Chinese SUVs continue outselling the Honda CR-V in Thailand in Jan and Feb 2022
CY Foong · Mar 29, 2022 11:45 AM
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The days when the Honda CR-V was the favourite SUV of choice by Thai buyers seem to be a thing of the past as it has been outsold by two of its more affordable and feature-packed Chinese rivals. For the first two months of 2022, the Haval H6 and MG HS have been dominating the Kingdom’s C-SUV segment.
According to sales data compiled by Autolife Thailand, 2,388 units of C-segment SUVs were sold in January and February 2022. Leading the way is the Haval H6 with 701 units which also holds nearly 30 percent market share.
The Haval H6 was launched in the Kingdom less than a year ago but it has been winning over buyers since. It has taken the best-selling title every month for its segment since August 2021, merely a month after its launch. The H6 is only available with a 1.5-litre petrol-electric hybrid powertrain (243 PS/530 Nm).
Second place is the MG HS which sold 402 units in the first two months of 2022. The British-Chinese SUV has been fighting very closely with the CR-V and the battle for popularity had always been between the two prior to the Haval H6’s introduction.
The MG HS was given a facelift which made its Thai debut at the 2022 Bangkok International Motor Show (BIMS). It’s available in the Kingdom with a choice of 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol (162 PS/250 Nm) or plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variants with the latter producing a combined 284 PS/480 Nm.
As for the familiar Honda CR-V, it is positioned third overall with 384 units sold. Perhaps it is due to the age that sees the once-popular SUV languishing in the sales chart since the current CR-V has been on sale in the Kingdom for 5 years with a minor change unveiled back in 2020.
The HR-V alone sold more than the entire C-SUV sales for Jan-Feb 2022 combined
Though SUVs are also growing in popularity in Thailand, buyers are more inclined toward smaller ones. 6,722 compact SUVs/crossovers were sold in January and February 2022 which is nearly 3 times more than the number of the larger C-segment SUVs sold in the same period.
While the Haval H6 managed to hold on to its top spot here, the smaller Haval Jolion struggled to make it into the Top 3. Still, it outsold the H6 with 823 units being sold in the first two months of the year.
Speaking of Haval, the H6 and the Jolion could be arriving in Malaysia as early as June 2022 with the latter being renamed the Haval H2. A source from Go Auto said that the Malaysian-spec units would be similar to the ones offered in Thailand. Can Haval revamp itself in Malaysia?
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
