AUTO MANIA: by Dr. Iain Corness [email protected]

Japanese GP this weekend

Suzuka circuit

One of the greatest tracks used in Formula One today, Japan’s Suzuka circuit is a massive test of car and driver ability. Built by Honda as a test facility in 1962, the track was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholz, the Hermann Tilke of his day (but don’t let that put you off). A huge theme park was also constructed at the track, including the famous big wheel which dominates the Suzuka skyline.
At Suzuka the race has provided the scene for many nail-biting end-of-season deciders, including the infamous collisions involving Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. This week, will it be Pastor Maldonado, Romain Grosjean, Michael Schumacher (again) or Felipe Massa in the colliding business?
Suzuka includes some of the Grand Prix calendar’s most challenging corners. Among the drivers’ favorites are the high-speed 130R taken at over 300 km/h and the famous Spoon Curve taken at 140 km/h on the way in and coming out at 180 km/h.
With the results from Singapore still in everybody’s minds, will Suzuka be a firecracker or a fizzer? With a circuit that encourages passing, it would have to be a better race than Singapore, and I don’t care how many “celebrities” Bernie invites.
I will be watching from my usual perch at Jameson’s Irish Pub, Soi AR, next to Nova Park for the 53 lap GP of the 5.8 km circuit. We have the big screen and the dedicated F1 channel with no adverts during the race. That’s a bonus by itself! Now, important - with the time differential between here and Japan, the race on Sunday starts at 1 p.m. Thai time. Qualifying on the Saturday is 12 noon. Join us for lunch and a couple of jars before the red lights go out.

In the Auto Industry? Think about Myanmar!

According to latest research from Frost & Sullivan, Myanmar’s commercial vehicle segment is about to experience potential growth due to the many infrastructure projects and booming mining industry after the easing of sanctions imposed by Western markets against the country.
Total heavy commercial vehicle sales in Myanmar are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21 percent between 2011 and 2016 to reach 12,700 units in 2016. “The registrations of trucks, including locally-manufactured as well as imported ones, may increase from 4,000 units currently to 10,100 units by 2016,” says Frost & Sullivan Principal Consultant Automotive & Transportation Practice Asia Pacific, Masaki Honda. “This growth is due to infrastructure projects and the mining sector which use dump trucks and other heavy-duty machineries.”
As for buses, approximately 700 buses were newly registered in 2011 and the total number of buses will reach 2,600 units by 2016 thanks to the increase of passenger movements within the country as well as between neighboring countries.
“Myanmar is an attractive destination for commercial vehicle manufacturers looking to enter the country,” Honda added. “However, the main challenge for foreign vehicle manufacturers is the affordability of their vehicles. Local companies may not be able to purchase brand-new commercial vehicles especially Japanese or European-made and will resort to second-hand vehicles.” Foreign firms will therefore probably be cautious about making any large investment due to the frequent regulatory changes.
Most of the trucks currently used in Myanmar are imported from Japan, such as Nissan Diesel and Mitsubishi Fuso. “Second-hand vehicles of Japanese origin are popular even though they are older models, for example from 2004, because of their durability and reliability, while newer Korean and Chinese brands are preferred because of lower price tags compared to Japanese brands,” Honda continued.
As of 2011 Myanmar has about 2.3 million registered vehicles, which include passenger cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. The motorcycle is the most popular mode of transport though and accounts for 81 percent of total registered vehicles. Meanwhile, passenger cars have a 12 percent market share, followed by commercial vehicles at 3 percent and buses at 1 percent.
Vehicle importers play an important role in bringing in second-hand vehicles into Myanmar due to a lack of locally manufactured vehicles in the country. Before 2009, vehicle import had been restricted to limited companies such as a company owned by the Myanmar military, running multiple businesses such as manufacturing, trading and transportation. Since 2010, however, private companies have been allowed to import vehicles, resulting in more brands and types of commercial vehicles made available in the country.
“Korean and Chinese brands have been gaining market share since then and are expected to increase further due to their lower pricing as compared to Japanese second-hand vehicles,” Honda concluded.
If you would like to receive further information on the Automotive market in Myanmar or Asia Pacific in general, please send an e-mail with your full contact details to Katja Feick, Corporate Communications, at [email protected].
So there you are - a business opportunity worth investigation.

More on the “Ferrari” P4 from a couple of weeks ago

The phone number I gave with the article is apparently no longer operative. The new business number is 083 824 9500 and the website is www.replica-cars-thailand.com. Attila’s new number is 091 173 1954. The Ferrari P4 Spyder is finished and about the middle of October the Ferrari P 4 will be finished and the end of November a Lamborghini Countach is coming. This Ferrari P4 will be for rent in Pattaya.

Adding some noise - for safety’s sake

The move to quiet, eco-friendly vehicles has brought a new aspect to vehicle/pedestrian safety. The new cars are so quiet, pedestrians are not alerted to an oncoming vehicle as the engine/exhaust noise is no longer there!
However, Harman, the premium global audio and infotainment group has announced that a major European-based automaker will be integrating Harman’s exclusive HALOsonic™ External Sound Synthesis (ESS) solution in a line of plug-in hybrid vehicles. This is considered to be potentially life-saving technology that generates sound outside the vehicle, particularly targeted at hybrid or electric vehicles that are virtually silent at low speeds.
The HALOsonic ESS solution generates a synthesized sound, dependent on speed and direction, and projects it from an exterior mounted speaker, giving an early identifiable warning to pedestrians that the car is approaching. The sound is projected only in the direction of travel, fading away almost instantly once the vehicle has passed. A synthetic engine ‘idle’ sound is also produced when the vehicle is switched on and placed in gear.
“We are very pleased to be pioneering a new form of safety features for automakers through our HALOsonic sound solutions,” said Dinesh C. Paliwal, the chairman, president, and CEO of Harman. “With HALOsonic technology onboard vehicles such as ultra-quiet hybrids, these energy-conscious vehicles are also addressing safety concerns through advanced electronics.”
Several countries such as USA, Japan and parts of Europe have either implemented or are currently reviewing legislation to state that hybrid and electric vehicles must emit a recognizable sound above a minimum noise level to help improve pedestrian safety.
In addition to safety benefits, Harman offers a range of audio-based solutions under the HALOsonic banner that also help produce more environmentally-friendly cars beyond only hybrids or electric cars. Vehicle manufacturers are striving to meet new environmental and emission standards by a variety of means including, for instance, lowering vehicle weight by reducing the amount of noise-dampening insulation in a car’s headliner. In doing so, cabin noise often increases. Harman’s HALOsonic solutions can produce sounds not only external to the vehicle, but generate noise-cancelling sound inside the vehicle that helps meet environmental goals while increasing driver comfort.
Noise cancelling sound should be compulsory at Thai Karaoke parties!

They make cars in Iran?

Iranian Samand

Saw an interesting table in the financial pages the other day. Thailand ranks as number 15 in the vehicle manufacturing nations, but Iran is number 13! Number one is China at 18.5 million vehicles in 2011, followed a long way back by the US at 8.6 million. The UK, which used to be one of the major car manufacturers, now languishes down at number 14 at 1.5 million, edging out Thailand at 1.4 million. But Iran better than us!
It turns out there are 13 public and privately owned automakers in Iran, of which two - Iran Khodro and Saipa - accounted for 94 percent of the total domestic production. Iran Khodro, produced the Paykan, which was replaced in 2005 by the Samand, with 61 percent of the market while Saipa contributed 33 percent of Iran’s total production. Iran Khodro is one of the largest car manufacturers in Asia. It has established joint-ventures with foreign partners on four continents.
Iran manufacturers six different types of vehicle, including passenger cars, 4WD, trucks, buses, minibuses, and pickup trucks. The sector directly employs about 500,000 people (roughly 2.3 percent of the workforce), and many more in related industries. About 75 percent of local output is passenger cars, with pick-ups the next largest category, accounting for around 15 percent. Almost the opposite from Thailand.

Toyota top of the tree (again)

August 2012 statistics have been released for domestic vehicle sales in Thailand with a total of 129,509 units being sold, just slightly below the all-time record of the previous month (131,646 vehicles in July 2012).
Again, the performance of Toyota Thailand being the leader in both the pickup and passenger car segment is impressive and certainly inspiring for all competitors...
The largest year-on-year growth are recorded for Mazda (118 percent) and Suzuki (99 percent) with both firms doubling their performance as compared to the previous year.
In reality all growth figures in 2012 are heavily influenced by the exposure to the 2011 earthquake/tsunami and flooding disasters - it will be really interesting to see how these figures will look like 12 months from now, when the flood impacts have disappeared and we can see the true performance of the OEMs in Thailand.

Natter Nosh and Noggin

The car club meets at Jameson’s Irish Pub on Soi AR next to Nova Park. The next meeting is on Monday October 8 at Jameson’s at 7 p.m. A totally informal meeting of like-minded souls to discuss their pet motoring (and motorcycling) loves and hates (plus lies and outright exaggerations). Come along and meet the guys who have a common interest in cars and bikes, and enjoy the Jameson’s specials, washed down with a few beers. Always a fun night. Be prepared to laugh a lot at some of the antics of the members (when they were younger)! The Car Club nights are always on the second Monday of the month (not every second Monday)!

Autotrivia quiz

Quiz car

Last week, I asked what was the first post-war transverse front engine FWD car built in the UK? And before you say “Mini” - it wasn’t the first! It was the Lloyd 650. The two-stroke, two-cylinder motor was mounted transversely in the front and connected to the front wheels through a four speed synchro gearbox. The high price and lack-luster performance had doomed its production. Only 600 units were produced from 1946 to 1950.
So to this week. Look at the photo. What country makes these?
For the Automania free beer this week, be the first correct answer to email [email protected]