November car sales skyrocket by 477.6 per cent

According to data compiled by Toyota Motor Thailand, this boosted the 11-month collective car sales to 1.29 million units, which is a 74.7 per cent rise from the same period last year.

"This is another new monthly sale record,"  the company said in a statement. "It resulted from the low base last year when the auto industry was badly hit by the flood disaster, as well as spiking demand thanks to the government's first-car buyer scheme. Auto companies' capacity increases also quickened vehicle delivery."

In November, the number of passenger cars sold hit 77,743 units, up 509.9 per cent. Among commercial vehicle sales of 70,500 units, 1-tonne pickups accounted for 60,805 units which showed the 621.2 per cent increase on year.

"December sales should continue to rise, as buyers are rushing before the end of the first-car buyer scheme at the end of this year. Moreover, auto companies rush to deliver some of 85,000 vehicles booked during the  Motor Expo. There is a long waiting line for popular and newly-launched models," Toyota said.

In the first 11 months, Toyota maintained the biggest market share of 36.8 per cent, with the sale of 475,820 units. Trailing behind are Isuzu and Honda, with sales of 191,897 and 150,745 units - or the market shares of 14.9 per cent and 11.7 per cent, respectively.