Honda tests new products in Prachinburi
Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co, Ltd (HRAP) held an opening ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the completion of its proving ground at Rojana Industrial Park, Prachinburi province.
The proving ground is a unique and comprehensive test course specially designed for the Asia and Oceania region. Honda invested Bt1.7 billion to establish the proving ground with new eight test courses covering 800,000 square metres. This makes Thailand only the third country where Honda has proving grounds, after Japan and the US.
The new proving ground will be used for automobiles and motorcycles, with various vehicle tests including handling, stability, and overall performance carried out on regionally developed products. Through this test course, the new proving ground will contribute to the competitive enhancement of Honda products in Thailand and the Asia & Oceania market.
The Prachinburi Proving Ground is also expected to be used to test models for other regions in the future, said Shinji Aoyama, chief officer, regional operations (Asia & Oceania) forHonda Motor Co Ltd. Aoyama is also the president and CEO of Asian Honda Motor Co Ltd.
Aoyama noted that Thailand “has been at the centre of our manufacturing and exports in the Asia and Oceania region, as well as an important base for our R&D operations.” He added that the Prachinburi proving ground will reinforce the company’s product lineup “by providing more competitive and attractive models beyond the expectations of customers in Thailand and the region”.