By BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA
Cambodian motor enthusiasts with an interest in performance super bikes and luxury cruisers are happy to hear news of the array a local companies that have signed deals with some of the world’s most famous car and motorbike makers. The list includes start-ups like Yamaha Motors Cambodia Co., Ltd. an organization formed by a partnership between Toyota Tsusho Company and Kong Nuon Import & Export.
Motorists expect that the price of a set of domestically produced wheels – either two or four – will decrease compared to the price of imported vehicles. They are also looking forward to an expanded range to choose from.
Last week, Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co. Ltd, Toyota Tsusho Corporation and Kong Nuon Import & Export signed an agreement to establish the new company, called “Yamaha Motors Cambodia”. The aim is to introduce motor production to the nation’s manufacturing sector.
According to Michifumi Mataba, managing director of Yamaha Motor Cambodia Co. Ltd, the new company will begin operations on 1st October 2008 with start-up capital of US $11.5 million—70 percent provided by Yamaha Motors, 20 percent from Toyota Tsusho and 10 percent from Cambodia's Kong Nuon Import & Export.
Mataba said that the company will begin operations by taking over operations at the Asia Motors factory as well as the Asia Motors sales network. A 94,890 square meter plot of land will be acquired in Phnom Penh’s Special Economic Zone and a new factory built.
He said that the initial target for the new company is to expand motorcycle sales to 30,000 units, valued at JPY 4.2 billion by 2010, after the start of production at the new factory.
According to his estimates, Cambodia will need about 250, 000 motorbikes by 2010 and 500,000 motorbikes by 2015, Mataba added.
Bun Kim, 21, a student at Bak Touk High School, in Phnom Penh, said that he was happy to hear of the establishment of motor companies in Cambodia.
Kim said, “I am happy to hear that luxury, high performance motorbikes will be produced in Cambodia in the future. It’s a great development and I’m proud that Cambodia has the ability to do this for Herself. I’m looking forward to taking a look at the new range as my old 2008 Honda machine is now hopelessly out-of-date.”
He noted that some young Cambodians change their motorbikes on a regular basis. Since 2004, he has owned six motorbikes himself and spent many thousands more on making the thing look smart and trendy. Each time he feels like a new set of wheels, it costs him at least US $800.
Heng Bunleang, 24, a former student of Preah Yukunthor High School, who has just passed his exams, said that he was enthusiastic about the planed production of motorbikes in Cambodia. He said he will buy a new motorbike just as long as it is made in Cambodia. He also said each year so far he has spent up to US $2,000 on updating motorbikes that have been imported by private companies. He looks forward to enjoying some significant reductions in this sum, once domestically produced machines start to be produced.
Sok Liza, 19, another student of Preah Sisowath High School in Phnom Penh, also replaces her motorbike every year at a cost of over US $1,000. Doubtless, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha are very pleased to hear this, as pleased perhaps as Liza will be with the savings she makes buying the same products, only manufactured here.
“Now I don’t know what motorbike I will buy in 2009 to replace my present hack. However, I think that I will be trying to buy a Yamaha produced by a Cambodian company in future.”
Meng Hour, general manager of a private company importing luxury motorcycles from Japan said that his company has imported about 8,000 new Honda and Yahama Motorbikes from Japan for sale in Cambodia since 1999. However, he said that he would be reducing this figure now that Cambodia has her own motorbike company.
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