Hybrid cars for Cambodia

Eco-business.com

Cambodia, December 29 - Cambodian business Heng Development Co Ltd is planning to invest up to US$20 million to build a car factory for manufacturing hybrid electric vehicles, according to a company director.

Seang Chan Heng, general director of Heng Development, claimed the company was forming a joint venture with a German firm to support the new project, but declined to name the partner until the official launch.

Construction of the factory was expected to begin next month on a 20-hectare plot of land in Kandal Strung, 20 kilometres south of Phnom Penh, and would be finished within six months, she told The Post yesterday.

“We hope that this new auto-maker factory will be able to produce mini-cars for sale in local and international markets,” she said.

The company has two mini-passenger car models – a two-seater and a four-seater.

Nhean Pholet, a well-known mini-car maker in Cambodia has been employed by Heng Development, which until now has only sold and distributed tractors, cement and land.

He said the company’s mini-car model will follow the models that he previously produced himself, including the fingerprint-scanner doors which can recognise 60 fingerprints and use an electronic card, instead of a metal key, to start the engine.

“We are motivated by many consumers with our new car design and hope that we will be able to produce more cars for sale in the future,” he said.

Seang Chan Heng said the factory would employ about 300 workers and produce up to 1,000 plug-in electric hybrid vehicles in the first year, using parts imported from Germany, Japan, and Hong Kong.

The starting price for the final product would be around US$5,000 for the two-seater in the local market.

She was confident there would be demand for the cars and expected the first batch would be ready for purchase in 2012.

“Our partners have already ordered about 1,000 vehicles from us, so we aren’t worried about having a market for our products,” she said.

Heng Sophorn, director of the Department of Industry at the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and Energy, said yesterday he welcomed the establishment of the factory, highlighting that it signalled progress in Cambodia’s industry sector.

“We highly appreciate this kind of car production because it doesn’t only reduce cost, but it also helps to reduce the impact on the environment,” he said, adding that it was the first of its kind in Cambodia.

Angkor 333-2010 model is here: Builder claims the car allows users to open its doors telepathically

Cambodian mechanic Nhean Phaloek sits in his self-designed home-made Angkor 333-2010 car at his house in Phnom Penh on August 21, 2009. Phaloek hopes to mass-produce the petrol-powered vehicle to which he has incorporated various peculiar features, including one which he claims allows users to open its doors telepathically. (AFP PHOTO/TANG CHHIN SOTHY)
Cambodian mechanic Nhean Phaloek sits in his self-designed homemade Angkor 333-2010 car at his house in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Phaloek hopes to mass-produce the petrol-powered vehicle to which he has incorporated various peculiar features, including one which he claims allows users to open its doors telepathically. (Tang Chhin Sothy-AFP/Getty Images)

Cambodian Amateur Car Maker Dreams of Greatness

By VOA Khmer, Washington
Video Editor: Manilene Ek
08 January 2009

In the backstreets of Phnom Penh, in a cramped workshop shared with equipment and old parts, a Cambodian man is chasing his vision of greatness. Nhean Pholet is not a trained mechanic, but this 50 year old is currently building the "Angkor 3".

Nhean Pholet: " I wanted to show my abilities. In Cambodia, we don't have a car industry so I wanted to see if I could do it."

He admits there's no design to follow. He's making it up as he goes along, but the results don't look bad. The shell - handcrafted from raw fibre-glass bought in the local market - looks even and aerodynamic. He says the 660 cc Mitsubishi engine should get it up to 80 kilometres per hour.

The car even has hi-tech touches. The ignition mechanism is an original - a hotel-style keycard, shaped like Cambodia's famous temple, Angkor Wat, which is the name o fhis car. Pride - personal and national - is very much the driving force behind this blind odyssey into the land of the motor car.

Hand-made it is, but on closer inspection, "home-made" might be a better description. The steering wheel and general trim could do with some attention, and the golf ball on a stick act as the gear shift. But the hardest part, he says, was the basic mechanics and his solution - trial and error.

Nhean Pholet: "It can be quite difficult because I'm not trained and I don't really know the techniques, so sometimes the car has a problem and I have to start again. After that I test it out. If there's still a problem, I have to do it overy again until it runs smoothly."

Nhean Pholet's original car , Angkor 1, has been driving through the streets of Phnom Penh for the past four years. With its sporty lines and pea green-- it looks sleek. On this particular day, one onlooker says the car is perfectly crafted.

Khieu Cola: "We don't need the big one because you see the size of Cambodian people, it's like me. I am small too. So, if I do this car it is very sweet with my body."

For Pok Chan Dara the Angkor 1 has a quality that no other car can match: its country of origin.

Pok Chan Dara: "Big or small, all kinds of car are the same. But, I really like this car because it has the name "Cambodia" on the back."

Now Nhean Pholet's dream is about to go one stage further. When he finishes the Angkor 3, he'll spray it gold and sell it - the first one ever to go on the market.

Nhean Pholet: "My idea is to start up an industry but it depends on money and on investment. I need technical back up. I can't do it alone. If I can get support, I can have my own factory making handmade cars. I want to see Cambodia build up a car industry."

By the time this car is ready, it will have taken a year to build and set him back $3000 USD. As for how much he will sell it for- it's still undecided.

Information for this report was provided by APTN.