ASEAN Autobiz Magazine

News	Auto production poses growth

	Automobile production in November reached a one-year high of 120,985 units, posing a growth of 4.26 per cent compared to the same month last year. Thai auto production has been increasing steadily after bottoming earlier this year, thanks to the recovery in the domestic market as well as increasing overseas orders. According to Surapong Paisitpattanapong, spokesman for the Automotive Industry Club, Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), a total of 887,656 vehicles were produced from January to November, declining by 32.21 per cent decline compared to the same period last year. In November, a total of 36,534 passenger cars were produced, increasing by 7.53 per cent while from January to November, 279,807 passenger cars were produced, equivalent to 31.52 per cent of total production, and falling by 25.74 per cent compared to the same period last year. During this period a total of 65 buses were produced, a surge of 170.83 per cent compared to the same month last year. From January to November, 371 units were produced, up 7.54 per cent. In November, a total of 84,386 trucks were produced, up 2.86 per cent, while from January to November, 607,478 units were produced, down 34.84 per cent. Production of 1-ton pickup trucks in November reached 82,741 units, growing by 2.47 per cent, while from January to November, 594,261 units were produced, equivalent to 66.95 per cent of total production and down by 35.12 per cent compared to the same period last year. They can be classified as follows. Commercial pickup trucks – 229,753 units (down by 42.63 per cent) Double Cab pickup trucks – 314,176 units (down 33.43 per cent) PPVs – 50,332 units (up 15.68 per cent) Production of 5-ton trucks reached 468 units in November, surging by 130.54 per cent. From January to November, production reached 3,268 units, down 23.7 per cent. Production of midsized trucks (5-10 tons) reached 352 units in November, down 19.27 per cent. From January to November, production reached 3,511 units, down by 36.16 per cent. Production of large trucks (over 10 tons) reached 825 units in November, growing by 26.34 per cent compared to the same month last year. From January to November, 6,438 units were produced, down by 2.22 per cent. Production for export A total of 64,181 vehicles were produced for export in November, increasing by 2.89 per cent compared to the same month last year due to increased exports to Australia and Asian markets. From January to November, 493,357 units were produced for export, equivalent to 55.58 per cent of total production and down by 32.98 per cent compared to the same period last year. A total of 7,554 passenger cars were produced for export in November, falling by 33.04 per cent. From January to November, passenger car production for export reached 101,064 units, equivalent to 36.12 per cent of total passenger car production and down by 36.03 per cent. Export production of 1-ton pickup trucks in November reached 56,627 units, up 10.82 per cent. From January to November, 392,293 units were produced for export, equivalent to 66.01 per cent of total pickup truck production and down by 32.15 per cent. They can be categorized as follows: Commercial pickup trucks – 97,639 units (down by 34.49 per cent) Double Cab pickup trucks – 264,370 units (down 34.91 per cent) PPVs – 30,284 units (up 31.88 per cent) Production for domestic market A total of 56,804 vehicles were produced for the domestic market in November, increasing by 5.86 per cent compared to the same month last year, thanks to improved sales that started to recover since September. From January to November, 394,299 vehicles were produced for the domestic market, equivalent to 44.42 per cent of total production and down by 31.22 per cent compared to the same period last year. A total of 28,980 passenger cars were produced for the domestic market in November, up 27.7 per cent. From January to November, 178,743 units were produced, equivalent to 63.88 per cent of total passenger car production and down by 18.3 per cent. Domestic production of 1-ton pickup trucks in November reached 26,114 units, down 11.93 per cent. From January to November, 201,968 units were produced, equivalent to 33.99 per cent of total pickup production and down by 40.21 per cent. They can be categorized as follows: Commercial pickup trucks – 132,114 units (down by 47.46 per cent) Double Cab pickup trucks – 49,806 units (down 24.31 per cent) PPVs – 20,048 units (down 2.41 per cent) However, truck production in November reached 1,645 units, growing by 27.32 per cent. Production from January to November reached 13,217 units, down 19.25 per cent. Sales Domestic automobile sales in November reached 57,031 units, which is the third consecutive month with growth. November sales, which were the highest this year, grew by 23.8 per cent compared to the same period last year. November sales were also up 7.06 per cent compared to October. This is due to continuous improvement in consumer confidence thanks to the government’s economic stimulus programs initiated since the second quarter. This has led to an increase in consumer purchasing power. While several agricultural products are fetching higher prices and tourism has also improved, there is also improvement in the export sector. From January to November, sales reached 476,786 units, down 14.3 per cent compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, motorcycle sales in November reached 130,264 units, up 14.3 per cent compared to the same month last year, but from January to November, sales are still down by 12.56 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year. Motorcycles In November, 229,705 motorcycles were produced, increasing by 1.69 per cent. They are made up of 165,487 CBU motorcycles, down 3.59 per cent, and 64,218 CKD motorcycles kits, up by 18.41 per cent. Motorcycle production from January to November reached 1,910,477 units, down 32.29 per cent. They are made up of 1,492,910 CBU motorcycles, down by 15.78 per cent, and 417,567 CKD motorcycle kits, down 60.19 per cent. Automobile export In November, a total of 58,665 automobiles were exported from Thailand, down 11 per cent compared to the same month last year, and 1.41 per cent compared to October. Export value reached Bt27.633 billion, down 6.25 per cent compared to November last year. Exports of engines reached Bt1.429 billion, up 31.9 per cent. Exports of auto components reached Bt9.967 billion, down 5.15 per cent. Exports of auto spare parts reached Bt1.131 billion, down by 5.15 per cent. The total value of automobile engines, components and spare parts export in November amounted to Bt40.161 billion, down 4.98 per cent. From January to November, automobile exports from Thailand reached 481,963 units, falling by 34.25 per cent. Export value reached Bt226.132 billion, down by 32.27 per cent. Exports of engines reached Bt11.695 billion, down 31.26 per cent. Auto components exports reached Bt91.787 billion, down 28.47 per cent. However, the value of auto spare parts exports reached Bt11.45 billion, growing by 16.17 per cent. From January to November, the total value of automobile engines, components and spare parts export amounted to Bt341.067 billion, down 30.26 per cent. Motorcycle export In November, combined motorcycle exports (CBU and CKD) reached 72,299 units, up 2.43 per cent compared to the same month last year and 31.34 per cent higher compared to the previous month. Meanwhile, the export value reached Bt1.817 billion, down by 34.24 per cent. Exports of motorcycle components reached Bt1.099 billion, down 28.66 per cent. Spare parts exports reached Bt46.26 million, down 12.39 per cent. Total export value of motorcycles, components and spare parts in November reached Bt2.963 billion, down 32 per cent. From January to November, combined motorcycle exports (CBU and CKD) reached 524,427 units, down by 55.64 per cent. Meanwhile, the export value reached Bt17.484 billion, down by 26.15 per cent. Exports of motorcycle components reached Bt10.511 billion, down 43.79 per cent. Spare parts exports reached Bt385 million, down 37.5 per cent. Total export value of motorcycles, components and spare parts from January to November reached Bt28.380 billion, down 33.09 per cent. Summary In November, the combined export value of automobiles, engines, components, spare parts, and motorcycles, components and spare parts amounted to Bt43.124 billion, down 7.51 per cent. From January to November, the combined export value of automobiles, engines, components, spare parts, and motorcycles, components and spare parts amounted to Bt369.447 billion, down 30.56 per cent.
Issue	January 2010