Domestic car sales in Thailand may drop 5.3 percent this year, after a 21.4 percent slump last year, amid a recent outbreak of the coronavirus, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) said on 20 January.

Domestic car sales in Thailand may drop 5.3 percent this year. (Photo: Bangkok Post)

Sales are targeted at 750,000 cars in 2021 after 792,146 vehicles sold last year, the FTI said.

Thailand is a regional vehicle production and export base for the world’s top carmakers.

Car production is expected at 1.5 million vehicles this year, half of which would be exported and the other half sold domestically. That compares to the 1.43 million produced last year.

Spokesman of the FTI’s automotive industry division Surapong Paisitpattanapong said the FTI is still worried about second of third coronavirus waves in some countries while Thailand has a second wave.

There is also a chips shortage, making some carmakers stop production temporarily. Therefore, car exports may not grow this year, he added.

Car exports plunged 30.19 percent last year.

The FTI’s Thai industries sentiment index fell in December for the first time in eight months due to concerns over the outbreak and the state of the Thai and global economies.

Source: VNA