1 hour ago, keemapoot said:

But, when one goes down, sure there is a long wait to get it fixed. All the Chinese brands are opening showrooms and services centers like mad country-wide.

Showrooms are indeed opening-up left and right...and lots of promises of having good service support....a dealership opening up close to you soon, etc. HOWEVER, showrooms are nothing more than a mobile, temporary building constructed in just a few weeks (including the concrete foundation) which typically displays just a few models (like two vehicles) and a small administrative office. Or worst yet, jut a rented stall in a mall. It's basically "a worm on a hook" just to make the sale.

But a service center is a different story....that means hydraulic lifts, tools, testing equipment, trained technicians and logistics staff, parts storage area, much more electrical power, etc. Months and months of facility construction and big baht to construct unless a legacy ICE dealership is bought-out which overcomes the majority of facility construction timeframe.

All dealerships are not created equal....some are just showrooms while others are combo showroom & service center. And even when it comes to service centers you have those centers which can do basic maintenance but if "serious maintenance and/or body repair/paint" is required then that is usually handled at another specialized/BIG service center.

A buyer should consider after sales follow-on support when making a vehicle buy as all vehicles do require minor or major (i.e., something breaks) maintenance. If you bought your vehicle at a little showroom in Nakhon Nowhere but the nearest vehicle service center is hours/hundreds of kilometers away that can be a problematic and frustrating situation. Heck, just being an hour/50km away would be frustrating to me.

For minor maintenance issues that causes some people just to put-up with the issue (creating frustration with the brand/model) vs driving the car to the service center--and maybe having to leave it at the far-off service center for days or longer. The person will just wait and hope the issue can be rectified at the next scheduled checkup that occurs every year or two...or 20,000 km or more.

Yeap, EVs are definitely more reliable than ICE/Hybrid vehicle based on stats but EVs still require X-level of service support.

7 minutes ago, Pib said:

But a service center is a different story....that means hydraulic lifts, tools, testing equipment, trained technicians and logistics staff, parts storage area, much more electrical power, etc. Months and months of facility construction and big baht to construct unless a legacy ICE dealership is bought-out which overcomes the majority of facility construction timeframe.

You are entirely correct. In that respect, speaking of Korat, Zeekr has purchased the former main Chevrolet dealership/repair center and is currently under construction/remodeling outfitting etc.. This seems even more extensive a center than the BYD or MG operations in town and appears to be much larger than the Geely, Jaecoo, Omoda, Aion, Deepal and others which I have seen locally. I agree that this is a major factor and probably determinant when deciding which brand to buy.

2 hours ago, keemapoot said:

Yes, those are things to consider, but the design issue and interior are subjective, however I agree with you on the service issue for those living in Nakhon nowhere. Last week, Tesla just opened a new showroom in Korat (flooded with customers and test drivers), and announced they will open a service center too early next year. But Tesla needs almost no service, not even yearly as most Chinese EVs do. But, when one goes down, sure there is a long wait to get it fixed. All the Chinese brands are opening showrooms and services centers like mad country-wide.

As I try to comb the internet for stories of Tesla owners for 10 years or more, only Model 3 has been around that long introduced in 2016, and results are good but mixed also. So, perhaps the impression that Tesla is more usable over longer term is not justified either. Maybe any Chinese EV brand is just as usable longer term...nobody knows yet.

I think it's all about how the battery tech has progressed the last 4 years, since they moved away from old, to LFP. New models in the market, BYD seems addicted with a few every year. MG not so much. Two of the major players, with Geely being around long time also. Other upstarts, need to use caution.

BYD with their newest Blade version, and MG with CATL's newest tech.

The thought crossed my mind this morning, as we contemplate getting the MG Urban, with CATL's latest battery tech. It really is too practical a car to pass up, and a really low price point. But what will come out next year, and what price points in the future, as subsidies disappear.

Thinking should we just wait a year or 2, and get a 2nd hand Urban, (Buddha forbid, not new) or the next new version of battery in the next shiny new MG. The price is a major motivator, as I really can't see sub ฿500k pricing in the future, and with Lifetime Warranty, something also unique to TH's market, just makes it too practical for us. Got another week or so to mull it over, but don't think our mind is going to change.

Spec wise, just a tad better than our ZS, and even dimension wise, a tad bit larger, except height, a whole 2 cm less ground clearance 140mm vs 160mm, and worse of all, it's not an SUV. The social stigma may be too much for us in public 🤣

I'm just not a car person, and as impressive as some are, no way would I be able to justify the higher prices in my practical, thrifty thinking mind. A car is still a machine, for point A to B. No, I couldn't go back to ICEV, but see no reason to go IM6, Cyberstar or Z7. The ZS was silly priced as it was back then.

I think having 2 EVs in the carport, is silly enough, as the wife wants to keep the ZS. I'm kind of partial to it myslelf, but thinking future for the wife, and her truly last car with lifetime warranty.

Happy shopping & motoring, options abound. A great time to buy, or wait till next auto show, at end of the year.

Edited Tuesday at 04:22 AM3 days by KhunLA

23 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I think having 2 EVs in the carport, is silly enough, as the wife wants to keep the ZS. I'm kind of partial to it myslelf, but thinking future for the wife, and her truly last car with lifetime warranty.

All good points, especially MG with the incredible lifetime motor and battery warranty - truly incredible. For me, soon to retire later this year, all those points are points to consider. I recently installed a full solar system on our large house with battery backup and an ev charger in the carport. I have run the numbers on owning EVs, hybrids, diesels, fuel costs, maintenance costs, insurance costs, and realistic ownership length before buying new (10 years at longest ownership length) as we like to drive newer cars. We rotate two cars, with about five years in between buying new. I don't consider resale, because we have family who buys all our cars at reduced prices when we are ready to buy new.

49 minutes ago, keemapoot said:

All good points, especially MG with the incredible lifetime motor and battery warranty - truly incredible. For me, soon to retire later this year, all those points are points to consider. I recently installed a full solar system on our large house with battery backup and an ev charger in the carport. I have run the numbers on owning EVs, hybrids, diesels, fuel costs, maintenance costs, insurance costs, and realistic ownership length before buying new (10 years at longest ownership length) as we like to drive newer cars. We rotate two cars, with about five years in between buying new. I don't consider resale, because we have family who buys all our cars at reduced prices when we are ready to buy new.

Proir to the ZS EV, we kept ICEV about 7 yrs, then a new one, since 2nd hand prices used to be silly here, along with not knowing if something was sitting in flood water or not. All served us well, but I just don't trust them, and we're O&A too much in Nakhon Nowhere to break down.

EV motors simply aren't going to, anytime soon. When the ZS warranty expires in 4 ish yrs, it won't be worth anything anyway. Actually the battery will be worth more than the resale value of whole car. Probably 40kWh left, and that's not cheap if buying for your solar system. Fine repurpose use if rest of the car craps out.

We'll keep them both till they die, or wife dies first, though she'll only be 50 next month. I'll be long gone before either dies probably. All the cars I killed, who ever though one might out live me

Edited Tuesday at 05:55 AM3 days by KhunLA

Headlightmag made a details review of the IM5 https://www.headlightmag.com/2026-07-14-picture-specs-mg-im5-premium-long-range-rwd/ I found things I didnt know, hehehe.

if anyone interested. rumors say an updated IM6 is coming early next year, IM5 2 years or more for a refresh in Thailand.

But the IM5 is just so nice to drive. a bit too soft/comfort suspension with annoying software at car start, but everything else all is awesome. specially the sound system, it's insane!!! sounds just amazing.

Edited Tuesday at 12:55 PM2 days by brfsa2

Toyota owns Lexus...another sign that Toyota is slowly expanding its EV offerings.

https://autolifethailand.tv/all-new-lexus-es-es350h-es350e-es500e-coming-thailand/

20 hours ago, Pib said:

Toyota owns Lexus...another sign that Toyota is slowly expanding its EV offerings.

https://autolifethailand.tv/all-new-lexus-es-es350h-es350e-es500e-coming-thailand/

The are people willing to pay for Lexus EV. But me I'd rather put the same money on a MB and still have much left to convert 10 years of insurance.