Nissan launches Thailand’s first eco car

     BANGKOK, March 12 (TNA) – Siam Nissan Automobile Co (SNA) on Friday launched Thailand’s first locally produced eco car, the Nissan March, which could save energy at the international standards.

SNA president Toru Hasegawa said Nissan March is a small vehicle with a 1,200cc three-cylinder engine with carbon dioxide emissions less than 120 grammes and able to use fuel more efficienty by up to 20 kilometres per litre.

Customers could order the new model at Nissan's sales representatives from Saturday. The cars’ first lot with a 5-speed manual transmission will be delivered to buyers within 2-3 weeks, while models of the Xtronic CVT technology, whose gear ratio can expand from its lowest to highest range, can be delivered from June.

Buyers In Thailand can purchase Nissan March starting at Bt375,000-Bt537,000 (some $11,300-16,000).
Regarding the model’s medium-term business plan, Siam Nissan Automobile is targetting achieving over 10 per cent of market share in the country.

The company expects to achieve the success of its eco car project and would roll out new models to the market at a rate of least one model per year until 2012 as well as continually develop sales agents’ quality.

Siam Nissan Automobile’s sales volumes in its 2009 financial year were at around 34,000 cars, a 22 per cent increase from 2008. The company plans to produce 48,000 cars in 2010, of which 20,000 are set for Nissan March.

Toshiyuki Shiga, Nissan Motor Company’s chief operating officer, said the firm’s eco car production has made Nissan a centre for manufacture, research and development, and customer service for eco cars. The company here is a production bases for this model together with bases in China, India and Mexico.
Nissan March will be sold in around 160 countries worldwide and is known as Nissan Micra in Europe and some other countries. (TNA)

Source www.mcot.net

UNESCO award for 'Sam Chuk' : Living 100-year-old market

Thailand's Sam Chuk Community and Old Market District along the Tha Cheen River not far from Bangkok, northwest of the Thai capital in Suphan Buri province -- is a bit of Old China in once rural Siam. Witness to a disappeared way of life, the distinctive river and canal-side community was recently granted an Award of Merit in the 2009 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation. A century ago, Sam Chuk was a renowned centre for waterborne trade and commerce, when rivers and canals were Siam’s main mode of transport. But today, times have changed, and the old town’s way of living has changed accordingly. The negative impact on its survival was heightened when roads were cut through the old community, reducing the need for and importance of water transport, and cutting off easy access to places that had once been central. Passed by the new ways of life, Sam Chuk was deteriorating, falling into ruin. Old wooden houses and buildings were decaying as a result of termites and accumulated damage from rain and old age. Realising the changes taking place, local residents formed a Sam Chuk Market Conservation Committee. Rather than pulling down the old buildings, they organised to preserve what they received from their ancestors and restored 19 local buildings, adapting the old style architecture described in Thai as Khanompang Khing (ginger bread) style, into a contemporary market, welcoming to traditionalists and those with new style taste as well. Local homes have been converted into welcoming shops, cafes and museums, where visitors can get a glimpse – touch, taste and feel the past – a sense of what it was like a century ago when the market was really bustling. As a venue for its mouthwatering rare traditional dishes and old-style desserts, Samchuk Market has attracted visitors and habitués from all walks of life, particularly those Thais who are known for crossing cities or towns just in order to taste local delicacies. "I’m very impressed by this place. I’ll definitely come back and will take my friends here next time," said one enthused tourist. However, the road to success of the community was not easy. The Sam Chuk Market Conservation Committee’s members worked hard to restore the town. "I’m glad. It’s been over 10 years we’ve done this together. I’m so happy to see what it’s now become," said a local pharmacy owner. "After I heard the news [of the UN award], I was thrilled and very pleased. We’ve seen Sam Chuk since we were young. We’ve helped each other to revive it, make it a tourist attraction. It took a lot of time and effort and we faced so many problems, so that our town being honoured by the UNESCO is beyond our expectation," said a local resident. The old market community would not have been restored to life if the locals had neither seen the value in their traditional way of life, nor put real effort into conserving the town’s soul. "No matter what you do, when it comes to an old market, you have to know what you want or how you want it to be. You have to think what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it with your 'social capital', so you don’t have to invest more," said another resident. "I think it’s best to consider that. It’s better than to create a new identity of the town. Everything that has happened and been conserved at the Sam Chuk market is really because of the participation of local residents in our community," said Pongwin Chaiwirat, mayor of Sam Chuk subdistrict. Being honoured with recognition by the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards derives from the accomplishments of local individuals and organisations within the private sector, and public-private initiatives to effectively preserve the legacy of old architecture and heritage in the region. The revitalisation of eligible projects must have been done within the past decade and the projects themselves must be over 50 years old, with buildings in use for a minimum of one year from the date of the awards announcement. The awards are divided into one Award of Excellence, three Awards of Distinction, four Awards of Merit, and four Honourable Mentions. Sangiin Dalai Monastery in Mongolia was honoured with the Award of Excellence this year. Source : www.mcot.net