Thailand’s auto production rose by 14.17 per cent year-on-year (YoY) last October. Passenger car sales also increased, rebounding 24.78 per cent YoY.
EVs UP, ICE DOWN
October marks Thailand’s second consecutive month of increasing production for the automotive industry. Overall, 135,685 units were produced last month, due to manufacturers speeding up electric vehicle (EV) production to offset imports.
Year-to-date production brings the tally to 1,211,286 units produced so far. This is slightly 2.84 per cent lower compared to last year of the same period but 5.92 per cent higher than September’s production. According to Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) Automotive Industry Club spokesperson Surapong Paisitpatanapong, this decline was caused by manufacturers discontinuing models of petrol models.
DOMESTIC SALES IMPROVE
Alongside production, car sales also increased last month. For the month of October, Thailand saw a total of 47,032 units sold, 24.78 per cent up from last year and 23.82 per cent up compared to September.
Toyota dominated Thailand’s ranking of top-selling cars of October, taking up 5 slots. The two best-selling vehicles were the Yaris ATIV and Hilux, selling 4,876 units and 4,448 units respectively. The Yaris ATIV’s sales improved by an impressive 43.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY), while the Hilux dipped by 12.1 per cent.
They are followed by Isuzu’s only entry, D-Max. This model sold 3,096 units last month, 21.6 per less than its sales in October last year.
The Isuzu D-Max is followed by another Toyota model, the Yaris Cross. There were 2,657 units of the Yaris Cross sold last month, 5.8 per cent YoY.
Honda claimed the 5th and 6th spots with its City and HR-V models respectively. The Honda CIty sold 1,998 units last month, 11.2 per cent lower than last year. The HR-V, meanwhile, sold 1,650 units, 55.8 per cent up YoY.
Toyota took the 7th and 8th spots with the Corolla Cross and Fortuner. The Corolla Cross sold 1,212 units in October, a slight 2.5 per increase from last year. The Fortuner almost hit the 1,000-mark with 988 units sold, but increasing 10.1 per cent from last year.
Honda took another spot at 9th place with the Civic model. The Civic sold 908 units, almost 14 per cent up from last year.
Rounding out the top 10 is MG with their MG 4 model. The MG 4 sold 891 units, an impressive 188.3 per cent improvement from October last year.
FLOODS AND THE INDUSTRY
A series of heavy rains hit the Southeast Asian region during late November. This weather resulted in flash floods across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Around 10 provinces and 3 million people in Southern Thailand were affected by this natural disaster.
As the Auto King of Asia, the floods have worried the automotive industry. FTI Spokesperson Surapong Paisitpatanapong told The Bangkok Post that the association is “closely monitoring the situation” as floods ravage Southern Thailand. These floods may cause severe delay for Thailand’s economic situation and affect its domestic car market.
“The massive floods in the South have raised concerns, and we hope conditions improve quickly,” the Spokesman said.
The FTI Auto Club is set to meet with automotive industry leaders to discuss the situation. A monthly review is scheduled to evaluate support for affected dealerships, manufacturers, and buyers.
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