2019 muscle cars coming out

A model shows how to charge FOMM One, a Thailand-made electric car model developed by Thai-Japanese joint venture FOMM (Asia) Co Ltd, during the 2019 Motor Show at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi in March last year. (Bangkok Post file photo) Thailand will target having electric vehicles account for 30% of car production by the end of the decade, as part of efforts to tackle toxic air pollution. The government wants to “accelerate the use and production of electric vehicles, with national strategies focusing on the environment and air pollution solutions,” Industry Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said in an interview. Thailand already has an advantage by being a car-production hub and it’s now time to focus on EVs, he said. While the overall contribution from vehicles to pollution is much smaller than other sources like crop burning or forest fires, a survey commissioned by Nissan Motor Co showed that 91% of Thais would buy an EV because of the environmental impact. The ... » Learn More about Govt targets 30% electric-car production to tackle pollution

A local version of Mercedes-AMG model helps the German luxury carmaker increase its sales during the Covid-19 crisis. (Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) photo) Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) sees positive signs in Thai and global luxury car markets, with sales surging in its two models in Thailand, helping the German automaker cushion an overall sales drop in the domestic market during the pandemic-hit year of 2020. From January to December last year, Mercedes Benz recorded a total of 10,613 deliveries in the Thai market, a 30% decrease from 15,158 units sold in 2019, but it managed to deliver more than 2 million cars globally for the fifth consecutive year, with sales of 2,528,349 units. "Even with the uncontrollable challenges from Covid-19, we have seen positive signs from our customers around the world," Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) president and chief executive Roland Folger said on Thursday as the company unveiled its 2020 business performance. The unprecedented recovery in China led to ... » Learn More about Mercedes-Benz: Luxury cars to help drive economy

Songkran is a celebration of the Thai New Year on April 13 each year. What started as a respectful washing of Buddha images with water to welcome in the forthcoming wet season, has turned into a mega-water fight. No prisoners are taken in this annual water battle – if you head outside or drive along the roads you WILL get wet. If you’re in a car it WILL get water thrown at it and probably a few handprints made with the sludge left over from the Prickly Powder. It is a celebration and there’s plenty of music, noise, smiles AND water. Sawasdee pi mai!! Happy Songkran. 1) Wear goggles Where did that water come from that just shot in your eye? You don’t know and you probably don’t want to know! Suffice to say your eyes are at danger from the many things that end up in the water, including the prickly powder that was thrown at you and now dribbling down your forehead or added to the water before it was squirted at you. It will sting either way. A cheap pair of ... » Learn More about Songkran Survival Guide – Top 10 Tips (2019)

In this file photo, workers inspect cars at a manufacturing plant in Prachin Buri. A shortage of semiconductors has implications for many industries, such as automotive and electronics manufacturing. (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard) Domestic car manufacturers are racing to increase purchase orders for semiconductors to avoid cutting their production capacity as a result of a global shortage of chips for cars. Representing the control centre of modern cars and electrical appliances, these semiconductors are now in short supply, intensifying the competition to obtain them. The global chip shortage results from a combination of factors ranging from increasing demand for electronic equipment as more people work from home during the pandemic, the growth in electric vehicles, as well as the US-China trade war, which led to restrictions on chip imports from China. "The automotive industry is concerned it will encounter a similar situation as the one that took place in the US as chip ... » Learn More about Car manufacturers in race to bag chips

MANILA, Philippines — Although the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country last year, the number of deaths recorded by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) declined by 3 percent to 601,811. Citing the latest preliminary data coming from city and municipal registrars nationwide, the PSA on Friday reported that the deaths registered in 2020 were lower than the 620,414 in 2019, a difference of 18,603 deaths, excluding those of Filipinos working or living abroad. The PSA said only the months of July, August and September 2020 posted higher deaths year-on-year, while the rest of the months recorded lower registrations compared to a year ago levels. During the most stringent enhanced community quarantine, late death registrations surged in March and April last year with 6,540 and 6,017, respectively, due to restrictions on nonessential movement of people. PSA data showed these late reports were eventually reduced as quarantine restrictions gradually eased. The PSA said “the number ... » Learn More about Fewer deaths posted in 2020 than 2019

Bombastic impresario Allan Carr threw the Hollywood parties that defined the 1970s. Image: IStock via AFP Los Angeles, United States – Warner Bros. has announced plans for a $100 million cable car to take tourists from its studio lot to the iconic Hollywood sign, an area increasingly choked by tourist traffic. The company, one of Tinseltown’s “Big Six” film distributors, told city officials on Monday it would put up the entire funding for the “Hollywood Skyway.” The six-minute ride would extend more than 1.6 kilometers from Warner’s base in Burbank up Mount Lee to a visitor center near the sign, with pathways to a viewing area, according to the Los Angeles Times. The iconic studio behind “Casablanca” and “Gone with the Wind” didn’t respond to AFP’s request for comment but circulated a statement saying the project would “reduce street congestion, improve safety, and ease neighborhood frustrations.” “Given our close proximity to the north side of the Hollywood sign, we believe ... » Learn More about Warner Bros. plans $100-M cable car project to Hollywood sign

SINGAPORE: At his wits’ end, Mr Danny Raven Tan, 53, once threatened his dementia-stricken mother with a chopper because she was “driving him nuts”. Since she was diagnosed with the illness that causes impaired intellectual functions and personality changes in 2015, his mother, who is now 88, would tiresomely ask him about his father and godmother, both of whom had died, frequently raise her voice at him and accuse their helper of stealing her money. “At that time, I didn’t know anything about dementia and it was eating me up,” said Mr Tan, who quit his full-time job in marketing to be the primary caregiver for his mother and now runs an art gallery. In 2018, Mr Tan founded Enable Asia, a platform that focuses on dementia awareness and respite for caregivers. While Mr Tan has found support through the platform, homemaker Fadilah, who declined to give her full name, was pushed to the brink caring for her 86-year-old mother-in-law with Alzheimer’s disease during the circuit ... » Learn More about The Big Read: As Singapore society ages, who will care for the caregivers?

Mercedes-Benz has finally filled the gap between its super-fast and mainstream compact cars. And it works nicely. When Mercedes-Benz renewed its small car family with an unprecedented number of body styles to choose from in the last decade, it was pretty clear that the Stuttgart-based premium car maker wanted to attract everyone, so to speak. The five-door A-Class, for one, transformed itself into a proper hatch for the young. Then there’s the coupe-like CLA-Class for fashionistas, and its Shooting Brake sibling, if that’s not enough. Uncles and aunties even had the choice of the frumpy-looking B-Class MPV. The menu of engines was also decent, if not exactly widely served. You could get frugal petrol and diesel engines, with some whose wick has been tuned to be a little more aggressive for the wilder guns of buyers. And in the usual Mercedes fashion, there was fire-breathing AMG power to go for. But all along, there was a space left unfilled in the performance ranks, that ... » Learn More about Mercedes-AMG CLA 35 4MATIC (2020) review

Gabbi Garcia with her YouTube Gold Play Button. Image: Instagram/@gabbi Actress-singer Gabbi Garcia has marked a new online milestone as she received the YouTube Gold Play Button after gaining over 1 million subscribers. “WE DID IT GUYS! [My] gold play button is finally here!!! Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!!! [Love] you all!!!” Garcia announced on Instagram yesterday, Sept. 15 Garcia currently has around 1.08 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, which she started in 2017. She posts a variety of content, ranging from song covers to house tours, and takes on other topics. To mark the special occasion, Garcia held a “Wine Night” livestream last night on her channel together with boyfriend Khalil Ramos. Aside from drinking wine, of course, the young artist unboxed the Gold Play Button for the first time live in front of fans. Garcia told Ramos that it is “our milestone” as she notes that they built the channel together. Garcia also revealed that ... » Learn More about WATCH: Gabbi Garcia receives YouTube Gold Play Button, unboxes award before fans

Mitsubishi’s mini-MPV has spawned a high-riding model to rival the Honda BR-V. Is it really necessary? What’s new? Thanks to a reasonably spacious seven-seat interior and circa-800,000 baht prices, the Mitsubishi Xpander has managed to meet Thai sales expectations taking up around 20% of the brand’s total sales in 2019. Developed primarily for Indonesia, where it is made and shipped from, the Xpander has now spawned a new, high-riding version additionally bearing the Cross moniker. Although it’s still a front-wheel-drive-only car like the regular model, Mitsubishi bills the Xpander Cross as an SUV taking the fight straight to the Honda BR-V, itself more or less a jacked-up variant of the Mobilio mini-MPV. Key differences in the Xpander Cross SUV from the Xpander MPV is the 20mm higher ride height and slightly wider tracks. Visual distinctions, meanwhile, include roof rails, shark fin antenna, rugged-lloking moldings around the vehicle and specially designed 17in ... » Learn More about Mitsubishi Xpander Cross 1.5 (2020) review