Thailand's automobile exports continued to rise last month, driven by eco-cars, helping to offset tepid domestic sales.
A technician inspects vehicles for export at Laem Chabang port. Exports of finished vehicles in the first four months of 2015 rose 13% year-on-year to over 410,000 vehicles.
The auto industry club of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) yesterday said April exports rose by 17.7% year-on-year to 82,130 vehicles, boosted by an increase in shipments of eco-cars to Europe and North America and a recovery in Australia and Asia.
In value terms, Thai car shipments rose by 18.2% year-on-year to 39.1 billion baht.
In the first four months of the year, vehicle exports stood at 410,362 vehicles, a 13.6% year-on-year increase, fetching 186 billion baht, up by 9.78% year-on-year.
Exports to Oceania accounted for 24%, followed by Asia except the Middle East (23%), the Middle East (21.8%), South America (11.7%), Europe (11.5%), North America (4.4%) and Africa (3.6%).
Club spokesman Surapong Paisitpatanapong said passenger car shipments to Europe surged 1,452% in April to 6,096 vehicles, with figures for the four months rising 352% to 29,437.
Shipments of pickup trucks fell 0.92% to 17,852 vehicles.
Car shipments to North America jumped 115% in the first four months to 18,070 vehicles.
"Due to healthy shipments, the club expects eco-car exports will increase by 11.2% to 168,000 vehicles this year, with export proportion equivalent to 17% of total exports, a rise from 14% last year," Mr Surapong said.
Domestic sales remained weak last month, down by 26.2% at 54,085 vehicles.
For the first four months, sales fell 15.3% to 251,845 vehicles.
Motorcycle sales also dropped to 106,314 units in April, down 18.9% year-on-year, but sales in the first four months rose 3.96% to 585,256 units.
The fall was due to low farm prices, delayed infrastructure spending, slower-than-expected budget disbursement, tightened loan approvals and the slow recovery of private investment.
The FTI said the country's vehicle production fell 2.18% year-on-year to 123,968 units last month.
The latest number was a 30.4% month-on-month decline that the FTI attributed to the long Songkran holiday and fewer days at the factory.
For the first four months, total production edged up 0.67% year-on-year to 648,508 vehicles.