Thailand's motor expo eyes a reverse slump in the local auto sector this year

Source: Xinhua| 2019-11-29 00:10:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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BANGKOK, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's international motor expo representative said on Thursday that it hopes this year's auto expo showcasing 60 manufacturers' latest models will attract more buyers amidst a slow domestic auto market.

"We expect that the Thailand's Motor Expo 2019 which will kick off on Friday, be able to sell at least 50,000 vehicles and 9,000 motorcycles during the 12 day event," said Chalatchai Papaspong, a member of the 36th Motor Expo organizing committee, "We hope that the expo would attract 1.6 million visitors and generate about 56 billion baht (1.853 billion U.S. dollars)."

The Thai auto industry saw that in 2018, Thailand's vehicle sales had increased 19.2 percent year-on-year to over 1 million units.

Chalatchai however said that in 2019, sales have been down every month since June, as the Thai economy had been affected by the U.S.-China trade friction and the slow down in the global economy.

This year, 34 car brands and 26 motorcycle brands from nine countries would be presented at the Thailand Motor Expo 2019.

He said that MG, which is owned by Nanjing Automobile, SAIC Motor, a Chinese automaker, will be rolling out a new pickup truck, and will appeal to Thai market.

Toyota will also be introducing a hybrid model which flaunts the car's high fuel efficiency, while Honda and Nissan's new models will have the turbo technology.

Hopefully, the motor show will slightly spur up the auto market year-end, Chalatchai said.

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