A lively and cute all-electric small car is becoming popular from China to Thailand. In the Chinese market, the CHERY Q new car pre-order received over 20,000 orders in just 2 hours, and orders in the first month after launch broke 56,000 units, showing amazing explosive power.

Now this trend crosses borders and received very good market feedback in Thailand as well: Since pre-orders started at the Bangkok International Motor Show on March 24, orders broke 1,000 units in just ten days; as of June 24 when it officially launched, cumulative orders have forcefully broken 3,000 units.

To live up to high expectations, on July 13, the first batch of over 2,000 CHERY Q units was officially shipped to Thailand from China. All vehicles will first undergo a strict Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) process upon arrival, and then be delivered to customers sequentially according to the booking order.

"Four Excellent" Advantages Captivate Thai Local Users

CHERY Q's ability to quickly capture the Thai younger generation is inseparable from its four core advantages of "Good Looking, Big, Good Driving, and Fun". Good Looking - Rounded design aesthetics, with smooth and timeless lines that capture hearts at first sight, combined with telescopic volume design, small and agile yet full of vibrancy.

Big - Although the body is small, the interior is surprisingly spacious, with a 2700mm ultra-long wheelbase bringing the largest in-class interior space comparable to B-segment cars, allowing for comfortable driving and riding. Good to Drive - A 50:50 golden axle load ratio endows agile and precise handling experience, and the APA automatic parking function makes parking effortless. Fun - Intelligent infotainment interaction is smooth and thoughtful, and the interior reserves personalized threaded interfaces, allowing free expansion of diverse accessories, turning the car into a mobile space to express oneself. Pushing "Fun" to the extreme is the highly sought-after Q Talk function.

Q Talk Inquiry Rate Reaches 88%, An "Socializing" Electric Car

According to statistics, the sales point inquiry rate for the Q Talk function at the terminal reaches 88%, and the inquiry rate for the electric front trunk also reaches 76%, known as two major eye-catching tools.

The charm of Q Talk lies in turning the car into a true "social tool". During daily travel, if encountering a motorcycle or vehicle ahead that needs yielding, the driver does not need to roll down the window, just press the button lightly, and a polite and clear prompt will be transmitted outside the car; passing through a small alley and seeing children playing, a warm reminder instantly fills with safety. Even more surprisingly, Q Talk supports voice modulation and external shouting - either humorous and quirky, or warm reminders, easily becoming the focus of street attention, perfectly matching the Thai young people's lifestyle attitude of being willing to express and love to share.

Co-creation by All, Local Inspiration Fully Blooms

The popularity of CHERY Q extends beyond sales figures to the realm of cultural co-creation. Recently, Chery Thailand launched the "All-People IP Design Contest", inviting Thai local designers and enthusiasts to create personalized IP characters and merchandise for CHERY Q. Currently, a large number of submissions full of local charm and imagination have been received.

At the same time, dealer road show activities are continuously expanding across Thailand, allowing more and more consumers to touch, test drive, and personally experience the wonderful interaction of Q Talk at zero distance, spreading the trendy spirit of "So Cute So You" to every street and alley.

Rooted in Thailand, Practicing "In Somewhere, For Somewhere, Be Somewhere"

"The first batch of CHERY Q shipped from China will be delivered into the hands of users, this is another important step we have taken in the Thai market. Behind the orders exceeding 3,000 is the valuable trust of Thai users in the Chery brand." Jim Lee, Brand Executive Director of Chery Thailand, said, "We have established a mature dealer network, service centers, and after-sales service teams, going all out to bring an electrifying travel experience beyond expectations to every Thai user."

The hotness of CHERY Q in Thailand is not only a victory of product power but also a resonance of brand, culture, and user emotions. It accurately echoes the marketing slogan "So Cute So You" in the Thai market, and more authentically interprets the deep core of Chery's globalization strategy - In Somewhere, For Somewhere, Be Somewhere. With Thailand as an important localization base, Chery is integrating into this land of smiles in all dimensions, from product definition to user co-creation, from service details to lifestyle. In the future, Chery will continue to center on Thai users, bringing more innovative, reliable, and fun electric vehicles, truly becoming a "brand belonging here" in the hearts of Thai consumers.

In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese car brands have entered Thailand to set up factories, driving the rapid growth of the local electric vehicle (EV) market. However, as Chinese brands continue to expand investment, Thailand's automotive industry is now proposing new demands, hoping the government will further increase the "local content rate (Local Content)" of electric vehicles, requiring factories to adopt more locally produced parts in Thailand to ensure the local supply chain can continue to develop.

According to Thai media reports, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) and the Thailand Automotive Industry Association (TAIA) recently jointly urged the government to formulate more complete local parts policies in the future, encouraging or even requiring electric vehicle manufacturers to prioritize components produced by local suppliers when manufacturing in Thailand, rather than relying heavily on imports.

Currently, including Chinese brands such as BYD, Great Wall, MG, AION, and Changan, have already set up production bases in Thailand, and some models have even started CKD assembly locally. However, industry observers point out that many key parts are still imported from China, making it difficult for traditional Thai auto parts suppliers to truly benefit.

FTI Chairman Suwat Supakandechakul stated that Thailand already has the capability to produce many auto parts, including car seats, wiring harnesses (Wiring Harness), windshields, and other products, and local suppliers are fully capable of meeting factory needs. If these parts can be prioritized for Thailand manufacturing, it not only reduces overall production costs but also allows the local parts industry to gain greater development space.

In addition, he also suggested that the government could provide tax incentives (Tax Deduction) and other reward measures for factories with a higher proportion of local parts used, further encouraging factories to increase their localization rate, and even hoped that in the future, even high-value parts like chassis (Chassis) could be gradually realized for local production.

Besides supporting the local supply chain, Thailand's automotive industry also worries about the continuous changes in the international trade environment. Industry observers point out that the US has continued to strengthen inspections on "transshipment (Transshipment)" in recent years. If products exported to the US have most parts still from China and only assembled in Thailand, they may face stricter tariff inspections in the future, even affecting export competitiveness.

Therefore, increasing the proportion of local parts usage can not only strengthen Thailand's automotive industry competitiveness but also help reduce future international trade risks. On the other hand, the Thailand Automotive Industry Association (TAIA) also submitted several suggestions to the government, including adjusting the consumption tax policy for imported electric vehicles (CBU) to protect the local manufacturing industry.

At the same time, the association also suggested that the government could provide individual income tax incentives for consumers who purchase Thai-assembled cars, encouraging more consumers to choose locally produced models. In addition, government departments should also prioritize Thai-assembled electric vehicles when procuring official vehicles in the future to further drive market demand.

In fact, Chinese brands have invested heavily in Thailand in recent years, not only driving the location to become one of the most important EV production bases in Southeast Asia but also attracting a large number of related industries to move in. However, for the Thai government and local industries, the true goal is not merely to attract factory setup, but to hope these investments can further drive local supply chain growth, benefiting more Thai parts factories, component suppliers, and related employment opportunities.

If the government formally promotes stricter localization policies in the future, Chinese brands will inevitably need to further expand cooperation with local Thai suppliers and increase the proportion of parts procurement, which may become an important direction for Thailand's EV industry development in the future.

It is worth noting that this policy currently still belongs to suggestions proposed by industry groups to the government, not formal regulations. However, with Thailand continuing to promote automotive industry upgrades, whether more clear localization standards will be formulated in the future will become the focus of major factory owners.

Gasgoo learned that recently, BYD reached an important milestone in the Thailand market, with cumulative deliveries of new energy vehicles officially exceeding 130,000 units. At the same time, the BYD Thailand factory located in Rayong Province WHA Industrial Park celebrated its second anniversary of production, and the new model BYD SEALION 5 DM-i was also officially released.

Image Source: BYD

The BYD Thailand factory is its first overseas passenger car production base, with a designed annual production capacity of 150,000 units. Currently, the factory has achieved localization production for five models: BYD DOLPHIN, BYD ATTO 3, BYD SEAL 5 DM-i, BYD SEALION 5 DM-i, and BYD SEALION 6 DM-i, and all have obtained the "Made in Thailand" (MiT) certification issued by the Federation of Thai Industries.

In two years since production started, BYD in Thailand has continuously deepened its localization development, with significant results: the factory has cumulatively created over 5,000 job positions, Thai employees account for about 93%, and the local parts procurement ratio has reached 50%. This marks that BYD has deeply integrated into the Thailand automotive industry chain, effectively driving local collaborative development.

At the event, BYD delivered the 130,000th new energy vehicle to Thai consumers, the model being BYD SEALION 5 DM-i. The pre-sale price for the Standard version of this model was announced simultaneously, which will further enrich its DM-i product matrix.

The Thai tire industry faced a structural shift in 2026: on one hand, global demand for electric vehicle tires drove steady growth in passenger car tire exports; on the other hand, truck and bus tires encountered high anti-dumping tariffs in key markets, causing a significant drop in export volumes.

The dual blow of electrification benefits and trade barriers is forcing the Thai tire industry to accelerate strategic adjustments.

EV Tire Demand Boosts Export Value

Latest data from the Thai Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO) shows that Thailand's passenger car tire exports reached $3.88 billion in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 2.1%.Growth momentum mainly comes from the rapid expansion of the global electric vehicle market.

EV-specific tires are typically sold at 1.2 to 1.5 times the price of traditional tires, significantly increasing the unit value of exports.

TPSO pointed out that Thailand is leveraging its status as a globally leading natural rubber production base and its well-developed automotive supply chain to actively advance towards becoming a regional electric vehicle tire production center.

US Market Faces Tariff Divergence

The United States is the largest export market for Thai tires, with exports to the US totaling approximately $2 billion in 2025.

However, the anti-dumping tax rates imposed by the US on tires of different specifications vary significantly: the tax rate for Thai small car tires is 3.16%, still competitive; while the rate for large car tires reaches as high as 30.36%, far exceeding the 15% tariff level for Japanese products.

This led to a 15% year-on-year decline in passenger car tires imported from Thailand in Q1 2026, while truck and bus tires plummeted by 24%.

Some Japanese tire brands have considered moving their large tire production lines back to Japan to avoid high tariffs.

Multiple Countries Initiate Dual Investigations, Commercial Vehicle Tires Become "Heavily Impacted"

The trade blockade facing the Thai tire industry extends far beyond the United States.

The Eurasian Economic Union launched an anti-dumping investigation against Thai truck and bus tires in November 2025, preliminarily determining the dumping margin at 24.17%.

Brazil also issued the final ruling of the second anti-dumping sunset review at the end of 2025, deciding to continue levying anti-dumping duties on Thai tires for five years at approximately $1.35 per kilogram.

It is worth noting that these sanction measures are highly concentrated on commercial vehicle tires with rim diameters of 17.5 to 24.5 inches, reflecting main importing countries' vigilance against the rapid expansion of the Thai truck tire market share.

Nine Measures to Address Challenges

Facing the escalation of trade barriers, Thailand's TPSO has proposed nine policy measures, including raising inspection standards for EV tires, promoting cooperation between tire factories and EV factories, utilizing free trade agreements to expand into emerging markets, etc.

Meanwhile, localized production capacity of Chinese tire companies represented by Zhongce Rubber, Linglong Tire, and Tongyong Shares is rapidly expanding in Thailand. Tongyong Shares' Thailand Phase II project, with an investment of 1.884 billion yuan, has become a typical case of localization.

These Chinese-funded enterprises, on one hand, help Thailand consolidate its position as a tire manufacturing center, while on the other hand, they face potential risks related to origin certification and EU anti-circumvention investigations.

In the future, whether the Thai tire industry can break through in the wave of electrification will depend on the outcome of localization innovation and the game of global trade rules.