Electric Vehicles in Thailand

[Pib]

Saw articles all over the internet where BYD has just made big price cuts on many of its EV sold in China.   For example see below article with chart showing price reductions (reduction percentage) for many models such as the Atto (called Yuan in China), Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 7 (called Sealion 07 in China), etc.

 

Apparently the price cut thru June 2025 is driven by high inventory levels at dealerships although sales growth has been increasing/very good.  Wouldn't surprise me it the promotion goes beyond the end of June.

 

I know specifications of models sold in China differ somewhat from what is sold outside of China (like in Thailand) but I wonder if price-cuts may be coming to Thailand BYD dealerships soon....triggering another round of cut-throat price cutting in Thailand. 

 

https://cnevpost.com/2025/05/24/byd-offers-price-discounts-china/

BYD offers wide-ranging price discounts, raising price war risk in China

By Phate Zhang

May 24, 2025, 10:09 AM GMT+7

 

 

[khunphil]

16 hours ago, Pib said:

Saw articles all over the internet where BYD has just made big price cuts on many of its EV sold in China.   For example see below article with chart showing price reductions (reduction percentage) for many models such as the Atto (called Yuan in China), Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 7 (called Sealion 07 in China), etc.

 

Apparently the price cut thru June 2025 is driven by high inventory levels at dealerships although sales growth has been increasing/very good.  Wouldn't surprise me it the promotion goes beyond the end of June.

 

I know specifications of models sold in China differ somewhat from what is sold outside of China (like in Thailand) but I wonder if price-cuts may be coming to Thailand BYD dealerships soon....triggering another round of cut-throat price cutting in Thailand. 

 

https://cnevpost.com/2025/05/24/byd-offers-price-discounts-china/

BYD offers wide-ranging price discounts, raising price war risk in China

By Phate Zhang

May 24, 2025, 10:09 AM GMT+7

 

 

 

 .. hmm .. minus 15% or 20% would be very interesting as entry level models would be now definitely cheaper than ICE ...

Phil.

[Photoguy21]

22 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

You missed the point of the post you quoted.

When you are stuck behind slow moving vehicles the instant torque and higher hp gives you more opportunities to overtake.

Certainly not irrelevant if you are in a +500 hp BYD Seal or a 68 hp Suzuki Celery !

No I didn't. People fool themselves into believing that because their EV can go from Zero to 60 in 2 seconds, which it may well be capable of, you have to have the road on which to do it. Thailand does not have those roads.

[Photoguy21]

19 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

The obsession with “ my car is faster than yours “ is ridiculous ……. oh by the way I had a 911 !!

 

Nothing to do with Electric vehicles in Thailand yet you felt the need to tell us ….. see how that looks ?

If you start a conversation you will get replies. If you don't like them tough luck. I understand you only want replies that boost your argument but that isn't the way a discussion operates. If you don't like contrary opinions then don't start a post that will get them

[mikebike]

9 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

No I didn't. People fool themselves into believing that because their EV can go from Zero to 60 in 2 seconds, which it may well be capable of, you have to have the road on which to do it. Thailand does not have those roads.

0 to 60mph in 2 seconds takes only 88 feet, and then, about another 100 feet to stop. Virtually every Thai town has a piece of road suitable.

[Andrew Dwyer]

13 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

No I didn't. People fool themselves into believing that because their EV can go from Zero to 60 in 2 seconds, which it may well be capable of, you have to have the road on which to do it. Thailand does not have those roads.

Plenty of good roads in Thailand 

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

If you start a conversation you will get replies. If you don't like them tough luck. I understand you only want replies that boost your argument but that isn't the way a discussion operates. If you don't like contrary opinions then don't start a post that will get them

What on earth are you talking about now ??

Seems like you are the one who is getting upset because people aren’t agreeing with your opinions !!

[Photoguy21]

7 minutes ago, mikebike said:

0 to 60mph in 2 seconds takes only 88 feet, and then, about another 100 feet to stop. Virtually every Thai town has a piece of road suitable.

What exactly is having such acceleration trying to prove? Does it really matter if you get to your destination a few seconds faster than with an ICE vehicle?

[Photoguy21]

6 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

What on earth are you talking about now ??

Seems like you are the one who is getting upset because people aren’t agreeing with your opinions !!

I couldnt less about electric vehicles. If you want one go buy one but they are not the be all and end all unless the buyer believes it is.

[TronxII]

20 hours ago, Pib said:

but I wonder if price-cuts may be coming to Thailand BYD dealerships soon....triggering another round of cut-throat price cutting in Thailand. 

I would not really call these reductions cut throat. In china, they can sell the BYD seagull for around 10k$, and I
m sure they dont sell at a loss. The Dolphin which is similar, was 799kB at the beginning, and now they are producing in Thailand. The cost of labour in TH might be even cheaper than in China. Therefore reducing the car to 500k, would seem to me just normal price. Its not that they are making losses. 

I m waiting for an electric pickup reasonably priced. The Riddara 6  entry level model at 900k is still way above ICE pickups and that cheap model can only go 300km or so. Electric should be cheaper to produce than ICE with 10 000 moving parts only in the motor. And therefore the cars should also be much cheaper. 

[mikebike]

1 hour ago, Photoguy21 said:

What exactly is having such acceleration trying to prove? Does it really matter if you get to your destination a few seconds faster than with an ICE vehicle?

I have no idea what it is trying to prove. I was responding to your uninformed post stating 0 to 60 mph in 2 secs was impossible anywhere in Thailand.

[mikebike]

1 hour ago, Photoguy21 said:

I couldnt less about electric vehicles. If you want one go buy one but they are not the be all and end all unless the buyer believes it is.

Apparently you do, you keep posting 😂😂

[JBChiangRai]

4 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

No I didn't. People fool themselves into believing that because their EV can go from Zero to 60 in 2 seconds, which it may well be capable of, you have to have the road on which to do it. Thailand does not have those roads.

 

Absolutely Thailand does have those roads.  My country, the UK, also has those roads but it has so much traffic you can't use that performance.  Thailand is a pleasure to drive in a high performance car.

[ExpatOilWorker]

3 hours ago, TronxII said:

I would not really call these reductions cut throat. In china, they can sell the BYD seagull for around 10k$, and I
m sure they dont sell at a loss. The Dolphin which is similar, was 799kB at the beginning, and now they are producing in Thailand. The cost of labour in TH might be even cheaper than in China. Therefore reducing the car to 500k, would seem to me just normal price. Its not that they are making losses. 

I m waiting for an electric pickup reasonably priced. The Riddara 6  entry level model at 900k is still way above ICE pickups and that cheap model can only go 300km or so. Electric should be cheaper to produce than ICE with 10 000 moving parts only in the motor. And therefore the cars should also be much cheaper. 

That bar just got moved a bit lower.

 

BYD announced a fresh round of price cuts for more than 20 models over the weekend, bringing the price tag of its cheapest model — the pure battery-powered Seagull hatchback — to as low as Rmb55,800 ($7,770). Chinese EV shares tumble as BYD sparks ‘rat race’ price war fears. https://ft.com/content/74958651-ec86-4a07-a743-502445f54553

 

 

[KhunLA]

5 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

No I didn't. People fool themselves into believing that because their EV can go from Zero to 60 in 2 seconds, which it may well be capable of, you have to have the road on which to do it. Thailand does not have those roads.

And yet,  the speed limit on some roads in TH is 120 kph ... go figure 

 

I'm constantly being passed as I glide along at the lowly speed limit of 90 kph 😎

 

Just think, if they actually sold a car in TH that could do it in 2 seconds.  Any more 'what if' scenarios you want to propose ?🙄

[matchar]

2 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

That bar just got moved a bit lower.

 

BYD announced a fresh round of price cuts for more than 20 models over the weekend, bringing the price tag of its cheapest model — the pure battery-powered Seagull hatchback — to as low as Rmb55,800 ($7,770). Chinese EV shares tumble as BYD sparks ‘rat race’ price war fears. https://ft.com/content/74958651-ec86-4a07-a743-502445f54553

 

 

Just shows you how overpriced EVs in Thailand currently are.

 

BYD are still making a profit at those China prices while they rip us off with outdated models at higher prices.

 

And they are ripping off the taxpayer too, selling at these inflated prices even after the large government subsidy.

[josephbloggs]

5 minutes ago, matchar said:

Just shows you how overpriced EVs in Thailand currently are.

 

BYD are still making a profit at those China prices while they rip us off with outdated models at higher prices.

 

And they are ripping off the taxpayer too, selling at these inflated prices even after the large government subsidy.

You have to be kidding, right? How do you come to the anti EV, anti China conclusion when they are supporting the consumer?

If you want to see ripping off, go and get a quote for a Camry and see what you think. Or an Accord. Or a BMW 3-series. Or a Mazda 3. Or a.....

 

And they are slow, dirty, noisy, and full of old technology.

But your problem is with EV manufacturers reducing the price, not with those guys with ridiculously inflated prices for inferior products. Got it.

[matchar]

13 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

You have to be kidding, right? How do you come to the anti EV, anti China conclusion when they are supporting the consumer?

If you want to see ripping off, go and get a quote for a Camry and see what you think. Or an Accord. Or a BMW 3-series. Or a Mazda 3. Or a.....

 

And they are slow, dirty, noisy, and full of old technology.

But your problem is with EV manufacturers reducing the price, not with those guys with ridiculously inflated prices for inferior products. Got it.

You seem to have a problem with reading comprehension. I would be very happy if they reduced their prices in Thailand.

 

I'm not anti-EV or anti-China, I just think their prices in Thailand are currently too high.

 

I'm waiting for the right time to buy an EV when the market in Thailand is more mature like in China and there's more choice and more competition.

[JBChiangRai]

I just test drove the MG IM6, it was one down from the top (fast) one.

 

I like its LFP battery chemistry.  Massive boot space. The electric button to open the door an inch or so, the display and it’s quiet.

 

I’m not a fan of the ride, it was a bit jiggly and definitely not as good as the BYD Seal AWD.  Surprising, considering I understand it’s air suspension.  It would be interesting to compare the a BYD Sealion 7.

 

At ฿1.4 million I’m not feeling the value.

 

It’s not very quick, the performance model would fix that but unfortunately it’s NMC battery chemistry and that is a big negative factor for me.

[matchar]

https://carnewschina.com/2025/05/29/neta-hq-logo-removed-overnight-amid-founder-facing-exit/

 

"The financial collapse has also affected operations. Internal sources report unpaid debts to suppliers exceeding 6 billion yuan (833 million USD), with battery giant CATL among those halting deliveries. As a result, Neta’s domestic production has stopped, further delaying overseas orders despite having secured a 2.15 billion yuan (nearly 300 million USD) credit line in Thailand."

[CLW]

More news about Neta Thailand from Khaosod English FB

 

NETA Thailand is clearing its stock and dumping the price of the NETA V-II EV to 299,000 baht per car. Concerns are growing that the brand may not be able to survive, with dealers closing showrooms and employees resigning.
On June 4, representatives of the NETA electric vehicle brand in Thailand have announced a price dump for the NETA V-II EV on dealer pages, selling it for 299,000 baht per car (including VAT: 319,000 baht). However, all warranties have been removed.
Recently, NETA Thailand ran a wholesale promotion of "Buy 4 - Get 1 Free" or about a 20% discount, selling the NETA V-II Smart model for only 339,000 baht.
A source from a large car dealership revealed that the situation of NETA in Thailand is currently very uncertain. Most dealers have been trying to clear their existing car stock as much as possible, as they are uncertain about the situation and prefer to hold cash. Some dealers who were able to clear their stock have decided to cease being dealers.
Similarly, a dealer source admitted that they and other dealers are highly concerned about the current situation. Additionally, NETA Thailand has been trying to expedite the delivery of over 600 cars they have on hand to dealers for sale, in order to clear stock and assets. This has led many to assess that NETA is currently in a very critical transitional period.
A major NETA dealer admitted that out of the more than 10 NETA showrooms and service centers they originally had in Bangkok and other provinces, they have now decided to cease operations at 8 locations, leaving only 3 active.
The reason for ceasing operations is a lack of confidence in NETA's business direction in Thailand and a belief that they cannot continue. This is similar to several other dealers who have already given up.
From 66 dealers in March, the number has dropped to 53 by the end of May, and is expected to continue decreasing. Similarly, the number of company employees, originally around 50 for both headquarters and the factory, is now approximately 40 and is expected to continue to drop.
A source in the automotive industry revealed that throughout NETA's new crisis, there have been efforts by the Chinese management team to contact several Thai conglomerates to propose selling NETA Thailand to Thai investors, with values ranging from 1,200-2,000 million baht. However, the deals could not be finalized as NETA's situation in Thailand was assessed as difficult to continue.
Previously, NETA Auto, an electric vehicle manufacturer from China under Hozon New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., experienced a significant slowdown in sales in Thailand.
Furthermore, the parent company in China faced financial problems, suffering high losses of up to 100,000 million yuan, or approximately 400 billion baht. Ultimately, NETA decided to cease operations in other countries, including Malaysia and Singapore.
Prior to this, Mr. Fang Yunzhou, founder and chairman of Hozon New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd., affirmed that NETA aims to focus on profitable countries, and Thailand is the only market NETA sees as having potential and being a key market outside of China. They invested in a vehicle assembly plant to push Thailand to be a production base for exporting right-hand drive NETA vehicles to various countries worldwide.However, liquidity problems inevitably affected NETA Thailand's business operations. According to new registration data from the Department of Land Transport, 100% electric vehicles recorded 31,009 new registrations in the first four months, an increase of 22.35%. As for the NETA brand, sales in the first four months were 1,067 units, a decrease of 37.3%. NETA's total sales in Thailand to date are approximately 20,000 units.Source: Prachachat Turakij, a sister daily of Khaosod English. #Thailand #NETA #EV #China

[Pib]

2 hours ago, CLW said:

More news about Neta Thailand from Khaosod English FB

 

NETA Thailand is clearing its stock and dumping the price of the NETA V-II EV to 299,000 baht per car. 

 

How in the world can they be selling a Neta VII below $300K!!!!   A car that is "youthful & sporty"....a car with "cute big-eyed" headlights...throw in "starlight" and "galaxy" descriptions...."unique & outstanding"....etc....etc....etc.  Below from Neta Thailand website.  😉

https://www.neta.co.th/en/product/NetaV-II

[Pib]

A snapshot from Facebook Neta Auto Thailand....a Facebook post made around 3pm 6 June 2025.   The post says the Neta Spare Parts Distribution Center is supposedly up and running.   I can confirm the center is open as I drive by it once or twice a week between my Bangkok home and my MIL's home in Nakhon Pathom.  Now how many parts the center really has is anyone's guess but Neta is sure making it sound like all is well with Neta in Thailand.  I hope it works out for them.

 

https://www.facebook.com/NetaAutoThailand/

[ExpatOilWorker]

On 5/15/2025 at 10:51 AM, Pib said:

 

Just took a look at the Thailand DLT "registration" stats for Jan - Apr 2025 and NETA sales are heading south.   While Apr was not a great month for most car manufacturers when compared to the previous 3 months the NETA registrations had a big drop in Apr.  So far for 2025 NETA registrations have been: 985 in Jan, 288 in Feb, 237 in Mar, and 123 in Apr. 

 

 Jan is typically a good registrations month for pretty much every car manufacturer due to end of year sales typically during the previous Nov/Dec which don't possibly materialize into actual completed sales/registrations until a month or two later and then typically appear in the ensuing Jan registration stats like shown below. 

 

So, with all the recent news over the last few months regarding Neta's financial challenges and the typical registration pop in Jan, it might be best just to ignore Jan registration numbers to determine "current" potential customer buying sediment.  Hopefully Neta pulls through but it will probably be the primary home market in China versus overseas markets like in Thailand that really determine Neta's future. 

 

From Thailand Dept of Land Transport (DLT) stats website

 

 

189 NETA vehicles registered in May, they are as dead as a door 🚪 nail.

[Pib]

Definitely read the AutoLifeThailand article which is an interview/Q&A with the Neta Thailand HiSo's.   Definitely does not look good.  I expect by the end of this month/June there will be something more definitive on Neta's fate.    Yea, read below article....lots of revealing Q&As.

 

https://autolifethailand.tv/neta-auto-thailand-4-june-2025/

messageCar newsNew car

June 5, 2025

 

Updated: June 6, 2025

NETA Auto Thailand Current Situation June 4, 2025 Executive Interview Sun Baolong / Chen Yinbin

NETA Auto Thailand List of executives interviewed today

• Sun Baolong Mr. Sun Baolong, Head of Asia Business, Southeast Asia Region
• Mr. Chen Yinbin, Deputy General Manager of Neta Auto (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

 

 

Is Neta still in Thailand?

Executive Sun Baolong replied, “ If NETA in China is still there, NETA in Thailand will still be there. ” However, it depends on the situation of the parent company Hozon Auto, NETA in China. We are doing our best because Thailand is our main base.

Neta 's Shanghai headquarters has removed its logo due to the expiration of its lease. There was previously information that it would be moved to a new location. Where is it?

Removed the logo because the head office in China was changed to Hongqiao, Shanghai.

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/NETA_001.jpg

Neta's short-term plan

In June, there was a restructuring of the company, Neta in China, now has new investors, but it is not convenient to disclose which country the investors are, but can only reveal that they are investors from China and foreign countries, but Neta will choose only one group, not many groups.

The proportion of shareholding of the new investors cannot be determined yet because it depends on the amount of investment. However, in the middle of June, there will be a change in the board of directors of Neta Auto (Thailand) Co., Ltd., with the names of the new investors joining the board of directors.

• There will be a debt restructuring, with the Chinese government taking control and witnessing the changes for the parent company in China.
• Announcing the restructuring of the entire company, both Neta in China and Neta in Thailand.
• After that, it will be a matter of announcing investors in order.

** AutolifeThailand believes that it may be the case that investors purchase the assets of Hozon Auto, the parent company, and have the parent company pay off all debts.

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/NETA_002.jpg

Will Neta Brand Still Exist After New Investors Come In?

Whether the Neta brand will continue to use the old name depends on what the new investors think. But we want to use Neta as before. But for Thailand, Neta will be used as before.

Neta Auto (Thailand) debt figures

The debt figures are much less than China's, such as outstanding debts to dealers, outstanding debts to suppliers, outstanding debts to logistics companies, including outstanding debts to Bangchan, the manufacturer of NETA cars. They are trying to pay off all outstanding debts after reaching an agreement with new investors and financial support from the Excise Department, Thai government, but they still cannot say when all debts will be paid off because they have to wait for news from the parent company in China.

AutolifeThailand estimates that Neta Auto (Thailand)'s current debt figure is at least 600 million baht.

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/NETA_003.jpg

How many NETA dealers are left now, out of the original number? Have we talked to the dealers about the current situation?

Currently, there are about 40 NETA dealers remaining from the original 60 nationwide. There are no plans to expand further within the next 1-2 years. More than 20 dealers have already withdrawn.

Dealers are selling V II cars at very cheap prices, only 300,000 baht, including selling X Display Cars. What happened?

It is part of the dealers that have already withdrawn more than 20 branches, dumping cars in their stock (which can be seen from the dealers consigning their cars to the Gingkue EV Shop garage at prices ranging from 299,000 - 339,000 baht).

For dealers who are still with Neta Auto (Thailand), we are trying to have a discussion about new prices, to be the same nationwide or to be the same promotion for all within this week. Dealers are not allowed to sell at lower prices anymore. Having such rules and regulations makes us see dealers having to dump stock by consigning for sale through the page of the garage, Minkkue EV Shop, they cannot dump their stock directly.

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Photo_NETA-Spart-Parts-Distribution-Center.jpg

Are cars still being manufactured at Bang Chan? Where do the parts come from?

Currently, production has stopped because there are no parts to assemble into a car. We have to wait until new investors come in before production can start again.

How much stock is left for NETA V II + NETA X?

• NETA V II has hundreds of stocks, approximately 400 of which have been agreed to be sold to a group of investors in mainland China. It may be exported to other countries or sold to Fleet to organizations or legal entities, but will not be sold to individual customers.
• NETA X is out of stock.

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/unnamed.jpg

Where are the spare parts manufactured? The factory in China has already closed down.

• Original stock that was previously ordered
• Some suppliers are still producing, so spare parts are still available.

Neta admitted that we do not have enough capital to manage spare parts ourselves, so we have to use an agency to source spare parts from China to support this part.

There are a lot of customers waiting for spare parts right now, such as the windshield, which has been waiting for 10 months and still hasn't arrived. What is the company's schedule for importing spare parts to support customers? 

Now, Neta hires a purchasing agency from China, then has a distributor in Thailand take over and sell to dealers in Thailand, continuing to provide customer service in terms of accident claims, not in terms of warranty.

No cash flow, how to claim warranty, quality guarantee?

You have to wait for funds from China first before you can claim the warranty money as usual with the dealer.

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/A7BAC64E4DDE58D841E912B487E5F85A.jpg

Neta has more than 22,000 customers. How will we take responsibility? Now there are almost no dealers left to provide service to customers. They have turned to using outside garages.

Although some dealers have already withdrawn from sales, we still ask that dealers still maintain after-sales service to support the more than 22,000 customers in Thailand. However, it has to go back to when the parts will arrive.

Spare Parts Distribution Center

Neta Auto (Thailand) announced that it has signed a contract with Nakhonchaisri Automobile Co., Ltd. to be responsible for spare parts, but is currently figuring out how to manage the spare parts.

Outstanding payment, logistics company, parts still haven't been released.

The company is clearing the payment to the logistics company so that the parts can be released. Neta still owes money to the logistics service company. Now, the debt is being cleared so that the parts can be released. They will be forwarded to the distributor to distribute the parts to the dealers and continue to serve the customers.

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/neta_excise.jpg

Signed MOU with Excise Department, how much Bank Guarantee was provided?

The company has placed a Bank Guarantee with the Excise Department, but the figure cannot be disclosed because it is an internal matter of the company. However, this amount is more than the amount of debt that Neta Auto (Thailand) currently has.

According to AutolifeThailand's collection, how many cars has Neta produced domestically so far? 

As of April 30, 2025, Neta has registered vehicles in Thailand.

Imported from China

• NETA V 17,460 units
• NETA X 1,927 units

Total 19,387 vehicles

(EV 3.0 project produces 1 – 1.5 cars as compensation / EV 3.5 project produces 2 cars as compensation) NETA must produce at least 21,440 cars as compensation.

Made in Thailand

• NETA V II 3,069 units

It is 14.31%.

---

Summary: Neta Auto (Thailand) must produce at least 21,440 units, including government support of EV 3.0 150,000 baht per unit | EV 3.5 100,000 baht per unit, totaling at least 2,663,700,000 baht (two billion six hundred sixty-three million seven hundred thousand baht).

https://autolifethailand.tv/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/neta_auto_thailand_4jun_2025_cover-final.jpg

---

Executive Sun Paolong said that we are trying hard to come back. We admit that the situation and problems at the moment are very serious, but we will try to come back because Thailand is an important base for Neta.

 

 

[Pib]

19 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

189 NETA vehicles registered in May, they are as dead as a door 🚪 nail.

Probably mostly made-up of those Neta vehicles that certain Neta dealerships sold for around Bt300K "with no warranty"....pretty much an "As Is" buy. 

[ExpatOilWorker]

Ouch!

Is a price reduction direct or indirect cost for previous EV buyers?

 

[JBChiangRai]

11 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Ouch!

Is a price reduction direct or indirect cost for previous EV buyers?

 

 

It has a tapering effect, by the time the cars are a few years old it probably makes no difference.

 

I normally change my car every 2 years, I'll extend that to 3 or 4 years because of the discounts, or hand it on to a daughter.

[vinny41]

No spare parts for Neta V? Neta Malaysia will buy back your EV

https://soyacincau.com/2025/06/06/neta-malaysia-buy-back-if-no-spare-parts/

Will be interesting if Neta Thailand will make a similar offer