Thailand's auto production in Nov highest in 51 years

BANGKOK, December 20 (TNA) - The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) says that the country's automobile production totaled 256,581 units last month, its historic highest record since the auto production began in the Kingdom in 1961. FTI spokesman for the automobile industry club Surapong Paisitpattanapong told journalists on Thursday that Thailand's vehicle production last month surged by 982.85 per cent year-on-year and up 1.75 per cent from a month earlier, thanks to high demand following a massive flooding in the country late last year. Surapong said, of the total auto production last month, 161,768 units were sold in the country and the rest of 94,813 units were exported. According to the spokesman, Thailand's auto production for domestic sales had totaled 1.29 million units during the first 11 months of this year; while auto exports in the same period had amounted to 941,351 units and it is, therefore, projected that the country's vehicle production should total some 2.45 million units at the end of this year. The spokesman revealed that Thailand's auto production next year is foreseen at 2.5 million units and to increase further to 3 million units by 2017, enabling the Kingdom to be one of the world's top ten largest car producing countries. (TNA)