ethanol mixes of less than 10 per cent ethanol. The Thai government is trying to promote the use of ethanol, which can be produced from local agricultural crops such as sugar cane and palm oil, as an alternative to imported fuel oil. "We see Thailand as the regional automotive hub for ASEAN countries," said Ford. "Our Ford Asia Pacific and Africa Regional Headquarters are located here in Bangkok. We have our core regional functions here to support local expertise in each market and spearhead our growth strategy." Although Ford Motor does not currently assemble sedans in Thailand, the company has invested 1 billion dollars in the AutoAlliance Thailand (AAT), a joint venture with Mazda set up in 1996, which now produces Ford and Mazda one-ton pickups for the domestic market and another 100,000 units for exports. --SP 1144 Local Time 0844 GMT
