According to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), February vehicle sales in Thailand decreased 3.9% year over year (YoY) to 71,551 units from the same period in 2022. The FTI is sanguine about the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show held from March 22 to April 2 with many promotional campaigns and new car models that is expected to boost vehicle sales in March and April. Vehicle sales in the first 2 months of 2023 reached 137,130 units, down 4.7% YoY.
According to data compiled by Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT), by maker sales in February, Toyota was up 2.5% to 25,612 units. Isuzu was down 23.9% to 15,375 units and Honda was up 22.8% to 8,705 units. Mitsubishi sales were down 21.7% to 3,606 units and Ford sales were up 73.6% to 3,593 units.
By body type, passenger cars were up 10.1% year over year to 24,867 units. Commercial vehicle sales were down 10.0% to 46,684 units. Pickup truck (including PPV) sales included in the commercial vehicle sales were down 18.8% to 33,635 units.
The Isuzu D-Max was the best-selling model (registration base) in February with 14,786 units, followed by Toyota Hilux with 11,513 units, Toyota Yaris ATIV with 4,958 units, Honda City with 4,820 units and Ford Ranger with 3,476 units.
The FTI announced that new vehicle production in February reached 165,612 units, up 6.4% YoY, thanks to the availability of more auto parts, especially semiconductors. Vehicle production for domestic sales and exports contributed 42.3% and 57.7% respectively. In January-February 2023, vehicle production increased 6.7% to 327,939 units.
Vehicle exports in the month of February increased 11.4% YoY to 88,525 units . Exports to Asia, Australia and Oceania, and South America improved. Yet, FTI revealed that the shortage of space on a RoRo (roll-on/roll-off) ship issue continued. Furthermore, car exports to Australia were delayed. Many vehicles were found to be contaminated with plant materials (mainly grasses) and must be thoroughly cleaned to meet with the Australia Quarantine Inspection (AQIS) strict standards before exporting. The vehicle export value in February was THB 54.8 billion, up 20.3% year over year. In the first 2 months of 2023, vehicle exports from Thailand increased 17.4% YoY to 175,311 units.
Hilux (Toyota)
Announced on March 21, 2023, Toyota Motor Thailand displayed its concept vehicles with diverse powertrains at the 44th Bangkok International Motor Show, at its booth held under the concept of "Toyota Multi-ways for a Better World”.
Its concept models brought to the event included Hilux Revo BEV Concept, LPG HEV Taxi Concept, Prius HEV Concept, and Corolla Cross Hydrogen Concept. The Hilux Revo BEV concept is equipped with an electric drive system that runs on a BEV lithium-ion battery. Based on the Hilux Revo, the prototype of a fully electric pickup truck features a single cab body with a redesigned front grille exterior, tailored for EVs. The Toyota Prius was the first HEV to be commercially produced, featuring both an engine and electric motors. This latest 5th generation Prius HEV boasts a new and sporty design and comes with a longer wheelbase. The LPG HEV Taxi Concept has been designed specifically for use as a taxi. The concept car showcased at this event features a unique yellow-green color scheme, giving it a distinct identity for Thailand. The Corolla Cross Hydrogen Concept is powered by a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine, packing a powerful 1.6-liter turbo 3-cylinder engine. This concept car releases only water during the combustion process, making it an exhilarating and environmentally friendly alternative towards carbon neutrality.
All these presented concept models of Toyota reiterate the carmaker’s commitment towards carbon neutrality.
(From Toyota Motor Thailand press release on March 21, 2023)
The Associacao Nacional dos Fabricantes de Veiculos Automores (ANFAVEA) announced that Brazilian vehicle sales (including trucks and buses) in February 2023 of 129,949 units represented an decrease of 1.8% from February 2022.
Vehicle sales in February consisted of 95,867 passenger cars; 24,039 light commercial vehicles; 8,108 trucks; and 1,935 buses.
Among passenger vehicle manufacturers, FCA sold 24,492 units (25.5%share), GM sold 16,724 units (17.4%), VW sold 13,736 units (14.3%), Toyota sold 9,576 units (10.0%) and Hyundai sold 8,697 units (9.1%). Among light commercial vehicle manufacturers, FCA sold 11,464 vehicles (47.7% share), Toyota sold 2,816 vehicles (11.7%), VW sold 2,547 vehicles (10.6%), GM sold 1,865 units (7.8%) and Ford sold 1,381 units (5.7%).
According to Fenebrave, the Chevrolet Onix was the bestselling passenger vehicle in February with 6,084 sales, followed by the Chevrolet Onix Plus sedan with 5,125 sales, Hyundai Creta with 4,606 sales, Fiat Argo with 4,536 sales, Jeep Compass with 4,430 sales, VW T Cross with 4,294 sales, and Fiat Mobi with 4,074 sales.The Fiat Strada was the bestselling LCV in February with 6,837 sales, followed by the Fiat Toro with 3,191 sales, Toyota Hilux with 2,814 sales, VW Saveiro with 2,092 sales, Chevrolet S10 with 1,512 sales, Ford Ranger with 1,025 sales, and Fiat Fiorino with 911 sales.
In ANFAVEA's sales report by fuel type, sales of flexible fuel vehicles were down 1.2% y/y to 99,361 units (82.9% share), diesel vehicles were down 13.4% to 13,188 units (11.0%), gasoline vehicles decreased 23.9% to 3,056 units (2.5%), hybrid vehicles increased 19.3% to 3,663 units (3.1%) and electric vehicles increased 57.1% to 638 units (0.5%).
According to the president of the Anfavea, February was quite atypical in terms of sales growth, since traditionally it is a short month, due to Carnival, and there were also floods caused by heavy rains on the coast of Sao Paulo, that is, a lower growth or maintenance of sales in relation to January was expected. However, February saw an decrease in the daily average of vehicle sales, which helped the first two months to close with a positive balance.
(ANFAVEA releases on March 6, 2023) 1 / 2 (Fenabrave press release on March 2, 2023) (multiple sources on March 6, 2023)