Honda, Yamaha bet on hybrid models in Thai motorcycle market
Honda Motor Co. and Yamaha Motor Co., the world's two major motorcycle makers, are betting on hybrid scooters in Thailand amid growing attention to such vehicles globally.
Honda Motor Co. says it will launch the PCX Hybrid scooter in Thailand in August. (Source: KYODO)
Hanoi (VNA) - Honda Motor Co. andYamah♐a Motor Co., the world's two major ꦆmotorcycle makers, are betting onhybrid scooters in Thailand amid growing attention to such vehicles globally.
Honda says it will launch the PCX Hybrid in August while Yamaha releasedthe Yamaha Grand Filano Hybrid last week in the Southeast Asian country. Bothmodels are their first hybrid motorbikes.
The 150 cc PCX Hybrid is equipped with a Japan-made 48-volt lithium-ionbattery boasting fuel economy of 52.3 kilometers per liter, up 2 to 3 percentfrom its standard model, and will sell for less than 120,000 baht (3,600 USD).
A.P. Honda Co., the leading global motorcycle maker's Thai sales arm,aims to sell 2,000 units of the new model per year.
The price tag for the Grand Filano, Yamaha's first hybrid motorcycle,starts at 55,500 baht. Thai Yamaha Motor Co., the Japanese firm's localmanufacturing and sales unit, plans to sell 7,000 units per month.
In the motorcycle market of around 2 million units in Thailand, A.P.Honda and Thai Yamaha accounted for about 80 percent and 15.2 percent,respectively, in the first half of this year, according to the two companies.
The Thai government intends to shift the tax base for motorcycles fromcylinder capacity to carbon dioxide emissions following a similar change forautomobiles implemented in 2016.
The duopoly's hybrid model launches could raise awareness ofeco-friendly vehicles in the country.
Surapong Paisitpattanapong, a spokesman for an automotive group at theFederation of Thai Industries, said that demand for hybrid motorbikes inThailand is expected to gradually grow, like hybrid passenger cars, asmanufacturers need some time to raise recognition a💯bout the new technology.-VNA
Norihiro Imada, deputy director of the business plan division of Honda Motor Co. Ltd., said that the company will try to better understand customer’s taste to develop its products.
Vietnam Register has announced the recall of 3,073 Nissan Navara pickup trucks, imported from Thailand, manufactured from September 20, 2010, to December 1, 2014, due to airbag faults.
Japanese automaker Honda has recalled 1,524 Honda City models in Vietnam, which were produced and assembled from May 25, 2013 to January 6, 2014, to replace their front passenger airbags.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
Honda Motor Co. says it will launch the PCX Hybrid scooter in Thailand in August. (Source: KYODO) 
