22 minutes ago, CLW said:

That would be first time in history Toyota is not #1 😬😬😬

*** BYD will report sales figures from across the country / TOYOTA will report sales figures only from the event.

https://autolifethailand.tv/booking-motor-show-2026-47th-thailand/

Clearly a marketing stunt show organizer show define rules for reporting bookings

nationwide or motorshow only

I'm wondering when the new BYD Song Ultra EV will be available in Thailand. I've a feeling it could be pretty popular.

BYD launched the Song Ultra EV in China, starting at just under $22,000. The new EV is one of the first to be equipped with its Blade Battery and Flash Charging, enabling recharge times in as little as 5 minutes. In less than a month, the electric SUV secured over 37,000 orders.

All variants will be powered by BYD’s new Blade Battery 2.0, with two battery pack options: 68.4 kWh and 82.7 kWh, providing CLTC ranges of 605 km and 710 km.

https://electrek.co/2026/04/03/byds-new-ev-lures-buyers-with-5-min-charging-low-prices/

Anyone knows the delivery time for a Geely EX2 max ? Just asking.

36 minutes ago, khunphil said:

Anyone knows the delivery time for a Geely EX2 max ? Just asking.

Ex stock 4 weeks ago

7 hours ago, vinny41 said:

*** BYD will report sales figures from across the country / TOYOTA will report sales figures only from the event.

https://autolifethailand.tv/booking-motor-show-2026-47th-thailand/

Clearly a marketing stunt show organizer show define rules for reporting bookings

nationwide or motorshow only

Here's a good article from the Motor Expo 2025 on how manufacturers manipulate car show bookings numbers. It's Titled the Dark Truth About Car Show Sales Reports.

https://www.thaiautonews.net/the-dark-truth-about-carshow-sales-reports/

Here a chart from a car250.com article which compares Motor Show 2026 stats with Motor Show 2025 stats. Shows which brands had increased or decreased bookings.

The brands of GAC, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, and Suzuki had "decreases." All other brands had "increases"...very big increases in some cases like Geely with a 667% increase.

Below car250 article has several charts which sort and display the stats in various ways....take a look...below is just one chart from the article.

https://www.car250.com/motor-show-2026-thai-05-4.html

9 minutes ago, Pib said:

Here a chart from a car250.com article which compares Motor Show 2026 stats with Motor Show 2025 stats. Shows which brands had increased or decreased bookings.

The brands of GAC, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, and Suzuki had "decreases." All other brands had "increases"...very big increases in some cases like Geely with a 667% increase.

Below car250 article has several charts which sort and display the stats in various ways....take a look...below is just one chart from the article.

https://www.car250.com/motor-show-2026-thai-05-4.html

Shocking that Honda is #10, barely above Mazda and Mitsubishi, two perpetual also-rans, in my opinion. Nissan at #18, with so many other brands ahead of it. In both cases, shows a lack of new product in recent years, and little in the way of innovation. Neither has a model I would even remotely consider buying. Too much resting on past laurels, with both of them. Except for Toyota, Chinese brands in the top 9 positions.

15 minutes ago, newnative said:

Shocking that Honda is #10, barely above Mazda and Mitsubishi, two perpetual also-rans, in my opinion. Nissan at #18, with so many other brands ahead of it. In both cases, shows a lack of new product in recent years, and little in the way of innovation. Neither has a model I would even remotely consider buying. Too much resting on past laurels, with both of them. Except for Toyota, Chinese brands in the top 9 positions.

Here's Google AI opinion on "Why Japan vehicle manufactures have not went electric?"

Deep dive AI answer

why japan vehicle manufacturers have not went electric

While it is a common perception that Japanese automakers have not "gone electric," they were actually early pioneers—Nissan launched the Nissan Leaf as one of the first mass-market EVs in 2010. However, most Japanese manufacturers have since taken a more cautious, "multi-pathway" approach compared to competitors like Tesla or BYD.

The primary reasons for this slower transition include:

1. Dominance in Hybrid Technology

Japanese automakers, particularly Toyota (Prius) and Honda, invested decades and billions of dollars into perfecting hybrid technology.

• Sunk Cost & Profitability: They already have highly profitable, reliable hybrid lineups that meet many current emission standards.

• Bridge Technology: They view hybrids as a more practical immediate solution for many global markets that lack EV charging infrastructure.

2. Strategic Bet on Hydrogen

The Japanese government and automakers like Toyota and Hyundai (though Korean, impacting regional strategy) have heavily subsidized and researched hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEVs), such as the Toyota Mirai. This investment diverted resources that might otherwise have gone toward battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).

3. Economic and Supply Chain Risks

• Job Losses: Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) and hybrid vehicles use significantly more parts than EVs. Shifting entirely to EVs threatens the survival of Japan’s vast network of specialized component suppliers, potentially risking millions of jobs.

• Battery Materials: Japan lacks domestic access to critical raw materials like lithium and cobalt, making them wary of becoming overly dependent on foreign supply chains, especially those dominated by China.

4. Domestic Infrastructure Challenges

• Housing Constraints: Many Japanese residents live in apartments without dedicated parking spaces, making overnight home charging—a key benefit of EV ownership—difficult to implement.

• Power Grid & Disasters: Following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, Japan’s energy grid has become more reliant on fossil fuels. There are concerns that a mass shift to EVs would strain the grid and be less reliable during Japan’s frequent natural disasters (earthquakes, typhoons).

5. Corporate Culture & Reliability

Japanese business culture is often characterized by deliberate, consensus-driven decision-making and a focus on long-term reliability over rapid experimentation. Brands like Subaru and Mazda have historically waited for technologies to mature before large-scale adoption to maintain their reputation for "bulletproof" reliability.

Recent Developments:
Recently, this stance has begun to shift. Toyota recently accelerated its EV plans under new leadership, and Subaru began in-house production of fully electric models in early 2026.

2 hours ago, Pib said:

Here a chart from a car250.com article which compares Motor Show 2026 stats with Motor Show 2025 stats. Shows which brands had increased or decreased bookings.

The brands of GAC, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, and Suzuki had "decreases." All other brands had "increases"...very big increases in some cases like Geely with a 667% increase.

Below car250 article has several charts which sort and display the stats in various ways....take a look...below is just one chart from the article.

https://www.car250.com/motor-show-2026-thai-05-4.html

What adds insult to injury for Japanese brands is the one bright spot (Mazda) is up 100% almost certainly because of their Chinese made EV.

Indeed - just checked another source - Mazda would have also contracted their sales from one year ago, they were saved by the Changan made 6e.

I used to have Mazada but I would never buy another one after the engine on my grandaughters blew up but because that particular version was not part of a recall Mazada disowned them.

Now they are fighting with a class action and many others who's diesel blew up..

Mazda crap.

2 hours ago, carlyai said:

I used to have Mazada but I would never buy another one after the engine on my grandaughters blew up but because that particular version was not part of a recall Mazada disowned them.

Now they are fighting with a class action and many others who's diesel blew up..

Mazda crap.

What actually 'blew up'?

5 hours ago, Pib said:

Here a chart from a car250.com article which compares Motor Show 2026 stats with Motor Show 2025 stats. Shows which brands had increased or decreased bookings.

The brands of GAC, Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Ford, and Suzuki had "decreases." All other brands had "increases"...very big increases in some cases like Geely with a 667% increase.

Below car250 article has several charts which sort and display the stats in various ways....take a look...below is just one chart from the article.

https://www.car250.com/motor-show-2026-thai-05-4.html

Tesla not even on the list, they were 40th on the list I saw for 2026 with ZERO sales.

7 minutes ago, Palatus said:

Tesla not even on the list, they were 40th on the list I saw for 2026 with ZERO sales.

It states on the link from car250

Tesla does not disclose figures

3 minutes ago, Palatus said:

Tesla not even on the list, they were 40th on the list I saw for 2026 with ZERO sales.

6 minutes ago, Palatus said:

Tesla not even on the list, they were 40th on the list I saw for 2026 with ZERO sales.

Tesla decided not to report bookings. Some manufacturers only reporting bookings upon completion of a motor show, some provided during and upon completion numbers, some only report bookings that occur at the motor show location, and some report bookings across all their dealerships during the motor show period. Just different company polices when it comes to reporting such numbers.

For those that do report I think most use the method of booking across all its dealership during the motor show period (like BYD) and a few like Toyota only report bookings which occur at the motor show location vs all its dealerships.

5 hours ago, mistral53 said:

What adds insult to injury for Japanese brands is the one bright spot (Mazda) is up 100% almost certainly because of their Chinese made EV.

Indeed - just checked another source - Mazda would have also contracted their sales from one year ago, they were saved by the Changan made 6e.

Yea, it appears the Mazda 6e (a BEV) had 3,062 bookings out of Mazda's total bookings of 4,889....almost 63%. The 6e is a joint venture between Changan and Mazda (50/50).

The Mazda 6E looks stunning! it's a Deepal L07 under the hood, power is decent, range is good, and the comfort must be awesome.

This is a car would seriously consider to buy if it was 800V or more and could charge faster. for the same price, the Xpeng G6 looks a bit better in specs. the G6 has "Cloud" seats and a minimalist cabin, it doesn't have the Mazda 6e's premium materials. Mazda uses real Nappa leather, Alcantara, etc. The XPeng is very "Tesla-lite", mostly screens and synthetic materials. I really hate controlling aircon in the screen, really sux and so dangerous.

I'm so hooked on the G6. On a 360kW PTT Super-Fast charger, the G6 can hit 280kW+. It does 10–80% in 12–15 minutes. For my Bangkok marathon trips, this is a game-changer. the IM5 is also stunning!

Honda just ended 2025 very badly, the worse in decades. and Q1 is looks even worse in losses everywhere.

They are in a "Repair & Rebuild" phase now, and whats even more interesting, their 800V car will come out in 2027/2028 estimated. 🤣 🤣 🤣

This is the real top 10 ranking from actual bookings at the motor show...Honda aren't doing too badly in Thailand but they are definitely on the decline.

https://www.motorexpo.co.th/bestselling

BYD marking their own homework as usual, adding nationwide sales figures to their total.

5 hours ago, DavisH said:

What actually 'blew up'?

Seems like on some of the desiel versions things break in the engine. Mazda recalled some models but not others.

Not sure what actually breaks but cost $Aus 8000 to fix and can happen again. So Mazda wouldn't accept fault and they fixed the engine, but now they have gone to arbitration or the courts and Mazda say they will look at the engine but first they have to inspect it, but it's fixed.

So they will probably join the class action about these diesel engines against Mazda.

My granddaughter and partner are only young so they are considering just writing off the $8000 rather than have all the stress.

A pox on Mazada.

10 hours ago, matchar said:

This is the real top 10 ranking from actual bookings at the motor show...Honda aren't doing too badly in Thailand but they are definitely on the decline.

https://www.motorexpo.co.th/bestselling

BYD marking their own homework as usual, adding nationwide sales figures to their total.

Those are bookings from Motor Expo 2025 back in late Nov/early Dec 2025; not the recent Motor Show 2026.

4 hours ago, Pib said:

Those are bookings from Motor Expo 2025 back in late Nov/early Dec 2025; not the recent Motor Show 2026.

that's right, Honda was 2nd place in 2025-Expo, but in 2026 Motor show it was:

• BYD - 17,354

• Toyota - 15,750

• OMODA & JAECOO - 15,088

• MG - 10,537

• CHANGAN (DEEPAL NEVO) - 8,573

• GEELY - 7,811

• Chery - 7,509

• GWM - 6,819

• GAC (AION HYPTEC) - 6,287

• Honda - 5,907

• Mazda - 4,889

• Mitsubishi - 4,178

• ISUZU - 3,568

• RIDDARA - 2,569

• ZEEKR - 2,339

• Mercedes-Benz - 2,111

• XPENG - 2,089

• Nissan - 1,608

• AVATR - 1,435

• BMW - 1,001

• Ford - 813

• DENZA - 703

• Hyundai - 650

• Ferrari - 603

• FORTHING - 520

• KIA - 511

• MINI - 422

• VOLVO - 306

• SUZUKI - 305

• MAXUS - 294

• LEXUS - 141

• PORSCHE - 112

• AUDI - 76

• FIREFLY - 48

• MASERATI - 12

• JEEP - 9

• ASTON MARTIN - 2

• ROLLS-ROYCE - 2

* TESLA has not disclosed the figures.

---

Combined numbers, grouped (Chinese brands).

• CHERY + OMODA + JAECOO = 22,597 cars

• BYD + DENZA = 18,057 cars

• GEELY + ZEEKR + RIDDARA = 12,719 vehicles

• MG + IM + MAXUS = 10,831 vehicles

• CHANGAN + DEEPAL + AVATR + NEVO = 10,008 vehicles

Honda has dropped to #10 now from a #3 last year, mostly because:

• 1) The Hybrid Gap: Honda e:HEV technology is solid, in 2026 people are aggressively chasing pure BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), spurred by the EV 3.5 government incentives.

• 2) EV competitive Pricing: Brands like OMODA & JAECOO (#3) and MG (#4) are squeezing the mid-range passenger car segment where Honda used to be the default choice. For example, the MG S5 is a real hit in Thailand, and it's a great car.

Japanese car makers have been the top tier for Hybrid Architecture, but now that is changing because Chinese like BYD, Cheery and Geely are also in the game and have technology that could be a lot better than the Japanese.

an interesting read: https://carnewschina.com/2026/04/08/chery-and-geely-pivot-to-hev-in-2026-with-2l-fuel-claims-challenging-toyotas-hybrid-dominance/

Toyota decides to report "nation-wide" bookings like many other vehicle manufacturers such as BYD during the Motor Show 2026.

Initially Toyota supposedly only reported bookings occurring at the motor show location (Impact Arena) and not from Toyota dealerships nation-wide. With these new booking numbers from Toyota which jump from 15,750 to 28,580 this means Toyota booked more vehicles than BYD...was the top dog at the Motor Show (as usual).

Gosh, BYD getting all the press for the last couple of days in beating-out Toyota at the Motor Show must have went all the way to HQ Toyota in Japan who then ordered Toyota Thailand to do a recount based on nation-wide bookings.😄

See below car250.com press release for full details....and a few snapshots from the article are also below.

https://www.car250.com/motor-show-2026-28580.html

Toyota... bookings numbers at event location15,750....bookings nation-wide 28,580

And I'm surprised big time Toyota got 539 bookings for their bZ4X BEV......a BEV they pulled from the Thai market a couple years ago because they only sold a few of them. But the revamped model has got 539 bookings.....surprise, surprise!!

On 4/7/2026 at 4:08 PM, Palatus said:

Tesla not even on the list, they were 40th on the list I saw for 2026 with ZERO sales.

As others have noted, the list I saw was a graphic from the BPost which misleads as TELSA apparently has a policy of not having sales at motor shows and no salesmen hence the zero figure.

1 hour ago, Palatus said:

As others have noted, the list I saw was a graphic from the BPost which misleads as TELSA apparently has a policy of not having sales at motor shows and no salesmen hence the zero figure.

Hopefully people don’t want Te SS la’s Swasticars

On 4/8/2026 at 2:29 PM, Pib said:

Toyota decides to report "nation-wide" bookings like many other vehicle manufacturers such as BYD during the Motor Show 2026.

Initially Toyota supposedly only reported bookings occurring at the motor show location (Impact Arena) and not from Toyota dealerships nation-wide. With these new booking numbers from Toyota which jump from 15,750 to 28,580 this means Toyota booked more vehicles than BYD...was the top dog at the Motor Show (as usual).

Gosh, BYD getting all the press for the last couple of days in beating-out Toyota at the Motor Show must have went all the way to HQ Toyota in Japan who then ordered Toyota Thailand to do a recount based on nation-wide bookings.😄

See below car250.com press release for full details....and a few snapshots from the article are also below.

https://www.car250.com/motor-show-2026-28580.html

Toyota... bookings numbers at event location15,750....bookings nation-wide 28,580

I still can't figure out why so many people buy that Toyota Ativ. It's a crap car. Cheap plastic, thin doors, no extras. And then it's purchase price plus the running costs with gasoline compared to electric charging. You could get a really nice and better equipped EV for the same price or cheaper. Even with that old argument, city dwellers don't have access to a charging station wall box at their apartment or condo. Do you have a gas station at home?

1 hour ago, CLW said:

I still can't figure out why so many people buy that Toyota Ativ. It's a crap car. ... Do you have a gas station at home?

Or any ICE car, sedan or SUV. As under spec'd & overpriced. But there's another thread for that conversation ...

On 4/6/2026 at 5:48 PM, JBChiangRai said:

Ex stock 4 weeks ago

The last news I just get are much more pessimistic, as "backlog has reached around 10,000 vehicles due to strong demand from Motor Expo 2025 and Motor Show 2026, while current delivery capacity averages about 1,000 cars per month.

At this rate, clearing all pending orders would take roughly 10 months unless production or delivery capacity is increased."

11 minutes ago, khunphil said:

The last news I just get are much more pessimistic, as "backlog has reached around 10,000 vehicles due to strong demand from Motor Expo 2025 and Motor Show 2026, while current delivery capacity averages about 1,000 cars per month.

At this rate, clearing all pending orders would take roughly 10 months unless production or delivery capacity is increased."

Makes our 5 month wait, back in 2022, a quick delivery. Chinese are smart, and avoids the old. failed western version of stock up inventory, and hope it sells stupidity.