?

Hubba Hubba

Long time no see! A new HUBris is welcome.

theyre too far behind the malaysians to catch up , and google are onto self driving cars already and then there hydrogen and electric cars to catchup on ,its a big ask to be a hub of anything but pussy bars and massage so let it be

All these self-pronounced hub achievements are becoming excruciating to read, like every nation outside Thailand are useless wastes of space and Thailand is god's own nirvana for everything on the planet.

It is really embarrassing.

I agree. The statement by that lady that Thailand has nothing to fear from Indonesia, because all Indonesia is doing is increasing it's domestic capacity is both arrogant and makes Thailand look like it's in denial. Indonesia also has every right to benefit from increased automotive manufacturing output and I believe that Toyota Innovas and Avanzas sold in Thailand are actually made in Indonesia. Indonesia will therefore continue to find customers in other parts of ASEAN and the world. Vietnam seems to have taken a liking for Innovas too and quite likely their Innovas are coming out of Indonesia too though they may be producing some locally built CKD units too.

I bet any Catia prog used in this country is a forged copy, as for ICEM-surf - forget it!

How much do you want to wager on that ?

My apologies. I POSTULATED use by a Thai company, not a foreign investing set up. I'm sure Brose and Lear and the likes use genuine copies. OK?

Off the top of my head, I would have thought that Proton is the only major car brand designed, developed, produced and owned in any of the ASEAN nations (please correct me if I am wrong), so I'd guess Malaysia would have a head start over Thailand.

Proton design is mainly completed in Shanghai.

I bet any Catia prog used in this country is a forged copy, as for ICEM-surf - forget it!

How much do you want to wager on that ?

My apologies. I POSTULATED use by a Thai company, not a foreign investing set up. I'm sure Brose and Lear and the likes use genuine copies. OK?

I work for a Thai company. How much would would you like to wager ?

Automotive R&D requires a well educated workforce and the ability to think critically

I think Thailand will need to become an education hub first as I can't see any manufacturer spending billions of dollars for Thainess

Okay, I'm jumping at the chance of actually coining a word here: Falang people have often been criticized for their failure to understand "Thainess". Now I think we should embrace our bafflement about "hubness". It's a cultural thing. We just don't understand! Thailand is the hub of hubness.

I bet any Catia prog used in this country is a forged copy, as for ICEM-surf - forget it!

How much do you want to wager on that ?

My apologies. I POSTULATED use by a Thai company, not a foreign investing set up. I'm sure Brose and Lear and the likes use genuine copies. OK?

I work for a Thai company. How much would would you like to wager ?

I guess you're a betting man? Did you get Brazil right too?

I'd bet my house your company's copy of Catia V5 is not an original D'assault system's licenced usage. Or maybe you just use CADDS4X still?

ICEM-surf... your company uses that too, with a real licenced copy?

Iam not a betting man at all but I will bite on a sure thing. PM me your details and I'll get the Cad Manager to invite you in to see our licences, bring your house paperwork as well.

What I want to know is WHERE does this sense of false pride come from????

"We've never been occupied!" Oh, really? I guess the Burmese that conquered and OCCUPIED most of Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai for 200 years were just tourists? And the Japanese during WWII were just here for the scenery and Thai food they couldn't get back home?

"We've never lost a war!" Again, check with Burmese about that. And little Lao, whose total population is less than BKK, kicked your Thai butts during the Thai-Lao war.

And it was the French who FORCED you to concede parts of Thailand to Cambodia.

"We've never been colonized!" Well, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam were, and you don't stack up well against any of them, so, so much for that "boast"

"We're Thai, we're superior!" To WHAT may I ask?

"It's a Thai thing. Foreigners wouldn't understand." You mean foreigners don't understand Thai stubborn stupidity? Yeah, you might be right on that one.

"We're going to be the hub of.....(fill in the blank)." The real world reality is that you are the hub of nothing.

We're going to be the hub of.....(fill in the blank)." The real world reality is that you are the hub of nothing.

not quiet true: Thailand is world wide known as a hub of the sex industry...

"not quiet true: Thailand is world wide known as a hub of the sex industry..."

Thailand is the hub of chubby, ugly, hardened skanks working in the sex industry.