Mazda

Mazda Thailand has finally found the will to bring the "new" Mazda3 to the Thai market. Better late than never? The Mazda3 currently on sale in Thailand has been replaced in other markets for years and years already.

Still, here we are, 2011, and the Mazda3 is finally starting to roll off Thai production lines, and will be in customer hands following its launch on the 17th March. Read more....

Thailand is an amazing country, full of verity and choice. Fruit, for many western countries, means that you will be looking at apples, oranges, bananas, and seasonal berries most of which are imported anyway. In contrast, Thailand offers a staggering array of locally grown fruits.

The country is blessed with natural beauty that attracts millions of tourists annually. And by and large Thailand is a very interesting place to visit, complete with a rich and proud history and culture. But.... this is a car site. And writing about Cars in Thailand isn't always all that interesting. In fact, truth be told, the Thai auto market is bland as can be.

Why is this the case? Do Thai's not have good Taste in cars?

* 2012 Mazda BT-50\n* 2012 Ford Ranger\n* They're both nice\n* I don't like either\n

Ford has taken the wraps off its all-new 2012 Ranger at the Australian International Motor Show. The truck was developed at Ford's facility in Melbourne, Australia, and shares its platform with the all-new Mazda BT-50. Both models should be arriving in Thailand next year, and both will be built at the Ford/Mazda facility in Rayong, Thailand.

For this post I'm going to focus on the details for the Ford Ranger, and although the BT-50 will most likely have a few unique tricks, the majority of details are shared between the two sisters. Just to take a moment to comment on the obvious difference between the two, which is in the looks department. Ford's new Ranger is handsome looking and has stuck to a tried and tested truck look which clearly doesn't take any chances. With the BT-50, Mazda have clearly taken a few chances, and the result is something you will probably either love or hate it. I know I have no love for it at all!

Sales at this years Thai Motor Expo were actually pretty reasonable considering the current political and economic difficulties that Thailand is facing. Approximately 14,000 cars were ordered at the Expo which was attended by around 1.5 million visitors.

There are no surprises at the top of the sales table, with Toyota and Honda leading the pack with 4,193 and 2,552 bookings respectively. Business as usual really! Third place went to Isuzu with 1,760, which might seem like a big gap until you remember that they only sell trucks and truck derived SUVs.

Official images of the 2010 Mazda3 Hatchback have surfaced, and they have been met with mixed reactions. The front end is much the same as the 4-door Mazda3 Sedan that was shown first. So it looks like Randall from Monsters Inc.

Images of the 2010 Mazda3 sedan surfaced a few weeks back. They show a car that is heavily infulenced by its big brother, the 6, while still managing to retain a sporty and youthful appearence.

Bangkok, Thailand – September 1, 2008 – Mazda Sales Thailand launched great customer appreciation “M Day” campaign to ignite the passive automobile market over the recent months. The once-a-year campaign, available at 94 Mazda showrooms nationwide, offers more than baht 100,000 worth of customer special offer. For BT-50 offers one Bt 50,000 fuel coupon, a free 1-year full coverage insurance and 24-hour roadside assistance service for up to 3 years.

Mazda Sales Thailand Co. Ltd has reported satisfactory sales during the first half of 2008. Despite the market conditions, the high diesel price and the political uncertainty, Mazda seem to be holding their own in a difficult market where pickup truck sales in particular are suffering.

No, bkkAutos.com is not shifting focus to pick-up trucks, although the last several stories have been related to pick-up trucks! There is just more news about the truck market at the moment. Mazda have just launched the update to their BT-50 with highlights including a new suspension set up that apparently allows the Mazda BT-50 to fly, and engines that are compatible with B5 biodiesel.

Full details and more images follow:

Mazda have completed their BT-50 bio-diesel B2 and B5 test and have posted a press release which declares the success of the test. I have included the full press release below, but I would like to point out a few things that had me wondering.

Mazda are currently touring Thailand in a couple of BT-50 pickup trucks. They are going to complete a trip of over 10,000 km to show that the BT-50 can run on the new B2 and B5 fuels with no adverse affects. I'll be interested in seeing the results of this test, even though I think 10,000 km is probably not enough to convince anybody that there are no adverse effects of the fuel. Further, this fuel is 98% and 95% regular diesel anyway.

I'd be particularly interested in the fuel consumption figures for the trip. Also, this test will also be equivalent to a Ford Ranger test, since they share the same power units. I would love for this to be a B100 test though, but that will come.

Mazda received over 800 bookings at the 2007 Thailand International Motor Expo, which is a decent result for the brand. Most of this was due to price reductions on the Mazda3, which resulted in similar reductions to those offered by Ford for the E20 capable Focus.

The 2008 Mazda2 is probably going to come to Thailand in 2009, and now there is also the prospect of this rather stylish sedan variant currently being marketed to the Chinese.

The five-door version we reported on earlier will provide a bit of competition in the small-car segment, currently the stomping ground for Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris. And by the looks of this four-door Mazda2, the City and Vios would be given a serious run for their money.

2007 Mazda 3 minor change.

This image was uploaded with the post Facelifted Mazda 3 on the way?.