Local News

Osaka-based Daihatsu Motor Co. announced that it will build a new facility for testing small bodies and engines geared for the Asian market at its Kurume Development Center, a new R&D facility that is still under construction. The company is investing an additional ¥6 billion to pay for the new testing facility, which is scheduled to be operational by June 2015. Located next to Daihatsu’s Kurume plant, the Kurume Development Center is scheduled to open an engine and transmission testing facility this March and a vehicle testing facility and test track in December. The new testing facility will evaluate the performance of compact car bodies and engines, which the company makes in Indonesia and Malaysia, in a range of weather conditions. These tests are currently conducted at Daihatsu’s testing facility in Shiga Prefecture but will be moved to Kurume once construction is complete. Since Fukuoka Prefecture approved Daihatsu as a “designated corporation” within the Green Asia International Strategic Comprehensive Special Zone, the company will receive a tax break due to the size of its investment. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 2/25