The event kicked off yesterday at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Center (Bitec) and will run until July 1.

A total of 15 automobile companies are present with current models while 16 used car dealers are offering a range of previously-owned vehicles that come with special warranties and sales promotions.

Show organiser Pattanadesh Asasappakij said this is the 7th year of the event.

“Last year there were 252,216 visitors to the show with a total of 3,497 vehicles sold (2,256 new and 1,241 used) worth approximately Bt2.85 billion,” he said, adding that the organisers expect a 3-per cent growth in sales this year.

“We expect 270,000 people attending the show this year with no less than 3,600 vehicles being sold, comprising of 2,300 new and 1,300 used vehicles,” Pattanadesh said.

He said used cars offered at the show must pass several important requirements. The vehicles must not be involved with a serious accident and has not undergone modifications.

Pornthep Thirasuntrakul, Senior Marketing Director for Auto Financing, Bank of Ayudhya, which is the main sponsor of the show, said, “The automobile market is growing continuously this year due to favorable economic factors, introduction of new models and the large number of used cars flowing into the market. The auto financing market is also enjoying growth, projected at 7 per cent in 2018. Krungsri Auto believes that the FAST Auto Show Thailand 2018 will be another boost for the automobile and auto financing market.”

Chalatchai Paphatphong, vice chairman of the Organising Committee for New Cars, said, “For new vehicles, we have a total of 15 companies including MG, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Suzuki, Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru and AAS Group, which features Porsche, Bentley, Ducati and Harley-Davidson. This reflects the confidence auto companies have in the automobile market, which is enjoying continuous growth. Meanwhile, auto companies have prepared many sales campaigns that will surely help with the purchase decision of consumers visiting the show.”

Asadavuth Asasappakij, vice chairman of the Organising Committee for Used Cars, said, “For used cars, apart from the 100-per cent buy-back guarantee, many dealers are exhibiting more luxury cars apart from the popular models in the market. This is because of last year’s robust sales of luxury vehicles. There were not enough cars for sale at the show. This year, there is also a large number of promotions and warranty to give customers added confidence, and I am sure sales of used vehicles will increase.”

Used car dealers present at the show include Visarn Autocar, DDS Car Center, Yo Rachada, 54 Niwat Car, The One Srinakarin, CarDeeSureOk, Amorn Warranty by Benz Amorn Rachada, , Khun X Home Cars by Auto Master, 999 Suwit Home Cars Took Lae Dee, Best Service, Keng Rama 9 and J. Motor Trade, Muangchon Used Car, RoT Sethi, NBP&Unique Auto Car, and A.T. Car Sale.

“It is not the right time for newcomers to enter the Myanmar market, as many players here are struggling to survive. A lot of used-car showrooms may shut down in the near future because they cannot make ends meet,” he says.

The majority of car sales centres in Myanmar are owned by locals, though 100 per cent foreign investment is allowed in the auto industry. Among the total of over 100 sales centres in Yangon, more than 90 per cent are owned by Myanmar nationals.

On average, less than 100,000 passenger cars and 30,000 commercial vehicles are usually sold in Myanmar every year. Farmer Auto usually sells out over 2,000 cars yearly. Vehicles with a price range of between 10 to 20 million kyats (Bt240,000 to Bt480,000) are the best sellers in Myanmar, according to the statistics. Soe Tun also seems worried that the nature of the industry itself, including a ban on Yangon licences, unstable car import policies and tax regulations, along with increasing office and land rental fees and limited resources may deter the growth of Myanmar’s auto industry.

“Currently, the auto market in Myanmar is inactive for two main reasons. First, the nature of the auto business does matter. As it is the rainy season, there are floods in some parts of Myanmar, including big cities like Mawlamyaing and Hpa-kant. It is usual that the auto business is not doing well at such time,” he says.

“Second, it has been over two and a half years since the authorities prohibited the issuing of licences to vehicles registered in Yangon region. Currently, discussions are underway to relax this restriction. We hope the regional government will re-allow the import of cars in the city next month. Potential buyers are all waiting for this announcement. So, they are not willing to panic.”

Yet, he expects better market conditions in the next open season from October until late May.

Currently, those who need to buy a car either for passenger use or for commercial purposes have two options to choose from if they want to drive their cars in Yangon, the nation’s commercial hub. One is to buy a slip of an old car licensed in Yangon, and another is to have their cars registered in other states and regions, he explained.

“Most of the buyers prefer Yangon-licensed vehicles because they are much easier to sell if they want to buy a new model. Provided that Yangon licences are currently prohibited, buyers usually have to bear some additional costs. If the authorities issue the Yangon licence again, there will not be such unnecessary costs, leading to lower auto prices here,” he says. He said traffic congestion still remains despite the ban on Yangon licences that the authorities put in place with the aim of solving heavy traffic in the city’s business districts.

At present, most of the new buyers usually register their cars in Bago region located near Yangon. “If Yangon licences are re-allowed, people will no longer buy the cars registered in other states and regions, except for some competitive advantages. Then, it will be hard for us to sell such cars,” he says.

Since late 2011 when the private sector was first allowed to import of vehicles, nearly 600,000 passenger cars and 350,000 commercial vehicles, including trucks and buses, have been imported – 70 per cent of them registered in Yangon region. Currently, Japan-made cars account for nearly 95 per cent of all the vehicles in Myanmar.

He urges the authorities to push for enactment of a by-law to accompany the Myanmar automobile law enacted in September 2015.

“It has been nearly three years since the law was enacted. But the by-law has yet to follow. Authorities should urgently undertake it,” he says.

The association played an active role in drafting an automobile policy in cooperation with the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during the previous government’s term. The changes in the administration delayed the enactment of the policy, he added. “It will be the best if we have a strong, stable policy framework in place. If not, all the players in the auto market will unavoidably face the music,” he says.

“Currently, the Ministry of Industry is drafting the new automobile policy, which has not been publicised yet. We are also keeping an eye on that. In reality, a policy cannot be as effective as a law can, because it does not include penalties for breaking something prohibited. Taking actions is needed to enforce rules and regulations.”

Only 7,500 new cars assembled in Thilawa Special Economic Zone were sold last year. Yet, he foresees a bright future for domestic manufacturing of brand new cars and spare parts over the next three years.

TMT executive vice president Vudhigorn Suriyachantananont said in the company’s monthly sales release that 84,965 vehicles were sold in the country in May, comprising of 33,160 cars (up by 26.8 per cent) and 51,805 commercial vehicles (up by 28.6 per cent).

During the first five months of the year, auto sales have already broken the 400,000 mark, with 401,264 vehicles, an increase of 18 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.

“Demand for automobiles has been high since the start of the year, and the growth of the Thai economy due to favourable factors like exports and tourism all contribute to the growth of the automobile market,” Vudhigorn said.

He said auto sales in June are expected to maintain momentum, with an economic expansion coming from government and private sector investment projects, along with competitive sales promotions from auto companies. These factors make it easy for consumers to make a purchase decision despite unclear political scenarios and fluctuations in oil prices.

New features in the HR-V include Honda LaneWatch and City Brake Active System. The new HR-V will arrive at Honda showrooms nationwide from 8 July but booking is available.

Pitak Pruittisarikorn, Honda Automobile Co Ltd operating chief in Thailand, said: “The Honda HR-V, first launched in 2014, had the highest sales volume in the SUV segment for three consecutive years, with cumulative sales of over 66,000 vehicles. For the new model, we have set a sales target at 18,000 within one year after the launch.”

The new HR-V is available in three variants: E (Bt949,000), EL (Bt1,059,000) and RS (Bt1,119,000).

The company has reported a total revenue of Bt711 million in the first quarter of this year, up 6.86 per cent from Bt665.3 million in the same period last year.

The four new contracts are orders for Perodua’s new model in Malaysia as well as orders for new models for Isuzu, Ford and Mazda in Thailand.

As of now, the company has more than Bt4 billion of contracted orders to boost its revenues in the next 5 years.

“We plan to invest Bt366 million in 2018-2019 for these projects. We believe the auto-part business outlook is still strong and expect the Malaysian market to recover next year when Proton, one of the main market leader, will has completed its business transformation and introduce new products, he said.

Osamu Masuko, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corp, was present at the opening ceremony along with Mitsubishi Motors president Morikazu Chokki.

“Miisubishi Motors has always given importance to the operations in Thailand, and the Mitsubishi Motors Thailand Education Academy reflects our determination in a time when the country is being driven by innovations,” Masuko said.

Mitsubishi Motors recently celebrated the manufacturing milestone of 5 million units at its Laem Chabang auto assembly centre.

Masuko said the centre “will play a pivotal role in the development of knowledge and skills of Mitsubishi employees”.

Construction of the centre commenced in September 2017 with an investment of Bt120 million. The two-storey building has 8,700sqm of space, while the facility’s total area is 17,700sqm.

The academy is capable of training 100-150 employees per day, covering sales, after sales, customer relations as well as other departments within the company.

Grab, which is headquartered in Singapore, is a leading player in the ride-share industry in Asia, and earlier this year agreed to acquire US giant Uber’s regional operations.

In a statement, Toyota said the deal “is aimed at achieving connectivity for Grab’s rental car fleet across Southeast Asia, and at rolling out various connected services throughout the region that utilise vehicle data” stored by Toyota.

Toyota will place one of its executives on Grab’s board, and a second Toyota team member will serve as an executive officer at the company, which Toyota called the “partner of choice for ride-hailing in the region.”

The investment comes as Toyota works to adapt to what company president Akio Toyoda calls “profound change” in the industry.

Last month, Toyoda pledged to transform the auto giant to meet a “once-in-a-century challenge.”

“I have decided to transform Toyota from a car manufacturer to a mobility company,” he said, without offering much detail on what that would entail beyond providing “various services involving movement of people around the world”.

Grab operates across Asia and agreed to acquire Uber’s Southeast Asian business earlier this year.

The deal has run into trouble though, with Singapore saying in April that it would impose restrictions on the acquisition until it concludes a probe into whether the sale may have infringed competition rules.

Under the deal, Uber was to receive a 27.5 percent stake in Grab.

Byton’s new capital is led by from FAW Group, Tus-Holdings, CATL and others, a statement from its North American headquarters in California said Monday.

“The success of this funding round highlights how diversified strategic investors will further expand Byton’s circle of friends and broaden our development opportunities,” said president and co-founder Daniel Kirchert.

“Byton is establishing a new benchmark for auto startups with four essential ‘must haves,’ namely technology, product, capital and factory.”

Early this year, the company unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show its vision for “intuitive and intelligent” cars for global markets starting next year from around $45,000.

Byton is led by former executives from Tesla, BMW, Apple and Google, and expects to launch in China by 2019 and in the United States and Europe by 2020.

The statement said Byton officially opened its global headquarters in Nanjing, China, which works with a research center in Silicon Valley and a design center in Munich, Germany.

The first batch of prototype models is set to roll out in April 2019 for testing, with the pilot production program starting in the first half of 2019.

Byton has also been working on autonomous driving technology, with some self-driving functions expected to be incorporated in its first models.

At CES, Byton executives showed how the car could use facial recognition to unlock and adapt to the driver, as well as offer a range of other ways to interact, including voice control with Amazon Alexa, touch and gesture.

Year-to-date sales reached 26,886 units, reflecting the country’s “spectacular” economic growth in 2018, Chanchai Trakarnudomsuk, president of Mazda Sales (Thailand), said on Monday.

During the first quarter, the economy enjoyed 4.8-per-cent expansion, which was higher than what analysts had expected.

This was due to a large number of positive factors, including growth in investments, production and exports, in addition to tourism, Chanchai said.

No matter what the answer was at the time, it sure started a trend in the luxury car segment. Most high-end auto manufacturers now team up with high-end audio companies to develop and equip their vehicles with high-quality audio and infotainment systems. The new Lexus ES is available with the latest Mark Levinson infotainment system featuring the PurePlay decompressing and enhancing function. So apart from driving the ES, I also sat down in the car and talked to Kyle Roche, Mark Levinson’s product planning sales manager for Toyota/Lexus (check out the video).

In the ES, a total of 17 speakers are powered by a multi-channel 1,800-watt (peak) power amplifier. They consist of two front-mounted 8×9-in elliptical woofers, a rear 265mm subwoofer, and seven 90mm proprietary speakers (each comprising a tweeter and a midrange speaker).

There’s a new grille design that’s unique, and for the first time in a Lexus the speakers are placed at shoulder-height all around the cabin. They are now closer to ear level, resulting in less reflection points before sound reaches the ears. Mark Levinson claims that this helps reproduce nuances and details other systems can’t.

Connecting my Samsung A5 smartphone via Bluetooth to the infotainment system took several easy steps, then I played familiar MP3 tunes and listened hard.

Unlike other high-end car systems I’ve listened to (such as the colourful Burmester, B&W, Dynaudio and Meridien), from the moment the music started playing my attention was not distracted by powdery highs or rich, deep bass. Instead, the music was reproduced with a good tonal balance, strong presence and a very wide soundstage.

Even with MP3 files I could easily spot the improvement over standard systems offered in other cars. Vocals sounded “alive” and incorporated a lot of musical detail (the quiet interior to start off is a good help here) and there were layers and layers of soundstage, each featuring the exact locations of instruments being played.

When Roche switched on the PurePlay function (that is programmed to enhance the sound quality), the soundstage widened to such a level that I had to say, “Wow!”. What Mark Levinson engineers tried to do was to “envelop” listeners with the sound and that’s pretty much what you can expect to experience when listening to this system.

But for audiophiles, the processed sound, despite its fun factor, would appear thin and leaving it off would deliver a more natural performance. In fact, the normal soundstage is already sufficiently wide, while high, mid and low frequencies are given equal opportunity to present themselves. The result is a highly-engaging musical experience.

Roche said that the Mark Levinson option costs around $1,500 (Bt48,000) in the US market, which is super cheap compared to rivals. But the bad news is that the ES 300h model destined for Thailand will come with only a standard Pioneer system due to cost issues. And that is a shame, because the Lexus and Mark Levinson names have now established a synergistic relationship and having one without the other just makes you feel deprived.