Car market to remain subdued

Vudhigorn Suriyachantananont, senior vice president of Toyota Motor Thailand, said yesterday that the last quarter of the year was always the best-selling season, with new models, new promotion strategies, and the implementation of new government projects.

The situation in October will remain mixed, though. 

While the economic stimulus package and the policy on special economic zones are expected to boost confidence and demand, concerns over the global economic condition may dampen private investment and household demand remains low.

In September, 61,869 vehicles were sold. Growth for commercial vehicles was registered for a second month, after the pick-up in August – the first in 28 months.

In the first nine months, 553,832 vehicles were sold, down by 14.6 per cent year on year. 

While the passenger-car segment showed a 21.6-per-cent decline, the commercial-vehicle segment also slipped by 9.4 per cent.