Andrew Dwyer

Just seen a Dolphin on a transporter headed North, so if anyone around Chainat or above is waiting for one it’s on its way. The lilac colour makes it easy to spot .

So, recently i noticed GWM selling off their Haval Activity Cars ( showroom models not test drive ) in particular their older model H6 HEV and the two lower trim Jolion HEV’s ( Tech and Pro ) with a healthy discount at around 160k off . Which is a shame because if it were the Jolion Ultra , in white, or H6 PHEV i might have been in the market. Anyway, this all points to a new model Haval and here it is: The Haval Xiaolong Max (or Solo Max), a PHEV with a 1.5T engine and a body slightly bigger than the H6 PHEV, a grill borrowed from MG VS, 2 electric motors, but strangely only a 105 km range . Inside has 3 screens all the way across the dash, an array of buttons on the floating console ( good to see ) and the usual array of fancy stuff we have come to expect from new cars recently. No actual figures but claims of excellent fuel economy as the hybrid battery will assist the ICE even after the battery is depleted , yup !! that’s going to need some more explanation. No price but a rough guesstimate of similar to the H6 PHEV ( 1.7 mill ) can’t be far off ? Destined for Australia and S Africa markets so RHD is definitely on and with GWM doing a bit of spring cleaning here i imagine it will also be headed this way. Dashed my hopes for a Jolion PHEV at around 1.3 mill but who knows Xiaolong might well be the Max !! although while the interior looks nice the outside does look a bit uninspired. https://www-springnews-co-th.translate.goog/digital-tech/837876?_x_tr_sl=th&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true

On the Honda e the two screens idea is great even if the operating system looks a little antiquated, but the ability of the passenger setting up the sat nav on their screen and sliding it over to yours, for example, is a cool idea, not too sure about the screens replacing the wing mirrors though, seems like a lot of tech to replace a piece of mirrored glass although the images do appear very clear and effective when raining or at night . The pop out door handles with key proximity, personal wallpaper options for the screens and customisable widgets plus single pedal driving are all great ideas but I think the price and poor range is its downfall , at a similar price to the MG4 and with around half the range. The Honda e:Ny1 seems to have resisted the urge to provide anything new with the exception of the large screen and simply adopted the HR-V platform, almost seems like giving it a fancy new name slightly misleading.

Here’s a little look at the Honda e:Ny1 , most likely will make an appearance here , as a next step up from the HR-V Hybrid. First glance is a nice front end , familiar rear end, kinda bland interior, large battery but not so large range (?) and a small boot. A 15” portrait screen is a step up from Honda’s usual play it safe style but have to keep up with the competition, the screen splits into 3 so a lot of info ( maybe too much ) can be easily accessible. The lovely Imogen doesn’t give away too many details in this video, or maybe i was distracted ?, but still worth a watch if you are interested in a Honda ………. or an Imogen ?

BYD to compete with Tesla’s Autopilot ! Personally i think we should be putting Autopilot on hold and concentrating on improvements to the current lane keeping, adaptive cruise control and auto emergency braking but the current trend seems to be adding tech to the cars whether they work adequately or not ! https://carnewschina.com/2023/05/11/byd-to-launch-dnp-adas-to-compete-with-teslas-autopilot-chips-supplied-by-vw-backed-company/

Green green grass of home ?

onwardticket.com

Just checked, downloaded another NatWest app . Using my Thai phone number and App Store set to U.K. region . Works for iPhone, not sure about Android.

Apologies, I didn’t realise you couldn’t download the app, thought you were just having problems using it with a Thai number. Still think changing your region to U.K. in App or Play Store is the way to go, you can change it back afterwards .

Don’t think so. I don’t remember when or where I downloaded the app , have been with NatWest since the 80’s.

Okay, i see now that you cannot download the app. Try changing your region in App Store or Play Store to download.

That’s strange because I am with NatWest , use their app with a registered Thailand number .

Which bank ?

Op, a couple more points. If you are arriving visa exempt book your onward flight for day 28 or 29 of your stay here. Your onwards flight can be anywhere outside Thailand, not necessarily your home country. Your onward flight will quite probably have a validity of 48 hours so book the day before you travel. Print out, or screenshot on your phone, the onward flight itinerary.

I used them about 6 months ago, while an onward flight was not requested at check in i felt it worth it for peace of mind. Cost US$14.

My U.K. banking app is accessible in Thailand ( without use of a VPN ). Facial recognition is now being used on the app to replace the use of the card reader . Used it last week to add a new account for a payment.

I know it can be done very easily on a new car model recently selling in Thailand with a usb memory stick/flash drive. But also seen reports of only YouTube audio ( no video ) on another new car sold recently in Thailand so am guessing it depends on the car. If the op gave us the make and model of car he might get some more definitive answers.

Yup, it’s located between the Honest Taxi Driver and Yellow Book forums.

Yes, a few have diy’ed it themselves but you can buy also. This one on Lazada comes with suckers to keep it in place.

Seems like a pita to carry and fit that screen . A lot of Atto 3 users have been buying that foam with aluminium foil both sides, 10 mm thick, to block out the sun, fitting it between the sunshade and sunroof , others using 80% film to keep cool .

The MG Extender pick up comes in 5 colours ( white, silver, grey, black and red ) the cars also come in a similar range of colours, some including blue. Yellow is only for the MG3 and MG5 i believe. The latest, MG4 EV, has a great new light blue colour ( Holborn Blue ) but for some reason they don’t have the bright orange colour as used in the U.K. The first ZS ev variant came only in a pastel blue colour but the 2nd variant has more colours available. Thinking about it MG has a wide range of colours.

Good news for those waiting for BYD Seal, a new Champion Edition coming with a more affordable price https://carnewschina.com/2023/05/05/new-byd-seal-base-model-to-launch-11-cheaper-on-may-7-for-27400-usd/ Not sure if it will land on Thai shores but here’s hoping ????????

RIP Joe Thank you for the assistance you gave to many on here including myself .