Monday, 10 December 2012 08:04
Honda's all-new Brio Amaze is startlingly petite
Words by Jose Carlo R. Sapera | Photos courtesy of Honda Automobile Thailand Co. Ltd.
Early last year, Honda introduced a cheerful little car called the Brio. Positioned below the Jazz in the line-up, it was specifically developed for emerging markets such as Thailand and India. It had a funky-looking all-glass rear hatch and was bundled with all the goodies to satisfy the needs of your average small car buyer. But more than a year after the hatchback’s launch, the Japanese automaker debuted its four-door sedan counterpart at the 2012 Thailand International Motor Expo. This is the new Brio Amaze.
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Newly Launched
Thursday, 06 September 2012 05:21
Ford’s 350 millionth car is a Focus. Guess where it was made?
Words by Niky Tamayo
Not here, sorry. Oh well, big shout out to Ford Thailand Manufacturing (FTM) for producing Ford’s 350 millionth vehicle last week. This milestone came at the new Rayong plant, as a shiny new Ford Focus rolled off the line to much applause. Ford’s impressive production run, spanning the past 109 years, equates to a new car every ten seconds, enough to stretch to the moon and back. Twice.
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Industry Update
Wednesday, 08 August 2012 15:51
Play time's over; Mitsubishi's all-new Mirage is out to change the world of subcompacts
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
In June of 2012, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation (MMPC) registered a total of 16,956 units in sales for the first six months of the year. This puts them securely as the country's second-largest automaker, though still 40% shy of Toyota's lead. But all that could change when Mitsubishi brings out their smallest car yet - the all-new 2012 Mirage.
Not due to be released until the year's end, MMPC was kind enough to fly members of the motoring media to Thailand - where the Mirage is being built - just so we could get a first-hand look at their upcoming subcompact. And given their close roots in motorsports, they opted to let us take the spunky hatchback to the race track instead of going on a long drive out of the city. Though the units we tested were in right hand drive (RHD), the specs were as close as what we're going to get in a few months’ time according to Mitsubishi.
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Features
Monday, 02 July 2012 06:46
Chevrolet Trailblazer's production gets underway in Thailand
Words by Jose Carlo Roberto R. Sapera
Just three months after its launch at the 33rd Bangkok International Motor Show, top execs from General Motors, facility employees, key suppliers, and dealers welcomed the all-new Chevrolet Trailblazer as it rolled off GM Thailand's manufacturing facility in Rayong province. A top-of-the-line LTZ variant with a 2.8 liter Duramax turbo-diesel engine was the first in line to come out of the factory.
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Industry Update
Tuesday, 27 March 2012 13:31
Chevrolet's all-new 2013 Trailblazer blazes through Thailand
Words by Jose Carlo Roberto R. Sapera | Photos courtesy of General Motors Thailand
What does the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, Isuzu Alterra, and Ford Everest all have in common? They're all based on a pick-up truck platform and are born in the “Detroit of Asia,” otherwise known as Chennai in Thailand. And with the success of these SUV's, Chevrolet recently joined the bandwagon with the launch of Colorado-based all-new 2013 Trailblazer at the 33rd Bangkok International Motor Show.
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Newly Launched
Monday, 02 January 2012 08:45
Honda begins scrapping 1,055 flood-damaged cars in Thailand
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos courtesy of Honda Automobile Thailand Co. Ltd.
Now that the flood waters have receded, Honda can begin the clean up on their once water-logged plant in the Rojana Industrial Park, Thailand. And in the process of getting production back up and running, they'll also have to scrap a heartbreaking total of 1,055 brand new cars damaged by the flood.
As painful as this decision may be, Honda is more concerned about preserving the trust of their customers with the assurance that none of the flood-damaged vehicles, or their parts, will ever be sold or re-used. Breaking down the numbers, the 1,055 units are comprised of 217 Brio's, 213 Jazz's, 353 City's, 150 Civic's, 91 Accord's, 30 CR-V's, and 1 Freed.
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Industry Update
Tuesday, 04 October 2011 12:15
Isuzu breaks out all-new D-Max in Thailand
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos courtesy of Isuzu Motors Limited
With Ford's upcoming Ranger and Chevrolet's fresh Colorado set to butt heads in 2012, Isuzu decides to jump into the ring with the all-new D-Max to make it a three-way heavyweight pickup battle. The latest D-Max has grown a bit of muscle and is now better dressed for the season. And with that menacing look on its face, we hope it's as brutal as it appears. There's also a new set of engines to choose from; and as it's based on the Japanese automaker's new stiffer i-Grip platform, this workhorse should be ready for a life of on the rough stuff.
The all-new D-Max comes with three engine options - a 116hp 2.5L Ddi Turbo, a 136hp Ddi 2.5L VGS Turbo, and the top of the line 177hp Ddi 3.0L VGS Turbo. Isuzu's newly-developed Ddi Super Commonrail engine line-up are all equipped with a variable geometry turbo and now conforms to stringent Euro 5 emission standards. There's also a new 5-speed automatic transmission with REV-Tronic Sport mode thrown in the mix to put it up to par with today's standards.
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Newly Launched
