The country's vehicle shipments in March recorded the highest volume in 18 months at 117,708 units, up by 6.1% from the same month last year, says the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
Export value for the period stood at 59.8 billion baht, up by 1.46% year-on-year.
Surapong Paisitpatanapong, a spokesman for the FTI's automotive industry club, said shipment volumes last month grew for three regions: Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
This growth last month made car shipments in the first quarter tally 299,841 units, up by 1.56% from the same quarter in 2018. But value for the period remained in the red at 150 billion baht, down by 2.32%.
Car production in March stood at 198,821 units, marking the highest level in 68 months, with a rise of 1.83% from the same month last year.
Last month's output also increased 8.6% month-on-month.
Mr Surapong said pickup production surged last month, both domestically and overseas.
Production in the first quarter rose by 4.04% to 561,487 cars, according to the FTI.
The club reported car sales in March stood at 103,164 units, up by 8.5% from the same month last year and 25.3% month-on-month.
"Many factors are attributed for the sharp growth in local car sales: new models and auto showcases in March and April," he said.
"The economy is also driven by massive public and private investment."
With the healthy local sentiment, car sales from January to March grew by 11.2% to 263,549 units.
