The regulations were changed in December in a bid to stop cars being imported for illegal purposes, said Oramon Sapthaveetham, deputy director general of the ministry’s Department of Trade Negotiations.

She said new vehicles made in China and Thailand entering Myanmar must have country-of-origin certificates, and used vehicles must have export certificates.

Vehicles not produced in those countries but imported from them will not be allowed into the country.

Oramon said the ministry had given Thailand and China the classifications and models of vehicles that can enter Myanmar legally.

Myammar has 380,000 vehicles on its roads, of which 90 per cent are used cars from Japan five years or older.

“This is the eighth consecutive year Nissan has held its Skills Contest, which started with just a few categories, but over the years has grown to today’s 11 categories,” said Nissan Motor (Thailand) president Antoine Barthes.

Some 1,400 staff from dealerships countrywide participated at the Nissan Education and Training Centre in Bangkok.

The contest is designed to help sales consultants, service advisers, CROs and technicians reach their utmost capabilities and polish their skills.

“This contest is just one of the many ways Nissan Motor Thailand continues to invest in customer care,” Barthes said.

“We know that investing in our employees, our dealer partners and their employees results in greater customer service and ever-improving professionalism.”

A total of 130 representatives from 52 dealers and 72 showrooms participated in the contest, with Siam Nissan Chonburi (Nong Mon) and Siam Nissan Uttaradith winning Super Champ awards in two segments.

The new Swift was officially launched in Bangkok yesterday with prices ranging from Bt499,000 to Bt629,000 for the top model with a navigation system –presently, only the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) version is offered.

Wallop Treererkngam, executive director for sales and marketing at Suzuki Motor (Thailand) Co Ltd, said the Swift is targeted at first-car buyers aged from 21-39 years old.

Suzuki is aggressively marketing the new Swift, offering a Bt3,999-per-month installment as well as a loyalty programme with free accessories worth Bt20,000 being given away for current Swift owners purchasing the new model.

Wallop said while the eco car market in 2017 reached sales of 156,239 units, Suzuki accounted a total of 21,300 eco cars, an increase of 13.3 per cent compared to the previous year. It commanded 13.6 per cent of market share.

“The Swift has maintained its high popularity in the market, with more than 8,000 units sold last year,” he said. “We believe, with the growing automobile market, Suzuki will be able to again register significant growth this year .”

The Swift is powered by a newly-developed 1.2-litre engine boasting a fuel economy of 23km/litre.

Unilke the current Ranger, the Ranger “Raptor” is powered by a new twin-turbo 2.0-litre diesel engine capable of pumping our 213hp and 500Nm of torque. A new 10-speed automatic transmission is also offered along with a large number of driver assistance systems.

Ford has not announced retail prices, as Ford distributors in each market will be responsible for announcing prices at the national launch events.

Inheriting vital capability from the truly successful Ranger and complementing that with DNA from the F-150 Raptor, the new Ranger Raptor is set to turn heads throughout Asia Pacific and around the world.

“It is amazing to enable this level of performance and create a vehicle that can provide off-road enthusiasts such an adrenaline rush,” said Jamal Hameedi, chief engineer, Ford Performance

“It really is like a motocross bike, snowmobile and an ATV rolled up into a pickup truck – it’s an incredible, awesome experience!”

Nissan announced that it will launch the model in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. The company is also exploring introducing the zero-emission car in other markets in the region, including Indonesia and the Philippines.

Nissan regional senior vice president Yutaka Sanada said the company is working to bring the new generation of the world’s best-selling electric vehicle to as many markets as possible.

“The new Nissan Leaf is the most advanced, yet accessible 100 per cent electric vehicle on the planet,” Sanada said. “This ingenuous car will make you feel more confident, more excited, more connected than any other mainstream electric vehicle.

“The launch in so many markets shows our commitment to playing a leading role in electrification in this dynamic region, and to delivering the future of mobility to the region now.”

The announcement was made at Nissan Futures, a gathering in Singapore of industry leaders, government officials and media from across Asia and Oceania. The three-day event is bringing together influential speakers to discuss how to create a sustainable future through vehicle electrification, and how to make advanced driving technologies more accessible, under the theme “The Future of Mobility – Electrification and Beyond.”

Strong underlying demand suggests that the market for electric vehicles has the potential to grow exponentially in Southeast Asia, according to research released by Frost & Sullivan.

Nissan has sold more than 300,000 Leafs globally since the model first went on sale in 2010.

“Siam Delightful Chinese New Year” is aimed at attracting both Thai and international shoppers to experience all the excitement during the New Year period throughout the “One Siam” area.

With over 999 Chinese lanterns, imported gorgeous performances from China, and auspicious events, as well as promotions and special prizes for the New Year, the campaign runs from today until March 11, Siam Piwat senior executive vice president-marketing Mayuree Chaipromprasith said on Monday.

The ninth model based on the Harley-Davidson Softail platform and the latest in a line of 100 high-impact motorcycles the company plans to introduce by 2027, the Sport Glide is said to present “an engaging combination of technology and style”.

The Sport Glide is now available in three solid colours – “vivid black”, “twisted cherry” and “silver fortune” – at all dealerships in Thailand. Prices start at Bt1.399 million.

“Harley-Davidson sees potential in the Asean market,” Johan Kleinsteuber, managing director of Harley-Davidson Asia emerging markets, said.

“With a huge increase in demand for big motorcycles in Southeast Asia over recent years, Harley-Davidson is committed to bringing the spirit of freedom, individuality and brotherhood to riders in Thailand, and continuously developing unrivaled and appealing products to provide extraordinary experiences for a new generation of motorcycle enthusiasts.”

“We are thrilled that the Sport Glide has arrived in Thailand for the first time. It is suitable for both commuting and light touring, which makes it perfect for the country,” Thanabodee Kulthol, market operations lead for Harley-Davidson Thailand said.

“We continue to strengthen our presence in Thailand as we offer a wide range of products to meet all our customers’ needs and bring the brand closer to fans here with nine dealerships nationwide and an upcoming assembly facility.”

Maserati will work with a team drawn from across Accenture Interactive, including data-driven marketing, digital delivery and creative services from its creative agency, Karmarama.

“Progressive businesses like Maserati recognize that experience is the new battleground, with customers expecting integrated, human-centered experiences both digitally and in the real world,” said Nontawat Poomchusri, country managing director and financial services lead, Accenture in Thailand.

“The mandate from Maserati is clear: to use digital to help drive sales and at the same time build premium brand equity. We’re here to design a comprehensive marketing strategy designed to achieve both of these targets in a connected way, seeking the most creative and enduring customer experiences through the combination of data, content and innovative marketing technologies.”

The seminar topic, “Create competitiveness with just-in-time manufacturing for Industry 4.0” was part of a Thai automotive industry project to increase the competitiveness of the auto-parts manufacturers through “just-in-time” (JIT) manufacturing.

The project is supported by the Bureau of Policy and Strategy, Ministry of Industry, with the objective to increase competitiveness of auto parts manufacturers.

While Honda created much fanfare with the introduction of the diesel-powered CR-V, many forget that over the years it is the petrol version that has put the CR-V in its prime position today.

Many also don’t realise that CR-V is the abbreviation for “Comfortable Runabout Vehicle” and that the first CR-V’s exterior design was based on trekking shoes that became a big hit in the 90s.

I drove the diesel CR-V last year and although I wasn’t fully impressed with the Japanese diesel technology (compared to upmarket European brands), the package offered was the best available in the market.

In fact the CR-V, now in its fifth generation, is also an important contributor to Honda maintaining the passenger car crown in Thailand for the third year. That is, if you include the CR-V as a passenger car like Honda has done, and not as a commercial vehicle like Toyota Motor Thailand, which also claims to be the passenger car market leader.

In my point of view, it would be funny to classify the CR-V as a commercial vehicle as no one purchases it and uses it for commerce (like a pickup truck). Anyway that’s the conflict of interest between the top two passenger carmakers from Japan that needs to be sorted out sooner or later.

Realising that I still haven’t driven the petrol CR-V, I was in luck as the test drive car from Honda Automobile (Thailand) was still available. Apart from the two diesel variants, there are also two petrol variants priced at Bt1.399 million for the front-wheel-drive 2.4E and Bt1.549 million for the all-wheel-drive 2.4 EL 4WD, which I got.

The fifth-generation CR-V boasts greater styling features than its predecessors, particularly the sharp-lined front grille. It features LED headlights and tail lights, daytime running lights and sporty 18-inch alloy wheels with comfy 235/60 tires.

The interior of the CR-V is always good, and the new model is no exception. Good material selection (I like the piano black trim) gives it a luxurious feel while the large interior space gives you an open atmosphere. Interior comfort is at its best here, with low engine and wind noise too.

The leather-upholstered seats are comfortable and provide plenty of back support (in fact a little too much). There are third-row seats, giving the CR-V a capacity of seven people. Just fold the third-row seat backrests to create a flat cargo floor. Need more space? Fold the second row seat backrests too.

The tailgate is fully automatic. Apart from opening and closing by a button, there is also gesture control. Just move your foot across below the rear bumper and the tailgate performs the “open sesame” ritual. You can also programme the opening height to match the surroundings, especially in low-ceiling garages.

The infotainment system features Apple CarPlay compatibility and 7-inch touchscreen.

Honda offers a wide range of vehicles with E85 compatibility and the CR-V I is one of them. The 2.4-litre i-VTEC engine develops 173 horsepower and 224Nm of torque.

While the diesel engine sound isn’t particularly appealing, the i-VTEC engine gives you back that usual Honda feeling. The 4-cylnder engine revs smoothly without much vibration being felt in the cabin, and gets the 1,670-kilogram CR-V moving swiftly on the highway.

With E85, the fuel consumption may be higher than with E10 and E20 but the price difference helps balance it out.

The sporty steering wheel provides a good feel, although the suspension is tuned for comfort, which is what CR-V customers want. The front strut and rear multi-link suspension provide occupants with good comfort levels, although the CR-V doesn’t seem to take sharp bumps and strong shocks as well as rivals like the Subaru XV. The ground clearance is over 200mm, but it looks like the CR-V feels more at home in the city than in the ranch.

Which again could suit Thailand a lot since no one here would use a CR-V for off-roading. The high clearance is good when the city is flooded (happens a lot), and the comfortable suspension is great when driven on poorly maintained roads.

There is vehicle stability assist, hill start assist and auto brake-hold function that is helpful when driving in traffic jams as you don’t have to shift to N or P and back to D often.

The CR-V comes with the Honda Lane Watch system, which uses a camera on the front passenger sideview mirror and displays the image on the centre console screen whenever you flick the left turn signal. There are markings telling you whether it is safe to change lanes. Just like the driver-side blind spot monitor, it is pretty redundant as you already have the mirrors. But it would be useful for clumsy drivers.

There’s also a multi-angle rearview camera and six airbags.

The Honda CR-V lives up to expectations in offering high comfort and versatility, as well as convenience thanks to a full package of features. Rivals like the Mazda CX-5 and Subaru XV are getting better, but the CR-V can still be considered the one to beat in the Thai compact SUV segment.

Honda CR-V 1.6 DT-EL 4WD specs

Engine: DOHC 16-valve i-DTEC common-rail diesel with turbocharger

Displacement: 2,356cc

Bore and stroke: 87.0×99.1mm

Compression ratio: 10.0:1

Max power: 173ps/6,200rpm

Max torque: 3224Nm/4,000rpm

Transmission: CVT

Ratios: 2.645-0.405

Final drive: 5.363

Fuel economy: (litres/100km)

City: 11.4

Highway: 6.3

Combined: 8.2

CO2: 194g/km

Suspension (f/r): McPherson strut, stabiliser/multi-link, stabiliser

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Turning circle: 11.0 metres

Brakes (f/r): vented disc/disc

Dimensions (mm)

Length: 4,571

Width: 1,855

Height: 1,667

Wheelbase: 2,660

Track (f/r): 1,598/1,613

Ground clearance: 208mm

Weight: 1,670kgs

Wheels: 18-in alloy

Tires: 235/60 R18

Fuel tank capacity: 57 litres

Price: Bt1.549 million

Distributor: Honda Automobile Thailand Co Ltd