Thai Vehicle Sales Continue 2012’s Momentum Into Record January

Thailand begins 2013 where it left off last year, in record territory, as January vehicle deliveries soar 63.4% to 125,817 units, according to Toyota Motor Thailand, which collates sales data for the Thai industry.

Toyota says the sales increase is a continuation from last year’s tax-friendly, first-car-buyers scheme and pent-up demand caused by the historic flooding of 2011 that left a dearth of vehicle and parts inventories.

January new-car deliveries surged 108.6% to 59,872 units, while commercial vehicles jumped 36.5% to 65,945, including 1-ton pickups that were up 29.9% to 55,618, Toyota Thailand Executive Vice President Wutthikorn Suriyachantanano says in a statement.

Toyota says the market will continue to grow as sales under the first-buyer scheme continue. Liquidity in the Thai market also is relatively high, which is positive for the domestic auto industry and its on-going promotional activities.

Toyota maintained its market dominance in January with deliveries rising 12.5% to 40,663 units, for a 32.3% market share. Isuzu was a distant second, up 80.8% to 19,858, ahead of Honda, up 14.6% to 18,389.

In the car segment, Toyota sales climbed 32.4% to 18,436 units, ahead of Honda, up 25.9% to 15,513, and Nissan, up 49.4% to 8,243.

The still important 1-ton pickup segment saw Toyota in a rare decline, off 0.4% to 20,676 units. Isuzu deliveries soared 75.9% to 17,974 units, followed by Mitsubishi, up 6.5% to 7,318.

Chevrolet Thailand began the year up 59%, for a January record of 6,039 sales. The Colorado led with 2,476 units, ahead of the Sonic (1,689), Trailblazer (694), Captiva (618) Cruze (504) and Aveo (58).

“It certainly is a good start for a new sales year, especially on the back of a record-breaking 2012,” says Gustavo Colossi, new vice president-marketing and aftersales for Chevrolet Sales Thailand and GM Southeast Asia Operations.

“We still have a lot of work to do, not just in Thailand but across the Southeast Asian region, to ensure we maximize our continued growth.”

Ford Thailand followed up its record December and 2012 sales performances with its best January ever, as it boosted deliveries 74% to 5,648 units.

“We have a tremendous amount of confidence in our One Ford plan and product-led transformation, which is continuing to attract many new-to-Ford customers,” newly promoted Managing Director Yukontorn ‘Vickie’ Wisadkosin says in a statement.

“There is certainly a strong understanding in the market now that we are introducing segment-leading vehicles, and we intend to continue building on this throughout the year.”

The Ford Fiesta, which retained its place as the Thai subsidiary’s best-selling nameplate in 2012, continued to lead the way in January, with deliveries climbing 29% from year-ago to 2,801 units.

The all-new Ford Ranger saw sales soar 181% to 2,059 units, while Focus deliveries surged 151% to 667.