The Prime Minister uses BYD for work.

Recently, a different kind of scene appeared outside the Thai Prime Minister’s Office—Prime Minister Anutin has given up his usual official vehicle, a Rolls-Royce, and instead switched to a Chinese BYD electric vehicle for commuting to work.

The change in his vehicle is tied to the economics behind it.

Since the end of February this year, when the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, international oil prices have continued to rise, and they have now broken through $110 per barrel. According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand, which is highly dependent on crude oil imports, saw diesel prices increase by about 30% in just the month of March.

With oil and gas prices surging, business operating costs rising, and people’s spending power being significantly squeezed… this is bringing substantial additional pressure to the Thai economy, which is still in the process of recovery, further increasing the difficulty of recovery.

Against this backdrop, Anutin switched to a Chinese-brand new-energy vehicle, which carries a clear policy signal: in the face of an energy dilemma, electrification is a key part of the solution.

This is not only true for Thailand. From Southeast Asia to Europe, from Latin America to the Middle East, high oil prices are, on a global scale, igniting consumers’ enthusiasm for electric vehicles. This energy shock wave triggered by geopolitical conflict is changing people’s commuting and travel choices in the most direct way.

According to media reports, in Manila, the Philippines, a salesperson inside a Chinese new-energy vehicle dealership said that in March, the number of orders in the store surged, “rising in two weeks to match what previously took one month.”

In Australia, high oil prices have also led many office workers who commute dozens or even hundreds of kilometers every day to say they “can’t take it,” turning their attention to Chinese electric cars that save money and are convenient. Recently, some Chinese-brand electric vehicles have attracted a large number of customer inquiries in Australia.

Entering 2026, intelligent features leading the way and high cost performance Chinese new-energy vehicles continue to show strong momentum in overseas sales.

In Europe, in the first two months of this year, sales of multiple Chinese-brand new-energy vehicles rose sharply year over year. In Brazil, in February this year, Chinese electric vehicles topped the Brazilian retail sales chart for the first time.

Data released by the Australian Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries also shows that in February this year, vehicles from China sold in Australia totaled 22,362 units. China became the largest source country of new cars in Australia for the first time in a month, breaking Japan’s long-standing lead position it had held since 1998.

As for American consumers, Chinese electric cars are even more of a “love but can’t have” kind of thing. Reuters recently cited survey data saying that nearly half of U.S. respondents who plan to buy a car within the next two years believe Chinese cars offer very good or excellent value for money. However, due to policy restrictions, consumers find it difficult to buy Chinese electric cars within the U.S.

From a “minor-choice” to a “powerhouse contender,” behind the rise of Chinese new-energy vehicles in overseas markets, besides the appeal of “saving money and being really worth it,” there is an even more urgent need across countries to accelerate energy self-sufficiency and green transitions.

Take Thailand as an example. In 2022, Thailand’s electric vehicle strategy was launched in full, with a goal of “achieving zero-emission vehicles to account for 30% of the total vehicle volume by 2030.” To that end, Thailand’s Board of Investment introduced multiple tax incentive policies covering aspects such as complete vehicle manufacturing, battery systems, and battery swapping and charging infrastructure.

Looking across the globe, major economies are speeding up the formulation of promotion policies for new-energy vehicles. Under the combined push of policy and the market, the global penetration rate of new-energy vehicles is rising rapidly. Earlier estimates by the International Energy Agency project that global demand for new-energy vehicles will reach 45 million units by 2030.

Today, China has formed a complete new-energy vehicle industry chain, spanning everything from lithium mining in the upstream, materials R&D, to midstream power batteries and complete-vehicle manufacturing, and then to downstream charging infrastructure and intelligent services. The cost-control capability and iteration speed brought by advantages across the entire industry chain are difficult for other countries to replicate in the short term. The large market demand gap can be filled precisely by manufacturing from China.

Just as the oil crisis half a century ago gave rise to the global rise of Japanese cars, today, amid this new round of energy upheaval, Chinese new-energy vehicles—with battery technology and advantages across the entire industry chain—are standing at a similar window of opportunity.

Prime Minister Thailand’s vehicle change may seem like a small matter, but it reflects a profound energy revolution and industrial reshuffling.

When epochal changes meet China’s technological breakthroughs in manufacturing, the market will cast votes with its feet.

Source: Sanlilihe

Extensive news and precise insights—exclusively on Sina Finance app