PHILIPPINES IS THE FIRST STOP FOR ALL-NEW TRITON

Mitsubishi Motors Thailand has commenced the export of the all-new Triton pickup truck – one of Mitsubishi’s top sellers.

The all-new Triton went on sale in Thailand in November 2014. MMC plans to roll out the all-new Triton starting in the Philippines, then sequentially in ASEAN, Oceania, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Latin America, eventually exporting to some 150 countries.

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MAZDA STARTS PRODUCTION AT NEW TRANSMISSION PLANT IN THAILAND

Mass production of the SKYACTIV-Drive automatic transmission has begun at the newly established transmission plant, Mazda Powertrain Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (MPMT), located in the Chonburi prefecture of Thailand.

The automatic transmission produced at the plant is one of Mazda’s new-generation SKYACTIV Technologies that provide both driving pleasure and outstanding environmental and safety performance at the same time. Annual production capacity at MPMT is around 400,000 units and in combination with Hofu Plant in Japan, the new plant will raise Mazda’s annual production capacity to approximately 1,540,000 units globally.

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NISSAN OPENS NEW PLANT IN THAILAND

Nissan yesterday announced the opening of its second production plant in Thailand to produce the NP300 Navara, Nissan’s new generation pickup truck, destined for export to 45 countries around the world.

Nissan has invested 3.7 billion Thai Baht in the 580,000 square meter facility, bringing with it 2,000 new job opportunities. Full production capacity is expected to reach 150,000 units per annum. More than half of the vehicles produced at this new plant will be exported to global markets. The localization ratio of vehicles produced is already at 85 percent, including the engine plant.

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CNG-POWERED NAVARA

Nissan in Thailand introduced the new Nissan Navara CNG, a pick-up truck powered by Nissan's first bi-fuel compressed natural gas engine.

The new Navara CNG is powered by a QR25DE engine, which generates 154 horsepower at 5,200 rpm with a maximum torque of 242 Nm at 4,400 rpm. Engineered for advanced CNG operations, it includes technologies such as an advanced floating gas injection system to maximize the efficiency of gas consumption and an advanced electronic system to effectively control the injection of gas, minimizing the noise created through gas injection. The new Navara CNG will reduce running costs by two thirds compared to a conventional petrol engine.

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UNIMOGS HELP FLOOD VICTIMS IN THAILAND

Mercedes-Benz Thailand is helping the Thai government combat the effects of the flood by providing two all-terrain Unimog all-wheel-drive vehicles. Now that the floodwaters are receding, crews have begun to clean up Bangkok – a task that might take weeks or even months to complete. This is a task for which Mercedes-Benz-Unimogs are ideally suited. They will help to transport debris from areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Mercedes-Benz Thailand officially handed the vehicles over to the Thai Red Cross Society on December 23. The ceremony was attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand. She is also known as the Princess of Technology, due to her interest in and knowledge of new technologies and how they can benefit her country.

Unimogs have been selected for the cleanup task because the vehicle has special characteristics, in particular the ability to ford unusually deep waters of up to 1,200 mm. Says Gerald Buechler, the manager in charge of the project at Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, “As a result of a concerted action by all of the relevant units at Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, it took us only ten working days to complete all of the preparations for transporting the two UNIMOG U4000 trucks by air.”

THE MAGNIFICENT TEN 2010

With a prize purse totaling more than 1million THB (30.000 USD) divided between the top ten, the Magnificent Ten 2010 was one of the most highly anticipated competitions of the short course off-road season.

In 2010, the Magnificent Ten Thailand Off Road Challenge returned with a new style of event. The unexplored terrain and wilderness surrounding Pu Toei National Park of Dan Chang in Suphan Buri Province welcomed four-wheel-drive enthusiasts as they took on the event.

Off-roaders competed in a tough route consisting of seventeen stages crossing rainforests, streams and creeks, hills and slopes and man-made obstacles. This year’s event was part of an annual series organized by the Off Road magazine that has run in the past seven years.