Published on 21/10/2010
Car exports up 64.73% in September Vehicle exports for September were up 64.73 per cent from the same month last year to 81,296 units, Surapong Paisitpattanapong, chairman of the Automobile Industry Group at the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said on Thursday. Car exports were valued at 36.97 billion baht, an increase of 54.5 per cent, said Mr Surapong. Exports in the first nine months to September were up 82.75 per cent on the same period last year to 664,829 units. Vehicle production output in September stood at 141,486 units, up 36.85 per cent on the same month last year. The output in the nine months was 1,197,300 units, an increase of 83.74 per cent on the same period last year. Mr Surapong admitted that if the flooding situation does not improve within two months, sales of motorcycles and one-tonne pickup trucks would drop. He could not assess the flood impact at this time and would wait to see the sale volumes in October. He did not think the flood's impact would hurt the set car production target for this year at 1.56 million units, as advance car-purchasing orders in the next three months were at nearly 400,000 units.
Published on 21/10/2010
“There is a possibility that car production will reach 1.6 million units this year, the highest in the country’s history,” Mr Surapong said. He expected domestic car sales would be around 750,000 units, while exports would range between 890,000 units and 900,000 vehicles in 2010.