Panellists say hybrid cars will prove themselves in the marketplace

       Demand for hybrid cars in Thailand will grow rapidly as economies of scale and the two-system energy-saving technology takes hold.
       Panellists shared this idea in the seminar called "Thailand: Green Move...Green Energy" in Hat Yai yesterday. The event was hosted by Krungthep Turakij newspaper in cooperation with Toyota Motor Thailand.
       Participants in the seminar included Prapavute Narkvichet, general manager for product planning and development of Toyota Motor Thailand; Surachet Chutima, a lecturer at King Mongkut Institute of Technology Thon Buri; Kriengkrai Kanchanapokin, co-chief executive of Index Creation Village; Niramol Meteesuwakul from the "Tung Seang Tawan" TV programme and special guest speaker Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam.
       Thaworn said community development should come from cooperation between government and local people. He said the government had set up five subcommittees and committees to solve problems in the South including farming, land encroachment, land banks, degraded forests and title deeds.
       He added that the government also allocates budget from "Thai Khemkhaeng" or "Invest for Strength" to develop transportation in the area, such as the |expansion of Narathiwat airport to allow bigger aircraft. Successful will encourage the province to become a transportation hub in the South.
       Prapavute of Toyota said that the introduction of the hybrid car reflects Toyota's vision that technology has to be in harmony with the environment.
       Besides the production of environmental friendly vehicles, Toyota has also promoted many environment-protection programmes, such as the use of solar cells in its buildings, the use of natural gas in its production process and its reduction of carbon dioxide gas emission by 10,000 tonnes a year.
       In addition, Toyota has also actively promoted awareness of environmental protection among people.
       Kriengkrai of Index said that Thai people were paying more attention to environmental protection and global warming, according to a survey by AC Neilsen.
       Kriengkrai believes that green awareness will be adopted by many organisations, not only in the auto industry but also in other areas such as architecture.
       Index office is designed on the energy-saving concept, which has become the selling point in attracting the customers to use the company's service.
       He added that along with multinational firms major Thai companies have given importance to promoting green awareness.
       He said auto-makers that have focused on producing energy-saving vehicles will have a competitive edge when their products are widely recognised by consumers.
       If the cars can really help the consumers save money, they will sell. Digital consumers do not believe in advertising but in the views of people around them and information on the Internet. If the cars can save energy, people will promote them by word of mouth and that will lead to their success.
       He added that this was the right time to introduce the hybrids into the market as consumers are seeking ways to save energy in a time of high oil prices.