Thai auto sales surge

Of those, 29,888 were cars while 49,318 were commercial vehicles, an increase of 30.6 per cent compared to the corresponding month last year.
Vudhigorn Suriyachantananont, executive vice president at Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd, said auto companies participating in the Bangkok International Motor Show that ended in early April launched a large number of new models and sales promotions.
"The new models introduced gained popularity, while other contributing factors include improvements in Thailand's exports and agricultural product prices," he said.
Meanwhile from January to April, auto sales in the kingdom reached 316,299 vehicles, growing by 15.5 per cent.
The car market expanded by 13.3 per cent during this period, Vudhigorn said, while commercial vehicles experienced a 16.9-per-cent growth.
"Thailand's economy has seen improvement both in exports and tourism, and the large number of new automobile models plus sales promotions from the start of the year has served as contributing factors to the market growth," he added.
Vudhigorn said auto sales in May are expected to continue rising.
According to Vudhigorn, Thailand's economy is improving continuously, while automakers and finance companies are offering attractive sales packages that help consumers make quicker purchase decisions.
"And although part of the consumer groups are concerned about the political situation in Thailand and overseas, there has been little effect on the automobile market," he said.
During the first four months of 2018, Toyota was the top-selling brand with an aggregate of 87,502 vehicles, an increase of 14.2 per cent, followed by rivals Isuzu and Honda with 59,080 and 38,869 respectively.
While Toyota also leads the car market with four-month sales of 33,463 vehicles, up 8.7 per cent, it has yet to catch up with Isuzu in the commercial vehicle market. From January to April, Isuzu sold 59,080 commercial vehicles, marking a 9.8-per-cent growth. 
Toyota, enjoying a 17.9-per-cent growth during this period, trails by more than 5,000 vehicles with 54,039 sales.