November sale plummeted by 67.5%

 According to the data compiled by Toyota Motor Thailand, only 25,664 vehicles were sold in November when impacts from the severe flooding reached their peaks. The number represented a 67.5 per cent slump from the same period last year. Of total, 12,746 were passenger cars, which were down 62.1 per cent on year. The number of commercial vehicles, one-tonne pickup included, plummeted by 71.5 per cent to 12,918 units.
 The number of one-tonne pickup sold slumped by 78.6 per cent on year to 8,431 units.
 Vudhigorn Suriyachantananont, senior vice president at Toyota Motor Thailand, attributed the sharp fall to the floods. Though several automakers could resume production in the month, but the output was sharply lower than normal level due to shortage of components and parts.
 The slump in October and November pulled down the 11-month figures. Growth rate was only 4.6 per cent, as the combined number of vehicles sold was 739,506 units. While sale of passenger cars increased 8.8 per cent, commercial vehicle sale rose only 1.3 per cent.
 "December sale figures should continue the decline, due to the floods. Nearly all automakers have resumed operations while some of inundated industrial estates have been recovered. Though normal operations are not yet reinstated, it's a good signal to the economy as a whole," he said.