The country’s domestic car sales rose 12.1% to 95,082 cars in March from a year earlier, boosted by Bangkok Motor Show and improving public and private investment, the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) said on Wednesday.
The FTI has forecast domestic car sales of 900,000 vehicles this year after a 13.4% jump in 2017, which was the first annual increase in five years.
Annual domestic car sales contracted during 2013-2016, following the end of a government car subsidy scheme in 2012, when sales surged 81%.
In March, car exports increased 4.7% year-on-year to 110,946 vehicles.
The FTI forecasts car exports at 1.1 million this year after 1.14 million cars exported last year.
Thailand is a regional vehicle production and export base for the world's top carmakers. The auto industry accounts for about 12% of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.
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