Thailand's Toyota car exports rise by 6% in 2013

BANGKOK, January 20 (TNA) - Thailand's earning from exports of auto and auto parts by Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. alone in 2013 reached 251.45 billion baht although sale volumes of the Japan-based car manufacturing giant were ranked second in the domestic auto industry last year. Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. President Kyoichi Tanada told journalists on Monday that his company exported 430,929 completely-built up vehicles to overseas markets in 2013, a 6 per cent year-on-year increase, worth 188.45 billion baht. Tanada also reported that his company exported auto parts, totally worth 63.01 billion baht, to foreign markets last year. According to the president, Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd., therefore, earned the Thai economy a total of over 251.45 billion baht from its exports of completely-built up automobiles and auto parts in 2013. The president projected that Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd. would top the list in the domestic auto and auto parts industry in 2014 in terms of its sale volumes, thanks to its new models of eco cars and others later this year and its expansion of showrooms to 450 across Thailand, from 390 currently. and its Toyota Sure centres to 120, from 100 currently. The president, however, assessed that overall auto sale volumes in Thailand this year should fall by 13.6 per cent year-on-year, with a total sale standing at about 1.15 million units, due to a slowdown in the Thai economy, cautioning that the country's overall auto sale volumes could drop further this year if ongoing domestic political protests were dragged on.(TNA)