PRACHINBURI, Thailand, November 9, 2015 - Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. (HRAP) announced today that it will construct an automobile test course at Rojana Industrial Park in Prachinburi Province, Thailand with an investment of 1.7 billion baht to reinforce Honda’s R&D capabilities to deliver very competitive products which suit its customers’ needs and requirements in the Asia and Oceania region. The test course will be used for overall vehicle tests to evaluate vehicles’ quality and performances and will complement the current HRAP activities which include product planning, styling design, engineering design, material research, and quality control. The test course is scheduled to be completed in 2017.

The new test course of HRAP will be built on a site of more than 800,000 square meters with various test tracks. Honda’s vehicles can be tested in various aspects on different kind of tracks which simulate real road conditions and terrains in different parts of the world. When completely constructed, it will become Honda’s second automobile test course outside Japan, after the US.  The test course is also planned to be used for Honda’s motorcycles and power products.

The announcement of the new test course construction was made in conjunction with its foundation stone laying ceremony at the industrial park today. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, honorable members of the cabinet, and H.E. Shiro Sadoshima, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Thailand. Fumihiko Ike, Chairman and Representative Director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Noriaki Abe, President and CEO of Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd. attended the ceremony on behalf of Honda.

Dr. Somkid Jatusripitak, Deputy Prime Minister, said, “Research and development play an important role to the creation of high-quality automobiles with fuel efficiency and environmental friendliness. The foundation stone laying ceremony for Honda’s new test course today reflects the company’s intention to help diversify the Thai automotive industry from the viewpoint of “a strong manufacturing base” to creating “a competitive development base.”

Fumihiko Ike, Chairman and Representative Director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said, “Honda places the highest importance on research and development. This new test course will contribute to the ability to develop attractive and affordable vehicles for our customers in this region much faster and more effectively.”

Noriaki Abe, President & CEO of Asian Honda Motor Co., Ltd. said, “We must reinforce our product lineup and the enhancement of our R&D activities will be even more important for that.  Honda is committed to making its products more competitive for both the Thai market and for the world, with Thai local component parts and infrastructure, with Thai R&D facilities, and with Thai engineers.”

Honda was the first automotive manufacturer to open R&D function in Thailand in 1988, when it established a motorcycle research & development operation. Later, Honda established the Honda Research Department in Thailand in 1994 to develop and supply automotive parts in Thailand and support its automobile production operations. The Department’s responsibilities grew to include product planning and quality control.

In 2005, the Honda Research Department was registered as a juristic entity under the name Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. (HRAP).  It is now responsible for research and development for automobiles that meet the needs of consumers across the Asia and Oceania region.