A record 53,248 orders were placed for automobiles at the 2023 Thailand International Motor Expo, while 7,373 orders were placed for motorcycles, according to figures provided by the organizer.
Show organizer Kwanchai Paphatphong said as much as Bt72 billion were generated from the investments by exhibitors and sales during the course of the 13-day event.
However, a large number or orders in the automobile category consisted of pre-orders, particularly from Chinese brands offering new models, which means that they may not reflect true sales figures as customers may not pass financing requirements while some may decide to change their minds and opt for refunds after the show.
Nevertheless, the show reflected the sharp rise in popularity of electric vehicles, which enjoy government subsidies of up to Bt150,000 per vehicle in addition to import duty exemption for those from China, took a share of 38.4 per cent while the majority of 61.6 per cent were taken by vehicles with internal combustion engines.
SUVs were the most popular body type (57.3 per cent) followed by passenger cars (18.3 per cent), hatchbacks (10.4 per cent), pickup trucks (9.5 per cent) and others (4.5 per cent).
Toyota was the top brand (7,245), followed by Honda (6,149), BYD (5,445), AION (4,568), MG (3,568), Changan (3,549) and Great Wall Motor (3,524). Japanese brands, which did not offer electric vehicles in their product lineup like the Chinese, saw their positions fall behind. They include Isuzu (2,460), Nissan (2,459), Mazda (1,961) Mitsubishi (1,673) and Suzuki (1,402). Neta, another Chinese EV brand, took 1,766 orders while Wuling and NEX took 312 and 229 orders respectively. American automaker Ford took 1,415 orders.
Mercedes-Benz was the most popular luxury car brand with 1,333 orders followed by BMW (1,188), Tesla (528), Volvo (485), MINI (172), Lexus (140), Audi (120), Peugeot (101), Porsche (72), Jeep (26) and Maserati (15). Lotus, which offered an electric model, saw an increase with 41 orders placed.
Korean automakers included Hyundai (680) and Kia (321).
Kwanchai also said as much as Bt300 in sales were generated from the aviation and marine categories, which have been introduced at the show for the first time.
