Thailand's most popular car.

[52midnight]

I'm interested to know what is Thailand's most popular car by:

1. Current registrations.

2. Historical sales volume.

3. Affection in the minds of the populace.

Before hitting the search engines, I thought I'd toss this in here to get something "on the ground". My specific interest is in the probable number of engines available for remanufacture, so it's an indirect approach to answering this.

[Rooo]

Moved to motoring.

[Puyai]

Toyota Vios.....

[IMHO]

Toyota Vios.....

The Toyota Hilux actually, closely followed by the Isuzu pickup with all it's various names.

Even though passenger car sales have started competing with pickup sales in the past 4 years, when it comes to individual models, pickups win by a massive margin.

[John 1]

So what is your question? you say something about engines available is this another guess what you want. you want petrol, diesel, electric,

[52midnight]

> pickups win by a massive margin.

Yes, this comes through strongly on the Inet. Govt incentives undoubtedly play a part, as also would the large agrarian population.

> Toyota Vios

Called the Yaris here.

> The Toyota Hilux actually, closely followed by the Isuzu pickup with all it's various names.

I know the Hilux, but have never been able to distinguish most small modern cars - they blend into a beige blur in my mind.

So it's four cylinder engines, then - petrol, I'd guess, with an increasing number of diesels?

>. you want petrol, diesel, electric,

Hmm, electric! Wouldn't have much appeal over there, I wouldn't think, though I could be wrong.

And nobody's mentioned the Thai Rung. "Based on the Toyota Hilux Vigo" according to Wikipedia, so I suppose it's a Toyota engine with Thai bolt-ons.

Edited February 19, 2014 by 52midnight

[Spoonman]

> pickups win by a massive margin.

Yes, this comes through strongly on the Inet. Govt incentives undoubtedly play a part, as also would the large agrarian population.

> Toyota Vios

Called the Yaris here.

> The Toyota Hilux actually, closely followed by the Isuzu pickup with all it's various names.

I know the Hilux, but have never been able to distinguish most small modern cars - they blend into a beige blur in my mind.

So it's four cylinder engines, then - petrol, I'd guess, with an increasing number of diesels?

I do not know where "here" is for you but in Thailand the Yaris is called a Yaris and the Vios a Vios.

The Vigo is the best selling vehicle in Thailand.

[52midnight]

> I do not know where "here" is for you but in Thailand the Yaris is called a Yaris and the Vios a Vios.

Wikipedia says they're the same, but oracles have been known to be wrong.

> The Vigo is the best selling vehicle in Thailand.

Good odds on that one. Toyota dominates small car markets worldwide.

[Spoonman]

> I do not know where "here" is for you but in Thailand the Yaris is called a Yaris and the Vios a Vios.

Wikipedia says they're the same, but oracles have been known to be wrong.

Must be why Toyota Thailand list them as 2 different vehicles then.

http://www.toyota.co.th/lite/index.php

[stickylies]

[Bkungbank]

In other coutries driving toyota vios and yaris are luxuries but in Thailand it's using for taxis just like UK benz for taxis purpose what to lowering standard for the models and owners.

[52midnight]

Thanks for the photo. These innovative vehicles undoubtedly escape official mention, but if my own experience of the East is any guide, there'd be more than a few. Thanks for the reminder.

Edited February 19, 2014 by 52midnight

[stickylies]

the autoheads here might also know why majority of cars is WHITE or BLACK... no pink nor rose nor yellow... odd.

[Anon999]

Toyota Vios.....

The Toyota Hilux actually, closely followed by the Isuzu pickup with all it's various names.

Even though passenger car sales have started competing with pickup sales in the past 4 years, when it comes to individual models, pickups win by a massive margin.

The question was 'car' no mention of trucks.

[seajae]

thai males have a problem with the old "mine is bigger than yours" sydrome so they have to have the biggest available, the fact that many have no idea how to drive them doesnt come into it because they just like to puff out the chest when they pull up where ever they like

[seajae]

Toyota Vios.....

The Toyota Hilux actually, closely followed by the Isuzu pickup with all it's various names.

Even though passenger car sales have started competing with pickup sales in the past 4 years, when it comes to individual models, pickups win by a massive margin.

The question was 'car' no mention of trucks.

if they were trucks you would need a truck licence to drive them, they are cars

[thailampang2012]

I see a lot of Honda Jazz running around....

[smileydude]

I would say diesel pickups since Thailand is the 2nd largest market in the world for pickups after the US whose population is 4 times larger. The affection is certainly there as you can:

haul people inside and out

haul your produce to the market

haul your trash to dump in someone else's yard

U-haul your belongings when moving

haul ready to pop up assassins with AK-47's

haul protestors

and last but not least you can haul Songkran revellers and water ammo

Its the all in one of cars.

[ajeans48]

HOLDEN EH......

[skraach]

In other coutries driving toyota vios and yaris are luxuries but in Thailand it's using for taxis just like UK benz for taxis purpose what to lowering standard for the models and owners.

I thought taxis in Bangkok were Carollas, not Vioses.

[52midnight]

> HOLDEN EH......

Ah, yes! And the odd Cadillac and Pontiac, too, I suppose ...

[VocalNeal]

Wikipedia says they're the same, but oracles have been known to be wrong.

Wikipedia is not the font of all correct information. That is a misconception. It is contributed to by everyone or anyone, so can be and is often wrong.

In Thailand Yaris is a hatchback and Vios is a 3- box sedan/saloon. They used to be similar but now the new Yaris is a tiny (1.2l) engined "eco-car" while the Vios remains so far a 1.5 or 1.6l small car.

Actually probably 1.5l as if it was 1.6l they would be used in Thailand as taxis. (Wikipedia won't tell you that taxis in Bangkok must be more than 1600cc. Hence they are Altis or Mitsu, etc. equivalent)

[steveromagnino]

thai males have a problem with the old "mine is bigger than yours" sydrome so they have to have the biggest available, the fact that many have no idea how to drive them doesnt come into it because they just like to puff out the chest when they pull up where ever they like

I doubt that this is true.

Ignoring the generalisation about "Thai Males" (guessing you don't know many) - others might point out that because the tax rate is lower on a pickup and a pickup is more suitable for driving longer distances, over lousy roads, with various loads upcountry, that this is why people buy theme especially upcountry - it is fundamentally more car for the money compared to a tiny city car with a sewing machine engine. Others might point out that until recently, small cars were not readily available here for the most part, with the current influx starting in the mid 2000s and now expanding to eco cars.

Spoonman - you are correct.

Yaris and Vios are to eachother as the City and Jazz are to eachother - one is a hatch and one is a sedan.

Taxis need to be a 1600CC 4 door, so the usual vehicle is a Toyota Altis, mostly manual, but you do see some other car types nowadays. Since there are 100,000 registered cabs in Bangkok and each is allowed on the road up to 13 years (from memory) that would translate to something like 10,000 vehicles a year (given that some are crashed and so forth each year).

Stats of sales here (Sept 2013 sales - note that Toyota Altis would normally slot in at #5 but this is awaiting the new model release - we can see heavy bias towards pickups and tiny sewing machine engine city cars)

Toyota Hilux (14.6% share)

Isuzu D-Max (10.8%),

Honda City (somewhere between 10.4-10.7%)

Toyota Vios, 10.3% market share

Nissan Almera 3.5%

Suzuki Swift 3.3%

Ford Ranger 2.8%

Mitsubishi Attrage 2.6%

2012 data is skewed by the stupid first car program so certain models missed out (coincidentally the program was designed, some cynics say, to totally favour Thai Summit's clients plus Toyota/Honda/Isuzu so cars like the Suzuki Swift were screwed), but anyhow, here is that data for your enjoyment (source www.thanachartbluebook.com,) - anyhow result is much the same - pickups and tiny cars at the top - note that new models have a major effect on car sales so really 1 year data is not a clear indication.

Pos Model 2012 %

1 Toyota Hilux 214,917 16.2%

2 Isuzu D-Max 171,012 12.9%

3 Toyota Vios 101,155 7.6%

4 Honda City 66,589 5.0%

5 Mitsubishi Triton 54,679 4.1%

6 Nissan Almera 51,254 3.9%

7 Toyota Corolla Altis 49,513 3.7%

8 Chevrolet Colorado 34,471 2.6%

9 Toyota Fortuner 33,224 2.5%

10 Mitsubishi Mirage 32,638 2.5%

11 Nissan March 29,104 2.2%

12 Honda Jazz 26,608 2.0%

13 Mazda BT-50 25,925 1.9%

14 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 23,971 1.8%

15 Honda Civic 23,040 1.7%

16 Honda Brio (e) 21,000 1.6%

17 Mazda2 20,483 1.5%

18 Ford Fiesta 20,297 1.5%

19 Toyota Camry 19,948 1.5%

20 Ford Ranger 17,161 1.3%

Toyota Yaris 16,956 1.3%

Nissan Navara 16,821 1.3%

Honda CR-V 10,321 0.8%

Chevrolet Captiva 6,068 0.5%

Nissan Teana 5,865 0.4%

Chevrolet Trailblazer 4,599 0.3%

Honda Accord 4,320 0.3%

in terms of emotional connection, Pick up drivers love Isuzu and Toyota, with best/cheapest servicing, best reputation for reliability, best resale and bear in mind the Toyota is already VERY old in model years 8+ years.

Drivers of cars prefer Honda and Toyota, mostly for the same reasons. The others are mostly left competing for 3rd-6th in terms of rankings. Mitsu tends to be regarded poorly for servicing; less common brands people upcountry cannot even buy them (due to no dealers) and some manufacturers have limited models so their ability to rank highly is curtailed a little.

Edited February 19, 2014 by steveromagnino

[Rinrada]

2 Door Toyo Pick up is considered a commercial/farm unit whereby a 4 door is a car..tax and plate wise...one green other white.

our quad bike however has no plates.....

[little mary sunshine]

InTthe States as well as in Thailand a Yaris is a Yaris...smallest economy car Toyota makes

A Vios is a Corolla, one of the most popular cars in The States and Thailand

[ignis]

Thai Rung, now using Toyota, before was Isuzu D-Max and Chevy Colorado before that Nissan,Thai Rung fit there own body, bit top heavy, and the trim is not interchangeable and can only be bought from Thai Rung = biggest problem is every expensive.

[HooHaa]

a vios is not a corolla. a vios is a vios or a yaris sedan in the US. A corrola is an altis in thailand

[mijan24]

Toyota Vios's main competitor is the Honda City and if the motoring news can be believed Honda has overtaken Toyota as the seller of the most cars in Thailand for several years now.

On the subject of "pickups" yes you have Vigo/Isuzu up front but being chased by Nissan,Mitsubishi and Mazda - Thais like the "pickup" as it is more of a work vehicle and very competitive financing deal plus you can fit 10,15+ people in the back - a vehicle for all occaisions.

[IMHO]

It's been a while since I saw so much misinformation in one Motoring forum thread... seems we have a few more visitors than normal

The VIOS is descendant from the Soluna (hence why it's official name is "Soluna VIOS"), which had absolutely zero to do with the Yaris, which is actually a Vitz. 2 Generations ago, the VIOS was re-platformed to share underpinnings with the Vitz, but the actual donor for the VIOS design is the Belta. In Short, the VIOS is a Belta, the Yaris is a Vitz, though some markets prefer to just badge them both as the Yaris.

The VIOS has never been commonly used as aTaxi in Thailand - taxi's here are Corolla's. Corolla's are not VIOS's.

Anything that is covered by a normal 'car' driver's license is a car - whether it has 2 doors, 4 doors, no doors, no trunk, a trunk, a hatchback, or a flatbed on back ..... so long as it has 4 wheels. Trust me, this is the way the market looks at it

Judging by the OP's intended usage of this info, it would appear the correct question to ask is "what are the most popular engines in Thailand?"... which puts the Toyota 2KD-FTV series at the top, followed by the Isuzu 4KJ1 series, then almost a tie on the Toyota 1KD-FTV and Isuzu 4JJ1 in 3rd/4th, with 5th going to the Toyota 1NZ-FE and 6th to the Honda L15A series. The rest are small fry compared to these.

Edited February 19, 2014 by IMHO

[IMHO]

Thai Rung, now using Toyota, before was Isuzu D-Max and Chevy Colorado before that Nissan,Thai Rung fit there own body, bit top heavy, and the trim is not interchangeable and can only be bought from Thai Rung = biggest problem is every expensive.

Quite right, but In the context of best selling cars, TR isn't worth a mention