Motor Expo reaps Bt29 bn sales

BANGKOK: -- Auto companies took bookings for 25,220 vehicles worth Bt29 billion during the 12-day Bangkok International Motor Expo, which closed its doors on Sunday, thanks mainly to special sales campaigns aimed at achieving annual targets.

Kwanchai Paphatphong, chairman of IMC, the event's organiser, conceded the figures could also have reflected a recovering economy.

The bookings were well above the target of 17,000 units, while the number of visitors also increased 11.5 per cent from last year, to 1.59 million.

"The 0.99- and 1.99-per-cent interest rates were especially attractive," Kwanchai said.

Kiatnakin bank approved 1,500 loans at the motor expo, adding up to Bt1.2 billion. The figure was 20-per-cent higher than the bank expected.

The highest sales were recorded by Toyota with 7,230 bookings, followed by Honda with 4,239, Isuzu with 2,539, Mazda with 2,277, Mitsubishi with 1,518 and Proton with 1,388.

Market leader Toyota sold 4,500 passenger cars at the expo, representing 62 per cent of all passenger-car sales at the event. Of the 4,500 passenger cars, 2,000 were Vios models, 1,300 the Yaris, and the rest were Camry and Corolla models combined.

The B segment of the auto market, covering small cars like Toyota's Vios and Yaris, accounted for 73 per cent of passenger-car sales.

The most significant leap was made by Mazda, which jumped from seventh place in sales at last year's expo to fourth place this year.

"We sold 1,451 units of the Mazda2 at the expo and 686 units of the Mazda3. This accounts for 93 per cent of our combined sales. It's a clear indication people are turning to smaller cars as fuel prices increase and customers look for a more fuel-efficient choice," said Mazda Sales (Thailand) marketing director Sureethip La-ongthong. "Overall, there was a more positive attitude at the expo, and people were willing to spend - a clear sign of a recovering economy."

Not only passenger cars enjoyed high sales. Phranakorn Auto Sales, the official Proton distributor in the Kingdom, sold 824 units of the Exora multi-purpose vehicle. The Exora, which comes with a 1.6-litre engine, accounted for 60 per cent of Proton's 1,388 units sold.

The next-best seller at the expo for Proton was their smallest model, the Savvy, which accounted for 19.5 per cent of sales. The Savvy has a 1.2-litre engine.

BMW, which joined the motor expo officially this year after a three-year absence, sold 415 units. Earlier, the company set a conservative target of only 250 units. The Mini brand, also owned by BMW, sold 57 units.

"BMW customers already had the money, but now the economic atmosphere is right for them to put their money down on a vehicle. The main interest we saw was in diesel vehicles. Customers seem to understand the benefits of diesel. We now have diesel engines in the X3, X5, 1, 3, 5 and 7 Series," said corporate-communications director Sethipong Anutarasoti.

Swedish auto-maker Volvo sold 85 units at the show.

Even grey-market importers recorded high sales, with two major players - TSL Auto and the Benz Ramkhamhaeng Group (BRG) - participating. BRG sold 185 units and TSL 164.

"We adjusted our sales target, and still it was beyond what we expected. Initially, we thought we would sell 80 units and later upped it to 120," said TSL vice president Sureeporn Udompolvanich.

"Most of our sales came from the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class, of which we sold 48, followed by the Toyota Estima and the Mercedes-Benz SLK. Since we provide more options than the official distributor of Mercedes-Benz, customers turn to us."

-- The Nation 2009-12-15

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no recession in thailand by the sounds of that ....

wow that number is just amazing. O_O

Over 1,100,000 Baht per car sold according to those numbers. That's a lot of Camry's.

I can see no mentioning of Nissan there?

and would the already packed streets be able to take all these new cars in ?

It is a pity the article has nothing to say about which cars were displayed, what new or innovative cars were on show, or even how many attended the event.

Oh well it is all about money.

It is a pity the article has nothing to say about which cars were displayed, what new or innovative cars were on show, or even how many attended the event.

Oh well it is all about money.

And the half naked ladies on view.

2,000 were Vios models, 1,300 the Yaris

Same model. The Vios is just a rebadged Yaris Sedan for the Thai market.

and would the already packed streets be able to take all these new cars in ?

The roads are already way over capacity. There's approximately 700,000 new vehicles on Thai roads every year and minimal investment in infrastructure.

Edited December 19, 200916 yr by Oberkommando