Automotive Summit 2015

The EABC was a sponsor and invited to the Automotive Summit 2015 organized by Thailand Automotive Institute.
The EABC‘s support is directed toward the enhancement of knowledge in testing technology and the automotive
and auto parts testing standards in ASEAN under the ongoing development of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

The Automotive Summit is one of the major events of the ASEAN Automotive Industry. The ceremony began
with a Welcome Speech by Mr. Vichai Jirathiyut; President of the Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI), followed by
a talk on the “Rebirth of the UK’s Automotive Industry: UK Policy and Automotive Road Map” by Mr. Ben Reynolds;
Vice President of Mira-Asia. The Summit is also featured a lecture by Mr. Chaiyavat Tangkrock-Olan;
Director of Community Products Standard Division from the Thai Industrial Standards Institute,
on the topic of “ASEAN Automotive Regulation: Standard and quality of Vehicle and Parts to Global Market”

Mr. Jan Ehlen; represented the EABC’s Automotive Working group at the Panel discussion on the topic of
“Automotive Policy and Investment in ASEAN” with other 4 panellists from SAIC Motor-CP,
Thailand Automotive Industry Association (TAIA) and Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI).

In the discussion Mr Jan Ehlen highlighted the attractiveness of the ASEAN market with its strong GDP growth,
but also brought to centre stage several observations from an European perspective.

Among others, he explained that the over proportionally high taxes on premium cars in ASEAN
act as “anti-innovation taxes”that limit high-tech components and innovative product features
from gaining a stronger foothold in ASEAN. To this end,he also suggested a more balanced
approach for future national automotive policies that currently mostly focus on entry and
mass market segments.

In order for ASEAN to develop into a global production hub, Mr Ehlen furthermore recommended for governments
and automakers to jointly develop an ASEAN automotive strategy that needs to find answers to the following questions:
1. How to best stimulate innovation and global competitiveness of the ASEAN automotive industry?
2. How serious is ASEAN about road & vehicle safety and protecting the environment?
3. How can ASEAN best improve income per capita and boost workforce skills within the automotive sector?

Over the discussion Mr Vichai Jirathiyut; President of Thailand Automotive Institute (TAI) disclosed breaking news,
that the Thai Cabinet had finally approved the ‘Proving Ground project’, after being proposed for many years
and that the project would be located in the Sanam Chai Khet district, in Chachoengsao Province.
This development was excitedly welcomed by many in the business community.
Several companies expressed that it was a good sign to see the Thai government take
further steps to secure the Kingdom’s Automotive Industry’s future development.