Thailand: March domestic car sales jump 25%, exports at 2-yr high

• Apr 27, 2021

Domestic car sales in Thailand jumped 25.47% in March from a year earlier after two months of declines, helped by government stimulus and a motor show, industry data showed on Tuesday, but a third wave of coronavirus infections could slow sales.

The increase in sales and shipments came a month before a new outbreak that has caused over 30,000 infections so far this month, more than half of its total coronavirus cases recorded.

Sales had dropped in January and February following a second, quickly contained Covid-19 outbreak.

Thailand is a regional vehicle production and export base for the world’s top carmakers.

The new outbreak may cost the economy at least 100 billion baht per month, particularly in the service sector, Supant Mongkolsuthree, president of the Federation of Thai Industries, told a briefing.

“But the industrial sector has been less affected and those related to exports all have improved,” he said.

Car exports rose 16.38% in March from a year earlier to 104,506 vehicles, the highest level in two years, as the global economy improved, said Surapong Paisitpattanapong, a spokesman of the FTI’s automotive industry division.

“Domestic car sales are very exciting… and exports of over 100,000 cars are difficult to get,” he said.

The group’s production target of 1.5 million cars this year may be exceeded, but the FTI will see for two months before making any revision given the outbreak and a microchip shortage for car production, he added.

In the January-March period, there were about 194,000 domestic car sales and about 258,000 units exported, the FTI said.

Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2106339/march-domestic-car-sales-jump-25-exports-at-2-yr-high