Vehicle sales rises 20% to 741,000 units in the first half of 2013; momentum maintained in the first quarter but stalled in the second

The vehicle sales in Thailand in the first half of 2013 (January to June) increased 22.1% year over year to 741,000 units. The increase was ascribable mainly to the balancing orders on hand after the first time car buyer’s incentive programme were ended at the end of 2012. These orders sharply pushed the first quarter sales (January to March) up by 47.9%. On the other hand, the sales in the second quarter (April to June) only marked a 0.1% increase to 328,000 units. A monthly comparison shows a brisk sales momentum was maintained in April but the sales plunged in May by 3.5% from the same month a year earlier as the balancing orders from the purchase incentive were entertained. As a result, the result for May marked the first year-over-year decline in 17 months (see Figure 2). The decline even grew larger in June at 14.2% which suggests the rapid market expansion that started in the previous year is decelerating.

Related Report: Japanese Suppliers in Thailand (Apr. 2013)