Honda to establish Asia-Oceania regional auto R&D centre in Thailand

Honda’s Bangkok-based Asia-Oceania Regional Headquarters, announced today that Honda R&D Japan will establish a new regional automobile R&D centre here in Thailand.

The newly incorporated Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co. Ltd. will be established on December 1, 2005 and a new R&D facility will start operation in the Greater Bangkok area in 2007. Also in future, there will be a plan to establish a test track course.

Commenting on this significant new investment, Mr. Satoshi Toshida, Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer, Asia-Oceania Region, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and President and Chief Executive Officer, Asian Honda Motor Co. Ltd. said the new automobile R&D facility would enable Honda to respond even more quickly to changing customer needs in the Asia-Oceania region. “Addition to its ability to accelerate local content development, Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co. Ltd. will cover board research and development activities including product planning, product design research and testing. This will be an important step forward in the increasingly sophisticated automobile operations being undertaken in Thailand,” he added.

Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co. Ltd. will employ some 120 people when it opens in 2007.

In Thailand, Honda opened a new motorcycle R&D center, Honda R&D Southeast Asia Co. Ltd., in December 2004. With establishment of new auto R&D center, Honda will accelerate regional research and development function and technology transfer here in Thailand.

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