Boost in car sales, enthusiasm for EVs – Bangkok’s annual motor show – VIDEO

Petrol-powered cars are still in vogue, but electric vehicles, or EVs, are on the rise. That’s the takeaway from this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show, which recorded sales of some 34,000 vehicles, nearly a 14% increase compared to last year. The 43rd edition of the popular motor show took place over a span of two weeks at Impact Muang Thong Thani in Bangkok and wrapped up on Sunday.

Traditional gas-powered vehicles had the lion’s share of the sales, while electric cars, or EVS, stole the spotlight among car enthusiasts. EV bookings grew by 10% to more than 2,000 vehicles, with SAIC Motor and MG registering the most orders, followed by Great Wall Motor, or GWM. A total of 1,500 sales were made between MG and GWM.

Toyota was the overall winner with more than 5,000 sales, followed by Honda (3,000), Mazda (2,900), Isuzu (2,600) and Mitsubishi (2,500). Car sales increased despite the ongoing pandemic, due in part to effective marketing campaigns and the government-backed promotion of electric vehicles, according to Jaturont Komolmis, vice-chairman of the motor show and chief executive of Grand Prix International. But he pointed out that petrol-powered vehicles still won the day…

“Internal combustion engine-powered cars still dominated the bookings, making up 31,896 units of total bookings, an increase of 14.4%.”

Currently, the government is offering a special package for the next two years, featuring tax cuts and subsidies ranging from 70,000 to 150,000 baht. The aim is to promote the use and manufacturing of EVs in Thailand. As a result, EV bookings likewise saw an increase of 10% for a total of 2,040 units at the motor show, which was held from March 23 to April 3 in Bangkok under strict Covid-19 protocols. More than 1 million people attended this year’s show.

SAIC Motor-CP and MG Sales (Thailand), which manufactures and distributes MG cars in the country, received the most orders, the Bangkok Post reported. Third in the ranking was Chinese manufacturer GWM, which produces funky-styled sport utility EVs and hybrids, some of them reminiscent of classic cars, such as the VW Beetle and MINI Cooper (with the Good Cat model which is full electric). The show’s most popular EV models were GWM’s Ora Good Cat, and MG’s MG EP and MG ZS EV, which racked up 1,520 orders collectively. Notably, MG offered a discount of 150,000 baht, while GWM offered a discount of 160,000 baht.

“Both brands received a good response from buyers because they signed agreements with the government to join its EV incentive package.”

SOURCE: Bangkok Post