Bookings at the Thailand International Motor Expo are expected to hit organisers' target of 30,000 cars as Covid-19 safety concerns lead people to buy more vehicles, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
Though the pandemic meant organisers imposed strict screening of visitors, the 12-day event that ends tomorrow has received a positive response from consumers, said Surapong Paisitpatanapong, FTI vice-chairman and spokesman for the federation's automotive club.
In addition to sales promotions and new models pushing up car bookings, many people want to have their own vehicles to avoid contracting Covid-19 while on public transport, observed car manufacturers and dealers.
The FTI expects bookings of between 10,000 and 14,000 units during the first 10 days of the 38th Motor Expo, and believes the numbers will keep rising.
Up to 800,000 visitors are expected to come to the Impact Challenger exhibition centre, while 200,000 are set to view the event online, according to organisers.
Last year the Motor Expo recorded car bookings of around 34,000 units. Between 1.3-1.5 million people visited the event.
"This year's event will contribute to domestic car sales in Thailand, helping them reach a target of 750,000 units in 2021," said Mr Surapong.
The club is upbeat about better business prospects after the government decided to reopen Thailand from Nov 1, allowing fully vaccinated foreign tourists to enter the country.
A bustling tourism atmosphere is believed to help increase car sales.
The FTI's automotive club earlier set a 2021 car production target of 1.55-1.60 million units, with 800,000-850,000 units to be exported.
Domestic car sales during the first 10 months of this year were not impressive, falling 2.1% year-on-year to 596,393 units.
However, the situation will change in the last quarter, with car sales expected to pick up, said Mr Surapong.