Honda CRZ available in Thailand.

[Bettyboo]

?

It seems to have just been added to their website.

http://www.honda.co.th/th/index.php



900,000 baht is the UK price, start price. If it was available at that price here, I'd seriously consider it.

[Bettyboo]

Oh, 2 Million baht... For that??? Fuk me these Thai manufacturers take the fukin piss; if it's not made here and can't be offered at a reasonable price then don't bother... It doesn't rate any better than the standard Prius according to reviews I just checked, yet it's 800,000 baht more... A bloody Ford Focus diesel is better in every way for 1.1 million. This CR-Z is supposed to be a cheap sporty economical and enviromentally sound option; you could get a VW Scirroco in Thailand for similar money too...

Move on, nothing to see here, no new options at reasonable prices to tempt consumers...

[Ratchaburi]

stick with the bike Bettyboo

[Spin]

Fuk me these Thai manufacturers take the fukin piss

Not true, it's customs and excise that take the piss. They are the reason this vehicle has a high price tag. Honda should be applauded for at least making interesting models available, the customs people, on the other hand, should simply be towed out to sea and left to drift.

[Bettyboo]

^ they're takin the piss by offering the car in a country where they have a major manufacturing base (seemingly not for this vehicle) for twice the price that it is sold in other countries. That car is produced as a cheap vehicle, as Honda's own marketing bumph makes clear - it's not very cheap here. If they are serious about offering that type of vehicle here then they need to do better...

[Spin]

That car is made in Japan and if you want one here you pay the import duty. Most people can understand this.

[Bettyboo]

^ so can I. But, Honda are damaging their brand by selling one of their cheap vehicles as a luxury product at a luxury price point (more expensive then their Accord in Thailand...). Branding and customer awareness has taken Honda decades and massive $$$ to get where they are, to damage it in this way is an error...

& it takes the fukin piss out of consumers - you walk into a Honda showroom and see a cheap eco car at a luxury sportscar price, and you think WTF, Honda are taking the piss; brand damaged...

[Spin]

I bought a pair of adidas trainers and they were 3000 baht. They are made in Vietnam and I can see them advertised in the uk at the equivalent price of 1850 baht. Do I think adidas image is damaged? of course I don't.

Honda offers that vehicle here for the discerning buyer who wants something more than the normal fodder that is made here and for that you will pay the government heavy money for the pleasure or you will choose not to purchase......or you will whinge about it on the internet like you are

[Bettyboo]

^ your logic is primative, if I'm being kind...

What the fuk has a 50 quid pair of trainers got to do with a 20,000 pound car??? The marketing and branding strategy is very different. Honda spend millions on designing a range and taking care to manage the range, then some Somchai decides to sell one of their cheapest cars at one of their highest price points - that's not an option 'for the discerning buyer', it's a serious assault on the company strategy.

It's a piss-take. End of.

BTW, why the fuk would you come to a 3rd world country to buy trainers made locally at a higher cost??? Somebody is a scotch egg short of a picnic...

[Spin]

Have you ever heard of or understand the concept of an "analogy"?

The trainers were made in Vietnam and as such are subject to import duty upon entry into Thailand in the same way cars coming from Japan are. This makes them more expensive when compared to countries without protectionist, xenophobic and plain fucking dumb ass import duties like Thailand.

On this topic you are showing how ignorant you are, and you should stop talking immediately.

[Kwang]

What a gay lookin car

[Bettyboo]

This makes them more expensive when compared to countries without protectionist, xenophobic and plain fucking dumb ass import duties like Thailand.

This is one point. I agree with that.

Honda Thailand's choices are another. When their flagship car, the Accord, is cheaper than a base model that they design, produce and market as a cheap car, the CR-Z, then there's a serious problem and their carefully managed global sectoring and branding has been damaged. This is bad for consumer confidence, the brand image and ultimately profits...

Please don't confuse these 2 seperate ideas.

[aging one]

Betty its just the way it is the way it is. A shop assistant at a 7/11 makes 9 dollars an hour in the USA. Here they make 35 baht and hour. Up from 30, and just enough to make 300 baht for an 8 hour day.

As long as you compare you will be frustrated. Just be happy in three years you can get 350, 000 baht plus for your car,. Check 6 year old Honda City's in the UK. It just takes time and then you realize the way it is the way it is.



Just today they came out with a 50 year first loan on a house for stimulus. Sometimes you have to go with the flow and use it to your advantage. Cheers mate.

[Kwang]

Yup , T.I.T and that queer lookin 2 door will sell too, you have just proved the point Betty by getting so worked up over it.

You know you wanted it, there are loads of gay hisos that will buy it and women here too, solely because it looks different.

Is it worse than a Mini Cooper S for the same price ?

I don't think so

[Jesus Jones]

Hi-sos in Thailand are so fuckin' dumb they'd buy any piece of shit so long as there asking an extortionate price for it!

[Don Ho]

Hi-sos in Thailand are so fuckin' dumb they'd buy any piece of shit so long as there asking an extortionate price for it!

This.

Idiots will buy it just because it cost more and they know that people know it cost more.

[Aguda]

Here in the US they start under $20,000 so a 30% import duty is pretty steep. I work for a Honda dealer and most owners are pleased with the fuel economy and performance, which is what they buy them for. I would wait to buy as the rumor is they will have the 200 HP civic motor soon.

[Bettyboo]

Here in the US they start under $20,000 so a 30% import duty is pretty steep. I work for a Honda dealer and most owners are pleased with the fuel economy and performance, which is what they buy them for.

That's fine, in the US. Where the CR-Z is cheaper than the Toyota Prius and Camry Hybrid. The Honda CR-Z is a good little car within the B car sector, where it was designed and marketted to fit.

Here in Thailand, the Prius has better fuel consumption, higher levels of equipment and is generally a higher level vehicle, but the CR-Z is 800,000 baht more expensive!!!

The Camry, is a flagship model on a par with the Honda Accord. The Hybrid model has similar kpl to the CR-Z, but the car is superior in every way, according to the grade levels set by the car manufacturers (as well as their own literature), yet the CR-Z is 500,000 baht more expensive...

For Honda Thailand to sell their B sector cheap car at a luxury car pricepoint where it is more expensive than competitors (Camry Hybrid and Prius) that compete well against Honda's top pricepoint cars is commercial suicide; it will damage the brand - considering the quantity of CR-Z's they will sell in Thailand, this is a very poor management decision and I wouldn't be surprised if somebody loses their job over it.

Will some rich fukwits buy it for their spoilt kids because it's unusual in Thailand - yes. That is scant balance for the brand damage...

[Thetyim]

For Honda Thailand to sell their B sector cheap car at a luxury car pricepoint where it is more expensive than competitors (Camry Hybrid and Prius) that compete well against Honda's top pricepoint cars is commercial suicide; it will damage the brand

Do you know what the current waiting list is for City and Jazz ?
Maybe they don't have enough stock and desperately need something to sell to keep their dealers happy.

[Bettyboo]

^ what??? Somebody who wants to buy a 550,000-700,000 baht car, if the waiting list is too long, or even not allowed onto a waiting list, would then spend 2 million instead??? Your posts are usually so reasonable, mate...

Having said that, there is some logic in your argument; maybe dealers are complaining of lack of stock, so somebody at Honda made a rash (and stupid and brand damaging) decision; maybe it is a long term strategy; maybe it's in answer to Toyota offering a couple of cars at high cost. I don't know. Honda would have been far better off really focusing heavily on the new Honda Civic (which I'm sure they're doing), and if they needed a new model then sorting out a 700k Honda Civicinstead (although with the factory/flooding problems this may not have been possible). It is possible that Toyota and Honda are still really feeling the effects of the flood, and thus bringing in cars from abroad was seen as one of their few options; actually, this is very likely, and makes sense when looking across the 2 brands. Goes to show that if another flood hits then, especially without adequate insurance cover, maybe the major Jap manufacturers will be pushed beyond their limit. If this flood problem is an issue and Toyota/Honda are desperate for new car sales then maybe they are putting the government under pressure to change the current tax situation (at least temporarily) so that they can bring foreign made cars in and sell them at a competitive price; that could be welcome news for the consumer - there are 2 or 3 Hondas/Toyotas abailable in main dealers in Thailand that I'd buy tomorrow if 50% of the cost (due to being imports...) was slashed - I'm sure I'm not the only one. How about that new little Toyota sportscar for 1 million baht? I'd buy it tomorrow, trading in my low mileage City, it's a win win...

My friend wanted a Honda City, couldn't get one, so bought a Mazda 2 instead; same price...

[Spin]

Here in Thailand, the Prius has better fuel consumption, higher levels of equipment and is generally a higher level vehicle, but the CR-Z is 800,000 baht more expensive!!!

Read this very slooowly until the penny drops...

Prius is made in Thailand, there is no import duty.

Cr-Z is made in Japan, import duty is about 800,000 baht.

Am i getting through to you?

[SEA Traveler]

... and as Kwang says, it isn't even a good looking car. If it was 900,000 baht it would still be an ugly car.

[Spin]

Actually the price of the cr-z might drop as the nice people in government here changed import tariffs on green dual fuel vehicles effective 1st January 2012.

In an effort to show how wonderfully environmentally friendly they are they "slashed" duties from 80 to 60 per cent.

[Bettyboo]

Read this very slooowly until the penny drops... Prius is made in Thailand, there is no import duty.

Look back to post #12. Everyone is aware of the import taxes. Everyone knows, otherwise we'd all be driving BMWs and VWs and Audis...

Honda Thailand make choices, this is a seperate point to the import tax. Honda Thailand decide to sell this car or not, they usually decide not to sell foreign made cars, for various reasons, one of which is the import tax.

My point stays the same... read slowly and try to understand... Honda Thailand decided to sell a cheap foreign made car here which attracts massive import taxes and thus is sold at a higher pricepoint then even the cars at the top of their range. They are selling one of their cheapest cars, at a rate that is more expensive than their range toppers - this damages the brand; it also shows them to be less competitive against their major Thai rival, Toyota; a double whammy of negativity. The reason for the higher cost (as everyone on this thread and doubtless the entire board knows...) is the import taxes. But, the choices that Honda Thailand made to sell it here at all, is, as my argument goes, a brand damaging one... simple. Understand yet???

For the consumer and choice it is easy to see at the showrooms:

Honda cheap City is cheap. Honda expensive Accord is expensive. Honda cheap CR-Z is even more expensive. This is brand damaging.

Toyota Prius is a mid range economy car with a mid range price (1.1-1.3m). More expensive is the Toyota Camry Hybrid, an upper range economy car at an upper range price (1.4-1.6m). Even more expensive is a low range economy car at an upper range price, the Honda CR-Z (2m). This, is brand damaging.

[Thetyim]

Honda Thailand make choices, this is a seperate point to the import tax.

I think Honda may be up the creek without a paddle.
Production was halted because of the floods. They decided to import City from Japan and swallowed the import tax, so they were probably selling at a loss or at best a very small profit but this was better than having nationwide empty showrooms. This stop gap measure has ended and they still don't have City to sell.
What would you do?
Carry on with empty showrooms, sell City for 1.3 million or import CRZ and sell them for 2 million?