Thailand’s auto market had a great first half of the year, posting growth in production, domestic sales and exports. Production increased 7.7% to 188,970 units, while exports grew 4.8% in the first six months of the year to 561,960 units. The biggest boost was from the domestic market, which ended H1 2018 with 489,118 units for 19.3% year-on-year growth.
That’s solid, but Toyota outpaced the overall market with H1 2018 growth of 26.3%. The Thai market leader sold 141,989 units in the first half for a market share of 29%, up 1.4%. The encouraging set of numbers has led Toyota to revise upward its full year 2018 sales target from 300,000 to 315,000 units, the Bangkok Post reports.
Should that be achieved, it will be a massive 31.2% jump from 2017 sales and the first rise in six years after five straight years of contraction. The target market share by end 2018 is 32.1%. Toyota expects the wider market to grow 12.4% to 980,000 units. The previous projection was 900k.
Thailand is a major production hub for Toyota and CBU exports grew 7% in the first half to 145,080 units, valued at 74.25 billion baht. While the Middle East market is currently soft, exports to Japan and Australia have been on the rise – Toyota Thailand has shipped 5,500 units of the Hilux pick-up truck to Japan since September 2017, for instance. No revision for full year exports though; it remains at 300k.
Toyota’s rise can be partly attributed to the C-HR, which marked the brand’s entry into the SUV segment (the Fortuner and its classmates are lumped together with pick-up trucks) dominated by Honda. Although it’s still the leader, Honda’s SUV sales saw a 12.26% dip in H1, as the C-HR put Toyota in number three from nowhere a year ago. MG is second thanks to astonishing 732% growth. With the ZS and GS SUVs, the Chinese-owned brand now has 22.7% of the segment.
Elsewhere, Toyota saw 18.5% growth in the passenger car segment, which it now tops after overtaking Honda (+0.66%), and 21.6% growth in the pick-up trucks/PPV segment, where it’s second behind Isuzu (+12.18%).
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Toyota is number 1 in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Honda number in Singapore and Malaysia
Note: 2018 figures, non-national cars
Toyota has done so well. Infact in Malaysia, last month, sales jumped from 2000 units in May to 11,500 units in June.
Mr John, the No 1 anti Toyota fanboy in PT terus keep quiet. Don’t know where to hide his face
Perggh Toyota CHR Trd Modellista merecikk oo
Tengok gambar je cantik, real world in front of eyes it is not as beautiful, biasa je
No.1 in Japan too. And Saudi Arabia. And many other countries.
Toyota hardly breaks down. Now even BMW and Mercedes owners, after they had their BMW and Mercedes for many years and have “done that”, they go back to Camry as their final car.
Cause Toyota is 100% reliability
i do agree, but not in bolehland due to UMW which had sucked their customer money for more then few decade..
if Malaysia toyota not under UMW or any others crony company will be involve in, for sure it will be No.1 too here.
Meanwhile Proton sales are:
Thailand 0
Indonesia 0
Philippines 0
Singapore 0
And little johny is very proud.
This is why Toyota is doing so well, unlike waterfall sales of Proton, from 200k per year, now only 50k per year
Rats, why can’t Hyundai and Kia be no. 1 in Malaysia?
Agreed. Hyundai and Kia got the best distributors here.