BANGKOK: Thailand has long been celebrated for its stunning natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, thanks to its golden temples and picturesque beaches.
It is here that the kingdom continues to captivate all who visit its shores, and those who return will always look forward to experiencing the graceful presence of its ladies with their gentle gestures and heart-warming smiles that seemingly never transcend time.
The 46th Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS), once again, brought together the best of the global automotive industry, showcasing innovation, electrification, and cutting-edge design.
As one of the most highly anticipated annual events in the automotive calendar, the show sets the stage for the debut of next-generation vehicles that reflect shifting consumer demands and market trends.
While last year highlighted a strong presence of electrified models from China, this year saw the inclusion of plug-in hybrid ranges to provide Thai consumers with a more comprehensive mix of vehicular options.
With 41 car manufacturers and 13 motorcycle brands, the show welcomed newcomers Zeekr, Omoda and Jaecoo, Chery, Kinggen, Juneyao, Riddara and Geely as well as electric motorcycle brand Yadea,
The show managed to attract over 1.6 million patrons who secured 79,941 vehicle bookings to mark a 44.8% increase from last year (2024).
Out of the total number of bookings, 2,562 units were for motorcycles, while the rest of the 77,379 cars - comprising of xEV vehicles (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles), over 65% preferred SUVs.
Meanwhile, the remaining 35% were of vehicles with an internal combustion engine.
The top five best-performing brands that collected the most bookings were BYD (9,819), Toyota (9,615), GAC (7,018), Deepal (6,067) and Honda (5,948).
During the show, certain legacy brands that participated in last year's show such as Toyota (+13%), Honda (+29%), Isuzu (+9%), Mazda (+3%), Mini (+22%), Mitsubishi (+29%), Nissan (+26%), Porsche (+15%), Rolls Royce (+33%) and Volvo (+14%) managed to experience an increase in booking numbers
The top gainer was Honda, which managed to secure 5,948 bookings this year, compared to 4,607 bookings in 2024 - marking an increase of 1,341 bookings.
This was followed by Mitsubishi, which experienced an increase from 3,409 (2024) to 4,398 bookings this year for a 989 increase.
Nissan closed the top three gainers with a 26% increase, bringing its 2024 booking numbers from 2,488 to 3,139 (+651) this year.
However, other legacy brands weren't as fortunate with Audi (-29.67%), BMW (-37%), Ford (-32%), Hyundai (-46%), Jeep (-24%), KIA (-56%), Lexus (-43%), Maserati (-20%), Mercedes-Benz (-47%), Peugeot (-68%) and Suzuki (-36%) experiencing declines.
The largest loser was Peugeot, which saw its booking numbers drop from 88 bookings in 2024 to just 28 this year.
South Korean carmaker, KIA, also saw a sharp decline in demand for its vehicles from a high of 1,151 in 2024 to 507 bookings this year.
Surprisingly, Mercedes-Benz made the top three decliners with bookings falling from 1,642 (2024) to 870.
Aside from the new comers to the show, it would be the Chinese brands that would experience an explosion in booking numbers including BYD (+84%), Deepal (+97%), GAC (+133%), GWM (+76%), MG (+68%), Xpeng (+644%)and Zeekr (+201%).
The largest to gain was Xpeng, which had 188 bookings in 2024 and gained an additional 1,211 bookings this year at 1,399.
Zeekr experienced an increase of 798 bookings numbers which took them from 398 in 2024 to 1,196 this year.
GAC was the final top three among the Chinese brands that saw its booking numbers boom from 3,018 (2024) to 7,018,
Neta was the only China-based brand that saw a decline in its booking numbers, which fell from 1,618 (2024) to 1,219 for a 25% decline.
