03 Yangon > Chiang Mai Driving Fueled by Joy the Team Went to See the Thilawa Special

03

Yangon Chiang Mai

Driving fueled by joy half of the drive. “I felt a lot of pressure But in the Myanmar market where serving as vice captain. But I think I the majority of cars are used grew personally during the Drive imports, I don’t think a lot of people The team went to see the Thilawa Project too. I’ m over sixty years old, know about the performance or Special Economic Zone that was but people can still grow no matter comfort of new cars. With the established in 2014 on the southern how old they are,” he says with a current situation, we should be outskirts of Yangon, the largest city in gratified laugh. Yaoita drove the car, thinking about driving and braking Myanmar. Toyota plans to produce the fueled by his joy. After being seen off performance more than vibration.” Hilux here when its new plant starts by two Toyota dealerships, the team operations in 2021. Osamu Yaoita of headed for the capital of Naypyitaw. the Advanced Vehicle Engineering Hideyuki Kasamatsu of the Advanced Development Division, who is serving Vehicle Engineering Development as vice captain, has led the Drive Division asked his teammates about Project members together with the questions that bothered him on the captain. The mild-mannered Yaoita Drive Project and had discussions urged the team members to manage inside the car. This process resulted in their health before the Drive Project some realizations. “I’ m in the began, and thanks in part to this, no Vibration Testing Section, so one became seriously ill in the first vibration is something I think about. Kasamatsu had previously requested the roads.” He continued, “‘Roads train and aftercare. People were happy, to participate in the 5 Continents Drive people, and people build cars’ is saying ‘After they sell the car people Project and had finally gotten his wish. something President Akio Toyoda stop caring about you, but Toyota “The Asian Drive Project has says, and it’s exactly that. has good after-sales service.’ In nourished me. I hear a lot of stories Experiences stay with you more than addition to fast and inexpensive from around the world at work, but words. I want to learn from the roads, (repairs and other service), people this experience has been big. drive them, and then connect this to want to have courteous and accurate People listen to you more if you’ ve making future cars.” Goto previously service.” But in a place like this with so actually done the driving. I want to worked in driver education. He observes many used cars available in the market, take this experience in Asia back to his surroundings with a cool head and there are big hurdles to selling new my workplace.” What kind of demands drives quite carefully. And then when he cars. The customers whose feedback will the people who live in India and needs to, he gets the car to respond he heard were part of the affluent Myanmar make of cars when their forcefully. When asked again about the class, but even they had driven used economies transition to the next phase? keys to driving on roads in Asia, Goto cars until a few years ago. “When The collection of questions and replied that the basics are no different doing repairs, sometimes people realizations that Kasamatsu and his than regular driving. “You don’ t need to choose used parts, and it drives teammates build should help reveal the feel nervous in a weird way. What you home how we need to have answers. want is to have a wide field of vision, flexibility, for example, a six-months and at the same time, calmly feel the Toyota parts warranty.” Tajika used to Drive just feeling tires making contact with the road. If talk to mechanics a lot when he was in you drive understanding the road’s the United States. “If you expect the roads condition, you should be able to ‘cheap and fast’ service too much, it understand the road. I want people to The team drove from Naypyitaw to take back what they’ ve each felt from Mandalay. Government organizations are the roads.” concentrated in central Naypyitaw, and Takuya Tajika of the Service the road in front of the Union Parliament Management Division supported repairs building is 10 lanes just in one direction. at 70 dealers across six U.S. states When I asked Yoshimi Goto of the from his base in Colorado for five Advanced Vehicle Engineering years. Tajika had the opportunity to ask Development Division what the Asian about customer feedback at dealers in Drive Project meant to him, he said, “It’ s Myanmar. “What I felt from talking to all about the experience of driving on them was the importance of trust puts a lot on the mechanics. By how Thai people think and how Bhutan improving serviceability, we can Japanese people think.” If team China Myanmar shorten the work time, lower costs, members didn’ t ride and drive Bangladesh and reduce the workload at the together in the cars, some things Mandalay genba. In the future, we need to would be difficult to share. “Thai 10.2 Cambodia Naypyidaw Laos make cars that make everyone who people don’ t really mind sounds at 10.1 works with cars happy.” Tajika was low frequencies, but they don’ t like 10.3-4 Yangon Chiang Mai dreaming about future Toyota cars as high frequencies. This is something 9.30 he watched mechanics work in we can learn from riding in the Thailand Mandalay. same car with each other. The Drive Project members all have Realizations from riding in specializations in many different fields. I have been able to build a lot the same car of friendships and have expanded my own knowledge too.” The Drive On October 4, the Drive Project Project members include 17 Japanese members arrived in the northern Thai participants. What does Keng want city of Chang Mai. They prepared the them to learn from Thai roads? “Thai cars at a dealer and went to a people drive fast. They don’ t even departure ceremony at the Chiang Mai use engine braking going downhill 700 Year Stadium. Entering Thailand, on mountain roads. (laughs) I want Keng Wongputorn of Vehicle them to take back to Japan things Distance: 760km Performance Engineering, Toyota that they have to see with their own Duration: September 30-October 4, 2019 Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing eyes to understand. Then after the Days: 5 days Co., Ltd. (TDEM), felt added responsibility Drive Project is over, I want them to Vehicles: Land Cruiser 200, driving in his native country. “In this come back on vacation. Thailand is Hilux Double Cab, Prado, Rush, Drive Project, members with various a beautiful country after all.” At the Fortuner, Vios, Corolla Altis HV, backgrounds talk while riding in the beginning of next week, the Drive same car. This has given us the Project members depart for Bangkok. Yaris Ativ, C-HR, Innova, opportunity to talk to each other about Camry HV, Sienta