Thailand sold 206,000 electrified vehicles in the first half of 2026, a 47% rise that puts it ahead of every other ASEAN-6 market tracked by PwC. Vietnam followed with 127,000 units and Indonesia with 114,000, while electrified models took 32% of total sales across the six markets.

The half-year figures mark a sharp structural shift in Thailand. Electrified models reached 53% of Thai sales, up from 32% two years earlier, and PwC puts growth in battery-electric sales at about 84%. Total Thai vehicle sales grew 15%, ahead of 11% for the region as a whole.

Why is Chinese share climbing?

Chinese automakers lifted their combined ASEAN-6 share to 16%, from around 11% in 2025. PwC attributes the gain to three factors:

• keen pricing
• broader model ranges
• local assembly in the region

That competitive pressure, combined with a new Thai excise tax regime, is expected to thin the field of competitors selling into Thailand.

Steve Yang, Automotive Leader at PwC Thailand, framed the shift around manufacturing footprint rather than import volume. "The industry is entering a new phase in which success will be determined less by imports and more by localisation," Yang said in a statement.

"Companies investing today are making a long-term bet that Thailand will remain ASEAN's leading automotive and EV production hub, underpinned by a deeper domestic ecosystem for batteries, components and advanced manufacturing," he said. "With the new excise tax scheme set to come into force in Thailand, the market is also expected to see a wave of consolidation, particularly among Chinese OEMs."

What does the 2030 outlook show?

PwC expects ASEAN-6 light-vehicle output to approach six million units by 2030, with Thailand still a primary production hub. The consultancy argues that value captured in batteries, electronics and software will matter more than raw volume for automakers and suppliers positioning in the region.

The numbers signal where supplier investment is heading. A market where more than half of Thai sales are electrified and battery-electric volume is growing at roughly 84% will pull demand for local battery pack assembly, power electronics and software capacity — the segments PwC identifies as the real value pools.

What to watch next: the entry into force of Thailand's new excise tax scheme, the pace of consolidation among Chinese OEMs operating in the market, and whether announced localization bets convert into confirmed plant and battery investments as output approaches the six-million-unit mark by 2030.