In a year of multiple records, the company said it also enjoyed unprecedented demand for its bespoke creations, and launched the new Cullinan – the Rolls-Royce of SUVs – to international acclaim, the company said.

Reflecting on the company’s performance for the year, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “2018 was a most successful, record-breaking year for Rolls-Royce. We have seen growth in all our regions around the world.

“At Rolls-Royce we are deeply focused on each and every one of our customers and are delivering on their demanding expectations. The Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood is acknowledged and celebrated as a global centre of luxury manufacturing excellence, where our skilled, dedicated team create the world’s finest, most sought-after luxury products. We set a formidable mark in 2018: I am confident it will prove the spur to even greater success in 2019.”

The Americas remained the company’s largest market in 2018. The company said sales also grew across all regions during the year with buoyant customer demand across the model range. Phantom was a major growth driver, flanked by the Wraith and Dawn models.

Apichat Leenutaphong, CEO of Renazzo Motors, said the new 465-sqm facility, which carries the official status of Lamborghini Bangkok, took just 6 months to build and is the largest Lamborghini showroom and full service centre in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We have a capacity to service 1,000 cars per year with 7 fully air-conditioned service bays and the most comprehensive tool and equipment among Lamborghini facilities in this region,” he said. Federico Foschini, chief commercial officer of Automobili Lamborghini, said Lamborghini has been here for 10 years but this is a new start for the brand in the Kingdom.

“It is a new era for Lamborghini in Thailand,” Foschini said. During the past 2-3 years, Lamborghini has been restructuring its network, removing dealers that are not up to standard. It presently has 157 dealers around the world.

The Italian supercar maker has been highly successful in the global market during the past 10 years with double-digit sales growth since 2010 when it sold just 1,302 vehicles. Last year it sold more than 5,500 vehicles from just 3 models – the Aventador, Huracan and Urus SUV. While 4,000 units came from supersports models, as much as 1,500 units came from the Urus.

“We have still to know the full potential of the Urus in Thailand but it has been a game-changer around the world so it should be similar in Thailand,” Foschini said.

“In Thailand, we will launch the Huracan EVO during the second part of the year and expect to gain the leading position in the mid supercar market.”

Since it was introduced last year, there has been 10 orders placed for the Urus in Thailand. The new SUV model opens up a new market for Lamborghini, drawing customers from upper luxury brands as well as from high-end competitors.

“The Urus is a challenge for us because it opens up a much wider customer base and many of them have very high expectations,” he said. “During the past several years Lamborghini has won many new customers and we can’t afford to disappoint them.”

Foschino said the sales target for Thailand is 40-50 units once Lamborghini’s operations is firmly established, which he thinks may pose a challenge for his Thai partners.

“We want to grow gradually with no market push, which will help preserve the residual value of our used cars,” he said.

The record 2018 was led by all-time best full year sales from both the Ranger pickup truck and Everest mid-size SUV, the company said.

“The success of the Ranger and Everest continued to drive our performance and progress in 2018,” said Wichit Wongwatthanakan, managing director, Ford Thailand. “The launch of both the new Ranger and new Everest mid-year helped to raise the bar even further in their respective segments, and further widen their appeal in the market.”

Sales of the segment-defining Ranger in 2018 rose 25 per cent year-over-year to a record 55,389 vehicles.

The Ranger’s extraordinary year helped it continue to gain segment share, adding 0.2 percentage points from the previous year to 12.4 per cent, and remained firmly number three in Thailand’s highly competitive pickup truck segment, the company said.

The new Ranger features the 2.0L Bi-Turbo and 2.0L Single Turbo engines, as well as the proven Duratorq engine, helping bolster its wide appeal among Thai customers.

The full lineup in Thailand consists of 20 different Ranger models, including the Wildtrak, XLT, XLS and XL variants, and the new ‘Limited’, or LTD, variant. It also includes the Ranger Raptor, Asia Pacific’s first and only high-speed, off-road performance pickup truck.

“The ‘Built Ford Tough’ Ranger continues to revolutionise the pickup truck segment,” said Wichit.

The Everest also delivered a record performance in 2018 with sales growing 19 per cent to 9,756 vehicles, helping drive its segment share up 1.3 percentage points from the previous year to 15.1 per cent.

Designed to redefine expectations for a mid-sized SUV, the Everest continues to gain in popularity with its bold design, refined interior and off-road capabilities with on-road comfort. A wide range of advanced driver-assist technologies help make the Everest one of the smartest and safest vehicles in its segment.

Ford continued to enhance its overall Ford customer and ownership experience in 2018 with the launch of the Ford Authorised Distributors initiative. Complementing Ford’s nationwide network of 155 authorised dealerships, this added more than 2,000 approved parts resellers, auto garages, and body shops to the company’s network, helping bolster its ability to get genuine Ford parts to customers wherever they choose to have their vehicles serviced across the country, the company said.

After a slump in auto sales over the past several years, Thailand’s auto industry is once again expanding with more than 1 million vehicles sold domestically in 2018.

The 20-percent jump in auto sales has been attributed to political stability and a steady flow of new models accompanied by attractive sales campaigns all year round.

All segments in the market enjoyed strong growth, whether passenger cars or commercial vehicles (pickup trucks included). Even the luxury car market blossomed, with market leaders like Mercedes-Benz and BMW each selling over 12,000 vehicles during the past year.

Thailand remains an important production and export hub for automobiles, each year churning out over 2 million passenger cars, 1-tonne pickup trucks as well as other types of vehicles from various assembly plants located around the country.

For export, eco cars and pickups are the major “bread-and-butter” models from Thailand, along with a large number of motorcycles and parts. More than a million automobiles are exported yearly from Thailand to over 130 countries. Thailand boasts an auto production capacity of 3 million units, which is expected to grow to 3.5 million within 2020.

While the nation may not offer the lowest labour cost structure in the region, it has a large number of highly trained skilled workers and a strong network of over 2,000 parts suppliers.

Thailand is looking into producing high-technology products such as BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) in the near future, but the plan requires time to get various infrastructure up and running.

The Thai Ministry of Industry is moving forward with its electrification policy (PHEV or BEV) for pickup trucks and eco cars. The ministry recently announced investment promotions for this project, and several automakers have decided to enter.

The second step involves production of EV components, with plans to upgrade the eco car (75 per cent of the 100,000-unit annual production per brand is exported) to eco-EVs with electric motors. Production of electric buses and three-wheelers are also planned.

Brands that filed for hybrid production privileges include BMW, Honda, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are already offering PHEVs (Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicles) in their Thai product lineup, and are busy building battery production facilities and charging infrastructure in Thailand. In September last year Mercedes-Benz launched its first EV in a global event in Stockholm, and could decide to offer it here in the future. Audi is also interested in joining the EV race, and has hinted that it wants to offer EV products in Thailand.

Nissan, meanwhile, is the first major Japanese auto company to jump into the EV craze. It recently introduced the LEAF EV, which is priced at Bt1.99 million and targeted at upmarket buyers. The LEAF is capable of covering 400 kilometres on a single charge.

For the general public though, internal combustion engines are still the affordable answer. Consumers in 2019 will be looking for higher efficiency and performance, larger interiors, along with a long list of add-on features.

Meanwhile, infotainment has become an important part of the modern automobile. Apart from playing music and giving online access, the portals are now connected to the navigation system and can serve as a personal secretary to the driver, communicating via voice recognition systems.

AUTO  sales returned to the 1-million-unit mark in 2018 and this is partly due to more attractive products as well as more attractive sales promotions being offered all year round.

It was a year that witnessed new models coming with improvements in performance, fuel economy, safety and technology, giving customers a more complete experience.

Here are the most impressive vehicles I drove in 2018.

BMW 320d

The new 3 Series will be on sale in Thailand this year, but I had driven it at the global event in Portugal in December and must say that this is another winner from BMW.

The 320d comes with a twin-turbo 2.0-litre common-rail diesel motor capable of producing 190hp and 400Nm. It comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission, and does the 0-100kph in 6.8 seconds, and yes, the top speed is 250kph as well. What’s more is that the average fuel economy is claimed at 23km per litre.

It provides great driving dynamics that you’d expect from a 3 Series. There is plenty of cornering grip and the steering provides excellent precision and feedback.

The exterior design still looks good, although in terms of size, the 3 Series have grown much over the years. There are loads of high-tech features too, such as the BMW Personal Assistant which is like Siri on wheels.

Audi A4 Avant TFSI S-line quattro

Audi is making a strong comeback in the Thai luxury car market and is offering a wide range of models, all imported as it does not have an assembly facility here.

Imported vehicles are expensive due to the high import duty, but the German auto maker makes sure that’s not a problem by offering prices that are similar to locally assembled models of rival brands.

The A4 Avant, priced at Bt3.249 million, is a sleek-looking wagon that in my opinion looks better than the sedan version, something that doesn’t happen often.

The turbocharged 2.0-litre engine pumps out 252hp and 370Nm, and with a smooth-shifting

7-speed dual clutch transmission, is capable of propelling the A4 Avant from 0-100kph in just 6 seconds and to a top speed of 250kph.

Ford Ranger Raptor

Due to the success from the F-150 Raptor in America, Ford has decided to apply the same treatment to its popular Ranger pickup. The result is explosive success.

Priced at Bt1.699 million, it’s the most expensive

1-ton pickup on sale in Thailand, but there’s a whole bunch of changes that pretty much justify the cost.

With its cross-country looks, the Raptor is an attention-grabber. It is powered by a new twin-turbo 2.0-litre engine with 213hp and 500Nm. There are six  driving modes, and it comes with revised suspension that includes FOX shock absorbers and Watts link setup at the rear.

Inside there is special treatment from the standard Ranger such as Alcantara leather with blue stitching, Raptor steering wheel and sports instrument panel.

Suzuki Swift

The Swift has been one of the top-selling eco cars in Thailand and the new model comes with so many improvements that put it in another class altogether.

The new model is wider and has a longer wheelbase that instantly gives it more stability on the road, despite being slight shorter in length. There’s also more interior and luggage space too.

The jet air vents inside give a high-quality feel and there’s a 7-inch touchscreen with smart connect.

The 1.2-litre engine produces 83hp and 108Nm (lower than the old model), but the new car is lighter and as a result performance doesn’t suffer much. The claimed average fuel economy is 23.3-km/litre.

The suspension and steering (sporty design with flat bottom) offers sharp response and high-quality damping, and this is where it counts for a sporty hatchback like the Swift.

Toyota C-HR

Winner of this year’s Thailand Car of the Year award, the C-HR is a revolutionary crossover from Toyota.

Posing a futuristic design, the C-HR stands out in the crowd with a funky appearance. The interior is modern and refreshing, although the materials may not be top-notch.

The good point is that there are hybrid and

1.8-litre models to choose from, and although the fuel economy of the former is pretty good (24.4km/litre), the latter is 70kg lighter and feels more balanced in driving dynamics. At Bt1.039 million, it’s also Bt120,000 cheaper than its hybrid sibling.

You get smart entry, auto brake hold, sport and eco engine mode, seven airbags, cruise control, DVD player with 7-inch touchscreen, and a 4.2-inch colour TFT screen on the dash.

In a press release issued on Friday, the company said the aim is to enhance mechatronics skills as well as laying a stronger foundation for their expertise in electric mobility. The company also handed over other educational essentials, such as a set of technical special tools (for BMW vehicles only), an engine stand and a display board for school public relations.

César Badilla, director of aftersales, BMW Group Thailand, said: “This donation of the latest BMW PHEV engine will allow them to practically study the engine and boost their technical skills prior to job interviews with authorized BMW dealers.

“Working with certified BMW technicians will certainly enrich the students’ experience and help them develop holistic approaches to technical matters, eventually paving the way to their occupational success in automotive industry in the future.”

Dr. Nualanong Thumjaroen, Chitralada Vocational School director said: “This donation of BMW engine and essentials tools for practical training in the class will extend students’ hands-on knowledge beyond the theoretical learning framework.

“This will support the in-class learning experiences and unleash their full potential. After graduation, the student will be able to optimise this holistic knowledge and apply it effectively in their careers.”

The BMW Service Apprentice Program was initiated in 2012 and recognised as part of the German-Thai Dual Excellence Education (GTDEE) programme.

Ekachai Kahakarnbamrung, director of B2C business of Siam Michelin, said: “Starting in January 2019, Michelin’s Laem Chabang plant will also start producing BF Goodrich tyres, particularly the popular all-terrain tyres, for sale in Thailand as well as export to nearby markets such as Africa, Middle East, Asia and Oceania.”

The tyres will also be supplied to automakers such as Ford, GM, Isuzu, Mazda and Toyota.

The BF Goodrich tyres will be sold at Tyreplus outlets and 158 Michelin dealers, he added.

Looking to build brand love and brand advocacy, the campaign is part of Krungsri Auto’s effort to affirm its top-of-mind position in the automotive finance business.

Under the campaign, Krungsri Auto is offering existing customers a chance to redeem special privileges that fit with their preferences and lifestyles, ranging from exclusive experiences at concerts of leading Thai and international artists, well-known restaurants, top hotels and resorts, and first-class cinemas.

Officially launched at the end of October last year, Krungsri Auto “Give” campaign was very well-received, with the overall privileges being redeemed worth more than Bt 7 mIllIon . In 2019, Krungsri Auto plans to select a wider range of privileges to offer the best customer experience that goes beyond automotive finance.