Thai vehicle output and exports surge y/y in January

Production remains strong after output levels doubled y/y in December and surged 68.3% y/y to 2.45 million units for the full year 2012

Vehicle production in Thailand surged 68% year-on-year (y/y) to 236,025 units in January, while exports jumped a similarly impressive 61.8% y/y to 86,697 units, the Federation of Thai Industries said today (21 February). The value of car, truck, and bus exports, including detached engines and automotive parts, surged 38.6% y/y to 55.7 billion baht (USD1.86 billion) during the month. The federation expects vehicle production in the February-April period to total 664,756 vehicles, nearly 32% more than the number produced in the same period of last year but down 6.9% from 713,959 units produced in the November 2012-January 2013 period.