Honda opens new proving ground in Thailand

Honda R&D Asia Pacific Co (HRAP) held an opening ceremony today to celebrate the completion of its Honda R&D Asia Pacific Prachinburi Proving Ground at Rojana Industrial Park, Prachinburi province.

The Honda R&D Asia Pacific Prachinburi Proving Ground is a comprehensive test course designed for the Asia & Oceania region. Set up with an investment of 1.7 billion baht, the proving ground has 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, as one of Honda’s proving grounds in the world.

According to Dr Atchaka Sibunruang, Minister of Science and Technology, “The automotive industry is one of 10 cluster development policies that the Thai government is promoting to enhance the Thai economy. Honda’s investment in the Honda R&D Asia Pacific Prachinburi Proving Ground reflects this shared vision and direction, and will help to strengthen Thailand by developing its competitive strengths in the automotive industry.”
 
Shinji Aoyama, chief oficer, Regional Operations (Asia & Oceania), Honda Motor Co, and president and CEO, Asian Honda Motor Co, said, “Thailand has been at the centre of our manufacturing and exports in the Asia & Oceania region as well as an important base for our R&D operations. The Prachinburi Proving Ground will reinforce our product line-up by providing more competitive and attractive models beyond the expectations of customers in Thailand and the region.”

Eight tests over eight kilometres
The proving ground has eight test courses to simulate various road conditions and terrains, with the total length of the test courses approximately eight kilometres. The test courses include the following:
 
Oval Course: A 2.18km oval course to test a vehicle’s performance while driving at high speeds, plus other tests such as noise levels from wind in the cabin and steering while controlling.
 
Winding Course: A 1.38km winding course for general performance testing, including the effectiveness of braking systems and vehicle stability. The Winding Course simulates terrain of varying elevations, and incorporates 17 turns and blind spots.

Vehicle Dynamics Area: An extended area from the Oval Course. To be used to test stability control at high speeds and braking efficiency during sharp turns.
 
Wet Course: A course which simulates wet and slippery road conditions.  To be used to test the impact of wet roads on a vehicle’s performance. The Wet Course features the Pool Road, a test road alongside the Splash Road and the Wet Brake Road, which can adjust the water level from 0 to 1,000 millimetres to simulate flooding which is common in Asia, and also test water resistance and any effects on the engine.
 
Ride Road Course: A course which simulates road surfaces from different countries in Asia & Oceania. To be used to test general performance on different road surfaces. The Ride Road Course has eight roads including the Concrete Highway, the Noise Road using damaged asphalt, and the Camber Road.
 
Special Surface Course: A test course which was designed to model rough road surfaces with 3D technology. To be used to test the durability of the underbody of a vehicle. The course has eight roads, which include the Speed Breaker and the Concrete Rough Road.
 
Slope Course: A slope course to be used to test engine strength and braking performance.
 
Straight Course: A 1.2km course to test fuel economy and acceleration.