Inter-Media Consultant Co, the organiser of Thailand International Motor Expo 2018, is optimistic about vehicle bookings for the upcoming auto showcase, saying overall sentiment has been bullish throughout the year.
The expo is scheduled for Impact Muang Thong Thani during Nov 29-Dec 10 under the concept "Enjoy Driving! Before Driverless Era".
The company expects the 12-day auto show to receive bookings for 45,000 cars and 8,000 motorcycles, up 13% and 3.7% year-on-year, respectively.
Inter-Media vice-president Chalatchai Paphatphong said the car market has performed well for three quarters and the positive momentum will continue into the fourth quarter, which is the high season for the car market.
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) reported that car sales for January to September rose 20.3% year-on-year to 746,546 units.
Pickup sales grew at about the same pace, 20%, to 314,688 units for the period, while sales of passenger cars (sedans, hatchbacks and eco-cars) rose by 19% to 291,091 units.
SUV sales surged 58.5% to 60,575 units in the first nine months, while sales of pickup passenger vehicles rose by 11.9% to 45,811 units.
"There will be many factors driving the market in the last quarter, such as new cars, stimulus campaigns and high purchasing power from year-end bonuses," Mr Chalatchai said.
He said motorcycle bookings are expected to see slight growth compared with levels at the previous auto show, but motorcycles at the venue are mainly big bikes with engine sizes over 400cc.
The FTI said the overall motorcycle market saw slowing sales from January to September, down 1.7% at 1.37 million units moved. Of the total, the big-bike segment accounted for 23,122 units in the period.
"Big-bike sales will not grow at the high pace seen over the past several years," Mr Chalatchai said.
The Motor Expo's 2012 edition witnessed an all-time high of 85,904 car bookings, propelled by the Yingluck Shinawatra government's first-time car buyer scheme. Bookings dropped to 41,083 in 2013.
In 2014, the event had 42,254 car bookings, hurt by the unstable political and economic situation. Bookings fell to 39,125 in 2015 and 32,422 in 2016.
Bookings rose for the first time in five years in 2017, reaching 39,832 units.
Motorcycle bookings tallied 2,718 in 2014 before rising sharply to 5,749 units in 2015 and 7,942 in 2016. The organiser reported 7,711 motorcycle bookings in 2017.
Inter-Media expects money circulation of 55 billion baht during the 12-day period, up from 52 billion during the previous showcase, while the number of visitors is expected to reach 1.5 million baht, up from 1.36 million last year.
Mr Chalatchai said the show will display many concept cars from local distributors, as well as electric vehicles available for booking.