Thailand's motor vehicle production and sales remained robust in March, with production rising by 34.3% year-on-year and vehicle shipments by 14.4%.
Output for the month stood at 256,231 vehicles, according to the Federation of Thai Industries automotive club.
Output over the first three months of the year totalled 721,460 units, up by 44.5% from the same period last year.
Domestic car sales in March totalled 156,951 units, an increase of 41.4% year-on-year and 20.8% month-on-month from February.
Car sales over the first three months of the year amounted to 412,680 units, up by 47.7% year-on-year.
Club spokesman Surapong Paisitpatanapong said healthy car sales for the period were mainly due to deliveries by car makers to buyers under the state-sponsored first-car scheme.
According to Mr Surapong, car exports in March exceeded 100,000 units for the first time since 1988.
A total of 102,742 vehicles were exported in March, up by 14.4% from the same month last year. Export value was 44.54 billion baht, up by 5.6%.
For the first three months, vehicle shipments rose 28.7% to 283,966 units.
According to Mr Surapong, April-June auto output is forecast at 640,791 units, down by 11.2% from January-March levels.
He said vehicle output in April is expected to fall by 20-30% from 256,231 units in March due to the long holidays.