 Ford Ecosport will be the first B-segment SUV made in Thailand. |  Mirage to spawn saloon body to rival Brio Amaze. |
 Dear Qin concept previews Toyota’s Ecocar. |  Ertiga is a Swift-based seven-seat MPV. |
 Civic Hybrid comes with petrol-electric system. |  Facelifted Fiesta to get 1.0-litre three-pot engine. |
 Pulsar hatch is essentially the new Tiida. |  An artist impression of the new Corolla. |
- Ford will become the first mass-market brand to offer an SUV in the Thai B-segment. The Ecosport is based on the Fiesta and is most likely to get the 1.5-litre petrol engine already used in the saloon and hatchback siblings. Sales should start toward the end of the year.
Spin is Chevrolet’s answer to the Toyota Avanza.
- After being previewed at last month's Motor Expo, the new Nissan Pulsar will be ready to launch in the first quarter. The Pulsar replaces the Tiida hatchback for the Thai C-segment and gets the 1.6- and 1.8-litre petrol engines already used in the Sylphy saloon.
- After branching out with a petrol-electric hybrid variant in the Jazz family, Honda will be doing the same with the Civic. Hopefully due before mid-year, the Civic Hybrid gets a 1.5-litre petrol-electric combination mated to a CVT automatic transmission.
- During Toyota's 50th anniversary in Thailand last year, its global boss Akio Toyoda said an all-new compact car will be launched at the Bangkok motor show in March. The tenth-generation Corolla, depicted here in an artist's impression, it is not to be confused with the Japanese-spec version.
- As the B-segment Fiesta has reached its mid-life, Ford is readying the launch of an updated model featuring an Aston-like front grille and a 1.0-litre three-pot petrol engine known as Ecoboost, aimed at combining performance, economy and refinement in one package.
- After successfully launching the Mirage Ecocar, Mitsubishi is lining up a saloon variant for later this year to rival the Honda Brio Amaze and Nissan Almera. The four-door Mirage hasn't been revealed anywhere yet and will get a longer body than the hatch - just as what happened in the Brio/Brio Amaze.
- In the third quarter, Chevrolet will introduce its solitary all-new model for this year: the Spin mini-MPV with a seven-seat layout. A six-speed automatic transmission - a first in its class - is confirmed, although the engine hasn't been made public yet.
- Like Chevrolet, Suzuki's only new car this year is the Ertiga. Based on the B-segment Swift and powered by a 1.4-litre petrol engine, the seven-seat Suzuki has a more modern design than the Chevrolet Spin and Toyota Avanza. Like its competition, the Ertiga comes from Indonesia tax-free.
- Toyota has confirmed it will launch its Ecocar in the third quarter, possibly in August. Some styling cues can be taken from the Dear Qin concept, billed as preview of Toyota's global baby hatchback. Mechanical components are expected to be shared with the new Yaris.
 CX-5 will come in both petrol and diesel forms. |  CR-Z’s looks and power are tweaked. |
 Rapid sits in between a City and Civic in size. |  V40 Cross Country guns for BMW X1. |
 DS3 Cabrio gets a retractable soft top. |  V40 hatch to take on Merc A-class. |
 CLA is a sporty saloon based on the A-class. |  New Accord sticks to evolution. |
- The Mazda CX-5 makes a belated entry in the Thai compact SUV market. Due in the third quarter, the CX-5 comes with a 2.0-litre petrol engine to rival the Honda CR-V and 2.2-litre diesel motor to attract some attention from punters of the Chevrolet Captiva. Both CX-5s get six-speed automatic transmission.
Function reigns over form in Forester.
- Honda's ninth-generation Accord gets an evolutionary design and updated 2.0- and 2.4-litre petrol engines. It's still not known whether Thai-spec Accords will get the new CVT automatic in place of today's five-speeder. A hybrid option to rival the Camry Hybrid is also on the cards.
- Volvo's chance to chase more sales comes this year with the help of the entry-level V40 hatchback. Sharing platform, engine and transmission with the Ford Focus, the five-door V40 will aim to steal sales from the newly launched Mercedes-Benz A-class. After the hatch comes the V40 Cross Country, an SUV version eyeing the BMW X1's cake.
- The fourth-generation Forester is Subaru's answer for SUV punters needing functionality rather than stylish looks - the latter aspect highlighted in the just-launched XV crossover. Both share the Impreza platform, 2.0-litre Boxer engine and CVT automatic gearbox.
- The CR-Z, Honda's first hybrid-powered sports car, gets a mid-life update including LED front lights, tweaked bumper designs, more interior features and uprated power from 122hp to 130, thanks to a new lithium-ion battery replacing the older nickel metal-hydride type.
- Although it won't be expected to sell in large numbers due to its imported status, the all-new Rapid from Skoda is a family car sized between B- and C-segment cars. Coming at a price of just over a million baht, the Rapid is expected with the 122hp 1.4-litre petrol-turbo and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic used widely in the Volkswagen Group.
- Citroen will be reinforcing its Thai DS line-up with the launch of the DS3 Cabrio which features a soft top that can be retracted back along the roof rails - similarly to the Fiat 500 Convertible.
 ES is back in righthand- drive with hybrid option. |  XF Sport guns Merc’s Shooting Brake. |
 M135i hatchback has 320hp. |  Beetle cabrio sticks with classic soft-top. |
 A3 to compete with Merc A-class. |  LF-CC concept previews new IS. |
 Z4 has new entry-level engine. |  AH 3 focuses more on performance. |
 Paceman is three-door Countryman. |  Updated E-class has new lights. |
 Santa Fe to come with 2.2-litre diesel. |  GTI to still be tax-friendly in Thailand. |
- After disappearing from Thailand for a generation, the ES executive saloon comes back with right-hand-drive format. Based on the Toyota Camry, the ES250 gets a 2.5-litre petrol engine and the ES300h an electrified version of it. The E-class-sized Lexus will be sold at C-class prices.
Rocketman previews next-gen Mini.
- The third-generation IS will be shown in production form at the Detroit motor show later this month before coming to Thai showrooms. Its face has been previewed in the LF-CC concept car that also hinted to a new four-pot petrol-electric hybrid. A coupe derv is planned, too.
- BMW will expand its ActiveHybrid line-up with a version of the 3-series. The ActiveHybrid 3 gets the same 340hp 3.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid as in the AH5. Instead of focusing on outright economy, the AH3 will come with performance of a V8 albeit economy of a four-pot.
- The seventh-generation Golf will spawn the performance-oriented GTI this year with power to perfectly attract the lowest in Thai excise taxes. The 220hp Golf is expected to cost under 3 million baht in five-door hatchback guise.
- The E-class saloon and estate are being facelifted with a more conventional headlight design but a more pronounced grille. The 1.8-litre petrol-turbo engine will be replaced by a more fuel-efficient 2.0-litre variation. Also new for Thailand is the E300 Hybrid, combining diesel and electric power.
- The final bodystyle in the Mini Mk2 family comes in the style of a three-door SUV based on the Countryman. The Paceman will target style-led buyers who don't need many doors, a feature typical of family cars.
- Later in the year will be introduced the Mini Mk3. The first version to obviously go on sale will be the three-door Hatch, whose new face is likely to mirror that of the Rocketman concept car. Planned is a three-pot engine at the entry-level for optimum economy.
- The Z4 roadster gets a mid-life update including mild cosmetic tweaks, new interior colours and a more basic engine in the guise of sDrive18i: a 156hp 2.0-litre petrol-turbo engine and eight-speed auto with prices dipping below 4 million baht to compete with the cheapest Merc, SLK200.
- While the Volkswagen agent in Thailand has yet to show any interest in importing the new Beetle, the grey market has stolen a march. This year it will bring in the open-top version that maintains the same classic soft-top but tucks away more neatly than before.
- Despite the increased popularity of Q-badged SUVs, Audi may do some small imports of the A3 Sportback to disrupt some attention from the Mercedes-Benz A-class. MTM Thailand is also expected to lend some modifications of the A3.
- Like Audi and Volvo, BMW could be selling the 1-series to show that the Merc A-class isn't in a class of its own. However, there's a rumour that BMW could opt to sell just the image-boosting M135i which comes with a 320hp 3.0-litre petrol-turbo engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox.
- The estate version of the XF will, more or less, serve as Jaguar's answer for the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake. The XF Sport has a 200hp 2.2-litre diesel-turbo and eight-speed automatic option to take on the CLS250, as well as more traditional cargo-hullers like the E-class and BMW 5-series Touring.
- Hyundai is considering topping its Thai SUV line-up with the new Santa Fe. It will be different from the 2.0-litre, five-seat Tucson with a bigger 2.2-litre diesel and seven-seat matrix.
 F-type is claimed to be the sportiest Jag. |  BMW’s hybrid-powered 7 to hound Lexus LS600h. |
 Porsche shows sketch ofMacan baby SUV. |  An artist’s impression of the new Ghibli. |
 Alfa 4C targets Cayman. |  BMW X6 50d has triple-turbo diesel. |
 Cayman now gets 325hp in S form. |  New S-class will be tech-laden. |
- Jaguar says the F-type will be the sportiest Jag to drive since the E-type, its inspiration. There will be 340hp/380hp 3.0-litre supercharged V6 options, as well as a 495hp 5.0-litre supercharged V8. All come with eight-speed automatic transmission. The two-seat F-type will come as a Roadster first before a Coupe variant is unveiled later this year.
A prediction of the RR Sport by ‘Autocar’.
- The Macan will become the next important model for Porsche to build its sales volume around the world. The baby SUV is said to be related to the next-generation Audi Q5 and will share petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. The Macan will be positioned just below the Cayenne in price.
- Now that the Range Rover has just been launched in fourth-gen form, the time is ripe to introduce the smaller Range Rover Sport rivalling the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne. While V6 and V8 engines are obvious choices, it remains to be seen whether downsized four-pot power will make it to the RR Sport.
- BMW is set to complete its hybrid offering in all mainstream saloons with the ActiveHybrid 7. The semi-electric Seven gets the same 3.0-litre inline-six turbo engine as used in the 3 and 5 ActiveHybrids and becomes the second luxury saloon in Thailand after the Lexus LS600h to go hybrid.
- BMW is said to be looking at importing the X6 M50d to satisfy enthusiasts needing state-of-art technology. The M50d comes with a 381hp tri-turbo 3.0-litre diesel that aims to be the fastest and most frugal luxury SUV around.
- While the Quattroporte will be Maserati's answer to the BMW 7-series, the forthcoming Ghibli will take the fight down to the 5-series at the end of this year. The Ghibli will be based on a shortened platform of the Quattroporte and would target the 535i/550i.
- The new Cayman sees the same improvements as in its Boxster roadster sibling, just that the power outputs are slightly higher for the sake of a superior positioning in the market. The Cayman has 275hp and the go-faster S 325hp, both with seven-speed dual-clutch auto.
- After showing the 4C as a concept car two years ago, Alfa Romeo is readying a production-ready model at mid-year that will look remarkably similar. Power comes from a 1.8-litre petrol-turbo engine producing in the region of 200-250hp. Gearbox is a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.
- Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that the all-new S-class will be launched this year with new technologies, one of them including the ability to proactively scan road surfaces and adjust the suspension accordingly.
 Quattroporte gets new bi-turbo V6. |  Gallardo gets a final update. |
 Race 458 mirrors new Scudiera. |  GT3 Cup now has 460hp. |
 GTC Speed gets 625hp W12. |  Vanquish replaces DBS. |
- Maserati's new product offensive starts with the sixth-gen Quattroporte at mid-year. The flagship saloon moves upmarket with a bigger body and Ferrari-developed 3.0-litre V6 and 3.8-litre V8 options, both bi-turbo'd, to rival the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-class. Eight-speed automatic is standard.
- The successor to the 599 GTB is set to come early this year. The two-seat F12 comes with a 740hp 6.3-litre V12 engine and is the quickest Ferrari yet before the imminent arrival of the Enzo replacement (as reported on page 1) due by mid-year.
F12 is fastest Ferrari yet.
- Aston Martin's proven design language means that the all-new Vanquish looks equally as evocative as its DBS predecessor. Power from the Vanquish comes from an uprated 6.0-litre V12 developing 573hp. Rumour has it that there will be a new Thai importer.
- The new lightweight version of the 458 should be seeing the same weight reduction schemes as in the Challenge racer. The go-faster 458 is tipped to be around 100kg lighter and 30hp more powerful than the standard model. The predecessor was known as the 430 Scudiera.
- Similarly to Ferrari, the next 911 GT3 from Porsche is being mirrored in the GT3 Cup racecar, which features a 460hp 3.8-litre flat-six. That makes the 991-based GT3 10hp more potent than the 997-based GT3. A PDK dual-clutch automatic is expected to be available for the first time.
- The Lamborghini Gallardo gets its final hurrah before an all-new replacement is due by next year. The changes are merely cosmetic including new bumpers. The lightweight LP570-4 models get more enhancements in the so-called Edizione Tecnica package.
- The Bentley GT Convertible becomes the next car in the Continental range to get the Speed treatment. Mirroring that in the GT coupe version, the GT cabrio gets a 6.0-litre W12 with outputs of 625hp and 800Nm, up by 50hp and 100Nm from the standard unit. Eight-speed auto is standard.
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