Thai Yarnyon foresees dramatic boost to VW sales

Thai Yarnyon is the authorised dealer for VW in Thailand and has ramped up its product offensive.

"We're now getting proper support from VW to boost the brand image in Thailand. We've launched five new models this year and hope to sell 350-400 sedans and SUVs. We only used to sell the Caravelle van, so the brand has always meant vans in Thailand. VW is helping us with the marketing budget for Thailand," said executive director Ronachai Chinwattanaporn.

The company is introducing the new Passat for Bt2.59 million, the Scirocco for Bt2.46 million, the Beetle for Bt1.78 million, the Golf for Bt2.01 million and the Tiguan for Bt2.96 million. Considering these vehicles are imported as completely built-up units, this is cheap.

About 100 Passats, 100 Beetles and 60 Sciroccos are expected to be sold, plus another 100 covering both the Tiguan and the Golf.

"Our prices are low because we're looking at very low profit margins and focusing on building the brand. We're not worried about grey-market importers, as it is not worth their while to import these cars with such low margins," Ronachai explained.

He said all VW products were aimed at niche premium customers who still had buying power despite the current economic climate. At least 10 Sciroccos and Passats have been sold at the Bangkok International Motor Show.

Thai Yarnyon has 14 dealerships nationwide, including six in Bangkok. About Bt3 million has been invested in training technical staff since the arrival of the new products. The company will sell 500 Caravelle vans, the same as last year.