Thailand is going one level up in its wooing of the automotive industry. The country’s first automotive and tyre testing centre that follows global standards is due to open next year, Bangkok Post reports.
The centre will be used for certification and R&D purposes, and is part of the country’s push to become a manufacturing hub for next-generation auto products, said industry minister Uttama Savanayana, who added that the entire centre will be completed in 2019.
The 3.7-billion baht (RM477 million) test centre sits on 197 hectares of land in Chachoengsao province’s section of the Eastern Economic Corridor (image above is for illustration only).
Besides carmakers, of which many have regional hubs in the “Detroit of the East”, the project will also benefit tyre manufacturers, which in turn will boost demand for rubber. According to the report, 70% of rubber output is absorbed by the tyre industry. Uttama said the test centre will be the first with global standards in Thailand, accepted by automakers in the US, Europe and Japan.
Somchai Hanhiran, the permanent industry secretary, said that the first phase of the test centre – with a 1.4-km circuit track – is due to be completed first, and this will be by mid-2018.
For the second phase, the Thai plans to construct five small testing fields for various types of automobile, tyre and auto parts testing. The ministry is requesting another tranche of funds from the government for the construction of the second phase, which is due to start in 2018.
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Going forward. Good luck.
Wah…test centre sone more…all Malaysians should migrate to thailand because it has a new test centre..wah so advanced..kahkahkah
less stealing in Thailand. No big RM2.6bil cases either
all Thais holiday in Msia..Ringgit dem cheap..Good for tourism kahkahkah
Still a B-Segment 5 Star ASEAN NCAP car is more expensive in Thailand compared to MY
syiok sendiri. Thai Baht stronger. Ringgit collapsing. Tak ada nilai lagi
Tau pun. Then why compare price between US Dollar with Ringgit? Bodoh
a real growing economy. unlike its lagging heighbour down south.
Thailand eat less nasi lemak. Can work harder and less sleepy
Be positive man, Race track is coming up in Sungai Petani.
meanwhile in Malaysia, there are still in discuss about PROTON still finding a foreign partner strategy.
Haih, so disapointed
Why not, it is for business
well this is nothing compared to ipoh t-city
Cars in tomyamland getting more expensive than bolehland, plotek p1 kah? Oh wait
Ringgit is free falling…
All Bangla, Indon & Burma orso cabut.
while Malaysia built a track for mat rampit.
Sepang bikin testing lah.
While Thailand is moving forward towards being Detroit of the East, Boleh-Land is regulating weekly petrol pricing discount. Syukur Malaysia Aman.
Why dragging in petrol price here?
We were once the greatest natural rubber producer in the world, now we don’t even have our locally owned tyre producers anymore. And now Thailand is the country to go to for any latest technology for rubber industries.
This is what a govt should do. Provide the facilities and infrastructure. Not becoming shareholders and owners of companies…and end up losing billions of taxpayers’ money.