matchar

22 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

We saw the Atto 1 and 2 today in Central Mall.

The Atto 1 is too small, the Atto 2 is very impressive.

The specs of the Atto 2 are not very impressive for a car launching mid-2026.

(82 kW DC charging, torsion beam rear suspension)

The new MG 4 beats it on both counts for a similar price, and comes with a transferrable lifetime warranty.

3 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I chased them and made that very point. I am guessing they got a dispensation. They told me “The company has followed all the necessary procedures. If there were any delays, the company has already provided explanations, and it will not affect our customers.”

They have promised registration by the end of this month.

Sounds a bit fishy to be honest.

I'm still not convinced BYD completely fulfilled their domestic manufacturing quota under EV 3.0, and they could be negotiating to rollover any unfulfilled quota into the EV 3.5 scheme.

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

It was impulse.

I ordered the Aion UT top a week or so ago, and I was going to go to the motorshow next Friday (bought the airline ticket Wednesday), to check out the Zeekr X. I won't now be going.

On the way to a coffee shop yesterday we got pulled over in a police checkpoint. We got a ticket in my daughter's Dolphin because it still hasn't been registered (bought 29/12/25) and didn't have red plates, our local dealer said if you get any tickets they would pay them. So we went to get a 2,000 baht refund and on the spur of the moment test drove the SL7 AWD.

I test drove one a while ago when I had my Seal Performance and the first thing I noticed was it was slower. But yesterday we went in a Dolphin and the SL7 felt both fast and comfortable.

On the Dolphin you can run Google maps in the GPack app, I'd be surprised if that's not possible on the SL7, it might need a software upgrade?

The policeman yesterday printed out the ticket with QR payment code on his portable terminal. I told him it was nice having no plates on the car because we could speed through the cameras which got a chuckle.

How can it not be registered by now? Weren't they required to register all vehicles by the end of January to receive the EV 3.0 subsidies?

It seems to me that the Chinese brands with the longest delays for newer models are those who have invested heavily in Thai factories like BYD.

Presumably they want to maximise the use of the old production runs before upgrading them.

MG also seem to be delaying new releases in Thailand compared to the UK and Australia.

https://autolifethailand.tv/official-price-discount-gac-hyptec-ht-ev-motor-show-2026/

I think this is the lowest price yet, it was previously on sale for 1,249,000 last year.

I'm surprised it hasn't been more popular as it's 800V architecture, unlike the Thai version of the BYD Sealion 7.

3 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

The big problems come in about three weeks when they run out of stocks and no more LNG to run the power stations then we’ll have rolling blackouts too

There is still a domestic gas supply as well as gas from Myanmar.

43 minutes ago, MonoXimian said:

I am tempted by the Geely EX5 Max at 849.000 baht and the cheaper LeapMotor B10 Design - has anyone had a test drive or bought either of these models? Or has anyone come across a good comparison video?? Im hoping that the motor show will give me more incentive to invest in one of these models

Both brands are fairly niche in Thailand at the moment. I would be looking at a car that has sold many units like the MG 4 so spare parts will not be an issue further down the line.

After the MG 4 facelift is revealed at the motor show, there should be some good deals on the old model. Also the new interior looks a lot nicer and I don't think the price of the new model will be much higher, maybe around 599k (but it also depends if they have upgraded the battery or not).

Chery, Omoda and Jaecoo recently cancelled the opening ceremony of their factory in Rayong at very short notice. It all seems a bit fishy to me.

https://autolifethailand.tv/chery-omoda-jaecoo-cancel-factory-ceremony-thailand/

Some people are speculating the factory is actually just a parts storage warehouse as the site is too small?

1 hour ago, Pib said:

I wonder if the phrase ".....if brought in under EV3.5 conditions" has a major impact on the excise tax? What would be the excise tax if "not" brought in under EV3.5 conditions?......Tax higher than 10%....maybe still low at 2%....etc?

No I think the 10% is standard. Now only locally produced models have the reduced 2% excise tax, hence the large price increase on the BYD Sealion 7 (loss of 75k subsidy plus another 100k or so in excise tax).

Now imported and locally produced PHEVs have an excise tax of only 5% in 2026 and they also have much lower insurance costs than pure EVs.

I think my next car will be a PHEV. I would prefer a pure EV but the price of insurance puts me off.

"Rêver Automotive, BYD’s distributor, expects total 2025 sales to reach nearly 50,000 units (with registrations at 44,636). Executives have confirmed that BYD ATTO 3 and BYD DOLPHIN will move up in price as previously announced, with new pricing being prepared and awaiting approval from the Excise Department.

Imported models have already been repriced. BYD Sealion 7 is up 190,000 baht to 1,264,900-1,364,900 baht, while BYD M6 has risen 160,000 baht to 909,900-1,009,900 baht."

Perhaps BYD are negotiating their production quota and subsidies with the Excise Department?

21 hours ago, Pib said:

You sure about above....imported EV "passenger cars" are suppose to still be eligible under EV3.5 but "not" imported EV pickup trucks or motorcycles.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/automobile/40061166

Chinese automakers are raising EV prices for 2026 after EV3.0 ended and EV3.5 cut subsidies to 50,000 baht for locally built models, while imports lose support and face 10% excise.

Chinese automakers are rolling out new, higher EV price lists for 2026 after the government’s EV3.0 scheme ended and was replaced by EV3.5, which reduces support and changes incentives, particularly for imported models.

Under EV3.5, the subsidy has been cut to 50,000 baht and applies only to vehicles assembled in Thailand. Imported models are not eligible for benefits and face a higher excise tax of 10%, up from 2%, if brought in under EV3.5 conditions.

20 hours ago, vinny41 said:

Thailand has achieved a historic milestone, with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) confirming the export of its inaugural consignment of 660 electric vehicles (EVs) in April 2025.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/automobile/40050341

BYD has reached the milestone of producing its 70,000th vehicle at its Thailand plant, about 16 months after operations commenced

The Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker reached this milestone on November 27 2025

https://cnevpost.com/2025/12/03/byd-thailand-plant-70000th-production-milestone/

BYD has exported electric vehicles

The first batch of 959 cars is destined for the European market, including Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Higher sales, higher offset obligations

As Thailand’s leading EV brand and the country’s fourth-largest carmaker overall, with an 8% market share, BYD faces one of the heaviest obligations. It must produce about 30,000 units to offset imports under EV 3.0.

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/automobile/40054464

If this article is correct then BYD have easily met their local production requirements

It is not exactly crystal clear...as of the date of that Nation article, they still had 30,000 left to produce.

How many of those 70,000 were produced before that date? And how many cars did BYD import in 2025?

I think MG and GWM have announced they successfully met their production quotas.

Whereas BYD have been rather quiet on that topic, unless I missed their announcement. Seems to me if they did meet their quota they would want to brag about it.

This is from AI so it might not be 100% accurate:

Production Quota Status

While BYD significantly ramped up production at its Rayong plant—reaching a milestone of 70,000 vehicles by late 2025—it did not fully clear all historical offset obligations by the end of the year.

Partial Fulfillment: BYD used its high-volume production of the Dolphin and Atto 3 to offset a large portion of its 2022–2024 imports.

The Rollover: Under a special provision approved by the EV Board, any production commitment not completed by the end of 2025 was transferred to the EV 3.5 scheme.

Export Strategy: To accelerate compliance, BYD became the first manufacturer to utilize the "export credit" rule, where exporting a Thai-made car counts as 1.5 units toward their local production quota.

Consequences of the 2026 Rollover

Because BYD transitioned remaining obligations into EV 3.5, it faces stricter operational conditions starting January 1, 2026:

Stricter Ratios: Any imported vehicles from 2025 that were not offset by year-end must now be matched by domestic production at a higher ratio of 1:2 by 2026 or 1:3 by 2027.

Subsidy Suspension: Government policy dictates that EV 3.5 subsidies for new models will only be disbursed once the manufacturer has fully completed its transferred EV 3.0 production debt.

1 minute ago, vinny41 said:

Since April 2025 a number of Brands have been exporting their vehicles

Every EV produced for export will now count as 1.5 units towards a manufacturer’s local production obligations, the agency said in a statement.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/3144209/thailand-adjusts-ev-policy-to-head-off-supply-glut
I think you will find that all the brands taking part in EV 3.0 have met their requirements regarding local production numbers with the execption of Neta

I don't think that many have been exported yet, but they will probably ramp it up going forwards to tariff free markets such as the UK and Australia.

I've yet to see any confirmation that BYD have successfully met their local production quota though, please share if you have.

4 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

After that article was published

In December 2023, the Thai government extended the deadline for vehicle registration under the original EV 3.0 scheme from December 31, 2023, to January 31, 2024. 

And they extended EV 3.0 again in January 2024 until 31st January 2026 on the provision that all cars purchased under EV 3.0 were purchased by 31st December 2025

For 2025 the EV 3.0 subsidy was 150,000

The 2025 150,000 EV 3.0 subsidy only applied to certain models produced locally such as Atto 3 and Dolphin.

In 2025 imported models such as the Sealion 7 received a 75,000 subsidy and also excise tax reduction.

From 2026 imported models are no longer eligible for any subsidy or excise tax reduction unless they plan to start local production of that specific model.

Transition to EV 3.5:

Due to a general market slowdown in 2024–2025, the Thai EV Board allowed manufacturers (including BYD) to postpone unmet EV 3.0 production commitments:

The Deferred Ratio: Any production not completed by the end of 2025 must now be fulfilled under EV 3.5 conditions at a stricter ratio of 1:2 by 2026 or 1:3 by 2027.

Subsidy Impact: Models like the BYD Dolphin and Atto 3 officially transitioned from the 150,000 THB EV 3.0 subsidy to a lower 50,000 THB subsidy under EV 3.5 starting January 1, 2026.

It will be interesting to find out how much of their production quota they carried forwards as the stricter ratios could lead to oversupply.

The EV 3.5 subsidies are still continuing to offer up to 50,000 baht off in 2026, but only for cars assembled in Thailand.

This has reduced slightly from 75,000 in 2025.

It looks like the MG 4 has had a modest price increase roughly equal to this 25,000 reduction in subsidy.

The Excise Department is preparing to file a lawsuit to protect its interests.

Sources from the Ministry of Finance revealed to Prachachat Business that, following NETA, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, withdrawing its investment from Thailand and returning to China , the Excise Department is currently preparing legal action to track down and investigate the company's assets.

NETA received investment promotion under the electric vehicle ( EV3) and EV3.5 incentive programs , which were subsidized by the government. Asset tracing will now focus on NETA Auto (Thailand) Co., Ltd., which is registered in Thailand, as the law does not permit pursuing assets from companies in China.

Authorities are aiming to pursue legal action against bank guarantees resulting from the EV 3.0 initiative.

Sources indicate that in its lawsuit against NETA regarding its eligibility for benefits under the EV 3.0 scheme, NETA allegedly used a method of hiring factories in Thailand to manufacture electric vehicles, presumably with bank guarantees as collateral.

"We need to recover the assets to get the money back. For the portion that received incentives under the EV 3.0 scheme, NETA hired factories in Thailand to produce the vehicles, and it's understood that bank guarantees were used. We will have to pursue the funds from those contracted manufacturers," the source stated.

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Nice little summary of the main drivers of BYD price increases for 2026 -- subsidies and/or excise tax which affect different models differently. Of course subsidies/excise taxes will have similar affects on other brands/models; not just only BYD.

I wonder if the best year to buy an EV price-wise was 2025 (i.e., the good ol' days)....the sweet-spot year due to a combination of price-war, subsidies, and tax.

https://www.dsf.my/2025/12/byd-stock-clearance-pricing-in-thailand-as-subsidies-set-to-expire/#:~:text=The%20transition%20from%20the%20government's,available%20until%20December%2031%2C%202025.

The End of the THB 150,000 Subsidy

The transition from the government’s EV 3.0 program to the EV 3.5 scheme marks a major shift in the local automotive landscape. Under EV 3.0, popular models like the BYD Dolphin and Atto 3 were eligible for a maximum subsidy of THB 150,000. From 2026, these locally produced models will see their support slashed to a maximum of THB 50,000.

Furthermore, imported models—including the Seal, M6, Sealion 7, and the luxury Denza D9—will face a double impact: the complete loss of the current THB 75,000 subsidy and a sharp increase in excise tax rates, which will jump from 2% to 10%.

I'm fairly sure the excise tax on EVs is still reduced to 2%.

Low emission HEVs and PHEVs with a large battery have just had excise tax reduced to 5% so expect some good deals on these going forwards.