Thailand...Land Of Hot Hatches...What'S Coming Up In The Next 2 Years?

[transam]

My desired hot hatch.

......................

[frankphuket]

yeah, but only by a couple of Degrees....and 3m plus is rather stiff for a 'hot hatch'. The A1 is rather warm and at what ridiculous price.

New GP - sure interesting, could give the old ones a bigger interest....GP at half the price of a new one! hehe

The new GP will be manual only as well?

Note to VW Thailand: 1) do something with your website...there is precious little info on it on anything, incl. pricing,etc. ...by doing so you might actually sell some cars and get some more people interested, because products are very good and prices are still manageable, good deal there on the Rocco. Passat CC nice as well.

2) Why don't you bring in the POLO Gti, with a price maybe of around 1.7-1.8m, that would be a nice little decent hot hatch, good style...and the VW badge. If Skoda Thailand can make it with the vRS at 1.5, than 1.8m for a POLO Gti is surely doable.

Can i please get a job at VW Thailand...I promise you guys I will bring some nice hot hatches...! haha

[steveromagnino]

Turns out my GF is good friends of the sons of the owners of VW Thailand, and I have met the owner a few times many years ago; I think they have their hands full and just aren't quite as slick as BMW, Benz etc, which is a pity, they have great cars. I totally agree, they could be doing a lot more. That said, these are the sales numbers for new VWs in Thailand in the last few years by registration

2552/2009

Benz 3,155

BMW 1,433

Mini 450 (bit unreliable this number)

VW 302

2553/2010

Benz 4,168

BMW 2,173

Mini 1000 (bit unreliable this number)

VW 672

2554/2011

Benz 7,328

BMW 2,609

Mini 1,700 (bit unreliable this number)

VW 1,150

So you can see all the luxury cars are doing better, but VW are definitely gaining a bit, a lot when you consider how many models they have vs. BMW. Not sure of this data how reliable it is, refers to new registrations so probably includes some grey cars too. Can see the impact for Mini introducing the Clubman plus the effect of the grey market cars coming in.

I did ask them about the Polo; the logic is that the Golf 1.4 litre turbo DSG has the same motor (supposedly) as the Polo and the A1 (I suspect it is the turbo, not the supercharge/turbo engine though) and is 1.6m, so the Polo ceases to be economic when for only a little more you can get the Golf which is a bigger car. Pity really, I like the size of the polo.

New GP AFAIK is manual only (according to Millenium and Sooper Garage), 2 seater, and the rumour is they will do the hatch first, then do a GP 2 seater as well (so the number will be 4,000, not 2,000). If you ask me, it will end up like most other classic cars, where the original is worth the most, and the original is the 2006 GP. Also the R56 is comparatively less elegant than the R53 anyhow; the JCW R56 is upposedly inferior to the R53 GP anyhow. Who knows, maybe it will make people more interested, but the sticking point is partly that they are only available via the grey market and are a manual. Given how poor the mini automatic is I can't see why anyone would want to drive the car in auto but such is life driving around in Thailand.

New Golf GTI being unveiled next month I think, and Mini GP should be unveiled very soon also.

[kartman]

What are the VW numbers when you take the Caravelle out ?

[steveromagnino]

no idea, not even sure if this includes or doesn't include Caravelle numbers (data is pretty unreliable). If it does then Benz numbers also include the VITO which is probably around in similar numbers.

But my guess is the caravelle/VITO numbers have been dropping not rising since 2009 as the Alphards, Stepwagons, etc and that type of exec transport has become the driver van de jour rather than the previous VW van with fancy leather seats.

VW did pretty well out of the Scirocco and there are a reasonable number of GOlf GTIs on the road, all things considering.

Edited August 30, 2012 by steveromagnino

[kartman]

Surely if Vito's and Caravelle's sold in the same number you would see them on the TV when the HI So's etc attend a function i only see the VW's same on the ground Vito is a rare sight.

[churchill]

Not sure if it will be 'Hot' but next year built in Thailand will be the Chevy Trax confirmed will use normal 1.6 and the 140hp 1.4-litre petrol-turbo.. Baby SUV

If the price is right maybe an option ?

nice looking ..

anyone know when it is going to arrive in Thailand ?

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/paris-motor-show-2012/chevrolet-trax-set-paris-show

[steveromagnino]

Surely if Vito's and Caravelle's sold in the same number you would see them on the TV when the HI So's etc attend a function i only see the VW's same on the ground Vito is a rare sight.

I see some Vitos but you are right, less than the caravelles and both are much less than the Alphard types now.

Vito isn't that nice anyhow (a mate had one, VW way better, both now own Alphards).

Not sure i would describe a Chevy Trax as a hot hatch under the usual definition (which ranges from Golf GTIs to Subies to Polos to minis etc) but it looks not bad. If not locally assembled it would likely not come here; given we have the trailblazer I am guessing less likely? Yeti from Skoda is already here (and is an import, costs around 1.5m I think, lovely little car).

[churchill]

Surely if Vito's and Caravelle's sold in the same number you would see them on the TV when the HI So's etc attend a function i only see the VW's same on the ground Vito is a rare sight.

I see some Vitos but you are right, less than the caravelles and both are much less than the Alphard types now.

Vito isn't that nice anyhow (a mate had one, VW way better, both now own Alphards).

Not sure i would describe a Chevy Trax as a hot hatch under the usual definition (which ranges from Golf GTIs to Subies to Polos to minis etc) but it looks not bad. If not locally assembled it would likely not come here; given we have the trailblazer I am guessing less likely? Yeti from Skoda is already here (and is an import, costs around 1.5m I think, lovely little car).

Just found this .. looks like a long wait 'Thai assembly is also being planned at Ford’s new plant in Rayong in late 2013 or early 2014. '

http://isaannews.com/chevy-baby-suv-confirmed/

[steveromagnino]

interesting; well would be a nice addition and likely end up somewhere around CRV positioning you think?

For clarity it is actually the FORD Fiesta-based Ecosport that will be powered by a 1.5-litre engine nabbed from the fiesta when sales start next year which will be assembled here (not the TRAX which may or may not come here).

Trailblazer/escape is the fortuner sized large SUV...slot this Ecosport thing in (idiotic name but then again I like a car called a Scirocco) as the smaller little SUV which is the trend in cars these days. Still looks pretty lack lustre and not really a hot hatch, but I guess if you could flick a supercharger and/or turbo onto it or perhaps the fiesta ST 2 litre engine in there which is still only 148 HP, then you might be looking closer to a hot hatch ride.