Toyota is hoping that the new Camry Hybrid will draw a good number of customers thanks to its packaging overhaul.

The 2.5 HV Premium hybrid, priced at Bt1.799 million, is the top Camry model in Thailand and brings to mind Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand. And then there is also choice between the 2.5-litre (Bt1.539 million) and 2.0-litre (Bt1.445 million) powerhouses.

The 2018 Camry boasts large body dimensions, at 4,885 millimetres in length and 1,844mm in width. The wheelbase is 2,825mm (50mm longer than the previous model) and the car runs on 215/55 tires on 17-inch alloy wheels.

While the exterior design may appear provoking, with its unnaturally huge front grille and muscular dimensions, the interior is furnished with high-quality genuine leather upholstery along with artificial leather, powered front seats with memory for the driver’s seat and steering positions.

The larger dimensions result in a larger cabin both front and rear, while the seats are comfortable too. The cabin is the total opposite of the previous model, which wasn’t so flashy. And that’s something you would expect from Toyota. But with the new Camry, the thinking has changed much – it just reminds me of the Lexus ES300 (which actually shares the same TNGA platform).

While the Lexus gets a Mark Levinson sound system, the Camry gets a JBL DVD with navigation system, eight-inch touch screen and nine speakers (including subwoofer), as well as T-Connect Telematics that connect easily. There is one USB port in front and two at the rear.

The driver gets a head-up display on the windshield and there’s a full package of smart safety systems including blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert, auto high beam and lane departure alert. There’s also a dynamic radar cruise control that slows down or speeds up depending on the vehicle in front.

It’s a pity that Toyota hasn’t decided to offer a plug-in version of its hybrid products. The Camry gets into pure EV mode occasionally, for example after pressing the start button, but the nickel metal hydride battery’s capacity isn’t large enough to cover long distances. Nevertheless, the fuel economy is pretty good since it’s a hybrid – Toyota claims it can achieve an average of 25km/litre in combined city and highway driving mode.

The efficient 2.5 gasoline engine in the Camry Hybrid pumps out 178 horsepower and 221Nm, while the electric motor is capable of producing another 88 horsepower and 202Nm (though the combined engine and motor output is limited to 211 horsepower). When that happens, the Camry was able to raise eyebrows with its powerful straight-line acceleration, and it gets even better when the sport button is pushed. The stepless E-CVT (Electronic Continuously Variable Transmission) is silky smooth and gives the Camry Hybrid a cultured performance.

Despite the powerful acceleration, the hybrid is 100 kilograms heavier than the 2.5-litre version, and the driver will easily feel the added weight during cornering. Make a normal U-turn and you can feel it’s a pretty heavy car.

On the other hand, the Camry 2.5G (which I also drove after the hybrid) has a better weight balance and cuts through corners easily. But even in sport mode, the power and response is incomparable to the hybrid when both the engine and motor is going full rev.

The steering isn’t too sharp, but offers decent precision and weight. The brakes, meanwhile, have and improved feel although it still takes some getting used to due to the energy regenerative system that turns deceleration forces into electric energy.

After a few days of driving both the Toyota Camry 2.5HV Hybrid and the 2.5G, it was the hybrid that offered a better and more complete package even with the higher pricing.

Toyota Camry 2.5 HV Premium specs

Engine: 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve

Displacement: 2,487cc

Bore and stroke: 87x103mm

Compression ratio: 14.0:1

Max power: 178ps/5,700rpm

Max torque: 221Nm/3,600-5,200rpm

Motor Generator: Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor

Hybrid Main Battery: Nickel Metal Hydride

Capacity: 6.5 A/hr

Max power: 88ps

Max torque: 202Nm

Combined engine and motor max power: 211ps

Transmission: E-CVT (Electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission)

Final drive ratio: 3.193

Average fuel economy: 25km/litre

Average CO2: 92g/km

Suspension (f/r): McPherson strut/double wishbone

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: n/a

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/disc

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,885

Width: 1,840

Height: 1,445

Wheelbase: 2,825

Track (f/r): n/a

Weight: 1,650kg

Wheels: 17-inch alloys

Tyres: 215/55 R17

Fuel tank capacity: 50 litres

Price: Bt1.799 million

Distributor: Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd

The British carmaker, which is owned by China’s SAIC Motors, entered Thailand in 2014 by teaming up with the strong CP Group in local assembly and distribution, and has been able to grow sales dramatically thanks to products with highly attractive pricing and trendy features.

Pongsak Lertruedeewattanavong, vice president of MG Sales (Thailand) Co Ltd, has been with the company since the startup stage, and has played a pivotal role in elevating the status of the MG brand in Thailand into a household name.

Since his graduation from Srinakarinwirot University, Pongsak first worked mainly in advertising, including a stint as marketing communications executive at Kodak (Thailand).

The 58-year-old soft-spoken executive entered the automotive world as marketing manager of Benz Thonglor, one of the top Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Thailand.

But the first big move took place in 1997, when he joined Honda Cars (Thailand) Co Ltd, the distributor of Honda cars in Thailand, as assistant manager.

“When I first joined Honda I wanted to work in sales, but due to the Tom Yum Kung financial crisis, they didn’t need so many people in sales. So I changed to product planning and stayed there for a long time, before moving over to PR and finally sales,” he says.

In mid-2014 Pongsak made an important decision – leaving the well-established Honda distributorship (which later took on the name of Honda Automobiles (Thailand) Co Ltd) to set up a new and not well-known brand like MG.

“At that time I was approaching my retirement age at Honda (which was 55) and I received a call from CP to join the MG project,” Pongsak recalls.

It was a rather boring time in his career at Honda, with a lot of routine work that was not exciting.

“I wanted something challenging and decided to come to MG,” he said. “Although MG is a smaller company, there is a larger responsibility scope for me and opportunities to use all my knowledge and experience here.”

Pongsak says that MG is a British brand and is actually not new.

“Many people think it is Chinese but MG actually has a very long heritage,” he says.

“One of our first challenges was that most people don’t know our brand and the only ones who can recall the name are very old. The job was to build a new brand in Thailand with a strong reputation.”

The first model from MG, the MG6, was not right for the Thai C-segment market dominated by the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic, and just 200 units were sold during the first year.

It was when the MG3 was launched that MG took a big leap, as the product appealed to a wide range of buyers.

“MG is a new brand, so we must have competitive pricing. But if the price is too low, then it’s not good for business,” Pongsak stresses.

“The MG6 was a good lesson for us. So for the MG3 we made sure that it came with a very good package and pricing. It had two-tone paintwork that was unique and even a sunroof that was not usually offered in this segment.” The MG3 was so successful for the brand as it penetrated not only the B-segment but the low-priced eco-car market as well.

“SAIC Motor has done a lot to ensure that our products are competitive against Japanese, Korean, American and European brands. We have better driving performance than Japanese brands and we also offer as much technology as we can,” he says.

With more cars on the road plus more to come, more showroom and service centres are needed. MG will have 140 outlets by the end of 2019.

Luxury crossovers have gained tremendous popularity in recent decades as they responded to the changing lifestyles of consumers.

While markets like the United States have for years seen passenger cars increasingly lose out to the more versatile lifestyle vehicles, the trend is now catching up in Thailand though not yet to the same degree.

Mercedes-Benz is the current leader in the Thai luxury car market, and the company has a lot to offer in this segment. The German automaker assembles a large number of models at the Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant (TAAP) in Samut Prakarn, including the GLC 43 4MATIC that is sold under the Mercedes-AMG performance sub-brand.

With local assembly, Mercedes has been able to lower retail pricing significantly when compared to equivalent imports. With the GLC 43, the price tag is Bt4.73 million.

The GLC is the first AMG model in the midsize SUV segment, and one of a new breed of crossovers that offer both the versatility of SUVs and the road dynamics of passenger cars. Unfortunately, off-roading isn’t something you want to do in this type of vehicle.

Compared to the standard GLC, the GLC 43 gets special AMG treatment for both the exterior and interior. Apart from the front and rear AMG aprons, aluminium side steps and sports exhaust, it also carries 21-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tyres that are designed for sporty, rather than rugged, driving.

The cabin features sports seats with red seatbelts, carbon fibre trim and a flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel. There’s enough space for the occupants and the materials are top-notch, but don’t expect as much luggage space as found in conventional SUVs – due to the rear-end design.

You get a full infotainment package, including a Burmester sound system that sounds really good, particularly at the mid- and high-frequency ranges.

What many people love best about the GLC 43 is the sheer driving performance. The same 3.0-litre bi-turbo V6 used in the C 43 Coupe produces 367 horsepower and 520Nm of torque to propel it from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds. That’s truly sportscar performance.

The power is transmitted to all wheels via a sporty nine-speed automatic and the 4MATIC all-wheel-drive system, which sends 31 per cent of forces to the front wheels and 69 per cent to the rear.

The AMG DYNAMIC SELECT switch allows you to choose from five drive programmes, and AMG RIDE CONTROL lets drivers choose from three damping adjustments.

The AMG-tuned gearbox offers lots of fun, with a double-declutching function during downshifts. When the Sport Plus mode is selected, shift times are shorter and crisper. There are shift paddles for sporty driving, and the transmission stays in the selected gear and doesn’t shift up even when the maximum engine speed is reached.

The variable ratio steering in the GLC 43 is sharper than you’d think during the first half-turn. It gives the GLC 43 lots of nimbleness when driving in the city. The steering weight is also nice, both at low and high speeds.

The front 4-link and rear 5-link suspension is based on AIR BODY CONTROL, and provides a nice ride quality along with loads of grip on the road when working with its all-wheel-drive system. It’s pretty easy to drive the GLC 43 fast, despite its weight and size, thanks to serious AMG tuning.

Stopping power for the 1.8-tonne GLC 43 comes from 360mm perforated discs up front with 4-piston calipers, plus 320mm discs at the rear.

There’s a long list of safety features, as well as Distance Pilot DISTRONIC that maintains a safe distance when running with cruise control and Active Parking Assist.

It’s true that the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC may not be a capable off-roader that’s going to wade through rivers in the wild – look elsewhere if you need that.

But for a crossover for use in the city and for driving upcountry, it is surely one of the sportiest you can get, and with pretty good pricing too.

Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupe specs

Engine: V6 24-valve with twin turbochargers

Displacement: 2,996cc

Bore and stroke: 88.2×82.1mm

Compression ratio: n/a

Max power: 367ps/5,500-6,000rpm

Max torque: 520Nm/2,500-4,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

0-100kmh: 4.9 secs

Top speed: 250 km/h

Average fuel economy: 12.0 km/litre

Average CO2: 189g/km

Suspension (f/r): multi-link/multi-link

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 12.1 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/vented disc

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,727

Width: 1,930

Height: 1,586

Wheelbase: 2,873

Track (f/r): n/a

Weight: 1,845 kgs

Wheels: 21-inch alloy

Tires: 255/4- ZR21 (front), 285/35 ZR21 (rear)

Fuel tank capacity: 66 litres

Price: Bt4.73 million

Distributor: Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Ltd