by Paul Rujopakarn

    

BANGKOK (NNT) - Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor has signed a deal with The Thai government to reduce the retail price of its electric vehicles, a move aimed at increasing domestic EV sales and production.

 

According to Michael Chong, General Manager of Great Wall Motor Thailand, the agreement, which includes a government subsidy and a reduction in value-added tax, could save customers up to 160,000 baht (US$4,779) per unit.

 

A similar agreement was also signed on Monday (21 Mar) with Great Wall’s rival automaker, SAIC-CP Motor, the Thai subsidiary of SAIC Motor Corp.

 

The signing comes as Thailand works to promote electric vehicle use and maintain its status as a major regional automaker. By 2030, the government intends to produce 725,000 electric vehicles per year or 30% of total production.

 

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Chong added that other factors such as rising energy prices were also contributing to the growth of EV demand.

 

Great Wall Motor acquired General Motors’ Thailand plant in 2020, Asia’s fourth-largest auto assembly and export hub. The firm intends to sell 20,000 units in Thailand in 2022 through its two brands, the BEV Ora Good Cat and Haval SUVs. In 2024, it intends to manufacture EVs on-site.

 

However, analysts said the transition will take time, as Thailand registered fewer than 4,000 fully electric vehicles last year and manufacturing investments are still being made in conventional engines. Among them is Ford Motor Co, which recently invested $900 million in Thailand to upgrade factories that produce its Ranger pickup truck and Everest SUV.

 

Andrea Cavallaro, Ford Operations Director, International Market Group, said internal combustion engine vehicles will continue to exist for some time, citing the fact that EV technology and infrastructure have yet to be adopted in Southeast Asia and other major economies worldwide.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2022-03-24

 

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"Andrea Cavallaro, Ford Operations Director, International Market Group, said internal combustion engine vehicles will continue to exist for some time, citing the fact that EV technology and infrastructure have yet to be adopted in Southeast Asia and other major economies worldwide."

 

BS - While Ford goes medieval with ICS in Thailand, it's going Star Wars in other major economies worldwide:

 

https://www.mall-11.xyz/ProductDetail.aspx?iid=22469884&pr=398.88

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/volkswagen-ford-deepen-electric-vehicle-cooperation-2022-03-14/

https://www.electrive.com/2021/03/18/ford-to-manufacture-two-evs-in-mexico/

https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/09/27/ford-motor-company-all-electric-vehicles/5884985001/

https://www.barrons.com/articles/ford-motor-stock-china-sales-evs-51642181272

 

Note that imported Chinese manufactured EVs (ie., Tesla, BYD, SAIC, NIO, XPeng, Geely) pay no duty fees into Thailand. Combined with Thailand's new auto subsidies and lower VAT, Ford's Thailand ICE plants and sales are at severe risk from EV imports.

 

In fact just recently:

https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/21/foxconn-says-thailand-ev-factory-will-begin-producing-50000-units-by-2023/

That's excellent news and if those savings of 160,000 baht per vehicle are fully passed on to the customer I shall order 20 of them.  With the 3.2 million I will save I can order a nice Mercedes-Benz ????

7 minutes ago, Excel said:

That's excellent news and if those savings of 160,000 baht per vehicle are fully passed on to the customer I shall order 20 of them.  With the 3.2 million I will save I can order a nice Mercedes-Benz ????

They are:

 

And the new MG ZS is discounted by THB 240k plus:

With the 250k subsidy the MG-ZS is looking very tempting!

 

The version with the whizz-bang extras just scrapes over the 1MB line.

Just wondering, anyone seen a charger for one of these EV on the road anywhere?

11 minutes ago, Crossy said:

With the 250k subsidy the MG-ZS is looking very tempting!

 

The version with the whizz-bang extras just scrapes over the 1MB line.

Has it got the 72 or 44kWh battery? My last visit to MG I was told Thai versions only come with the smaller battery.

5 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Has it got the 72 or 44kWh battery? My last visit to MG I was told Thai versions only come with the smaller battery.

The new MG ZS EV has the larger battery, already released in the U.K. and selling well , well it was before they stopped the government subsidy.

The newest version comes in more colours ( opposed to the “ only mint blue “ of the current EV ) and is also easily recognised by the colour coded grill as in the photo above.

The 250k subsidy is indeed tempting but the Thai government needs to address the amount of chargers available if they seriously want to encourage the public to go EV.

19 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Has it got the 72 or 44kWh battery? My last visit to MG I was told Thai versions only come with the smaller battery.

 

According to the Tech Spec page on MG Thailand it has a 50kWh Li-ion pack.

21 minutes ago, Crossy said:

 

According to the Tech Spec page on MG Thailand it has a 50kWh Li-ion pack.

Hopefully Thailand will be getting this which quotes a 72.6kWh battery:

 

https://www.mg.co.uk/new-cars/new-mg-zs-ev

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by Andrew Dwyer

If you can't find a charging station, you're not looking for one:

 

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Combined with Thailand's new auto subsidies and lower VAT, Ford's Thailand ICE plants and sales are at severe risk from EV imports.

I think you are being over-dramatic this point in time in forecasting severe risk to Ford.

 

The drift to EV is coming, but it will be a long-one, probably take decades and happen at different paces depending on national circumstances.

 

Last year's 4,000 EV sales were <0.5% of the Thai domestic market. In the UK (wealthier, more social/environmental incentives & awareness) 11% of new sales in 2021 were EV.

 

Ford sold around 40,000 vehicles in Thailand in 2021, I also believe Ford export more than half their local production. 

 

 

1 hour ago, KhunLA said:

If you can't find a charging station, you're not looking for one:

 

What did you use to get the charging station map?

 

Are the MG chargers allowed to be used by other EV's?

Narrator: No one wanted China designed cars...

An off topic post and the replies have been removed.

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

What did you use to get the charging station map?

 

Are the MG chargers allowed to be used by other EV's?

Pulled those screenshots off here: 

https://www.mgcars.com/en/innovation/ev/charging-station

 

Far from complete list / map, as other vendors since have opened.  More than enough if out & about, especially with the low #s of EVs on the road.  Google will probably bring up more along with apps to join an provider.

 

Been to malls & hotels offering, and most empty, or with open slots.  Even locally one can top up while shopping or out for a munch, if need be, and probably a bit faster than at home, if not having a fast charger at residence.

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by KhunLA

7 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Pulled those screenshots off here: 

https://www.mgcars.com/en/innovation/ev/charging-station

 

Far from complete list / map, as other vendors since have opened.  More than enough if out & about, especially with the low #s of EVs on the road.  Google will probably bring up more along with apps to join an provider.

 

Been to malls & hotels offering, and most empty, or with open slots.  Even locally one can top up while shopping or out for a munch, if need be, and probably a bit faster than at home, if not having a fast charger at residence.

I’ve seen that MG map, but my local MG dealer told me that you can only charge MG cars at MG charging stations, whether it’s true or not I don’t know.  They had the usual car salesman’s product knowledge (in other words they knew how many wheels their cars had, nothing more).

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by JBChiangRai

33 minutes ago, MSMU1993 said:

Narrator: No one wanted China designed cars...

'No one'...

 

That's a big statement, how many people did they survey?

 

Sales for 2021 seem to clash with this statement.

5 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I’ve seen that MG map, but my local MG dealer told me that you can only charge MG cars at MG charging stations, whether it’s true or not I don’t know.  They had the usual car salesman’s product knowledge (in other words they knew how many wheels their cars had, nothing more).

Shouldn't be a problem. For instance, here's a map of charging points close to my current location in Hua Hin. Only one of them is an MG dealer.

2 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I’ve seen that MG map, but my local MG dealer told me that you can only charge MG cars at MG charging stations, whether it’s true or not I don’t know.  They had the usual car salesman’s product knowledge (in other words they knew how many wheels their cars had, nothing more).

Better than our experience with Chrysler in Chiang Mai:

 

- Potential customers in showroom not allowed to talk direct to sales staff.

- Attempts to do so and diverted to the pretty girls floating around.

- Ask any of the pretty girls any basic question and always exact same response (in Thai) "it's a very beautiful car."

 

- Call Their HO in BKK and ask what the mileage per liter is and response "That's not important and you can check it yourself after you take delivery of the car".

 

Attempts to explain why it is important gained same reponse "That's not important and you can check it yourself after you take delivery of the car".

23 minutes ago, scorecard said:

'No one'...

 

That's a big statement, how many people did they survey?

 

Sales for 2021 seem to clash with this statement.

Narrator: There is always one....

43 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Better than our experience with Chrysler in Chiang Mai:

Their cars seem very expensive! 

Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid Limited 2022

Price in THB:   173,250,000
Price in USD: $5,250,000

https://www.ccarprice.com/th/chrysler-pacifica-plug-in-hybrid-limited-2022-price-in-thailand-9677

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by rbkk

49 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I’ve seen that MG map, but my local MG dealer told me that you can only charge MG cars at MG charging stations, whether it’s true or not I don’t know.  They had the usual car salesman’s product knowledge (in other words they knew how many wheels their cars had, nothing more).

Special plugs and sockets like Iphones?

5 hours ago, Excel said:

That's excellent news and if those savings of 160,000 baht per vehicle are fully passed on to the customer I shall order 20 of them.  With the 3.2 million I will save I can order a nice Mercedes-Benz ????

"Rubbish Ignorance "????

Does the positioning of the cars against the background in the photo indicate an endorsement? If I were a Japanese auto maker, I think I would just pack up and move manufacturing to Vietnam.

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by John Drake

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Special plugs and sockets like Iphones?

No, they're standard as practically every EH/PHEV (excluding Tesla and some early Nissan), the problem is they establish a data connection with the car first and only after negotiating the link, car capabilities etc, start charging.

 

With a Porsche Taycan in some countries you just plug it in, it reads details from your car and charges your appropriate account automatically.  Not in Thailand, naturally.  Maybe I'll drive down to MG and see if I can use the charger, last time I tried to register an account, it wanted the VIN number of the (MG) car.

 

Whilst charging stations are getting more frequent, it's a real PITA if you live in Chiang Rai (as I do) and want to drive to Bangkok or further South, like Khao Lak which is my preferred holiday destination in Thailand.  There's a fast charger at Uttaradit, but it's on the edge of the (real world) range.

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by JBChiangRai

With the government discount the MG EP is now at a very attractive price-point

Nah

They will be junking them EV's in,  in a few years time,  for some real transport suitable for Thailand.

 

Edited March 27, 20224 yr by Orinoco

On 3/24/2022 at 8:23 AM, Darkside Gray said:

Just wondering, anyone seen a charger for one of these EV on the road anywhere?

I charge mine at my condo.
Ordered a new 350m extension cable. Straight out of my apartment into the garage.

1 minute ago, RafPinto said:

I charge mine at my condo.
Ordered a new 350m extension cable. Straight out of my apartment into the garage.

Safety first. !!!!! !