Economy Thailand's Domestic Car Sales Rise for First Time in Nearly Two Years

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In a hopeful sign for Thailand’s automotive market, domestic car sales rose for the first time in 23 months this April, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI). This slight recovery follows a 0.54% dip in March, with April sales up 1% compared to last year, marking a noteworthy turn in the long-running trend of declines.

 

Surapong Paisitpattanapong, spokesperson for the FTI's automotive industry division, credited the uptick to increased passenger car sales. However, he noted that the sale of pickup trucks continued to decline due to ongoing challenges with credit availability.

 

Despite the positive movement in domestic sales, car production and exports continued to falter. April saw a 0.4% decrease in production from the previous year, totaling 104,250 units. This marks the 21st consecutive month of declining production, with March having reported a more significant 6.1% year-on-year fall.

 

The weaker economic conditions domestically, particularly evident from a 33% decrease in truck production, continue to signal underlying issues. Mr. Surapong remarked, “Truck production has decreased by 33%, which clearly shows that our home economy is weak."

 

Car exports also faced challenges, declining by 6.3% in April compared to the previous year. However, this figure represents an improvement over the sharper 14.9% contraction experienced in the preceding month.

 

Thailand remains Southeast Asia's largest hub for automobile production and serves as an export base for global automotive giants like Toyota, Honda, and China’s BYD. The mixed results highlight the ongoing struggles within the industry despite some positive signs in local sales, warranting careful monitoring of economic conditions and consumer confidence moving forward.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-05-23