Thailand 2016 auto sales expected to be around 750k after slow expo response, another year of decline

Thailand 2016 auto sales expected to be around 750k after slow expo response, another year of decline

The annual massive year-end car sale that is the Thai Motor Expo has concluded for 2016, and with bookings garnered from the show weaker than expected, Thailand is expected to end the year with domestic car sales of around 750,000 units, the Bangkok Post reports.

According to Surapong Paisitpatanapong, spokesman for the Federation of Thai Industries’ automotive club, it is highly likely that Thai car sales are looking at another year of decline, down 6.2% from 799,592 sold last year.

This continues the downward trend in the Detroit of the East. Thai car sales hit 1.45 million units in 2012, boosted by a tax break on first-time car purchases by the previous government, as well as strong demand after major floods hit several provinces in 2011. Sales fell to 1.33 million in 2013, 881,832 in 2014 and 799,592 in 2015.

Thailand 2016 auto sales expected to be around 750k after slow expo response, another year of decline

For Jan to Oct 2016, sales fell 0.7% year-on-year to 617,159 units. Next week, the auto manufacturers’ club will announce sales for November and Surapong expects sales of 62,000-63,000 units for last month.

Inter-Media Consultant, organiser of Thai Motor Expo, said there were 40,364 vehicle bookings at the show from Nov 30 to Dec 12, down 10.1% from last year’s show. Of the total, 32,422 were passenger cars, down 17.1%. Toyota led the field with 5,124 units, followed by Honda (4,902), Isuzu (3,620), Mazda (3,434) and Ford (2,441).

The same trend is happening in Malaysia. In the first 10 months of 2016, the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) reported sales of 466,208 units, which is 13.9% lower than in the same period last year. 2015 saw a record high of 666,674 vehicles registered in Malaysia, and at the start of the year, MAA forecasted a 2.5% drop in 2016 total industry volume. The decline should be sharper, as we’ll find out very soon.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • kapchai on Dec 15, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    wah, car sales in Thailand down by half compared with 2012. that drop is more that car sold in Malaysia, a lot.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 0
    • Kunta bin Kinte on Dec 15, 2016 at 4:57 pm

      Don’t worry. Thai sales down nevermind. But Mat Salleh and Jepun already invested hundreds of billion USD into their car industry and made it the Detroit of Asia.

      We were heading there in the 80s but because of corruption, Thailand snatch all the investments.

      We also lost hundreds of thousands of jobs too.

      So, does not matter if sales are low or bad. Past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of Thais were able to feed their families with investments from Jepun and Mat Salleh

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 4
      • They will kolos shop and move to other countries when the labour cost is not good anymore

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • i think malaysia market will drop 20%…..or maybe more…….
    Lets wait for the result…..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Natural on Dec 15, 2016 at 3:38 pm

    Any growth caused by a natural disaster cannot be sustained for long. Be it automotive, construction or any other field.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 1
  • Concerned Consumer on Dec 17, 2016 at 11:55 am

    Malaysia auto sales should have started been in the downward trend much earlier… At least since last year.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
 

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