Thai vehicle sales in April fell for an 11th consecutive month, plummeting 27.4% year-on-year after further domestic political upheaval.
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Toyota Motor Thailand, which compiles the industry-wide figures, said domestic vehicle sales fell to 39,713 units, news agency AFP reported.
Sales of passenger cars rose 4.2% year-on-year, but the commercial segment continued to suffer for a 12th month running and fell by 39.7%.
“It’s the lowest drop in four months but it fell because of the economic slowdown and low consumer confidence… due to the political incidents in mid-April,” Toyota Motor Thailand said in its monthly release.
Anti-government protesters loyal to fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra stormed a regional summit on the coast of Thailand on 11 April, forcing its closure before further demonstrations erupted in Bangkok.
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By GlobalDataThe latest round of political unrest only ended after a state of emergency was called across the capital and rioting protesters were threatened with a military crackdown, AFP noted.
A monthly survey showed Thai consumer confidence fell to its lowest in more than seven years amid the turmoil.
But the industry forecast sales would improve in May as the political climate improved.
Toyota, Isuzu and Honda, which command 77.9% of the domestic market, all reported falling sales in April.
