1 in 4 vehicles registered in December in Thailand was a fully electric

[Bandersnatch]

25.34% of vehicle registrations in December in Thailand were 100% electric.

 

There has been an 684% increase in EV sales in Thailand in 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://autolifethailand.tv/register-ev-bev-thailand-dec-2023/

[JBChiangRai]

I hope Tesla have taken note of their appalling market share.

[retarius]

Astonishing market share. But there is something odd about the numbers...less than 10,000 EVs sold make a 25% market share, implying total sales for December were about 40,000, annualising at 480,000. I thought that the vehicle market is close to 1 Million units in Thailand? December sales are atypical of the year, about half of an average month. 

BYD are doing well, I see them all over the roads now, and I do like the Atto model.

 

I'm not looking to buy any EV though, if I were to buy anything I would buy a Toyota hybrid model....I wonder how their numbers stack up against these EV brand sales?

[Pib]

Although the chart below is shown in the OP's weblink above, for those who are challenged in weblink clicking, I've included it below.  Shows the monthly sales Jan-Dec 2023 for each EV model sold.   

 

And of all the EV models sold in Thailand for 2023 there was one EV manufacturer who was the 800 pound guerilla, the elephant in the room, etc., among the manufacturers and it was not Telsa....it was BYD commanding 40% of the EV sales in Thailand.  

 

 

 

[retarius]

5 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I hope Tesla have taken note of their appalling market share.

There is a video circulating of Elon Musk writing off BYD some years back. Maybe he underestimated the competition? 

I have only started seeing Tesla's on the road in this past year, so maybe they entered the market late.

[retarius]

4 minutes ago, Pib said:

Although the chart below is shown in the OP's weblink above, for those who are challenged in weblink clicking, I've included it below.  Shows the monthly sales Jan-Dec 2023 for each EV model sold.   

 

And of all the EV models sold in Thailand for 2023 there was one EV manufacturer who was the 800 pound guerilla, the elephant in the room, etc., among the manufacturers and it was not Telsa....it was BYD commanding 40% of the EV sales in Thailand.  

 

 

 

MG are doing quite OK as well. The Chinese haters call them 'cheap Chinese rubbish', but they have a circa 16% market sale, like NETA. The Chinese ran away with the EV market in 2023, it seems. Hey, maybe EV buyers are not EV connoisseurs, and preferring cheaper prices are buying the wrong brands :)

[Bandersnatch]

2 minutes ago, retarius said:

 

I have only started seeing Tesla's on the road in this past year, so maybe they entered the market late.

Tesla started selling in Thailand in December 2022 (not counting grey imports from Hong Kong)

In the chart posted by Pib above there are Tesla sales in all months of 2023, but at low level compared to Australia where they were sold quite a bit cheaper.
 

Tesla dropped prices in all markets several times in 2023 but only reduced prices in Thailand in October 2023 after the launch of the BYD Seal here which attracted 1,000 orders in the first hour after launch.

 

 

[Pib]

24 minutes ago, retarius said:

There is a video circulating of Elon Musk writing off BYD some years back. Maybe he underestimated the competition? 

I have only started seeing Tesla's on the road in this past year, so maybe they entered the market late.

Heck, Telsa is now buying BYD Blade Batteries to put in Teslea EVs.   Telsa has been in Thailand for at least a year....they are getting around 10% of the total Thailand EV market share...about 1 out of 10 EVs on Thailand roads.  I see them all the time in the greater Bangkok area....heck, right on my village soi of 10 homes 3 of the 10 houses/families on the soi have an EV.....two are BYD Atto's and one is Tesla Model Y.  All three bought in 2023.   I'm one of those Atto owners.

 

Telsa's are on the pricier end of the EV price scale (approx Bt1.6 to 2.3M for a Model 3 or Y) so I expect that's why they don't have a larger market share in Thailand where as most Thailand folks are looking for an EV at around Bt1.2M or a lot less.

 

[Bandersnatch]

28 minutes ago, retarius said:

I'm not looking to buy any EV though, if I were to buy anything I would buy a Toyota hybrid model....I wonder how their numbers stack up against these EV brand sales?

I haven’t seen figures for December yet, but for comparison these are Best Selling passenger vehicles of all types in November. BYD Dolphin, Atto 3, and Neta V are fully electric 

 

 

[bkk6060]

All these wonderful smart people thinking they are helping the environment good for them. Tesla seem ugly with no style in my opinion.  Probably hiso status thinking buyers drive your Tesla to Starbucks and take photos.

 

 

[Pib]

4 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

I haven’t seen figures for December yet, but for comparison these are Best Selling passenger vehicles of all types in November. BYD Dolphin, Atto 3, and Neta V are fully electric 

 

 

 

 

And it will be hard to displace the "Yaris ATIV" from the best selling small SUV in Thailand (ICEV or EV) simply due to a low price of Bt549K and most folks still preferring ICE Vehicles although that ICEV-only attitude seems to be changing quickly in Thailand as EV sales in 2023 rocketed.  But attitudes about EVs are not changing so quickly in some countries around the world....a lot depends on tax rebates/subsidies, the weather/size/topography of the country, charging infrastructure, political factors, lobbying groups, etc.  Each country is quite different....but Thailand seems ready & ripe for EVs.   Below from the the Toyota Thailand website showing various Yaris models pricing.

[Bandersnatch]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

I thought that the vehicle market is close to 1 Million units in Thailand?

 

Not all sectors in motor vehicles in Thailand are booming:

 

"Sales of pickups fell 42% in 2022, in 2023 they fell again by 35%."

 

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2024/01/06/jury-still-out-on-ev-vehicles-thailand-is-up-against-the-wall/

 

[Gweiloman]

14 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

All these wonderful smart people thinking they are helping the environment good for them. Tesla seem ugly with no style in my opinion.  Probably hiso status thinking buyers drive your Tesla to Starbucks and take photos.

 

 

I don’t know of a single EV owner in Thailand who bought an EV for the purpose of helping the environment. Do you? In my opinion, EV owners bought an EV because of the extremely low cost of travelling and maintenance, superior comfort, advanced technology and convenience of being able to charge at home, sometimes for free even. If in the process they are helping the environment, surely that must be a good thing ?

[br12stol]

On 1/9/2024 at 7:53 AM, JBChiangRai said:

I hope Tesla have taken note of their appalling market share.

I think only having a dealer in Bangkok is the killer.  Surely after a year you would expect at least Chiang Mai, Central Isaan, Central ,South and East Thailand to have dealers with service centers  from such an Established company.

[Pib]

17 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

I don’t know of a single EV owner in Thailand who bought an EV for the purpose of helping the environment. Do you? In my opinion, EV owners bought an EV because of the extremely low cost of travelling and maintenance, superior comfort, advanced technology and convenience of being able to charge at home, sometimes for free even. If in the process they are helping the environment, surely that must be a good thing ?

For me as an EV owner all of above reasons apply plus one more:  the EV looked durn good!!!!

[JBChiangRai]

1 hour ago, br12stol said:

I think only having a dealer in Bangkok is the killer.  Surely after a year you would expect at least Chiang Mai, Central Isaan, Central ,South and East Thailand to have dealers with service centers  from such an Established company.

 

There are lots of brands with the only dealer in Bangkok, I bought one from the only official dealer there 2.5 years ago, it never bothered me, they came and collected it with a slide-on for 2 warranty claims.

[br12stol]

38 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

There are lots of brands with the only dealer in Bangkok, I bought one from the only official dealer there 2.5 years ago, it never bothered me, they came and collected it with a slide-on for 2 warranty claims.

Yes I have to use AAS as well once a year, i've got a 10 year warranty so it needs to be serviced there. But Tesla being a bit more mainstream it must put lots of potential buyers off imo.   

[JBChiangRai]

1 hour ago, br12stol said:

Yes I have to use AAS as well once a year, i've got a 10 year warranty so it needs to be serviced there. But Tesla being a bit more mainstream it must put lots of potential buyers off imo.   

My dealer was AAS I only got a 2 year warranty:-(

[br12stol]

55 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

My dealer was AAS I only got a 2 year warranty:-(

Yes its a costly extra..not paid by me, thankfully. 

[poppysdad]

We bought a new car for Christmas and had no interest whatsoever in buying an electric car and my Thai wife for whatever reason will not buy a Chinese one so plumped for a nice Honda ice. 

[Peterphuket]

Clear, so my next question is who wants to swap their ev with my Isuzu MU-X?

 

[Srikcir]

On 1/9/2024 at 8:01 AM, retarius said:

so maybe they entered the market late.

June 2023 with a Thai flagship store in Bangkok.

December 2022 Models Y and 3 available online.

 

[Robert Paulson]

I get almost 70 miles per gallon on the highway in my little honda. Idk call me crazy but I bet if you did all the environmental impact math on that an electric isn’t beating me or it’s simply in the same ballpark. 

[Guitar God]

On 1/9/2024 at 8:34 AM, bkk6060 said:

All these wonderful smart people thinking they are helping the environment good for them. Tesla seem ugly with no style in my opinion.  Probably hiso status thinking buyers drive your Tesla to Starbucks and take photos.

 

 

Don’t buy one then. There! Solved it for you. 

[Pib]

1 hour ago, Robert Paulson said:

I get almost 70 miles per gallon on the highway in my little honda. Idk call me crazy but I bet if you did all the environmental impact math on that an electric isn’t beating me or it’s simply in the same ballpark. 

What Honda model and year is that?   

 

Additionally, since you are using "miles" and "gallons" terminology a typical 100% electric vehicle (a.k.a., BEV) gets in the 120 to 150 "miles per gallon equivalent  (MPG-e) ballpark"....approx twice what you say your little ICEV Honda was getting.  My 2023 BYD Atto 3 BEV is rated at 134 MPGe.

[Bandersnatch]

58 minutes ago, Robert Paulson said:

I get almost 70 miles per gallon on the highway in my little honda. Idk call me crazy but I bet if you did all the environmental impact math on that an electric isn’t beating me or it’s simply in the same ballpark. 

 

You don't say which honda so I checked for the brio which is the smallest and most efficient. The official figures are 46 mpg‑US; 55 mpg-imp. Quite a bit different to your claimed 70mpg 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Brio

 

I drive my EV on excess solar power after I have powered my house and charged my solar batteries.

 

Driving my EV does not produce any tailpipe emissions and as it powered by solar no CO2.  Definitely a win for the EV.

[Jing Joe]

Bandersnatch said:- I drive my EV on excess solar power after I have powered my house and charged my solar batteries.

I charge my EV from its dedicated panels and no battery is needed for that inverter*, whilst the house battery is charging from its own dedicated panels.

*Dont trust the Queenswing inverter company claim that no battery is needed.

I bet you love driving your EV too?

Who cares much what they look like.   and yes I took a picture at a supermarket park, not at Starbucks, but because 2 other EV parked beside mine.

[Gweiloman]

8 hours ago, poppysdad said:

We bought a new car for Christmas and had no interest whatsoever in buying an electric car and my Thai wife for whatever reason will not buy a Chinese one so plumped for a nice Honda ice. 

Very nice. Honda makes good reliable cars, if a bit obsolete in terms of technology and features. I’ve owned 3 Hondas previously, starting with a Prelude (sexy looking car for its time, back in the early 80’s), changed that to a CRX and when I had more money, an Accord.

 

Out of curiosity, why don’t you have an interest in an EV? And is your wife racist? The latter would be funny, considering she’s a Thai when most of the western world sadly, hold Thai women in,low esteem (assuming most of them are bar girls, massage girls etc. You know what I mean).

[Gweiloman]

8 hours ago, Robert Paulson said:

I get almost 70 miles per gallon on the highway in my little honda. Idk call me crazy but I bet if you did all the environmental impact math on that an electric isn’t beating me or it’s simply in the same ballpark. 

That’s amazing. Which Honda model is that? I don’t think even my 150 cc Honda PCX scooter can even give me that sort of figure.

[ibjoe]

Electric vehicles have intrinsic efficiency advantages, like regenerative braking (recovering energy when braking instead of wasting it as heat), and not needlessly burning fuel when idling. Also reduced carbon emissions, however while electric vehicles don't have direct emissions, there can be carbon emissions from the creation of their electricity. Most of Thailand electric power comes from burning fuel. Only recently (2016) has Thailand even allowed solar power, but now that it is allowed hopefully it will pick up quickly.