Over 39,000 orders were placed for new models at last year’s event, which attracted 1.6 million visitors.

Organiser Prachin Eamlumnow says that 30 auto and 15 motorcycle brands are taking part in the show, which is considered the largest automotive exhibition event in the region. The event officially starts today and runs until April 8 at the Challenger Hall, IMPACT Muanthongthani.

The theme of this year’s event Is “Revolution in Motion”, and many are expecting to see the latest innovations in the automotive world, including EVs (Electric Vehicles) and PHEVs (Plugin Electric Hybrid Vehicles).

One of the most talked about EVs being displayed is the MINE Mobility, which is owned by Energy Absolute PCL, a Thai company. Three models are being shown,  all priced under Bt1 million, each offering an operating range of 200250kms on a single charge. Energy cost per kilometre  is approximately Bt0.30.

Other EVs being shown include models from FOMM, developed in Japan, China’s BYD and Hyundai’s Ioniq EV, coming with  a top speed of 165km/h and a range of 280kms, priced at Bt1.749 million. One of Nissan’s highlight is the Leaf EV, which is being marketed commercially for the first time in Thailand.

Meanwhile German luxury car makers are putting emphasis on PHEVs such as  MercedesBenz C 350 e as well as MHEVs (Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicles)  the Audi A7 Sportback.

Ford is also attracting big crowds at its booth, with the official launch of the Ranger Raptor fulloption pickup. Priced at Bt1.699 million, it is the most expensive 1tonne pickup made in Thailand.

Toyota staged the soft launch of its  CHR sporty subcompact crossover late last year, but will be hoping to collect more orders from the Bangkok Motor Show.

Luxury cars have a strong position here, with RollsRoyce introducing the new Phantom, which is the costliest production car at the show with retail prices starting at Bt59.5 million for the longwheelbase version.

Nissan fans are celebrating as Nissan Motor Thailand has decided to officially offer the GTR in Thailand. Retail pricing for the 555horsepower allwheeldrive sportscar has been set at Bt13.5 million.

The GT-R will be available at a price of Bt13.5 million, complete with a warranty that covers three years or 100,000 kilometres, backed by bespoke service from Siam Nissan TKF – the newly appointed exclusive Nissan High-Performance Centre – to provide best-in-class customer service.

The GT-R is manufactured at Nissan’s world-class plant in Tochigi, Japan, said Antoine Barthes, president of Nissan Motor Thailand.

During its first year, Audi Thailand was able to meet its sales target of 600 units thanks to an attractive lineup of completely built up (CB) vehicles being offered at completely knocked down (CKD) prices.

Apart from Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) that are being offered by rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz (Audi hasn’t completed its electric vehicle feasibility study for Thailand), Audi’s range in Thailand covers all major segments ranging from the diminutive Q2 subcompact SUV to the A8 L flagship model which was officially launched early this month in Pattaya.

It’s also surprising that the most popular model for Audi during the past year isn’t a sedan or an SUV, but the TT Coupe, which has become a favourite among both male and female buyers visiting the Audi Thailand showroom on New Phetchaburi Road. The TT Coupe 45 TFSI quattro S-line with 230hp (Bt3.199 million) and the TTS Coupe quattro with 286hp (Bt4.599 million) are offered.

However, my favourite Audi model from the current portfolio is the A4 Avant 45 TFSI quattro S-line Black Edition, priced at Bt3.249 million.

I first saw the A4 Avant on Audi’s stand at last year’s Motor Expo and was impressed with the black wagon (Avant). While the wagon versions of the BMW 3-Series (Touring) and Mercedes-Benz C-Class (Estate) don’t look as exciting as their sedan siblings, that’s not the case with the A4.

Actually I think that the A4 wagon looks much better than the sedan, which over the years has always been a bland choice compared to its competitors. The wagon comes with rather compact body dimensions too, with short front and rear overhangs, so don’t expect a bulky mom-and-pop station wagon.

According to Audi Thailand, the customers of the A4 Avant aren’t soccer mums, but rather young hipster singles with active lifestyles. Being 50 years old, I didn’t appreciate that statement very much – I’m sure I can be hip too, even at this age.

Well, part of the reason that it’s popular among the younger crowd is that this ain’t no regular A4 Avant for the supermarket or department store, but the performance model with all-wheel-drive and sporty S-line/Black Edition packaging.

The A4 Avant looks great in black (the demo car even came with black solar film giving it that secretive mafia look), which adds a good degree of fierceness to balance with the unisex Audi design. The 19-inch wheels with low-profile tyres, along with the low ride height gives it even more character. This is a wagon that people are really going to notice (you will need a new exhaust system to get the maximum effect though).

Get inside and you are greeted by a luxurious mix of leather, aluminium and other high-quality materials Audi is well-known for. Assembly quality is excellent and in my point of view is a strong point of any Audi.

The bucket seats are pretty deep and tight (totally unlike the comfy seats in the Q7), reminding you of the vehicle’s sportiness, but I didn’t like the granny-styled diamond-cut design, which was more suited to an elegant British sportscar for the true gentleman rather than a compact German power wagon.

You don’t get the latest Audi Virtual Cockpit in this model, and will have to do with the usual analog meters. But there’s nothing to complain here. The flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel comes with controls for everything.

There’s a lot of information being displayed, and it takes a little getting used to where each is located. For example, try looking for the clock and you’d spend some time searching around.

There is plenty of room inside for both passengers and cargo. The luggage compartment holds 505 litres – with the rear seat backrests folded you can get as much as 1,575 litres.

For the Thai market, currently the A4 Avant is offered with one powertrain choice – a 2.0-litre direct-injection turbocharged engine with active boost control. Engine size seems pretty small for a wagon weighing in at 1,575kgs? Not really.

The turbocharged powerplant pumps out as much as 252hp and 370Nm and can propel the A4 Avant from 0-100km/h in 6 seconds flat just like a performance model. Top speed, meanwhile, is claimed at 250kph.

The 7-speed DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) isn’t jerky and provides smooth shifts. Manual mode can be operated via shift paddles behind the steering wheel, and the gear position is also displayed while in auto mode.

On the highway, driving the A4 Avant 45 TFSI quattro was like driving a sports sedan with extra stability, thanks to the quattro all-wheel-drive system. Apart from the swift acceleration at every speed range, it also held on to curves with plenty of grip, offering the driver lots of confidence.

The electromechanical steering adjusts the weight nicely between low and high speeds. Steering precision is good too, turning into corners sharply like it’s not a station wagon. The 5-link front and rear suspension, plus low-profile 245/35 ZR Michelin Pilots on 19-inch alloys, also do ther job well in maintaining good composure at all speeds and in all driving situations.

Despite coming with the Driver Select function offering various driving modes, including comfort auto and dynamic, there’s not much audible enjoyment. The engine is smooth and the noise is well-kept from the cabin resulting in a quiet atmosphere, but there’s just no fun when you floor the pedal. With this type of performance, you’d expect to hear a much sportier exhaust note from the 252-hp A4 Avant.

After driving the Audi A4 Avant 45 TFSI quattro S-line Black Edition for three days, I admit that I had fallen for it. At this pricing and with the performance offered, along with the versatility of the wagon bodystyle but without having to look bulky, this is going to be one of my top 10 drives of the year.

Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI quattro S-line Black Edition specs

Engine: 4-cylinder 16-valve with turbocharger

Displacement: 1,984cc

Bore and stroke: 82.5×92.8mm

Compression ratio: 9.6:1

Max power: 252hp/5,000-6,000rpm

Max torque: 370Nm/1,600-4,500rpm

Transmission: 7-speed DCT

Ratios: 3.188/2.190/1.517/1.057/0.738/0.557/0.443

Final drive ratio: 4.270

0-100kmh:  6.0 secs

Top speed: 250km/h

Fuel economy (km/litre)

City: 12.5

Highway: 17.2

Combined: 15.1

Average CO2: 150 g/km

Suspension (f/r): 5-link, stabiliser/5-link, stabiliser

Steering: speed-dependent electromechanical rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 11.6 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/disc

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,725

Width: 1,842

Height: 1,434

Wheelbase: 2,820

Track (f/r): 1,572/1,555

Weight: approx. 1,575 kgs

Wheels: 19-inch alloy

Tires: 245/35 ZR19

Fuel tank capacity: 58 litres

Price: Bt3.249 million

Distributor: Audi Thailand (Meister Technik Co Ltd)

The CR-V, with 228 points, beat runners-up the Toyota Yaris ATIV (192 points) and the BMW 5 Series (157 points).

Meanwhile, the TAJA also handed out “Motorcycle of the Year” awards for two categories – under 400cc, and 400cc and over.

The winners were the Honda CB150R Exmotion and Yamaha R6, respectively.

It will be displayed at the Bangkok International Motor Show starting on March 28 at Challenger Hall, IMPACT Arena.

The American auto maker is also expanding the availability of advanced safety technologies in all Colorado models, said Piyanuch Chaturaphat, general director for sales and marketing at Chevrolet Thailand.

“Vehicle personalisation is one of the strongest trends in our industry, with after-market accessory sales expected to see robust growth for years to come,” she said.

“More than 50 per cent of Colorado customers in Thailand choose to accessorise their vehicles. Appearance packages such as ‘Thunder’ are just one way our customers can express their personal style. Another is with their choice in exterior colour, one of the top considerations when purchasing any vehicle.”

The “Thunder” pack includes fender flares, black bowtie front and rear, under-rail bed liner, side steps, black grill, end-gate decal, fuel cover and hood scoop.

The orange interior package includes an IP insert, transmission shifter bezel, air-vent bezels and door trim inserts.

The “Thunder” packs are available separately from the stylish High Country Storm package that already includes a sport bar, 18-inch alloy wheels, hood decal sticker with High Country logo, outside rear-view mirror, door handles, tailgate handle, outer belt moulding, rear bumper with parking sensors, and Storm body decals – all in black finish.

The 2018 Alphard is available as a 3.5 VIP and a 2.5 Hybrid, while the Vellfire 2.5 is being offered for the first time by TMT.

New features include alloy wheels, a front chrome grille, LED headlights and sequential-type turning lights at the front and rear.

Other equipment includes front and rear skirts, a back-massage function, digital television receiver and T-connect Telematics.

The Alphard and Vellfire come with five-year, 150,000-kilometre warranties and free labour.

The Alphard 2.5 Hybrid also has a 10-year warranty on the battery and five years on the hybrid system.

The Alphard 2.5 Hybrid costs Bt3,939,000, the Alphard 3.5 VIP Bt5,429,000, and the Vellfire 2.5 Bt3,809,000.

The Uber vehicle was in autonomous mode, with an operator behind the wheel, when it hit a woman walking in the street in the city of Tempe late Sunday, according to the San Francisco-based company.

The victim was hospitalized and later died from her injuries.

“Our hearts go out to the victim’s family,” an Uber spokesperson told AFP. “We are fully cooperating with local authorities in their investigation of this incident.”

Uber said it had temporarily halted its use of self-driving cars for testing or customer rides in Tempe, Pittsburgh, Toronto, and San Francisco.

Tempe is one of just two cities — along with Pittsburgh — where the ride-sharing firm has been using autonomous vehicles as part of its regular passenger.

The vehicle operator in the driver’s seat was the only person in the car when the accident occurred, Uber said. The car was in police hands on Monday.

Sunday’s accident was the first fatal self-driving car crash involving a pedestrian.

The first deadly self-driving car accident was reported in mid-2016, and involved a Tesla.

Sheriff needed?

The Tesla Model S, cruising on “Autopilot,” failed to detect a crossing tractor-trailer against a bright sky, killing the driver — who it later emerged had kept his hands off the wheel for extended periods of time despite automated warnings not to do so.

Investigators at the US National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of the Tesla crash was the combination of “a truck driver’s failure to yield the right of way and a car driver’s inattention due to overreliance on vehicle automation.”

Autonomous-vehicle technology has been touted as having potential to save fuel, ease congestion, and to save thousands of lives by avoiding accidents due to human error.

As with the fatal Tesla crash, however, the deadly Uber accident is likely to stoke concerns that the industry is moving too fast.

Google-owned Waymo this month began using its self-driving trucks to haul cargo bound for the internet giant’s data centers in Georgia, while rival Uber announced the use of self-driving semi trucks as part of an on-demand trucking service in Arizona.

In September, US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao released new guidelines that permit more testing of self-driving cars.

But America’s non-profit Consumer Watchdog has warned that roads are being turned “into private laboratories for robot cars with no regard for our safety.”

The group on Monday called for a nationwide moratorium on testing self-driving cars on public roads while investigators figure out what went wrong in the Uber accident.

“Arizona has been the wild west of robot car testing with virtually no regulations in place,” Watchdog technology project director John Simpson said in a statement.

“When there’s no sheriff in town, people get killed.”

Car vision tests?

US states set their own rules for roads, and a handful have passed laws allowing self-driving vehicles.

California and Arizona have been particularly encouraging, hoping that companies developing autonomous technology in those states will create local jobs and facilities devoted to a promising new industry.

Duke University robotics professor Missy Cummings is among the advocates of slowing down introduction of autonomous vehicles to avoid risk and get proper regulations in place.

While machines are better at staying vigilant and reacting to routine situations, human drivers have proven superior at handling unusual or unexpected situations, according to the professor.

Cummings reasoned that if people need to pass vision exams in order to get driving licenses, so should self-driving cars.

She noted a case in which putting stickers on a stop sign could fool autonomous car sensors into seeing it as a sign indicating a speed limit.

“If we are still learning at this rate, and still uncovering major problems, it begs the question of why we are trying to put this technology into widespread use,” Cummings told AFP.

“I am a big fan of the technology, but it is very unproven and experimental.”

Mazda’s new Soul Red Crystal exterior colour is also being offered for the Mazda3 for the first time, Chanchai Trakarnudomsuk, president of Mazda Sales (Thailand), said on Monday.

“The Mazda3 is an important model that will help Mazda grow sales,” he added.

The first Mazda3 produced at the AutoAlliance Thailand plant in Rayong in 2003 had many achievements, with aggregate sales of 30,000 units.

The second-generation model in 2011 achieved sales of 13,000 units, while the third-gen model introduced in 2014 has already exceeded 25,500 unit sales.

“In total, more than 68,500 units of the Mazda3 have been sold in Thailand and it plays an important role in the success of Mazda in the Kingdom. It makes up one-third of Mazda’s global sales with over 5 million units sold in 142 countries, and has won over 180 prizes and awards from around the world,” Chanchai said.

Among the new features added to the Mazda3 2018 Collection are: Advanced Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, LED projector headlights with daytime running lights, dual-zone air-conditioning, six-way electrically powered driver’s seat, and four-sensor parking assist.

Prices of the updated model range from Bt857,000 to Bt1.149 million.

Poppitt will lead communications across GM’s Southeast Asia operations, overseeing brand, product, corporate and internal communications for the business.

He will report to Ian Nicholls, president of GM Southeast Asia, and George Svigos, director of communications – Asia Pacific, GM International.

Svigos and Poppitt are both based in Bangkok.

General Motors posted positive sales momentum across Southeast Asia last year, growing overall sales volumes by 14.8 per cent compared to 2016.

Poppitt, who is Australian, will also assume responsibility for coordinating brand and product communications across GMI Asia Pacific, working with GM’s in-market teams and GM’s communications partner, Weber Shandwick.

Prior to joining GM Southeast Asia, Poppitt held the position of director of communications for GM Holden in Australia.

Before that, he held various senior communications positions in the automotive industry, following several years in journalism.

Around 180 guests, including representatives of the Industry Ministry, Board of Investment secretary-general Duangjai Asawachintachit, as well as Continental management, the local project team, suppliers, dealers and representatives of academic institutions gathered on site to attend the ceremony.

The calendering machine is not only the first but, at almost 100-metres long, also one of the largest machines in the factory.

The civil works as well as the machine installation process have run according to schedule and will be followed by the official start of production next year, the Germany-based company said.

“The investment in the greenfield tyre plant in Thailand is an integral part of our growth strategy called ‘Vision 2025’. The combination of innovative German engineering combined with local Thai production capabilities ensures the highest-quality tyre manufacturing that Thai and Asian consumers are looking for, thus fulfilling our philosophy of ‘In The Market, For The Market,’” said Nikolai Setzer, member of the executive board of Continental and head of the Tyre Division.

“The pace at which infrastructure development is happening on the Eastern Seaboard is encouraging for us. Therefore, we would like to thank the Thai government, the Industry Ministry and the Thai Board of Investment for the support given so far,” he added.